You look like Nichole Kidman...

We experienced an uneventful drive back to Split from Dubrovnik, (even made it through Bosnia with out another ticket!) We stopped for another breakfast with a sea view, eating in a small village that looked interesting from the road.




We made arrangements to leave the rental, left our packs at the train station, and wandered the waterfront until it was departure time for our train. Our ride to Zagreb was on a commuter type train and we sat facing each other in assigned seats. We were joined by a lady in a torso brace who looked to be in a lot of pain. She spoke no English but managed to offer us chocolate, which we graciously accepted!



During the trip, as I was walking down the aisle, a lady sitting across for us motioned to me to come closer. She whispered in my ear “ You look so much like Nichole Kidman, only more beautiful. Has anyone ever told you that?” I could tell she and I were going to get along just fine!



She turned out to be, very possibly, the most fascinating person that I have ever met. (No, not because of the Nichole Kidman comment!) We talked for hours, and she told me stories about her life that were amazing, interesting, and astonishing all at the same time. Her name is Nila, and she gave me her card. I am looking forward to writing to her when I get home. She was the youngest prisoner of the fascist regime in the early 1940’s. She was taken with her family to an island where she lived for more than two years (she was 5) She said it was very bad when she was a prisoner of the Italians, but it got much worse when the Nazi’s took over the prison. She is married to a former ambassador so she had traveled, lived and taught (languages) all over the world, in addition to her duties as an ambassador’s wife. She speaks about 8 languages (and has decided to learn Chinese….. Did I mention she is 72?) including Russian “as if it were my mother tongue”. She met Nikita Kruchev, President Tito, and saved the life of the children of the president of Morocco (during a coo ((sp?)) attempt in the 1970’s) It would take me all day to type ½ the things that she told me, but she is a brilliant woman. She is having a book published (in French) in January. It isn’t a memoir, but included much about her life. She has promised me a copy. I guess I will have to add French to my language list so I can read it! She was on the train to Zagreb representing a newspaper she writes for. She has translated plays and operas from their original languages into other languages, and she was on her way to see and review Sleeping Beauty and Mary Queen of Scots. Meeting her really was a highlight of my trip. She inspired me to be a better person, and expect more from myself.



On a funny note, she was intrigued by my toe rings. The women of Croatia LOVE their shoes. There are shoe shops everywhere and you see the ladies wearing the fashion forward shoe that people send Email around about. You know the type; sandals with a boot shaft attached, ridiculous heels, weird colors. Well, I have had numerous women staring at my shoes. Ever since we reached warmer climates I have been wearing my black/silver snakeskin Dr. Scholls. A little flashy but not by Croatia standards. It’s been really noticeable and rather odd. Fast forward to meeting Nila. She asked me all sorts of questions like “Is that the fad, or is it an established fashion?” and then she asked me if my daughters wear them. When I said yes, that seemed to explain it all to her. It was then that I realized that the Croatian women weren’t looking at my shoes, but rather at my toe rings! Funny! Maybe I will start an international trend!