FIRST STOP … DUBROVNIK AIRBNB
This Californian is Now “Living” in Croatia
Chapter #2 … of many
We landed yesterday.
And yes, the “living” in the title is overstating it a bit, but I’ll explain.
As I mentioned in this story, this moment has been a long time coming.
Among other minor inconveniences and impediments to all this actually occurring: 💩 a couple of failed marriages 💩 a pandemic 💩 an ugly quit at work 💩 finding a new home for the cat 💩 yards of other shit you don’t even want to know about
Now though, all that’s in the rear view mirror and Qin M, AKA my girlfriend, The Mighty Qin, and I are living in Europe.
Remarkably, we behaved like adults and got all the stuff done that needed doing before we left California.
Then we left.
For now we’re on a tourist visa in Croatia, first stop Dubrovnik. That gives us a window of opportunity, 90 days of freedom. We’ll be in Croatia for nearly three months, exploring … slowly.
We’ll return to Cali in January to celebrate my first grandbaby’s birth.
In February we’ll leave again, landing pad … Barcelona. That trip will include long slow travel in Spain and Portugal. Travel outside these two countries will have to occur at some time during that four-month trip due to tourist visa length limitations. For boring details, Google “Schengen Visa”.
In June, we’ll be in Cali briefly to attend Qin’s daughter’s graduation from high school. Yes, she’s 18. We didn’t leave a helpless child behind, cold and lonely, crying at the airport.
After that, who knows.
Like the rest of the time between now and Summer of 2023, we haven’t made a lot of plans.
For the forever stretch of time after June 2023, ideas dancing in our heads include: 🗺️ returning to Europe and starting the long-term/resident visa process in Spain or Portugal 🗺️ Going to China for a while if they ever get their shit together 🗺️ Journeying to The Caribbean or South America or Central America or Australia or Hawaii or New Zealand or … 🗺️ Something else entirely
Meanwhile, mentally and physically, we’re living in Europe and figuring it out a day at a time.
The present “plan” — if you can dignify what we’re doing with the word “plan” — is to rely on our wits, the winds, and serendipity to guide us.
We’re both fine living simply and letting the universe have it’s way with us. It’s how some of the best events in my life have occurred, including meeting Qin.
So now I’m up at 4 AM local time, jet-lagged but happy, looking across the table at a smiling Qin, munching on a seeded-roll with melted cheese, cucumber and tomato. We’re irrationally drinking coffee trying to wake up fully and debating whether or not to return to bed.
I’ll let you know how it works out. All of it.
