No market photo - forgot to take the camera.

Every Thursday there is a large market (Sijam) in Zagreb. This market is set in different outer suburbs on specific days of the week. Basically what it does is provide the locals with farm fresh produce ranging from in season fruit & vegetables through to home-made cheeses, yogurt, eggs, live chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, piglets and various pets. It also provides hardware & clothes, both everyday & upmarket. The best of all is the food vendors who cook anything from whole pigs, sides of lamb, chickens, grilled foods, fish and sardines - all available to eat in their makeshift 'restaurants' at very low prices. Here we sat & ate freshly cooked sardines dressed with garlic & parsley accompanied with 3 slabs of fresh white bread and beer at 10am.

In the evening we visited my cousin, Ankica, whose husband & father passed away within months of each other last year. She's truly amazing. She now runs their home and properties on her own. Her older son (Damir) is disabled & cannot hold down a job but helps where he can. Nikica the younger one now is employed but working from 7am - 9am most days making quality furniture even though he is a qualified fitter & turner.

Ankica keeps cows, geese &ducks. The cows provide milk which she turns into fresh white cheese & sour cream - a staple food for many families. Her customers drop into her home to purchase these on a regular basis. The geese & ducks are sold for meat at Christmas time. When she slaughters the geese & ducks in September & November, her regular customers purchase these. She also has a large plot of grape vines which she tends to - spraying & pruning and of course picking the grapes for sale to wine makers. How long she can keep up this pace is unknown - but in order to live comfortably she must.