16.4.24

Today it is raining for the second time in the 8 days that I have been on the road. It is a very cold 13 degrees in the bus, so I am sitting under the blanket and wondering whether I should dare to come out from under it again and get out my Stoov electric blanket... I am having a lazy day today. What else am I supposed to do when it is raining non-stop? I have parked the bus in a good place here in the forest, I am resting, writing and taking a break and getting myself sorted for Croatia. It is supposed to rain every now and then in the coming days, but less than today, probably more like a drizzle and there will also be 4-5 hours of sunshine. So I will drive to the car park at the NP this evening and spend the night there and then explore the park tomorrow either by bike or on foot. And then it is off to the sea and the coast. There is an Airbnb for 33 euros/night on Krk. I will stay there for a few nights from Thursday to Sunday and explore the island by bike. Before I then head on to Istria. It's still really cold in the mountains, with 4 degrees at night, I've just seen, so I'm going straight to the sea tomorrow evening or on Wednesday. I really don't feel like being cold AND wet right now! At the sea it's 17 degrees during the day and 8 degrees at night. A few days in a room, washing my clothes and going hiking and cycling from there and then having the comfort of an apartment again when it rains sounds great. I simply sleep better in beds than in the bus. My nervous system... There's always something. Even if I have the best parking spot in the world, I'm standing there alone, I feel totally comfortable and safe, then some creature comes along at night and runs around in my bodywork. Then I'm wide awake and move the car so that I don't end up with bitten tubes the next morning, like we had in Australia...

That's just how it is in nature, everything is shared with everyone.

Anyway, I hope to get a proper rest for a few days with a proper bed, and look around and get used to Croatia and then see what happens from there... I have to be in central Istria for my retreat on April 25th.

By the way, I noticed yesterday that I had confused Slovakia with Slovenia. It seemed strange to me that I was driving from Slovenia through Austria, then Hungary and then back to Slovenia. So yesterday I turned on the internet and looked at how the countries were actually located. Only to find out that I drove from the Czech Republic to Slovakia (where I filled up and bought the asparagus) and then through Hungary and Slovenia, where I am now. Interestingly, Hungary still has its own currency. Don't they belong in the EU? I don't understand the whole concept of the EU, and yet I think it's great that there are "no" borders (at least not where I drove...) and that you can move freely in the EU without having to show your ID. That's something too. On the other hand, some countries are entire continents, like the USA and Australia, where you could move freely, at least before Covid.

I keep asking myself what I'm actually doing here. Cruising through Eastern Europe by bus alone, with the sole aim of arriving in Croatia at some point (tonight or tomorrow). A country that I've only heard is supposed to be beautiful... and not as camper-friendly as it says in all the forums, which scares me a little. That may also be a reason why I'm putting off crossing the border into Croatia for a while. But I also saw lots of beautiful places along the way and especially enjoyed the incredible sunshine, so I didn't feel like taking the bus. The time alone was very good for me and it still is. I just need that again and again, to be alone with myself and to get through everything that comes up. Also the feeling of total loneliness that sometimes arises. Although I'm surprised that this rarely comes to the fore, and when it does, it's always only for a short time. Otherwise, I enjoy being alone and in touch with myself, except when there is so much fear in my system (mainly because of Alani) that I lose touch with myself. But I'm getting pretty good at finding my way back to myself now. So, I'm going to make myself some lunch. It's slowly getting lighter again, even though it's still pouring with rain. Why did I forget my umbrella?