We extended our relaxation into the weekend by hopping a bus to the seaside city of Rijeka. It was near this town that John's grandfather was born, in a tiny village unknown to most Croatians themselves. The weather was sunny and warm, unlike the blistering heat of Zagreb over the last few weeks. We were greeted at the bus station by the man John says is his "great-great-grandmother's great-grandson or something like that.” Needless to say, at the outset I was a little uneasy at the prospect of spending an entire weekend with people we had never met and who, by the title, sounded old and perhaps far-removed in more ways than one. Quite to the contrary (and to my delighted surprise) - Babe, Darko, Neda, and their adorable daughter Ana Marija were a vibrant and interesting bunch! We had such a blast getting to know them and learning more about some of the unlikely history of the Benac family (Trivia question: Do you know which distant relative happened to kill her neighbor with a pitchfork? You would never guess it by the saintly photo posted on her tombstone.) In addition to the old cemetery chock-full of Benac's and Blazina's, we peeked through the windows of the now abandoned birthplace of the original Bill Benac, toured the ruins of an old castle whose stones have been carried away over the years by villagers in miserly efforts to build their own homes. We took a swim in the Adriatic at dusk, and enjoyed leisurely conversation into the night with distant relatives who quickly became close friends. This little trip has taken the top spot as our favorite part of this adventure thus far.