Traveling Tajna

So tomorrow I go on a journey, four plane rides, buses, walking, oh yes I am so excited to be walking on the limestone steps of Croatia. There’s something utterly refreshing about walking places instead of driving, and to be walking away from cars, through little streets and alleys,the neon bougainvillea hanging off walls, jasmine, lavender, rosemary and basil scenting the air. Croatia is home for me in my heart and my soul, and I cannot wait to settle there one day.

The water is cold and thick as silk, the salinity makes you float very high, and the color is the very essence of emeralds. Of course you have to slide, climb or tip toe down sheer limestone but it is definitely worth it! One bay I love to swim to is made of a rainbow of rocks and stones. I emerge a mermaid, sit and sift for much too long, finding unique ones to bring back. My yoga teacher asked me to bring one back for her for her puja altar, so now I am even more excited to go there and choose a memorable one for her.

Also I will be staying in my ancestral house in Velo Grablje, which has been remodeled and restored. I don’t need electricity, and washing in a bucket sounds very fun! I will do intense meditation there and try to connect with my ancestral spirits. To waken to the sun and birds,instead of neighbors, lawn mowers, cars, will be a much awaited event.

I can never shut up about the produce in Croatia, and for a good reason! No pesticides, growth hormones, or cloning are used. Everything is fresh, pure, bursting with color, flavor and texture. The cherries (hladna) are amazing, as well as the strawberries (jagoda), and are the best I have ever tasted! I go to the market (tržište) in the morning every day and buy what I want for lunch and dinner: brilliant tomatoes, lettuce, greens, oranges (naranča), eggplant. I only go to the store (duchan) to get beans for protein and the most delicious, sugar free juices. My favorite juice is the apricot (marelica), and I buy little packages of individual ones when I have to board a 5 hour bus somewhere!

My bag is groaning with yoga clothes, running clothes, light cotton clothes, swim suits, not to mention my back pack! The latter is stuffed with the I Ching, scarf, wool hooded sweater (great to nap in, provides privacy), lavender oil, travel pillow, 3 ounce containers of coconut body lotion, Dr.Bronner’s, Aveda facial moisturizer. And my container of food is ready to be packed: quinoa, arugula, tomatoes, Amy’s vegan burger, sprinkled with fresh lemon, rosemary and basil. My dessert is wheat free fig bars with peanut butter, and my compartment is stuffed with Roobios, Refresh,Stomach Ease, Immune Support and Eygptian Licorice. And my lightweight yoga mat is safely encased in a travel sling!

At 4:30 tomorrow, my alarm will summon me from my comfy flannel sleeping abyss, and I will eat, shower, pet the cats, and scurry out the door. Since the toddler age I become an expert at packing and organizing for planes ahead of time.

So Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, here I come!