Task #1 coffee (insert use of Croatian language skills here)
Task #2 Hair Dryer
Task #3 Train ticket for the weekend (I'm going visit my friend-same as yesterday, I don't know that many people here yet-in Rijeka on Saturday morning)
Task #4 Internet: to find place to live and get out of dorm as quickly
as possible.
I met my friend again
but this time I manage the tram all by myself into the main square (Trg Ban
Jelećica)
and grabbed a map from the tourist info center. We met and took a short walk to
a seafood restaurant that was on ulica Nikola Tesla. Now I know what my heavy metal
loving cronies back in Minnesota are thinking…Tesla, wasn’t that a sweet metal
band from the 80s???? It was, but Nikola Tesla is also the pretty famous inventor of the AC electrical current (check out this oatmeal post http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla)-I’m going to make an awesome tour guide someday.
I tried new kind of fish, the menu called it sea queen in English but in
Croatian it is orada. I didn't know what either of these two things are, but wikipedia has since told me it is Sea Bream, a freshwater whitefish. It was
prepared as a whole grilled fish, but the waiter cleaned it for me before I ate
it. It was very flavorful. After this I had my first cup of coffee at a café (kafića)-Hallelujah,
the European know how to make coffee, it’s none of this watery brewed stuff I
buy in America because I’m too cheap for espresso. A cup of espresso with a
little bit of milk is 10 kuna, roughly $1.50. Awesome.
After this my friend walked me over to a
bookstore and pointed out an internet café, we said goodbye (until I was to
meet her in Rijeka the next day!) and parted. I looked around the book store
while, bought a cute little green moleskin notebook that has become my personal
dictionary for all new words I’m learning and I left to find my way to the
train station. After walking in the wrong direction, hoping on the wrong tram
(I knew the right one, apparently I didn't care-must be the jet lag), and getting another one, I
arrived at the train station to by my ticket to Rijeka. This was my first
exchange in Croatian, I was so proud. Apparently it worked too because I’m on
said train right now righting this post!
After
this adventure I returned to a square that I was at earlier and bought a hair dryer,
how exciting. Then I found the internet café where I managed to order a beer,
ask for the wifi password, and begin catching up on the facebook I had been missing
out on….yeah right, I actually spent some time looking for apartment (in case the
closet doesn't work out) and emailing some friends. I had another beer and
realized it was 8:30 and I was starving. I think my lose 10lbs in a new city
because you don’t want to/don't know how to eat plan would work splendidly here if I stopped
substituting beer for food.
Anyway I found a place called the Bulldog and order another beer (come on, it’s
me, would you expect anything less?). I
acquired a food menu and order a pizza, all na hrvatskom, small victory! When
the pizza came the waiter moved me into the bar’s bistro so I was way from all the
smokers. There I made my first friend. He was an older gentleman and the waiter that
spoke very good English but I tried to a little of my skills on him and he was
immediately surprised... in the where the hell does an American learn Croatian????
I guessed the way I clearly pronounced the number 38 (the price of the pizza)
was impressive (sarcasm here people, but every small step is a step in the
right direction). He told me he was done speaking English then and we had a
nice conversation. I told him I was going to be around for a while and I would
come back. I left feeling like the day
was a small success. I managed to find what I need and speak the language a bit. I
even had leftover pizza in my possession to eat for breakfast the next day and
gave directions to a French tourist (only because I had a map and he didn't). As I walked back to the main square (see below), rode the tram home, and recognized
some of the sights on the way, I thought this really will be an adventure, but
today was easier than yesterday and I’m sure tomorrow will be even better.
Luckily, I have a data package on my phone was texting with my sister (Devon)
about the whole thing before I fell asleep. I love technology. I packed up most
of my stuff and fell asleep to prepare for an early morning train ride to the
coast.
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