Travels to a Different Time: Travels of My Mother: 23July1970: Pag Island, Yugoslavia: He Fell Like a Ton of Bricks

Dear Louise, George, Diane and Gerald:

This is a far cry from Spain in every way but everyone goes to Spain so I have to be different. We have been away for such a long time and every once and awhile I long to be back with Andy and all of you.

I have had 10 letters from my German friend. He fell like a ton of bricks. In early August he will meet us in Munich and proceed to show us Germany. He will take us to visit my friend Heidi.

In the meantime we continue “to do” the Dalmatian islands moving from one to the other moving North towards Trieste. The islands are quite similar. They are fairly primitive but not nearly as much as in Greece. The food here is grim and monotonous. Lots of bread and potatoes but very little meat and vegetables. No wonder they are so fat. I don’t want to look like a horse when I get to Germany. The people are very poor and I don’t know how they can live a monotonous life and diet. On our island we only have water an hour a day. They all have three-piece bathrooms but the bathtub is used to store water. You pour water into the toilet to flush it. The have to carry water from the wells in the town. This a real underdeveloped place. No one has a fridge so they have to shop everyday and there are line-ups to buy food. I bought a scarf yesterday. There was a line to buy then another to pay. You buy writing paper one sheet at a time and they carefully fold it and put it into an envelope. I would go stark raving mad if I had that everyday of my life.

Rob has been at the night club every night here. Not really a club but an outdoor patio to dance. He finally got the courage to ask a girl to dance and it was a slow number which he does not know how to dance to.

Robert has been good company. I would not have lasted so long without him. No one but no one speaks English here. There are no English books or newspapers to buy.

We have been on five islands so far and this one has the best beach. The weather has been very windy and it is cold at night. I am glad that I brought slacks and a sweater. There is NOTHING in the stores I would buy all shoddy and poor quality and expensive. Today we leave for the next island so we are just sitting around waiting for a bus to the other end of the island where we catch a ferry. Beginning to feel like a hippie. I am almost black my hair is blonde, white, brown and orange. The main thing is that I am not fat!