Stage 2, Croatia: From Zagreb to the National Park

Bravely, after 2 days in Zagreb, I set off south. I wanted to go through the national park in the inland of Croatia to reach the Adriatic Sea (maybe the idea of the Adriatic Sea came later).
Today, I had about 20 km walking on my agenda, knowing well that my backpack was too heavy. After 1 km, I miserably collapsed near the Zagreb train station and had to rest on a park bench. I realized that I had completely forgotten to read about 'How to pack my backpack correctly?'.
I couldn't catch up on this here either, as the network in Zagreb was overloaded. Fortunately, I had downloaded offline maps from Google Maps. So at least I had a chance to arrive somewhere at the end of the day and still be oriented.
So, it was time to listen to my gut feeling, readjust my backpack, buckle it up, and let's continue..
Taking a train at the train station would have been the easier option, but not for me..and those who know me know that I'm not easily persuaded to change my decisions. 😉 And since I wasn't completely destroyed on the ground yet, there was no reason to give up.
Another 3 km later, the next stop was at a kiosk. My body was craving sugar. So I ate a pack of cookies first and then an ice cream. Croatia has really awesome pre-packed ice cream. It resembles Magnum, but there's much more inside..hopefully not just sugar. 🙄🤗
When I left the city, I didn't notice much, as I was very focused on my luggage. 😅
The kiosk attendant eyed me somewhat skeptically. I was completely drenched in sweat by now. I estimate that I had about 23 kg to carry.
Another kilometer later, the next stop. The sugar didn't have the desired effect. Darn!
Okay. The outskirts of Zagreb did not invite me to stay overnight and somehow I still wanted to make some progress. So I started looking for the next train station (Remetinec), about 2.5 km away. And luckily, as if it was meant to be, a train was supposed to come soon. When I arrived at the supposed train station, it didn't look like a train would ever pass through here..As often happens in Croatia. So I ended up in a 6-seater compartment on a train heading south. During the ride, I talked to a Croatian..after all, I still didn't know where I should get off. I followed her recommendation and ended up in Ogulin (final stop on this route), after 2 hours of wonderful scenic impressions by train. The ticket was really affordable compared to many other things in Croatia..and even though I had the impression that I got a small tourist surcharge. When the conductor saw me, he ran off a bit overwhelmed..wherever. When he came back, he told me the price. 🤔 This could also be pure interpretation, I know.
During the train ride, I figured out where I could stay in Ogulin. Rain was forecasted for the following days. I found a house that offered holiday apartments and had a garden. That's where I wanted to go and ask if I could set up my tent. It was about 3 km from the train station. On the way to the mentioned address, I already looked for wild camping alternatives. I ended up in a proper village where you could buy 5 kg sacks of flour at LIDL. When I arrived at my supposed accommodation, the elderly lady of the house (multi-generational living) spoiled me with a fresh, homemade apple strudel and provided water bottles. I must have looked very exhausted. 🤣 But my feet couldn't have carried me much further anyway!
I was allowed to set up my tent behind a stack of wood. Good protection from the noisy main road. The only danger: falling logs in bad weather. 🤔 .. so the risk was manageable. 😁 Tent set up. Arranged. Walk to LIDL. Sleep later. In the early morning hours, I could only sleep with earplugs. The adjacent road was so loud and heavily trafficked.