Living As A Local ( The Island of Hvar, Split, and Zagreb)

As always I had a great time with Flo! We rode bikes, swam in the sea, cooked healthy meals, reflected on life, taught the men how to BBQ ( that was hysterical =>), and spent time with her parents. I love them!
Once Flo left to return to Paris, I rented a place from the nicest people. Everyday when I would return from the sea, there would be fresh flowers by my bed. They often left figs and fresh fruit. They had invited me for a home cooked dinner and refused to take no for an answer. They had gone spear fishing during the day. ( this totally brought back memories of Corsica. There is something wildly romantic about a man spearing fish for your dinner. ) That night they introduced me to Reno their son, who was living in Germany. Reno had some friends over, Reagan, and Bassi. They both were locals and had grown up on the island. Bassi's family owned and operated a local winery. Before dinner they were pouring the wine and I couldn't help but notice they were adding sparkling water . I was surprised and asked Bassi if this bothered him. He laughed and explained it was normal. His family's winery produced three wines and this was the bottom of the barrel as he described it. He said in Croatia they often add sparkling water to white wine. Bassi left a bottle of the first class wine ( as he calls it) for Reno and I to share. It was awesome! I had such a great time! There is nothing better than sharing good food, good wine, and great conversation! This is one of my favorite things in life. No resturants necessary.
I have always wanted to live on an island and thought this would be a great simple life. Reno and Reagan explained, this was not so. Its very expensive to live on the island. There are no specialists, so in emergencies, it can take two hours by boat to get to Split ( the mainland). Reagan also explained that many adults live with their parents because they cannot afford housing on there own. It was an eye opener, however I would still love to live on an island.
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I met so many people and absolutely loved living in Jelsa. Everyday, I would buy fresh fruit and veggies. The man at the fruit market would call me #1 because I would buy one of everything. I felt at home here.

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