Sunce je već visoko stajalo na nebu kad je Ana prošetala kroz kamenita vrata Dubrovnika.

The sun was already high in the sky when Ana walked through the stone gates of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnikova stara gradska jezgra sjala je pod suncem, a uske uličice bile su pune smijeha, razgovora i šarenih kišobrana koji su vlasnici restorana napeto držali iznad stolova.

The old city center of Dubrovnik was shining in the sun, and the narrow streets were filled with laughter, conversation, and colorful umbrellas held tightly above the tables by restaurant owners.

Ana je bila s prijateljima, Petrom i Ivanom, na ljetovanju. Ovo im je bio prvi posjet Hrvatskoj.

Ana was with her friends, Petar and Ivana, on vacation. This was their first visit to Croatia.

"Danas bi mogao biti savršen dan za sladoled," rekao je Petar dok su se probijali kroz gužvu.

"Today could be a perfect day for ice cream," said Petar as they made their way through the crowd.

Ana je bila složna. "Da, i ja bih voljela sladoled. Idemo naći gelateriju!"

Ana agreed. "Yes, I would love some ice cream. Let's go find a gelato shop!"

Nakon nekoliko minuta šetnje, naišli su na malu slastičarnicu, slikovitu i punu zamamnih mirisa. Izlog je bio prepun kuglica sladoleda šarenih poput duge.

After a few minutes of walking, they came across a small pastry shop, picturesque and full of enticing smells. The display was full of scoops of ice cream as colorful as a rainbow.

Ana, koja se učila talijanski, odlučila je naručiti na talijanskom. Pomiješala je jezike misleći da će je ljudi ovdje isto tako lako razumjeti. "Posso avere un gelato al cioccolato e uno alla fragola, per favore?" rekla je prodavaču.

Ana, who was learning Italian, decided to order in Italian. She mixed languages, thinking that people here would understand her just as easily. "Posso avere un gelato al cioccolato e uno alla fragola, per favore?" she said to the vendor.

Prodavač je zbunjeno trepnuo i odgovorio na hrvatskom: "Što ste rekli? Ne razumijem vas."

The vendor blinked in confusion and replied in Croatian, "What did you say? I don't understand you."

Petar i Ivana su se nasmijali, a Ana je osjetila kako joj obrazi goru od srama. "Oprostite, mislila sam...," počela je, ali nije znala kako nastaviti.

Petar and Ivana laughed, and Ana felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I thought...," she began, but didn't know how to continue.

Ivana, koja je znala malo hrvatskog, preuzela je situaciju. "Može jedna čokolada i jedna jagoda, molim vas?" rekla je koristeći jednostavne riječi koje su naučili prije puta.

Ivana, who knew a little bit of Croatian, took charge of the situation. "Can we have one chocolate and one strawberry, please?" she said, using simple words they had learned before the trip.

Prodavač je s osmijehom kimnuo i pripremio im sladolede. Ana se osjećala glupo, ali je bila zahvalna Ivani.

With a smile, the vendor nodded and prepared their ice creams. Ana felt silly, but she was grateful to Ivana.

Kako su jeli sladoled i šetali stare zidine grada, Ana se osjećala bolje. Pogled na more i Elafitske otoke bio je spektakularan, a njezin sladoled se topio u ustima, savršeno sladak i hladan.

As they ate their ice cream and walked along the old city walls, Ana started to feel better. The view of the sea and the Elafiti Islands was spectacular, and her ice cream melted in her mouth, perfectly sweet and cold.

Prije nego što su dan završili gledajući zalazak sunca s krovova Dubrovnika, Ana je odlučila naučiti nekoliko osnovnih fraza na hrvatskom. "Izvolite," "molim," i "hvala" bile su prve na popisu.

Before they finished the day watching the sunset from the rooftops of Dubrovnik, Ana decided to learn a few basic phrases in Croatian. "Excuse me," "please," and "thank you" were the first on the list.

Kako je sunce nestajalo iza horizonta, osjećala je duboku povezanost s ovim prekrasnim gradom, njegovom poviješću i kulturom. I naučila je važnu lekciju - kad si u Hrvatskoj, trudi se govoriti hrvatski, čak i kad naručuješ sladoled.

As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, she felt a profound connection to this beautiful city, its history, and culture. And she learned an important lesson - when in Croatia, make an effort to speak Croatian, even when ordering ice cream.