Day 27. Monday 27 April.

As we left this morning, D made a comment that if he were living in an apartment complex in Zagreb he’d have to become an ‘Ove’ & do something about the graffiti (over spray?) and more particularly the piles of rubbish just left around & spilling very untidily out of bins.

An early departure for a walk back to the bus station, retracing our steps from a few days ago, gave us time for a relaxed coffee. There seemed to be some confusion about the order, much to the amusement of a nearby gent. To make sure D typed it into Google Translate and chased down our waiter, to be reassured that ‘I’ve got it’. The order arrived: two double espressos, hot water on the side, two glasses of cold water, and a shot of something amber in a glass. Mystified, T checked out the docket that seemed very expensive – the shot was Jack Daniels! D took it to the counter, adamant he hadn’t ordered it, never drinks it, never has – and was given a refund. We worked out later that the waiter had probably heard ‘jug of water’ and interpreted it as a Jack Daniels.

Boarded smoothly, although D overheard another traveller being told by the Flixbus staff that his ticket said departure was at 1200 and it was now 1205. Oh dear! Croatian punctuality rivals D’s, although our 1215 bus left at 1216.

 A smooth trip. A request to the driver to raise his sunscreen just a bit so we could see ahead – we had paid a bit extra for the ‘panorama’ seats right in front – was met with great humour and pretending to misunderstand, lowering it further.

At the border with Slovenia the bus was boarded by a policewoman checking passports – which consisted of a glance in passing.

A 15-minute comfort stop after an hour gave everyone a nicotine break. We are constantly surprised by this…all ages, fags, e- cigarettes, vapes…We seem to be the only non-smokers, something else to set us apart.

Scenery was ‘gentle & green’ and neat…agricultural landscape, mostly wheat, and small towns with castles and spas.  Tractors were busy. Such a change after Croatia’s coastal rocks & sea.

Arrival on time and another walk to our ‘condominium’ and for the first time a couple of the cyclists, one food delivery, warned of their coming with a bell.

This time we’re doing AirBnB.  As we stepped out of the lift on the fifth floor two folk were leaving the apartment we’d booked. One was a real estate agent, the other perhaps a client.  He seemed a bit put out that we were early at 1500, when check in was 1600, although our instructions were clear that we could arrive early if the cleaners were finished. T interpreted him saying that the apartment was ‘on the market’ and then asked if he’d sold it…’No, today is the first day it’s on the market’. Checked that with the owner who was slightly apologetic: he’s trying to get an idea of its worth should he ‘decide to sell’. We do not anticipate potential buyers wandering through over the next three days!

The apartment is spacious, with separate longe and dining areas, a change from the studio style.

T had been very pleased that we’d used up all fresh supplies in Zagreb, hence the backpacks only had the essentials: herbs, oil, laundry detergent (a new addition) a packet of pasta, an unopened block of Parmesan..and a bottle of wine. So, the first task was off to the nearest Mercator for milk, bread & some fresh bits for dinner…it was shut. Slightly odd, as it’s Monday. A quick Google check confirms our suspicion – today is a public holiday to celebrate the Day of Uprising Against Occupation (formerly Liberation Front Day or Resistance Day), marking the establishment of the liberation front in 1941. Of course – we’ve done this before! We traipsed around for a while hoping to find ANY corner store open, just bread and milk would do – no luck. T was wondering how to turn a pack of linguine & a piece of Parmesan into a meal. We had passed through an interesting street just back from the river where little restaurants and ice cream parlors were open and T had seen a customer with an enticing mezze plate, so we went back and ordered the same… a very substantial and delicious felafel meal, with a couple of beers. It will keep us going till Tuesday. It included a bowl of potatoes.

On the short walk back to the apartment we stopped at the bridge to take some photos. A group of Asian tourists demanded that T get out of their picture opportunity! As we left D stood next to one of their many models, taking her turn, and said ‘get out of the way’. They enjoyed the joke.

Just for fun, T tries the tv…there’s virtually no choices, but fortunately there is a ‘Lone Star’ channel serving black & white Western films…Roy Rogers, Annie Oakley, John Wayne, Randolph Scott…24/7!!! D will be up all night. T is transfixed – just realising what she’s missed out on.