Stage 2: Croatia (August 21 to September 29) - Zagreb

Today, almost 6 weeks are behind me, I recently left the ferry terminal in Split, Croatia and now I'm considering how I could summarize all that I have experienced during this time for you.

Looking back, it seems insane what and how much I have experienced and seen. In fact, it was only about 2.5 weeks ago that my mind slowly started to adapt to this journey of mine. It took a few weeks for me to truly arrive on this journey. I realized that I now simply have the freedom to do everything as I please, make compromises only when I'm truly ready, be alone with myself whenever I want, and surround myself with people (backpackers, other travelers, and locals) whenever I feel like it. 😄 ..and above all, I realize that my travel time is not limited to 2 or 3 weeks. And let me tell you something. If you feel like taking a break or a world trip, all you need is the courage to decide to do it. Almost everything else (job, apartment, money) is simply a matter of organization.

In the first few weeks, I also had doubts from time to time. "What are you actually doing here? What will it bring to me? Why?" Today, I think that this is completely normal because, in this case, me, I had to arrive and settle in first. Despite the doubts, I have not regretted leaving for a single second.

Croatia: My journey to Croatia started from Lengyeltóti, Hungary (southern Balaton) by bus to Siofok. I last visited Siofok in my youth 🤣 on a party vacation and as a supervisor on a youth trip. From there, I continued by Flixbus towards Zagreb. At the border with Croatia, there were extensive checks while a huge swarm of mosquitoes meticulously examined us. It felt strange when the entire bus was searched and each passenger as well. I thought to myself, "Let's see if they let me in. Maybe my pepper spray (not allowed) will lead to me being denied entry."

Nothing of the sort happened. They only reminded me to show only my ID next time, not my passport. If that's all, I thought. Actually, I had hoped to get a stamp in my passport.

So, there I was in Zagreb. I had booked a hostel for 2 nights shortly before.

You will see on the rest of the journey that I decide almost everything spontaneously and at short notice. I really like that..to be able to decide freely, to decide according to my desires, to listen to my intuition, and to let myself be carried away..I find this wonderful, beautiful, relaxed, without any stress, because there is no plan that I have to stick to..

Zagreb, then..beautiful city, absolutely suitable for a weekend trip. Here are a few keywords and then pictures that probably say more than a thousand words.

In the hostel, in an 8-bed room, I immediately felt comfortable and at home. And already there, for the first time, the helpfulness of humanity overwhelmed me.

Every day, you could draw a daily quote from a little basket. I drew "It doesn't matter where you came from. All that matters is where you are going." - Brian Tracy..and on the day of departure, "Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power." - Lao Tzu

Zagreb:

- Parks and green areas

- Market with fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish & meat (almost every small city has a market day)

- Bar and restaurant mile, international cuisine

- narrow, small streets (as you can find them a lot throughout the country in the cities)

- Zagreb is situated on a mountain, so you have a wonderful view of the city from 'upper town', small cable car

- City wall with passages, endless stairs

- beautiful roof coverings

- a very long tunnel connects the districts through the mountain, one of the entrances is inconspicuously located in the backyard of a residential building

- the houses/buildings often have not been repaired from the outside..but there is still a modern restaurant/bar on the ground floor, sometimes something is simply placed in front of the not so nice facade

- large supermarket chains and countless small 'mom-and-pop' stores

- I also bought really delicious whole grain bread here, the further south I went (towards the Adriatic), the fluffier the bread became

- at the bank, it works here like at the employment office, you are simply a number 😁, which you draw at the entrance

o some things seem so ridiculously organized by the Croats

o but in other places, you won't find menus or bus timetables (you simply stand at a bus stop and hope that a bus will pass by within the next 3 days that hopefully goes in the right direction 😂) - this point mainly refers to the inland, the areas that are hardly or not touristically developed

- in Zagreb, there are cemetery candles on almost every corner in all sizes, shapes, and colors, along with matching artificial grave decorations that have a slightly Asian appearance

- elderly locals rarely speak English, sometimes German if they were guest workers in Germany in the past, for example

- the younger generation speaks English

Conclusion: cozy, historical, old, and partially renovated beautiful city with 'upper and down town'; clean & modern