So we never made our way to Germany to visit the place Oma grew up in. I had hoped to but this trip has a mind of its own and here we are now in Klek Croatia a stones throw from the Bosnian Coast. This is Hallie's land. In the back of my mind coming to the Dalmation coast was a way to connect to her and now that I am here I see her everywhere. In the ethnographic museum in Ljubljana the folk costumes are just like the dolls of her youth.  In her dancing days whirling and sashed, long skirt flowing and hair braided and bundled she was a Slav. And as she aged she adopted the head shawl worn by the old ladies here. The Croats are self effacing with a witty dark sense of humor that masks the kindest type of soul. Just like Hallie.

 When we arrived in Croatia 3 days ago we had the first rainy weather of the whole trip. The Yugo (a wind from Africa that is said to drive people crazy) was blowing mixing the clouds fog and rain. A melancholy mantilla cloaking the mythological landscapes of wind swept hills and azure sea. A place and mood perfectly fitted to the fantasy and romance literature Hallie loved so much.

 Today we are off to Dubrovnik where my sister spent the happiest time of her life. I know this by the way she described eating a plate of oysters on a terraced restaurant overlooking the Adriatic and the tumble of  pan-tiled roofs below. It is also to the best of my knowledge the only full scene she ever painted, the roofs and alleys of the old city. I miss you sis and will toast you memory today in the city you loved.