Category: People
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An Apple for an Apple: An International Tale of Citizen Diplomacy
Rumbling through Moldova on a midnight train, Shawn and I find unexpected human connection over a simple piece of fruit, creating “apple diplomacy.”
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Grape Diplomacy in the Moldovan Countryside
In the late-afternoon light, the gingerbread homes of the Moldovan village, Rosu, were bathed in golden hues. The homes’ green and periwinkle-blue fences, and wooden adornments on their gables cast frilly shadows on the dirt road, as Shawn and I embarked on an evening stroll. The wire arbors over the homes’ driveways were brimming with…
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Delicious History: Zinfandel Wine & Octopus Peka in Kaštela, Croatia
As our friend’s car propelled us up the jagged slopes of Kozjak Mountain in Croatia’s Dalmatia region, we struggled to steady our cameras enough to document the increasingly-magnificent view. Simultaneously fearing for the health of my friend’s tires which risked being ruptured on the rocky dirt road, I marveled at the panorama along this stretch of…
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Silver Legacies: The Making of Croatian Filigree Jewelry
Master filigree jeweler Viktor Čivljak has a gentle and humble manner despite regularly wielding blow torches and hammers in his making of Old World jewelry. It turns out that the 73-year-old Split, Croatia jeweler also has a penchant for survival, something that we would learn while spending a Saturday afternoon with him, watching step-by-step how to make a pair of intricate filigree silver earrings. Viktor…
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Fresh Delights: A Cooking Class in Split, Croatia
Jakša Bedalov’s earliest winemaking memory was when he was just five years old. Tasked with cleaning his family’s fermentation room near the coastal Croatian city of Split, Jakša remembers his father pushing him so that he could squeeze into the small space. It was a challenging feat since he was a broad-shouldered child. “It was like being…
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Exploring the Mysticism of Greece’s Byzantine Icons: Profiling Iconographer Dimitrios Moulas
In his authentic Kastraki studio, Greek artist Dimitrios Moulas shows how he paints Byzantine icons. Learn about his timeless process, which uses egg tempera, gold leaf, and patience.
