Twilight drifts slowly over the countryside. A shepherd guides his flock up a narrow lane. A man weeds a potato patch within a high stone wall. The day’s end serenade of nearby songbirds floats on the wind.

And a 16-year-old named Ivo waits to greet us as we disembark from our tour bus. The large vehicle can go only so far on these old byways so we follow the boy to our much-anticipated home dinner in the Croatian village of Gromaca.

“The home-hosted dinner is something we are very proud of at Grand Circle Cruise Line,” said M/V Athena program director Antun Maticevic. “The people are very warm and hard workers. They grow almost everything they serve.”

Our 32 cruise passengers are divided into smaller groups so we don’t overwhelm any one host. Located 10 miles north of Dubrovnik, Gromaca has a population of about 140. Walking through the peaceful early dusk, it seems as though we are entering a place where time has stood still.

Waiting in the courtyard of his home, Branko introduces his family to us – his wife Maria, 9-year-old daughter Loriana and son Ivo. Branko and Maria’s 20-year-old daughter Ramona is attending college in Zagreb.

“You must attend college if you want to get a good job,” Ivo said. “That’s what my father says. He wants me to be a medical doctor.”

Loriana already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. “A hairdresser for animals,” she told us without hesitation.

Branko works in a nearby quarry. Their home is 250 years old and has been greatly updated since the Croatian War of Independence ended in 1995. Gromaca was hard hit during the war and many former residents have not returned.

“This house was in my wife’s family and we worked on it very much. When you love something you do it,” Branko said. “My house was destroyed 100 percent in the war.”

Branko served four years in the Army during the war. Now, his family hosts guests to supplement their income. Although his children are very comfortable speaking English, Branko said he still struggles. “I learned English 50 percent in school and 50 percent from my guests.”

Welcoming us with some of his homemade grappa (wine) and brandy (my favorite was his walnut brandy), Branko also offers candied orange peel, dried dates, walnuts and almonds. In the kitchen, Maria finishes preparing our meal.

Seated at a long wooden table on wooden benches, we started off with an appetizer of prosciutto, figs, farm-made cheese, olives and fresh baked bread. Then came the meal – a big bowl of meat-stuffed cabbage, plus mashed potatoes and broccoli. We quickly learned that Maria is a very talented cook. For dessert, she had prepared flan. Of course, homemade grappa was served from a large pitcher throughout the meal.

While we ate, Ivo and Lorianna did their homework in the other room. The family doesn’t have a television but does have a cellphone. Wakeup time for school is 5:30 a.m. and includes a 40-minute school bus ride.

“I don’t mind it,” Ivo said. “I can eat breakfast on the bus or study or go back to sleep.”

After dinner, Branko entertained with some tunes on a lijerica, a stringed lute-like instrument played with a bow, while Ivo and his mother danced the traditional lindo dance from the region.

Lovingly displayed behind glass was a special heirloom that had somehow survived the years and the war. “It is 100 years old and is a costume that belonged to my grandfather,” Branko said.

Before we left, Ivo showed me a bookcase in the hallway filled with mostly American books and little souvenirs, including a photo of Mt. Rushmore. “These were given to us by guests,” he said proudly. “We have more books than a library.”

Walking us back to our waiting tour bus, Ivo and Loriana thanked us for visiting their home. But it is we who thank them for their hospitality, we insisted. Sharing a meal and learning about our Croatian host family’s life was a highlight of a cruise that has offered so many wonderful experiences.

Turning back to watch the brother and sister head home, I saw Loriana skipping ahead while Ivo cautioned her to slow down and be careful. Older brothers and little sisters seem to be so much alike no matter where they live in this wide world.

Story and photo by Jackie Sheckler Finch