Snapshot from Croatia: Rural Heartland of Dalmatia

"Those who are the happiest never did have everything. But rather, they are thankful for everything they do have" - Unknown

Most of our family here still have homes in the village that the family has been living in for hundreds of years. In fact there is a sign leading to the village with our name on it, effectively telling people where they will find our kith and kin.

 While most do not live there, except to return to tend gardens and vines or to enjoy their holidays, without exception they have all expressed their love of the place.

 

My father in law was no different and when he retired he returned to the village of his birth and built a house he intended to visit regularly. Sadly he lost his battle with cancer and never got to live his dream. It was wonderful to finally visit this corner of the world that seems to be lost in time and completely unspoiled.

To say I was stunned with the beauty of the village would be a complete understatement and for the kids it was nothing short of paradise. To be able to freely roam around, exploring the fields and little creeks and meeting the people who still live there, who greeted us all like long lost friends.

When my father in law was a child the population numbered in the hundreds and now the number of people who live here everyday has dwindled to a number in the teens.

 

The people still living in the village are a national treasure, hardworking, generous and kind. Rob's Uncle who lived most of his life in the village has passed on now but his beautiful wife, Rob's Strena, is still there, tending her vines and her garden and reminiscing on what has been.

One day while the kids and I walked down the street an elderly gent raised his hand and called to us "polako polako" which in Croatian means "slowly, slowly" which really sums up the speed of life in rural Croatia. Another lady stopped us to ply the kids with chocolate and ask us if we knew her relatives in Perth, who of course we did as they are our relatives too.

 As the youngest of a large family my father in law had moved to Pula at a young age for work as the farm could not sustain such a large family. He then moved to Australia in his mid twenties in search of opportunity. The story was the same with the majority of his siblings though he was the only one to leave Croatia.

Our Backyard

It is not an unusual story, in fact if this story had not be reflective of most of the UK, Europe and far beyond, Australia in its current form would not exist.

 

 Having visited fabulous old villages in France and Italy that are full of tourists, cafes, shops and advertising posters I feel genuinely privileged to have found this lovely place completely unmarred by development. Separated from the beaches by a mountain range this side of the mountain has remained largely undiscovered. 

We spent three nights living in the house, which has never been lived in, and exploring the streets and meeting the people. The kids borrowed a neighbours dog one day as company on a walk but their favourite companion was their Strena. Though they shared no common language they we delighted with each others company as they would pick a few grapes or explore "Dida's house".

The kids grandfather, their Dida, passed away before Julian was born and Emma has little memory of him. While travelling we have visited places where my side of the family lived long ago, in Ireland, Scotland and England before coming to Australia, often on a convict ship.

While discovering these places was incredibly special, we could only say "they lived in this town" "attended that church" or "built that towpath". Here our children found roots as old but without the lost connections. We have found the earth the family tree grew in.

 Our three day visit gave Rob's mum the opportunity to visit her own friends who were living nearby, who we haven't seen for sometime ourselves, though they live about hour away back in Perth. Making our visit doubly special we also had the opportunity to visit the house Rob's grandmother on his mum's side was born and raised in.

 We visited with Nada and her cousin, who has put an incredible amount of effort into restoring the place. He was able to show us the corner of the as yet unrestored farmhouse where he was born.

At the top of a hill, reached on an incredibly winding road, the views across Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina are idyllic.

The kids were able to work in the vegetable garden pulling carrots and weeds and explored the old spring which was once the only source of water. We were able to sample walnuts off the trees, which share their name with the village itself.

 The kids have long desired to visit the village that Rob's mum was born in. They have always loved the stories of how she had to trek literally miles to school through all sorts of weather. Sadly to reach her village we would need to cross through the Bosnian border before crossing back into Croatia and hiking two kilometres as the abandoned village is not accessible by car.

Unfortunately our hire car was not allowed to cross the border but we will have to find a way before we leave, though it would have been more special while Nada was with us.

Returning to Dida's house we realised just how lucky we are that this place is waiting there for us and our kids and hopefully our kids kids for many years to come. We planned a three day visit but instead will return for three weeks in November and dream together of white Christmases and long visits
in years to come.

 I have always know that this trip had a hidden purpose that until now had eluded us. We are so grateful to Rob's dad for preserving this link and providing us the opportunity to return to this little corner of paradise in the years to come.