Fun Inside at Grandma & Grandpa’s...

The girls did occasionally get out of the pool and come inside for daily piano lessons with Grandpa. Neither girl had ever played, but made good progress in just a few weeks. Of course, they didn’t fully appreciate the luxury of learning on a grand or with such an experienced musician as their grandfather. They also enjoyed TV time in Grandpa’s office where they frequently camped out to watch the Olympics. It was a great visit! In fact, Ashlynn had such a great time with her grandparents that she threatened to move there permanently.

Favorites Times in California...

There’s no doubt that two of the girl’s favorite activities while in California were eating sushi and playing in the pool. Lucky for them, my parents are regulars at Naomi Sushi and always get top notch service from the owner. They were very spoiled by going there three times during their visit. Rarely did a day go by that the girls weren’t in the pool practicing their synchronized swimming routine. One day was more special than the others when Ashlynn’s best buddy in Holland came over. Iyala was in California visiting her uncle in San Jose and the timing worked out great for her to hang out with Ashlynn.

Happiness is Time with Grandma & Grandpa...

The girls had a great time visiting my parents in California for 2 1/2 weeks. They kept amazingly busy--eating sushi, playing in the pool, building sand castles on the beach, going to the movies, visiting the animals at the San Francisco Zoo, and shopping for school. While last year they starred together in a backyard Shakespeare play, this year they went to see Romeo & Juliet at an outdoor amphitheater at UC Santa Cruz, which the girls loved. They also were lucky enough to have a joint birthday party although their birthdays are actually three months apart.

Valuable Lessons Learned in Croatia...

* Be prepared for some drama on the high sea. Sadly, there were some disgruntled passengers on board our tin can cruise (we were pretty disgruntled with them as they woke us up in the middle of the night several times when they returned fumbling drunk) and besides peeing on the captain’s bed, they stole a bunch of passports (including ours). While the captain called the police, the passports mysteriously reappeared.

* Don’t drink from a water fountain while wearing a big floppy hat unless you want to get soaked.

Our Last Day in Croatia...

Once again we got to an early start so we could drive down to Croatia’s capital Zagreb to meet back up with Tom and Narcisa. They’d invited us to spend our final night at their place, but then decided there would be more room if we stayed with her parents, who speak no English but were amazingly hospitable. After snacks, Tom and Narcisa showed us around their hometown of 785,000 people. While there were some lovely parks and historic buildings, there were also a large number of ghastly Communist-designed apartment blocks. It was definitely interesting hearing an insider's take on the war and aftermath.

Getting Well in Slovenia...

Next, Jimmy wanted to head to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. I, however, thought it would prudent not to walk around again the day after Plitvice, but instead to head to a spa to recuperate. After much discussion about why a boy who grew up like Tom Sawyer would ever consider getting a massage, we headed to Lasko, Slovenia home of Wellness Park Lasko. The drive through the rolling hills of Slovenia was beautiful; uncharacteristically, we stayed focused on the spa and did no sightseeing. The hotel was brand new and we were the first American guests. The thermal center featured a retractable glass dome over a variety of different pools including this martini glass whirlpool. Jimmy wasn’t feeling much like Tom Sawyer after an hour in a private jacuzzi sipping champagne followed by an hour long sychronized Ayurveda Couples Massage (a 5000-year-old Indian healing technique) .

One of Europe’s Most Beautiful Natural Sights...

After a 6+ hour drive through the mountains of Bosnia, we made our way back into Croatia to visit the incredibly picturesque Plitvice Lakes National Park, our 4th UNESCO World Heritage stop on this trip. This park is made up of 16 lakes interconnected by cascades of varying sizes. We got an early start in an attempt to beat the crowds, but mostly we were separated from the masses because we chose the longest hiking route. The trails varied from paths high above the lakes (where I took these photos) to down to the water’s level to crossing the water on wooden walkways. We were so enthralled with the natural beauty and desire to see everything that we hiked for almost 8 hours with just a beer, apple strudel and ice cream bar for energy. Sadly, I could barely walk after I finally sat down for dinner, but it was worth it.