Chapter 11: Gone Country

Travel Maxim #42:

…there will always be a barking dog.

Zagreb had begun to grow on us after two weeks, but it was time to leave. Because we don’t have a car and are mostly reliant on public transportation, we’ve been city-dwellers since we crossed the Atlantic. But for our next stop, Rachel had found a lovely little cottage in rural Croatia, about a 40-minute Uber ride from Zagreb, and we decided to spend a week there to relax and unwind and breathe the fresh air.

Lily also appreciated pooping on grass instead of concrete, as well as protecting us from this dangerous herd of sheep.

We heard a commotion one afternoon, and stepped outside to see the herd grazing in our front yard as a frazzled shepherd attempted to corral them with a hooked stick. She saw us and waved her apologies, but I like to think that our host was appreciative of the free lawn care.

Mostly we sat on the porch in the mornings watching the fog and sipping coffee until the sun rose and the flies came out, then we’d retire inside to finish our work before taking a stroll through the yard.

Walking 15 minutes on the country roads into the tiny town of Mahićno took us to a small market, not well-stocked but with enough peanut butter and tuna fish to see us through the week. A narrow trail through the woods behind the house led to a wide, shallow river with a grassy bank and pebbled bottom.

Rachel’s semester began. She’d been assigned to teach an online class that meets over Zoom once a week, from 5:00-7:45 p.m. university time. This unfortunately puts it at 1:00-3:45 a.m. our time, and on Thursday I bid her good night around midnight as she sipped Coke Zero and prepared for her first session.

So, Friday is nap day.