Croatia (2)

This has been such a great trip so far! The conference has been great - lots of speakers who are discussing my area of research. I had been feeling during the week before the trip that perhaps it was a mistake to go to Croatia in the middle of a school term when I am so busy - and I felt guilty about leaving my family for 8 days! I have to say though that this has been a really good experience and I am glad I came (and grateful to even have had the opportunity). I LOVE that I will have a career that requires that I travel to places I wish to go anyway! (Warning to my family: my research may involve comparisons with Western and Northern European systems of child welfare: I may NEED to spend time in Scandinavia, France, Belgium and Germany.) Seriously though, European travel is a great pleasure and I can see that I will want to continue to visit fairly regularly, even when I take into consideration the expense and the unpleasantness of traveling so far by airplane.

I think I next want to visit Poland- Krakow is supposed to be fabulous, I would like to see some of the Holocaust-related historical sites, and I have done some internet research indicating that the Margolias clan originates from Bialystock, Poland (see Dad, that is why you like Bialys so much!) and it would be interesting to visit this area. My colleague, Neringa, is from Lithuania and she tells me that Bialystock is near (50km) to her home.

I made my presentation today and I think it was well received. I even dressed up in a suit and heels, even though this did not appeal given the warm weather and the 99 (and yes, I counted) steps up to the hotel where the conference is located. Nothing is quite as delightful as starting one's morning huffing and puffing (and sweating and swearing) up the bloody steps in a black suit and heels on a hot day.

Croatia is lovely, even the little bit I have seen so far - tomorrow afternoon, I will spend time in Dubrovnik (I am in Cavtat, the original settlement in this area), and on Tuesday, if the scheduling works out, I will take a bus to Mostar, in Bosnia Herzegovina and briefly dip into another culture there. Then, I leave early Wednesday morning for my trip home to Canada.

In between conference events, Neringa (a very amiable and compatible tavel companion - lucky me!) and I have been enjoying the fine weather and long late-evening dinners (an advantage of travelling without the child), seated outside on the promenade beside the harbourfront, with lots of homemade Croatian wine - such an indulgence! (I am fairly tipsy as I type this post, so forgive, please, my wordiness and occasional misspellings)

Tonight we had a appetizer of fish pate and anchovies with toast and then I had a lobster salad, prepared with a variety of fruit, for dinner. Tomorrow night there is a dinner of traditional Croatian foods at the conference hotel and it should be fun to spend time with the other folks attending. Representative from 36 countries and all of the continents - save Antartica - have come to the conference and it is a lot of fun to meet and talk with such a diverse group.

In this area of the southern Adriatic, the cuisine is Dalmatian and there is a lot of seafood. The waters here are beautiful - crystal clear and unpolluted - I hear that the sea temperature is still warm and am planning a swim tomorrow - though I am told to be wary of sea urchins underfoot as I enter the water. At least you can see them given the clarity of the water.

Here are some pics:

The Cavtat Harbor - fort in the background, water polo court in the foreground.

Cavtat harbour - church and bell tower in background.


Cavtat and her habour as seen from terrace of Hotel Croatia.


Margo's lunch of Octopus salad and local beer.


Margo, just after presentation.

Well, that's it for this evening - tomorrow, pics of Dubrovnic including views from the city walls.