Rastko Kolaček

“To conclude, let me say that gaining wisdom in life takes a long time. The older you are the wiser you get. Whatever happens in life – bad, sad, or ugly – you never know what it is good for.”

“My father told me: ‘I will support you until you are twenty five; after that, help yourself any way you can.’ There were never any favours in our family... Boy, please go find a job. Grandfather sent his sons to take training with another craftsman: ‘Go and look how someone else does it, so that when you come back you know how to manage our shop.’ That’s big experience and tradition.”

“My children had a great time there. There was a lot of food – seafood. We stayed there for seven month once because it did them good after the heart surgery in London. First, there is zero elevation above sea level there; the air is good and salty; and I provide fresh food. The water springs are good, the water is pure… My children ate date mussels, cuttlefish, octopus and all kinds of fish – my wife even made fish pljeskavica. It is really healthy because fish bones contain phosphorus, which is very good for thinking and health. So we built a cave there. It is a cave to this day because two of its walls are rocks. When my little son Janko saw it for the first time, he asked: ‘Dad, how did you get the rock inside the house?’ I said: ‘Like that, through the door.’ That’s where we treated our children and it was a success – nobody else did that.”