Fjaka around the world

March 30, 2023

Croatia

I wanted to wait a couple more weeks to finally write something about this place after proving a bit more, but I couldn't wait to share that this is our new home!

Honestly, there are a lot of reasons why this is - no doubt about it - a great place to live. Searching on Google, it's easy to understand why.

But the main reason why we want to live here is simple - we can see life happening here. We found the charming style we wanted + convenience + adequate visa.

It was surprising that everybody seems familiar with English and that we had all our criteria for moving out matching with Croatia. We didn't research much before packing out of Italy, just the essential. We were very excited about getting out of the massive stairs everywhere.

In dalmatian lands, so far, all our little experience has been great—friendly people, nice weather (until summer!), convenient and accessible.

Sometimes, it just happens.

Since we started our journey traveling the world, we considered a lot of obvious destinations on our list. Italy, Portugal, England, United States, Colombia, Porto Rico, Canada... Some weren't easy to move in - requiring permits, visas, income, etc. Some didn't attract us enough.

We ended up visiting for a while - what became a challenge with our son, expenses, language, and culture. We guessed staying in a Portuguese-speaking environment would be better, and it didn't work for us. I think I never felt so unwelcome before.

We had amazing and terrible experiences, and for a while, we just dreamed about a good straight routine, knowing where to go and what to do.

All the freedom made us realize we just wanted a place to call home. Work on our projects, exercise, have a fixed address, a good quality bed, a decent table and chair, and friends to celebrate.

We spent too much time in a "dolce far niente" mood - the Italian cousin of the term fjaka, in Croatian.

Enjoying the landscapes, the food and living the dream. But now we are excited to create some roots, and have decided to stay here for a least one year.

Next weeks, I'll be photographing more of the beautiful nature of Croatia, looking for a long-term apartment, enrolling my son in school, and figuring out how to say essential words in Croatian.

Doviđenja!