Yesterday we went to see our son off to Zagreb, a city 320 km away from us, where he will be living and working with his girlfriend.
They rented a very nice apartment on the 3rd floor of a building that has only 4 floors.
The only downside is that the building doesn’t have an elevator, so if you buy a lot of things, you have to carry them up the stairs to the 3rd floor.
We left in the morning around 8 o’clock.
We stopped at the first rest area on the highway because we needed to fill up with fuel and pump the tires.
Of course, we had to sit down and have a coffee to wake up a bit, and we stayed for a while—there were already quite a lot of people on the highway.
My wife and younger son went onto the bridge that connects one side of the highway to the other and took some photos from above, while my older son and I sat, talked, and enjoyed our coffee in the fresh air.
We went with two cars: our son with his new one, which he bought after passing his driving test two months ago so he could drive to work in Zagreb, and we went in ours as well.
The younger son was in the car with him, and he said they had a nice talk, which they both needed because they love each other very much.
We stopped once more after 100 km because my wife needed the restroom, so we sat down again and had a drink—my younger son and I had hot chocolate, my older son had coffee, and my wife had juice.
After that, we continued on our way.
My wife and I followed them in the second car.
About 45 km before Zagreb, we stopped in a town called Karlovac and went to a nearby place called Turanj, which suffered heavy destruction during the Homeland War but has now been mostly rebuilt.
We went there because we saw that they had renovated an old building and turned it into a museum where you can learn and see everything about the beginnings and course of the Homeland War.
Of course, in front of the museum there are displays of older military equipment, so we took some photos there. The most interesting thing they made is a spot where, if you position yourself just right, it looks like you’re holding a MIG fighter jet in your hands.
It was very emotional to see the wall of messages—there are thousands upon thousands of notes left by people, and as my son and I looked while my wife wrote a message to her uncle who was killed in the war, we saw notes from all over the world: Portugal, France, Great Britain…
We bought some souvenirs—pens, magnets, and T-shirts—and then continued on to Zagreb.
When we arrived in Zagreb, we first carried in and unpacked most of our son’s things to help him out, and then went to the store to buy him some food for the fridge and hygiene supplies.
Once that was done, we went to a restaurant located directly across from the building.
It was a bit expensive, but since we were quite hungry and wanted to have one more family meal together, we decided to go there instead of searching for something farther away.
The restaurant and atmosphere were perfect, the waiter was kind, and the food was delicious.
My wife, younger son, and I shared a meat platter, while our older son had pašticada, which is a traditional dish from our region in Dalmatia and very tasty.
After eating, my wife and I went to the apartment I had booked, while our younger son stayed overnight with his brother.
The apartment was okay—not exactly like the photos the owners had posted on Booking, but fine.
Around 10 p.m., my wife got hungry again, so I ordered us a pizza.
In the morning we went back to our son’s apartment to pick up our younger son, and then we headed home.
Our first stop was at our son’s favorite fast-food chain.
On the way back, we chose the old road instead of the highway because it’s much more beautiful—you pass through many lovely places and also through Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Halfway home, right next to Plitvice Lakes, we stopped at the Borje restaurant for lunch.
My son and I had bean stew with sausage and bacon, and my wife had Bolognese.
We all drank juice since I still had to drive, although my wife drove part of the way so I could rest a bit.
We arrived home at 6 p.m., having left Zagreb at 11 a.m. The trip took a bit longer, but it was pleasant and unforgettable.
Now we have to get used to being three in the apartment where there were always four of us, and our younger son has already started high school—time flies, and God willing, he too will someday find a job and a girlfriend, follow in his brother’s footsteps, and become independent and his own man.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about our little trip and very emotional journey.
I wish you a wonderful day, dear friends.