My kind of guy. He's got his beer, my wine in the cooler, and a suitcase ready to roll.
All dressed up and ready to party.
This is just the apero before the bride even arrived. Endless plates of meat.Croatia. We went to Croatia for Achims best friends wedding. I knew it was going to be an event. I have never seen so much food in my life. Four pigs and four sheep gave their life for this event. Achim and the guys got to be part of the slaughtering process. The wedding was held in Nova Gradishka, about an hour from Zagreb the capital city.
The journey to Croatia was a long and strenuous one, this was not due to lack of accommodations or good transport. This was due to 10 men and 2 women, all best friends being in a large van together. In Europe its ok to drink in a car, just no drinking for the driver. Therefore most induldged. We stopped every 30 minutes, I have seen every gas station from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. What should have been a 10 hour drive turned into 14 hours.
I immediately clung to the only other female, a wonderful woman from Chile. She speaks wonderful German now. I do not, but I do speak the international language of, would you like to enjoy a bottle of wine with me. The wine drinking got kicked off at Simons apartment in St. Gallen. We polished that off and then I begged Simon to have one from his stash. He generously handed over a bottle of Malbec from Argentina of course. Maca, from Chile, turned her nose up at it jokingly since Argentina is her wine making rival country.
That bottle of wine was one of the best bottles of wine ever, we enjoyed it in the front seat of the van with our fearless driver Simon. By the time we reached our neighbor country of Austria, the wine was sadly gone. Naturally, we had about 12 hours to go. At an Austrian gas station I scavenged for more wine. Knowing that usually in Europe you can find quality food and drink at a gas station (IE yummy cheese at the gas station in France with Lace). My theory was proven wrong however when we were stuck with a not so delicious Austrian wine. That finished my wine drinking for the rest of the car ride, I fell asleep after telling Simon a thousand times how much I loved him for his great wine, and Maca got sick. Oops.
Finally, we arrived in Croatia. At the brides families home, we were greeted by her beautiful sister, wonderful little brother, and friendly parents. The moment we arrived the coffee, homemade Slibovich (which is a liquor every family makes), and beer started flowing. I was starving, so luckily then out came the plates and plates of homemade cured meats. Some of the best meats I have ever had. All different, all delicious, all salty. Yes, and some sliced tomatoes. In my first four days of Croatia I had no fruit or vegetables, but I had meat, meat, and more meat.
I love these people. They are all thin, and they all constantly tell you, EAT EAT EAT. So I did. Maybe the more cured meats you eat, the more beautiful you become. Hey it was worth a try.
