Kraljević.

In the past, people were born royal and for JOSIP KOVAČIĆ the THIRTY-TWO-year-old PRINCE of CROATIA that is a tradition HE intends to keep. He has been painted as DUTIFUL AND DEDICATED but behind closed doors, HE is STUBBORN AND CYNICAL but also INTELLIGENT AND OBSERVANT. 

[josipkovacic]

closed for @miaadley - 

Somehow, an overnight snowfall was still as exciting as an adult as it had been when Josip was a child. It had only been icy when he’d retired to bed the evening before, but this morning, a thick blanket of soft-looking snow lay over just about everything the eye could see outside his window ( and that in itself was a surprise, because he’d been quite sure that it had been too cold to snow. Apparently not ). Quickly flinging on something warm to wear, he skidded out into the hallway, almost colliding with Mia as he did so. 

“Hey, do you want to build a snowman outside with me?”

[josipkovacic]

closed for @claireedarby - 

"Good morning.” Entering the town was always an interesting experience, especially when he was flanked by guards ( and he really had to wonder who they were really there for ). It drew stares and mutters - both of which he was used to, but made his skin feel uncomfortably tight all the same - and Josip usually tried to be as quick as possible because of it. Today, he’d already decided to linger a little longer, enjoying the feeling of sun on his skin before he headed into the local bookstore.

“I’m looking for a recommendation of something new to read, if you might help me?”

[josipkovacic]

With the temperatures well below freezing, Josip had found himself sticking to the warmer inside of the palace far more than venturing outside - he’d heard from several people that the slightest bit of moisture would freeze out there, and to have moisture on your skin would be quite painful to say the very least. 

He’d braved the cold today, however, and it was proving to be to his detriment; there was ice everywhere, and his walk was proving to be more of a slide. One such slide came just as he was passing somebody, arms windmilling as he fought not to fall and make a fool of himself. “Sranje!” The Croatian prince swore. “Hey - be careful here.”

[josipkovacic]

madlena-kovacic‌:

“Stantz,” Madlena repeated in an attempt to properly form the word on her lips. It wasn’t a movie she was familiar with, maybe she had missed that one during her binge-watching old American films when she was ill as a child. However, the attire was enough to keep the smile playing on her lips. Even to the point where she had handed Josip her stuffed raven as she stepped back to get a better view for the photo she was about to take. “Svi će to htjeti vidjeti kod kuće.” Taking a moment to find the perfect lighting and angle, Madlena eventually allowed the silence due to her concentration to fade, replaced by. “Jedan dva tri…say the cheese.” A flash of her phone camera and the photo was captured, surely going straight to her social media feed if the connection would allow it. Although there was some trepidation about posting anything with Josip on her media as there had been one too many times someone had commented on how “hot” her brother was. That always left a scar for younger siblings to have to read through. “Hoćemo li ići? Mogu i snimiti još fotografija da dobijem najbolji kut,” the teasing tone difficult to hide in her voice as she spoke. 

Josip nodded in encouragement of her attempt; he could appreciate the unfamiliarity of it and with just how old the movie was, he wasn’t sure many people would recognise his costume. He’d enjoyed watching it, anyway. Readjusting his vacuum / backpack hybrid, he took his sister’s raven and waited with amused patience as she arranged her photo. “Siguran sam.” He agreed, “Ne nosimo svaki dan smiješne kostime, zar ne?” Smiling as he waited, he even managed to pose with both the raven and the adapted vacuum nose so that he was photo-ready when instructed to say cheese - he wasn’t quite so image-conscious as he might seem at first. Although Madlena thought that posting things to her social media and having her friends comment on him was bad, it seemed far worse from his perspective to be lusted after so prolifically - especially from those of his youngest sister’s inner circle ( and what was even worse were some of the online news articles and the comments underneath such articles, in which people seemed to have no such filters for their thoughts that they might employ in offline life ). “Da idemo. Siguran sam da će biti puno prilika za fotografiranje na zabavi.”

[josipkovacic]

callistergalatas‌:

He had time on his hands, plenty of curiosity, and a healthy love for the holiday seasons. “Handy as I can be. What type were you needing?” Cal shrugged a little. “Sailor, it’s a thing.”

“I hope your proficiency extends to undoing said knots,” Josip commented wryly, producing a box of Christmas light strings, “Because these are more than a little tangled together, I’m afraid.”

[josipkovacic]

sarikavari‌:

Sarika had been making her way through the halls of the castle in search of the cinema so that she might enjoy one of the movies that she’d heard was running. It had been one she’d yet to see and the trailer for it had caught her interest. But as she followed the curve of one of the stone walls she was met with a sight that made her stop in her tracks. Christmas decorations hadn’t been expected but a bright smile lit up her face when her blue eyes traveled over the ones the male was hanging up in his room.

“No judgement at all. We usually don’t start in Hungary until December first but I always thought it would be fun to start earlier. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday but that’s probably because it’s such a big deal back home.” She was cautious as she moved closer to get a better look, teeth digging into her bottom lip as the excitement the decorations brought started to build. “Do you want some help?”

Josip hadn’t gone overboard - his style had always leaned toward the more conservative side, but he had hung a wreath on his door and several strings of lights inside, as well as finding a small Christmas tree to decorate. He was happy with the overall effect he’d achieved, and there honestly wasn’t much more left to do. It was nice to see somebody smiling over the decorations, though, rather than being met with many criticisms; he gave Sarika a smile too, expecting her to pass like most of the others he’d seen had.

“Many people in Croatia also start on the first of December, I think. But the twenty-fifth of November is St. Catherine’s Day, so the season has begun.” And he was glad it had; the Christmas season was one of his favourites to celebrate. “Yes, I think the holiday is often a big deal with you have a family or friends to celebrate with.” As for the offer of help, he shook his head - enough was enough for today. “I think I’ve done all I can. Thank you, though.”

[josipkovacic]

callistergalatas‌:

Callister opened his mouth to question exactly something was done, only to snap it closed with a click of his teeth. A different tactic, then. “Would you care for some help, then?”

Josip waited, expecting the questions or the comments - their countries all had different traditions, after all - but the offer of help was a surprise. “I wouldn’t say no. How are you with knots?”

[josipkovacic]

miaadley‌:

“I actually don’t think i’ll mind being snowed in too much. Not when there really isn’t anything to do around here.” she commented. It wasn’t like being back home in England where she had access to clubs and other activities. Life here was limited. It was confined. “Excellent! Ten minutes it is.” And then she was off, headed to her bedroom to change. Bathing suit on, she covered herself up in sweats and a sweatshirt just in case. The castle was heated but that didn’t mean that she wanted to be wandering around afterwards in just a wet suit, wrapped up in a towel. 

When she reached the indoor pool, she placed her stuff down and moved to sit at the edge of the deep end, placing her feet in the water as she waited for Josip.

“You say that now, but wait until you’ve been snowed in.” It wasn’t like he’d ever been snowed in either, but he wasn’t quite as sure that he’d be okay with it if it happened. You had to make the best of what you had, at the end of the day, and having even a little bit of that taken away would be an irritation to say the least. He headed off too, changing into swimming trunks before grabbing a pullover and soft pants as well as a large thermal flask - he’d go to the kitchens to get the requested cocoa before heading back down to the pool to meet with Mia. 

It was perhaps a little over ten minutes before he returned, but he returned with cocoa and even a bag of marshmallows - an unexpected extra that seemed like a good compromise. Placing them beside Mia, he smiled and stripped his pullover off. “Bet I can make a bigger spash than you.”

[josipkovacic]

Josip’s already put several Christmas decorations up in his room, and it’s made him more cheerful than he’d been since the beginning of the month; he enjoys Christmas as a holiday - always has and likely always will. It feels strange to be away from home for this holiday, but as an adult, it’s not as devastating as it would have been when he was younger. 

He’s caught a couple of looks, comments about it not even being December yet, so he’s a little defensive, perhaps, as he catches the eyes of the person across the hallway. “In Croatia, our Christmas preparations start on November 25. That was yesterday.”

[prudencehalliwell]

[raspberry-panda]

[travelingonmyagenda]

Arch of the Sergii is a Triumphal arch built between 29 to 27 BC in Pula, Croatia. It was originally built as a gate to the Roman colony there. Pula is a great place to see some Roman artifacts. More photos are on our Facebook page, link is in my bio #archofthesergii #pula #istria #croatia #traveleurope #slowtravel #travelguide #travelblogger #startplanningyourtrip #travelingonmyagenda (at Arch of the Sergii) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4z0FJTBZ7-/?igshid=bwqtwev2ztom

[josipkovacic]

miaadley‌:

“I imagine that i’ll find myself agreeing with you in the near future.” Mia replied with a chuckle. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to a Russian winter, not when she had heard so many bad things about them. After all, English winters weren’t pleasant but they certainly weren’t terrible. She had learned to survive them, even though it was a wet cold that settled in the bones. She had no idea what to expect now that she was living in Russia. “Any chance I can convince you to bring along some hot chocolate instead?” Emilia asked. 

“I suppose the winter will be here soon, and then we’ll see how bad it gets.” Josip commented ruefully. There was always a chance that the snow might be pleasant and magical, the way it was presented in most media, but the reality was most likely a lot less picturesque. He’d rarely seen snow at home; temperatures tended to stay too warm for things to freeze, especially nearer to the Adriatic coast. “No convincing needed - hot chocolate it is.” He’d have preferred coffee, perhaps, but hot chocolate was just as good - and just as warming.

[raspberry-panda]

[josipkovacic]

madlena-kovacic‌:

Leave it to Josip to turn a memory into a future lesson. Of course, that was just another tell as to what a great king he would be one day for the country of Croatia and what a good brother he already was. “Izgled,” she began her disclaimer concerning the chocolate as she pulled her elder brother away from the spot the wine was supposed to be and back towards the castle. “Ne vjerujem svim sluškinjama. Tata always said to not trust anyone.” Well, he had gone about saying it with a story as always but the message remained the same. 

Stopping just shy of the door leading back to the castle, Madlena allowed her gaze to momentarily wander, surveying the area around them in search of one particular staff member before confessing yet another reason why she wanted to hide her chocolate was given to Josip. Not that they’d really be able to understand the Croatians but point being Madlena was attempting to be discrete. “Imam i kutiju Kolachkesa od bake i čuo sam sluškinju. Govorila je ruski …but she either said you are a pretty Croatian prince or she wants a Croatian cookie.” 

Now that she had fully confused her brother, the younger of the two continued on, venturing inside the palace that would eventually earn the possibility of becoming a home away from home one day, possibly. “My translation, it was a bit rusty.” She confessed in English just as the duo reached the door to her room before Madlena began shuffling around in her pockets for the key…she placed it somewhere…but paused momentarily to clarify with a gesture to one of the maids walking by. “Ali sada znate. Ili imamo sluškinju nakon mojih kolačića ili sluškinju zaljubljenu u vas. Ne znam što je gore.” 

Josip smiled, the expression tinged with fondness as his sister sought to explain herself a little further. “Ne vjerujem ni njima svima.” He admitted - things had gone missing in the past, and he’d listened to the same warnings and stories their father had told them since they were young. Allowing himself to be led away and inside, the eldest sibling couldn’t quite help the small sigh that escaped him. “To je istina, on je to rekao.” And their grandmother had always reinforced the message, the two adults seemingly always working in tandem to prepare the children for their futures. 

Bemused by the whole ordeal of being pulled here and there, Josip waited for the next revelation, practically choking on a burst of incredulous laughter when it came. “Zašto vam baka šalje sve slatke stvari? Posljednja kutija imala sam unutrašnje knjige.” In his most immature moments, Josip thought that if being the future king meant he couldn’t have pastries too, he wasn’t sure it was at all worth it. Anyway, back to the current issue at hand; “I think it is far more likely that this maid wants to eat your Kolachkesa. I am a pretty Croatian prince, though.”

He was most definitely confused, but he’d go along with things until they got too crazy. “Mm, your translations are quite dissimilar. I’m sure you can find a lot of Russian books to read and a lot of people to speak with to practice, however.” He gave the maids an acknowledging nod and a small smile as they passed; just because neither of the siblings trusted the staff enough to leave things like chocolate or wine lying around in the open, didn’t mean that he was prepared to be rude. “Nikad mi ne smeta ako je netko zaljubljen u mene. To je moj problem koji treba riješiti. Samo se brinete kako ćete čuvati kolačiće.”

[grant-ferguson]

Dubrovnik Croatia 2019 🇭🇷 The main street, Placa, and the Franciscan Monastery on the left. The second photo includes the large Onofrio Fountain in the foreground. #dubrovnik #dubrovnikcroatia #croatia #croatiatravel #travelcroatia #mediterranean #europetravel #traveleurope #travel #travelling #travelphotography #adventuretravel #filmphotography #backpacker #backpacking #solotravel #solotraveler #gapyear #gapyeartravel #gapyearphotography #vintagelens #canonfd #oldtown #walledcity (at Croatia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B40V92enT23/?igshid=ukpuoq9wyq45

[prudencehalliwell]