Unforgettable days of laughter and happiness
It was exactly 5 years ago when we went on a family weekend trip to Zagreb, mainly for the children to relax a bit and to visit some relatives and a family friend in Zagreb, but also for the most important reason: the snow, which the children had never seen before because where we live, it snows once every 15 years if we are lucky, and even then, the snow melts the same day it falls.
First, we took the highway to Zagreb straight to our family friend's place where we spent the night, and then we had the whole Saturday and Sunday just for ourselves. When we woke up in the morning and had breakfast, we immediately set off for a small tour of the places I used to visit almost every day with my late father because I lived in Zagreb for 14 years, and my father often took me and my brother to these places. My favorite, where we spent half the day because there is so much to walk around and relax, is Grad mladih (City of Youth), which used to be called Pionirski grad (Pioneer City).
We explored all the tunnels and everything that remained from the time when I was a child. Seeing it all immediately brought me back to my childhood, and it was so beautiful and nostalgic. As happy as I was, I was also a bit sad because my father, who used to take me there often, is no longer with us. But all that sadness was dispelled by the children's smiles, which can melt even glaciers.
We spent the rest of the day walking around the city and at our family friend's house, where we chatted, ate, and drank until a bit later at night. Since we don't see each other every day, we decided to stay up a bit longer, even though we got up early in the morning to head home. I had planned to make the kids happy by taking the old road instead of the highway, even though the trip is almost two hours longer. But every second was worth it when I saw their smiles.
First, we stopped in the town of Slunj, which is located not far from the city of Karlovac, about 70 kilometers from Zagreb, and took a short walk because the winter weather was beautifully calm. This first stop was just a prelude to what was to come, and they had no idea.
After a bit more than two hours of walking over the old bridge and touring Rastoke, a place in the town of Slunj, we continued on to the destination I had been so eager for them to see, to witness their smiles when they saw the snow they always talked about. We arrived at Plitvice National Park, where I stopped at a rest area, and that's when the unforgettable moments began: the children's joy, happiness, laughter—priceless. Their immense joy brought tears to my eyes as I realized how little it takes to make them happy.
Haha, we couldn't tear ourselves away from there even though they didn't have proper winter clothes or shoes and were completely soaked. But we had spare clothes in the car, so they changed, and after a bit more than an hour, we continued our journey home, as we still had more stops to make. That's the thing about taking the old roads; you have so many choices of where to stop. Our next stop was a restaurant because we were all hungry from running and playing in the snow.
The restaurant was called Macola and had many stuffed animals because the owner is a hunter, and the restaurant is located in Lika, where there are all kinds of wild animals. Most of the animals were found dead and then preserved by the owner, who does the taxidermy himself. Naturally, my younger son had to take a picture with each animal. Some he had only seen in pictures, and some in the zoo, but for a child's happiness, I took pictures of him with all of them.
There, we ate traditional Lika food, which is Lika-style beans with sausage or bacon, and it was delicious. This is a specialty in Lika, and if you pass through, you must try it. We also drank their homemade beer in large mugs. It was delicious but quite filling, which is why people say that when someone is big and strong, they look like a person from Lika.
After we ate, took pictures, rested, and warmed up a bit, we continued on. We stopped at a place called Udbina, where there is a military training ground where the army conducts various exercises. At the entrance, there are two decommissioned tanks that serve as photo props, so we stopped because my younger son wanted to take a picture next to a tank. It's hard to refuse a child's wish, so we stopped and took a few pictures since this was our last stop before home, which is about 170 kilometers from Udbina. I knew it would get dark soon, and I didn't want to stop anymore because the temperature outside had already dropped below freezing, specifically -1°C.
We arrived home at 8 PM, and for days, the children talked to their grandmother, relatives, and friends about how it was and showed them photos of everything. These are the days that are simply remembered for a lifetime, and when I look at those pictures, I regret not being able to ask for another day off work so the children could enjoy even more. It’s important to enjoy every moment and make the most of what life offers because children grow up quickly, and time, unfortunately, cannot be turned back.
