The Old Lady And Her Olive Oil

by Nikolina Bilić (Croatia)

Making a local connection Croatia

Summer has finally arrived, so it's time for the vacation. We decided we are going to stay in our country this time. Still, we are going to visit a beautiful island we never visited before. Travelers in our own country? When you live in Croatia, it is quite possible. With its beautiful picturesque towns, turquoise sea, vibrant culture, and Mediterranean climate, the Croatian Adriatic coast attracts an increasing number of tourists every year. And however small this country is, it is so unique; every corner is so beautiful that even when you were born and lived your entire life here, it will surprise you again, and it will take you a lifetime to discover it fully. That summer, we visited the Island of Pag. Except for its cheese and famous lace, the Island of Pag is mostly associated with parties and nightlife. However, one small village on this rocky island left us breathless, and that little village is called Lun. The fresh air, the sound of the crickets, and the absolute peace made us fall in love with it. What makes Lun stand out, not only on the island of Pag but also in the rest of Croatia and even Europe, are its olive groves. There are over 8000 olive trees in this small area, some of which are over 1500 years old. While we were living this fairy-tale place, we spotted a handwritten sign on the signboard "Homemade Olive Oil" next to the road. What is the best souvenir from the place best known for olives, if not olive oil? We walked into the yard of the little family home and rang the bell. An old lady greeted us with a smile from ear to ear, and the first thing she told us was, "Oh, you are so young. Such a beautiful couple". While she was packing us oil, we started talking. She has five children; three of them are living in Germany, two in Zagreb. She's alone. She and her late husband have been making olive oils for years, and for the last seven years, she has been making them herself. "It was different in the '60s, you know. There was no money, we were feeding cattle, and breeding olive trees. It was dangerous, too. One wrong word, and you would end up on Goli Otok (Naked Island, also called Croatia Alcatraz, is a camp in Croatia where political prisoners were sent). My husband ended up in prison, you know. He killed a man. He was locked up for six years, and I was with three children at the time. I was not allowed to go to work - he didn't let me, because, at that time, the woman who works, and her husband is not with her was considered a whore. I fed the children with vegetables from the little garden I had and this olive oil that I was selling on other islands." In such silence, in this environment, it is so easy to imagine this place, as it looked more than half a century ago, and how this cheerful old woman was struggling to survive. "Winters at sea are not as cold as yours in Slavonia, but when the storm hits, it can get nasty. I had no money nor enough fabric to sew gloves to my children. That's why I would get up at 5 am, bake the potatoes so they could eat before school, but also to put one hot potato in each coat pocket to keep their hands warm". My eyes were full of tears as I handed her the bill and said: "keep the change." When we got back to Novalja, where we spent most of our vacation, we walked to the beach. The waves hitting the stones brought us back to this moment and made us grateful for what we had, and the old lady and her olive oil is now just a sweet memory.