Family Time

in Croatia 2008

Here I am on the beach, in the Village of Lumbarda (where my mom was born), on the Island of Korčula, in the Adriatic Sea off the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

 

It was a wonderful trip that I was lucky to take in the company of three special women: my mom, my neice, Jessica, and my girl-friend, Monique.

 

We spent three weeks there, mostly on Korčula, but also some time on the island of Hvar, where my dad's family was from.

 

While waiting at the Dubrovnik airport for our return flight home, we began to hear the rumors of impending economic collapse in the USA. A rude welcome back to the "real world."

 

 

Ned visits the islands of Korčula and Hvar in Croatia

It had been 33 years since I last visited the island villages where my mom and dad's families had lived for as many generations as anyone can remember. (Mom and dad met in Oakland, CA though).

On my first visit, in 1968, most of the homes did not have indoor plumbing, but the beauty of place was inescapable. This time, a cousin, who had no idea I was in country, and who hadn't seen me in decades, recognized me from across the village plaza and ran up to greet me.

How much more poignant must it have been for my mom, to have been in her childhood home, together with her brother and her sister for the first time in 69 years. It even made the national paper: Slobodna Dalmacija.

Photo Albums from Korčula, Korčula & Hvar

Click any one of the three photos below to see one of my three Croatia photo albums on Flickr.com. Every picture there has a title or some explanation to give you it's meaning and context. Enjoy.