The Albanian chestnut man, whose stall in central Zagreb I walk past several times a day, is quite a joy to talk to on occasion. We always exchange friendly greetings, but I also stop for a quick chat when time permits. He has a special way with words, too. What he does not know, he cannot say a word about. What he knows, though, he knows with unshakeable certainty. “Cold?” he just beamed at me as I was walking past. “Far from hot,” I slowed down to a stop, “but nothing to brag about!” He shook his head as he poured chestnuts from a paper bag into a large pan on top of a gas-powered stove. “Few more days,” he grinned at me, “and it’ll be over.” I was not sure what he was talking about, and he noticed my confusion at once. “The winter ends on February 6,” he explained cheerfully. “Hey,” I chuckled as I started leaving him, “we can wait for one more week!” I knew there was no way to shake that special date out of his mind.

Addendum (February 6, 2011)

The chestnut man was right. The spring is in the Croatian capital already. And in earnest. Actually, he was wrong by a few days. The spring started two days ago. It was sunny but cold, though. Yesterday it was perfect. And it will be not only sunny today, but also balmy. The sky is so clear one cannot imagine clouds in it ever again. At any rate, the chestnut man was right. I now know where to go for reliable information about seasons.