Discovering Your Roots and Remembering Who You Are, Croatia Edition
Jessica and I had been to Croatia 12 years before in 2005 - unspoiled and relatively unknown to Americans at the time. This was before the internet exploded and before The Game Of Thrones became the reason for a trip to the city of Dubrovnik. We arrived in the walled city and could see right away that things were different. Still unchanged were the magic of the polished limestone streets and the tall, white walls and towers protecting the city, dating from the time of the Renaissance.
The difference this time around was that Dubrovnik was failing to manage the cruise ships, letting out 3,000 tourists at a time for a couple hours into a walled city to trample hurriedly through a selfie-quest for their Instagram accounts. Change can be hard. The saving grace was that we could now experience it through our boys’ eyes. We reminded ourselves, no complaining. It was late summer and we were surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic and warm rock beaches under our feet.
Remembering Who You Are:
Growing up, I was 100 percent Croatian in my mind. My mother was not Croatian at all, mostly Slovak and French - a good old fashioned “Heinz 57”. Despite the lack of pure-bred status, my family took on the Croatian heritage completely. Stories of the “old country” from my Dad’s side would fill our house every time we ate ethnic Croatian food. There's something to be said for teaching your kids where they came from and we were determined to give them the full Croatian experience. It helps that our last name Klasnic’ (Klasnick is Americanized) and is a fairly famous last name in Croatia. Ivan Klasnic’ - a national soccer star for Croatia back in the early 2000’s, endured two kidney transplants and returned to the field to lead his country proudly in two World Cups. He was a hero to many there. So, needless to say, we were very proud to be Klasnic’s visiting the motherland with our little ones.
We tried to do all the special things that my father told us he loved about the culture before he died. We ate spit-roasted spring lamb (Janjetiná). We savored bacon and onion pastries (Musnìca) and drank homemade cherry brandy made by our AirBnB host. When the locals find out that you're on a pilgrimage to see your ancestors homeland, magic happens. People smile more. Speak the language as best you can. Tell people your story. Croatians aren't inherently friendly at first, but when they found out why we were there, their attitudes changed. Getting back to your roots on a vacation with the kids is an awesome bucket list idea.
Getting in Touch with Nature for a Reset:
We were burned out after 3+ weeks in Croatia traveling from Dubrovnik along the coast to Split and Zadar. They were beautiful places, but Croatian food is heavy, smiling local faces are few and far between, and a herniated disc while hiking the Amalfi Coast weeks before was flaring and had me in lousy spirits. The remedy was one of the most beautiful natural places we had ever seen in our lives, Plitvicè National Park, about a three hour drive through the mountains from Zadar. If you are anywhere in Croatia, it's worth the journey. We stayed in Slunj, a town 30 minutes away from Plitvicè National Park which might be a destination in its own right. Rittled with beautiful waterfalls and mills, it’s a great place to stay while visiting Plitvicè. Our Air Bnb was newly built, specifically constructed by a family business hosting park visitors and the cool tinge of Autumn was in the air. Our host was so accommodating. He told us stories about the Bosnian-Croatian War war in 1993, that killed many of his family members. It was sobering. To realize that only miles away was a border separating radically different ideals made us feel lucky to have never experienced conflict like this. The next day, we spent an entire day hiking, admiring the turquoise, limestone pools, silky waterfalls and rushing streams that flowed effortlessly through Plitvicè National Park. No matter what you read about the crowded tour busses swamping the park, or the long distance from Dubrovnik or other Croatian towns…. it lives up to ALL the hype. Don't miss it.
Detours Sometimes Equal Memorable Suprises:
On our way to the airport in Zadar we had one of the most memorable experiences of our lives. Tired and ready to get to Asia on an overnight flight, I noticed a sign for Bosilijevo while driving to the airport. I thought I recognized it as the hometown of my grandfather who left for America in the early 1900’s. We stopped, not sure if this was the same place (how could it be this easy) and after taking the off ramp, we saw a cemetery on the side of a hill and decided to take a look. Within minutes we were approached by the cemetery gatekeeper, smiling, unsure of who we were (as obvious non-Croatians) and his English was so broken it was hard to communicate. I told him we were from America and that I thought my grandfather Marcó Klasnic’ and my grandmother Ana Krajačić were from Bosilijevo. His countenance changed immediately, and he lit up with joy. He pointed to two headstones together with the same names of my grandparents no more than 20 feet from us. We were stunned. The whole cemetery was filled with their namesakes and we felt instantaneously, the connection from where we came from. A magical, random, unexpected moment. We welled up with wonder and tears knowing that we probably never would return to Croatia and that unexpectedly we had found the spot where our roots began. Where our grandfather mustered the courage to come to America for a better life. Later that night, we boarded our plane to Turkey on our way to Bangkok full of gratitude and wonder for what had just happened. We were ready for Asia, still smiling as we took off into the night.
Dovidenja Croatia.
Cheers to dreaming- Matt