Day # 13

Yesterday, our sponsor took us downtown for a sightseeing, get-out-of-the-house, rainy-day adventure. Remembering what we learned in Sweden, we put on appropriate clothing, armed ourselves with umbrellas and went out regardless of the drizzly grayness of the day. It was wonderful! Clara was happy in her Baby Bjorn carrier and caused many a stir from the ladies we passed by.

We rode the bus and the tram. There is no subway, like there was in Sweden, and the trams are always crowded. Passengers were kind though, and every time we rode the tram someone gave up his seat so that Clara and I could sit. But the boys had to tough it out, standing up and packed in like sardines. I'm not kidding! They didn't even need to hold on to the rail because people were packed in so tightly there was no chance of falling down. Standing people swayed like they were one person when the tram took off or stopped!

The outdoor market in the center of town would have been a beautiful sight on a sunny day. While we were there, everyone had umbrellas up and so we learned the art of umbrella navigation. Several times the boys opened umbrellas in crowded areas and nearly poked each other's eyes out! There were booths filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables, and souvenirs unique to Zagreb.

This day happened to be the last day of high school, and there was a frenzy of excitement in this area. Groups of newly graduated kids were wearing brightly colored t-shirts, blowing whistles, singing, and celebrating with each other. We were warned to be careful of kids throwing flour and water at each other. No one threw any at us, but we saw kids with white powdery flour on their clothes. Seems like an unusual way to celebrate. At first I thought the kids would throw the flour, then the water, and I wondered if it would be pasty! But then it made more sense to throw water, then flour, so that the flour would stick better on the person! The customs of other countries seem so strange!

Many more stories of strange happenings are sure to be told on this page. Sound like fun????

Marla