My name is Kaleb Fulgham.
I'm a software / web developer with a passion for photography.
http://kalebdf.com
This blog is an instance of my life through photos & text.
Friday (6/11/2010), we met the “Aunts” one last time during our trip for morning coffee in downtown Zagreb at Slastičarnica Trakošćan. Mama used to always go there when she was little.
Kava s mlijekom (coffee with milk) i bucnica (pumpkin & cottage cheese strudel). The bucnica had a wonderful doughy texture & surprising taste, both sweet & salty.
After the remembrance mass (6/10/2010), Jura drove us over to his apartment where cork-board covered one of the living room walls & where we enjoyed dinner & dessert. Jelena made us several tasty glasses of freshly squeezed/pressed orange juice. They served us delicious tuna salad for dinner (What Kaleb eats that now? Apparently so…). As if several bowls weren’t enough, we were offered potato bread paninis toasted with ham, cheese, & peppers. I had two of them & they were oh so good! For dessert, Jelena dished out her homemade vanilla and chocolate ice cream. AWESOME!!!
One of the best honeys around
Homemade ice cream
Thank you Jura & Jelena for having us over to your lovely abode.
Thursday (June 10th) was a beautiful day in Zagreb so naturally we took the streets & cafes of downtown Zagreb. Our first stop was at the cafe Mala Kavana for an espresso with my mom’s friend, Gorinka.
My dad & I left the ladies to their talking while we went a-walking in search of the neo-baroque Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb (HNK, Hrvatsko Narodno Kazaliste u Zagrebu).
I think the vinodol logo is really cool!
This handicap parking sign is funny: “If you take my spot, will you also take my handicap.”
Sorry, but I remember this picture of my parents 4 years ago. Love ♥
Here is an awesome, kind local lady next to Dolac who makes all shapes & sizes of tablecloths & doilies. We always buy from her & she usually gives us something for free. :)
We met back with the ladies for a bit before eating lunch at a quaint fish restaurant recommended by many relatives, Mimice. It is off the beaten path & definitely a place for locals. When we walked in most of the standing-only tables with a couple of bar stools were occupied. We ordered plates of fried fish ribice (large sardines?) and gavuni (smaller fish) with a side of kruh (bread). You eat the fish whole, similar to popcorn chicken…
To cleanse our palette we met back up with the ladies at our favorite Slasticarna Orijent for sladoled.
It has been a little over a year since my dearest grandmother Baka Pavica passed away. We arranged for a remembrance mass for her & my grandfather Dida (who passed away several years ago) at the church she attended. At 6pm, joined by other family members, we went to the chapel, Kapela Majke Bozje Lurdske, and later had refreshments at a nearby cafe.
Jura (my cousin) took us back to his apartment afterward…
Wednesday, June 9th, we went to visit our friends Nives i Damir for a delectable lunch. Damir, my dad, & I enjoyed a nice walnut aparatif. Our main course was gnocchi with guláš of aged beef & for dessert rice pudding cake with strawberry jam! Mhmmm.
Later that day, Matija drove us to their stan where he & Tonka had prepared a scrumptious dinner. Lasagna, Staropramen (Czech beer), bread & peppers & homemade sausage, & chocolate cake with strawberries to garnish. We ate the later out on their balcony.
Thank you both for inviting us over to eat… & of course to visit!!!
On Tuesday (6/8/2010), we rode off into town wanting to take full advantage of the gorgeous sunny, blue sky weather in Zagreb. I ran up to the Dolac open market to attempt to find a (HR) for Hrvatska bumper sticker. Everyone one was out, but promised to bring some the next day.
Not quite ready for lunch yet, we treated ourselves to Cafe Millennium’s kava and jagoda i stracciatella (Italian version of USA chocolate chip flavor) sladoled. We took our sweet time there soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the busy walkway. People watching, relaxing, staying out of the heat, and commenting on the large amount of young people lounging around. The rhythmic city cafe sounds were suddenly interrupted & attention diverted to a scruffy & gangly window washer who had made several loud claps. He then shouted with a smile & a booming Croatian voice, “It’s my birthday tomorrow! I want everyone to celebrate & drink with me!” He then concluded with several claps to which many of us in the crowd & cafe laughed and applauded his crazed, unorthodox, yet sincerely cheerful outburst.
We walked right around the corner into
What better way to start off a Monday (6/7/2010) than a haircut at Frizer za Muškarce where the friendly hairdressers remembered me just like it was yesterday & pulled out an old picture of me, my tata, i my dida (grandpa) that they had taken there 12 years ago!
Craving some of the freshest, tastiest fruit ice cream & being in the neighborhood, my dad & I hopped on over to Slastičarna Orijent at ulica Maksimirska #34. It has of course been 4 years since I was last in Croatia & ice cream was one things that I missed. I ordered two kuglicas (used this way as scoops), one jagoda & the other borovnica (blueberry) with chocolate that hardens instantly on top. Out of habit I ordered it in a cornet (cone), but usually we order it in glass cups, savor, drink our coffee or water, & visit. Ivan, the owner of the slastičarna, came out, welcomed us to Croatia again asking about how our family was doing, & conversed with us until we had to leave to go to Gorinka’s for lunch.
Gorinka, my mom’s longtime neighbor friend with two older sons around my age, invited us over for lunch. Lasagna with mushrooms, ham, & ground beef as an appetizer and šnicli (pork cutlets) & gravče na tavče (spicy baked beans) for the main course. Gorinka then fixed us palačinke (crepes) for dessert with options to fill them with nutella, walnuts, brown sugar, apricot jam, & honey. Mmmm. I had 4 and tried different combinations of all! I have a skillet at home so come on over they are really easy to make!
