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In Plitvice we met two families. A French couple and their daughter were just arriving to our zimmer looking for tips on the Lakes. I’m impressed with Europeans in their ease traveling from country to country. They're all bilingual. At a minimum they speak their mother tongue and English. This lovely couple lives in south France and like many foreign travelers, they are discovering Croatia for the first time. Since we were 1-day veterans of the Lakes, we felt confident to offer an experienced digest. I did my best Barney Fife impersonation like someone who knows a lot about something he really doesn’t. Several days later they ran into me in Korčula … almost literally. I was crossing a street while gawking at some sidewalk event when a slow rolling car steered toward me. I made eye-contact with the driver searching for an explanation as to why this local driver wanted to mow down a distracted tourist. He pulled up beside me and the lady in the shotgun seat rolled down her window to greet me. It was the same family! We swapped Plitvice stories in the middle of the street as cars behind them started tooting their horn. I waved them off like a local cop directing traffic. When you’re a stranger in a strange land, it’s easy to pretend to be someone else.

On our lower lakes boat ride, we crossed paths with an American couple living in Germany. He works for Adidas (properly pronounced AU•dē•DAS). In three years they have learned to speak German, though their Jr. High son doesn’t have an American accent. They were enjoying a camping holiday through Croatia using a Lonely Planet guidebook. I noticed more Lonely Planet books than Steves’ book. Since Petey and I are entertaining the idea of teaching abroad when our Visalia career ends, I was curious about international school in Germany. Mom, dad and junior confirmed our limited understanding that English schools in foreign countries carry a full range of courses, have great facilities with small class sizes, teach mostly GATE students, and receive tremendous parent support with professional freedom to engage the students in problem-based learning.

During our Plitvice hike, I began to play a little game with my fellow tourists. With so many picturesque places to pose for a family "Christmas Photo" that I couldn't miss the chance to play professional photographer. I frequently interrupted a family's stage-work and used my best sheltered English to offer my services. The only payment was that they would in turn use my camera to take my photograph with one of them joining me in the picture. My favorite photo was taken with Russian newlyweds.