July 29, 2010

 

Hello again my dear friends!

I hope everyone is getting some sun and enjoying the beautiful summer all over the world. I am happy again to inform you about my whereabouts this past 3 weeks.

The bay of Boka Kotorska in Montenegro has been amazing. This is my third week here in the city of Herceg-Novi. I was supposed to come back to my hometown Belgrade after two weeks, but the beautiful sea and the weather made me stay longer. My two best friends from Germany and Serbia came to spend some beach days together. In the early morning we ran by the sea of the bay while the city was quiet and sleeping. Those mornings were amazing. Beach time was absolutely unforgettable. The beaches were crowded with young people performing professional jumping to the sea. It was amazing to watch the guys compete. House music in background gave it a particular European feeling. Hours were like minutes, so when we looked at the sun, it was time for dinner to enjoy some seafood. 

What my American friends would particularly "enjoy" would be the look of the fish. First they let you pick out your own (alive) fish and then they bake it for you. They serve it with the head and tail; you can even see its baked eyes. I loved my coach Mark's impression when he told me about his experience of looking at the seafood dinner in Europe. :) 

The night life has been amazing as well. Cafés and restaurants are full all the time; they serve beautiful Mediterranean cocktails, which are a mixture of fresh juices made of pineapple, orange, grape and strawberries. Those were my favorite; healthy and good for athletes fº Cafes also offer popular thin Italian Pizzas and Pancakes with biscuits and chocolate. It is really addictive, especially after whole day swimming.

As I look back to three weeks I spent here, the ride on the popular "Banana" would be the highlight of the summer. It is a huge banana that can fit 8 people and it is pulled by one of the fastest boats. We sit one behind another and enjoy the ride all over the bay. The waves can easily push you to the water if you don't hold on tight. Since it was five of us -- two boys and three girls, we managed to stay above the water for the entire 30 minutes of driving. I remember, last time my abs were sore this much was when coach Patricia worked us out on the field this spring. I have one picture that shows our happy faces before the banana ride begun. It was so amazing to feel the speed and the adrenalin in such a funny group as we were. The captain of the boat said he did not want to pull us the fastest he could, because he said he wanted us to come back for another ride, which we absolutely did. Second one was not that much fun :)

Now, I am spending the weekend in my hometown. Already on Monday, we will be hitting the road to Berlin for the week, and then Paris where we will be cheering for our DePaul basketball team. I hope to play some singles and doubles tennis matches with foreign players, and certainly do some shopping in these beautiful cities. I'm really looking forward to this Western European Traveling.

As the days go by, I am sure the traveling and the summer experience is getting me ready for the big September. I will be a senior in school and tennis and I expect so much on both fields. I can't wait to see my huge DePaul family. I miss you all so much, and thanks again for reading my blog.

Without you all, we would never be #21 in the nation.

We Are DePaul!!!
Katarina

July 12: Checking with DePaul Fans - Part I