Upon entering the house we were greeted graciously by Marko's parents Tomo and Danica, two of the sweetest people you will ever meet. We sat down in there living room and where immediately attended to offered vino, pivo(beer), lemonade and grappa. No, was not an answer that was listened to and we could observe that from the first moment. They were so happy we were there and so generous we were a bit overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity it was truly special. After a short time we went to the lower house and put our things in our respective rooms and relaxed for a little bit before dinner. The lower house has a large deck on the 2nd floor with great views of the water, a pleasant place to sit and relax. After, taking a little rest we headed to the main house for dinner. Sasha, Marko's brother had arrived and we all sat down for a meal. We were immediately bombarded with Tomo's homemade grappa and platters of prosciutto and cheese, followed by other platters of olives, pickles, peppers followed by hot meats and potatoes. Danica, always encouraging us to eat more. If she saw we liked something you would get two more on your plate. Ciara was very sly and moved most of her 2nd-5th helpings onto my plate (mostly the meat), leaving me to take one for the team and eat more than imaginable. Tomo's homemade wine was delicious, and after every sip, your glass was refilled. After the dinner came the dessert apple strudel, torte and a cake. The hospitality and generosity was like no other. With our bellies full of dinner dessert and wine we went to bed eager to adventure the next day. We woke up the next day to another gorgeous day, walking out on to the deck and smelling the fresh sea air. Once we had all gotten up and ready we headed up to breakfast at the main house where we were again continuously spoiled and stuffed. Many hvalas (thank yous) where given due to the overwhelming hospitality and all Danica would say is "Ne hvala" meaning that we didn't need to thank her. Such a sweet woman, it was hard not to squeeze her. And you could tell by her affection that she was so happy to have her family visiting her in her home. Each morning after we said our goodbyes to Tomo, Danica and Sasha we headed out into Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia.

In Montenegro we visited Risan (an old Roman town), Perast (where Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas have a home), Kotor (an old town with city walls and medieval architecture), Sveti Stefan (an old fishing village built on an island peninsula that is now filled with villas and luxury hotels-to open again soon), and Budva (another old city within walls along the coast). Montenegro is filled with natural beauty- gorgeous water, dramatic mountains, and from the mountain tops, we looked down on deep valleys and across to Croatia to the north, Albania to the south, and on a clear day, Italy to the west. We have a feeling that Montenegro is going to come from the shadows of years of unrest and take on the appreciation and beauty it holds.

Twice, we took a day trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia-one of our new favorite places in the world. We were awe-struck by it's presence- a fortified town along saphire waters. From it's beginning in the 7th century and since the rebuilding of what it looks like today after an earthquake in 1667, it's hard to believe the city was heavily bombed during the war from 1991-1992. It was mind-blowing to enjoy a pristine and unique city knowing the hardships and distruction that occurred here a short while ago. We walked along the city walls and couldn't help but take a picture of everything we saw. We spent much of our time eating and drinking while staring out into the Adriatic horizon.

(continued.... on next blog page)