October 2, 2026

Croatia: Distinctively Different

Zadar, Croatia

Something was different here. As soon as we boarded the plane to Croatia and realized the Ryanair crew was boarding us onto a plane owned by another company! Were we really still headed to Zadar. We took a bus out to the tarmac to board. Maybe they brought this bus to the wrong plane?

We found our seats and no one acted like anything was off.

And then the pilot, with a Croatian accent, spoke a few words in English that I didn’t hear and then “headed to Zadar.” Whew! Ok, we are going to Zadar with this captain and whatever airline we are on. On board, they do not serve snacks or drinks, but instead, sell luxury perfume. When we landed, everyone burst out in applause! My neighbor told me this would happen, and I was surprised and delighted just the same. 

Wait, are the people glad we made it?! Or, are we just in a land with genuine gratitude and hospitality? 

Croatia feels distinctively different with its language, its history, its land, and its humble demeanor. There is no, “hey, look at me.” It is practical and peaceful. There are playgrounds and skateparks and kids walking home alone (riding city buses and walking). Having only seen Zadar and the small suburb of Brisevo, it is clearly a land of history, gratitude, and independence. This started our obsession with learning more. We would program Notebook LM to research and create a podcast each night and then listen to it while we drove to the National Parks the next day. 

I did visit Croatia once before, in 2007, with one of my most long-standing friends, Aaron. Right now, he and his family are taking care of our dog, Lego. When we came, we saw the old town of Zadar and the Sea Organ. It made me a little sad to see the commercialization of it 20 years later. There were only one or two ladies out with their crafts. It was bound to happen – an led light circle that is 100 feet in diameter on the promenade to the side of the sea organ. A man had a large sound system and was conducting a dance show for tourists. Very little of the organ could be heard.

That first night, we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant with a garden courtyard (and the requisite 2 cats) and were almost the only ones there. Gets us every time – are we early? Are we late? Are you open? Unlike Italy, where you need to have several Italian phrases to get anyone speaking to you in a conversational tone, Croatian people generously speak English (and thoroughly appreciate when you know how to say hello and thank you in Croatian). 

After Italy, Croatia is the second country in our 100 day journey.