Croatia 2022

It has been a very challenging week and if there was ever a time I needed a holiday, it's now. Everything is getting on top of me and I have literally had enough. If it wasn't for Darrell, friends and colleagues, I really don't know how I would cope at the moment. I am spending as much time as I can working and keeping busy, that way I can take my mind off what is going on around me. I understand my situation isn't ideal, so booking a trip away, after four years of no travelling, has allowed me to focus on a short term goal. In September, Darrell and I are heading to Croatia, to stay with family along the Dalmatian coast, and I can't wait. I need this holiday more than you could possibly imagine.

Darrell and I have been to Croatia many times before, staying with our Croatian Cousins, and have always been welcomed with open arms. In 2012, the last time we saw them together, they stayed with us, at our home in Southampton. My husband's ancestry began in Eastern Europe, and he still has family living and working along the Dalmatian coast, between Split and Dubrovnik. His Grandmother grew up in the beautiful fishing village of Podgora, a place we have visited on numerous occasions. This is a part of the World we both feel relaxed and at home in, and I would personally love to live there one day. Of course, that is far in the future; for now we are happy to just enjoy our time in the company of a family who have become closer than my own. 

We haven't made any definite plans for our stay on the Makarska Riviera, just a short drive from Podgora. I would be happy to just sit and chill for ten days. However, this popular tourist destination, where Darrell's cousins currently live, is also a port, with ferries leaving for the many islands that occupy the waters around Croatia as well as the historic city of Dubrovnik. For twenty pounds, we could take the three-hour journey to this Croatian jewel, or simply explore the waters around the bay. Whatever we do, it will just be nice to be away from the UK. 

The last few years have been awful to live through. The last time Darrell and I took to the skies was nearly four years ago during our trip to Asia, and if I am honest, it has been driving me mad. My mental health and wellbeing has suffered terribly and whether we are living through a pandemic or not, I just need to get back to a semblance of normality. Putting my life on hold, for such a long period, has had consequences we are still suffering from now. Our life together has always been based on travelling, after all we both come from opposite sides of the World, and whilst I was happy to comply with the draconian restrictions in the past, I'm not now. I have had three vaccinations and caught Coronavirus twice, there isn't much more I can do to protect myself from this disease. If I don't have antibodies now, when the hell will I? 

There is so much travel chaos to contend with at the moment, with flights still not back to normal after the pandemic, but I am hopeful we will get away in September. It is concerning seeing the number of flights being cancelled from British airports daily, but with our trip planned after the school holidays, I just hope we will get away as planned.

My concerns don't stop there, especially with COVID once again on the rise in the UK. I am trying to be as safe and careful as I can, but as I discovered, if you are going to catch this dreaded virus, you are going to and usually when you least expect it. I was so meticulous at following rules and wearing a mask in the past, that I believed I would be safe, nevertheless, even I caught it. Although I didn't suffer terribly like some, I still had a nasty infection. I strongly believe that today, I just have to continue living normally and put COVID to the back of my mind. All of us have to learn to live with it and yes, we will get it, but it shouldn't overtake our lives. Thankfully, Croatia no longer has any restrictions in place for travellers entering the country, and we are more likely to suffer from Brexit red tape, than from Coronavirus rules. 

I am counting the days until I can set foot on foreign soil again. Croatia is an amazing country to explore, full of history and breathtaking scenery. Spending time with family, is also the icing on the cake, and it will give Darrell and I quality time together, away from the drudgery of life here in Portsmouth. Sampling the local cuisine and fragrant wine, whilst sitting along sun-kissed beaches, is of course a bonus and an experience I am once again anticipating. I finally have something to look forward to, I can finally live life again.

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