Croatian dreams

We're writing this update from our house and pet sitting location near Omiš. We'll tell you about our stay in Croatia and share our thoughts on our cycling adventure.

From our house in Tugare, we walk straight into the woods. At the end there's a gravel path with several beautiful hikes. After 1.5 months we know the area by heart and have about 10 options to choose from. Our favorite is the one to the church on the mountain top, descending on the other side to the sea and returning home on a rocky path. The view is magnificent! An even more challenging route is the rocky path to the sea, then up and down the mountain to the large fortress and back home on the same rocky path.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Fort with blue sky

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Fort with cloudy sky

Mzungu

Our dog, Mzungu (Swahili for "white man"), is tireless. He listens well and can walk freely off-leash. He loves to run very fast through the woods. He also enjoys playing fetch and finding toys we hide. He's a very sweet and cheerful dog.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Mzungu dog sitting

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Mzungu dog sitting

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Mzungu dog sitting

Sapa

The bonding with our cat, Sapa (Croatian for "paw"), took a little longer. She now lies on top of us several times a day, purrs loudly, and loves it when we pet her. She loves snacks and prefers to sleep in our bed.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Sapa pet sitting

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Sapa pet sitting

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Sapa pet sitting

Day trips 

We went for a hike in Mosor and Split. Mzungu always joins us. Split's old town was quite nice to see. When we were here on our world bicycle tour, we saw little to nothing of the city. We found Mosor more impressive. Unfortunately, not everything is open in the off-season, but the tranquility has its charm.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike Split

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike Split

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike Split

Life style

We now have this great morning workout with strength exercises and cardio. Mzungu happily runs with us while we’re jogging. Ben plays guitar in the afternoon, and Linda enjoys reading, blogging, cooking and baking.

Days fly by...

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Jogging

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Sports

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Fitness

At the beginning of March, we'll be back in Maastricht to enjoy the spring and summer. Let's see if we can beat our old jogging track. We'll miss the mountains, but a run in the city park is also nice.

Cycling plan

We'll probably start cycling in September. We find the summers in Europe too busy and hot, and the winters too wet and cold.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to the sea

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to the fort

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to the sea

Ideally, we're looking for a house and pet sit in Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, ...) that starts in October and runs until March (6 months). Or two 3-months sits near each other. The plan is to cycle to the new address in September and October, do the house and pet sitting, and then cycle back in April and May. This is what our dream schedule looks like.

This is what our dream schedule looks like.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike rocky path

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike rocky path

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to church on hill top

What if .... , Yes, but...

We do have a few ifs and buts here. Cycling for one or two months will mean we'll be out of our routine. A full strength training isn't an option, let alone jogging. Ben will miss his guitar playing, and Linda will struggle with her diet(routine).

We also wonder if we'll manage to find a free place to sleep every day. We'll knock on doors of locals again. Will they still be open to hosting us if we show up on their doorstep with a less loaded bicycle? Does our story still resonate? After all, we're not really on a world bicycle tour anymore.

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to church on hill top

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to church on hill top

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  XPLORid Nomadic Lifestyle: Croatian dreams Hike to church on hill top

We're also a bit hesitant to socializing all the time. Especially after a full day of cycling, you're tired and just want to shower, eat, and then go to bed. Although Linda sees opportunities in socializing by interviewing the hosts and practicing her Climate Conversations techniques. She's curious how different people across Europe look at the climate crisis we're currently experiencing.

This house and pet sit in Croatia offers much more peace and routine, free time for other hobbies, security and privacy. So if our dream schedule falls through, we can always take the Flixbus to a shorter 2-3 months house and pet sit starting sometime in December.

Time will tell!