Brenda and I had an interesting afternoon of shopping. While we were out we had some very Croatian experiences.

• We went into a popular toy store to buy something small for the kids for Christmas. While there, we saw some chocolate eggs with a toy inside. The price was marked on all the packages as 12.99 kuna. We decided that was a good price and bought two three-packs. As we walked away from the store, Brenda looked at the receipt. We payed 19.99 kuna per package. We turned around and walked back into the store. We pointed out the discrepancy and the clerk proceded to peel the price sticker off revealing the 19.99 kuna price. We showed her that all were priced at 12.99. She told us to wait. She consulted with another employee who consulted with a third who consulted with the clerk who was helping us. The clerk told us to wait again. She proceeded to help another customer. When she got back to us, she told us that was the "special price" for the weekend and that 19.99 kn was correct. At that price, we didn't want them any longer but figured it would take three more employees and thirty more minutes to be told that they wouldn't accept a return because all sales are final. To top it off, when we got home and gave them to the kids, they had been broken and melted at some point.

• We stopped into a coffee shop that sells whole beans. Brenda asked if they had Arabica beans. The reply was, "Yes, Arabica beans...mixed with...other things." Hmm. No thank you.

• We got on a crowded tram. Once it was completely full, about five more people got on the tram through the door we were near. Brenda couldn't even grab anything to hold onto for balance. She didn't need to, though. There was no place for her to fall!

• I won't even get into the guy who gave us the suspicious looks and insisted upon seeing the paper we had in our hands even though we told him, "Samo gledamo." That means "We are only looking."

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