"Out of the blue vacation"

Every year, with summer nearing, you ask yourself the same questions: “Where should I spend my vacation and can I afford to visit some far-flung exotic country?” Well, I guess, I'm one of those lucky people who don't have to think about these kinds of questions, since I was born at the seaside. It doesn’t really make any difference if I stay at home or visit an exotic country. Then again, I'm also a broke student and I can only dream about an exclusive vacation. But let's formulate it like this: “No money, no worries!” There will be some opportunities in the future, but for the time being I don't have high expectations. Yet, when I least expected it, something incredible came around. 

 Last year a friend phoned me and told that she'd won a seven-day vacation in one of the most expensive resorts in Croatia: Solaris. I was so lucky that at that time she didn't have a boyfriend or else she wouldn't have invited me to go with her. Robert Owen, an American comedy writer, once said: “A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.” I really needed “a do-nothing vacation”, where no technology is allowed and where no one can bother you.

When we arrived at Solaris, we felt as if we were not in Croatia. It looked exactly like Lloret de Mar in Spain. I'd been there three years earlier with my high school mates, and Solaris had the same beautiful sandy beaches, deckchairs and swimming pools, cycling routes, a pirate ship and many other interesting things. It was founded by five brothers and each of the five hotels in the resort was named after a brother.

 What I like the most about vacations is observing and meeting new people. Solaris was just a perfect place for this. Never before had I seen such a diversity of people in one place. One day, as I was lying on my deckchair, I spotted an odd-looking couple. She was a young, angel-like girl while he was old enough to be her GRANDPA. There must have been 40 years difference between them.  I hid behind my book and spied on them, because I simply couldn't believe my eyes. I recall the comment my friend made when she saw them: “Let's solve the riddle: Who is the billionaire over there?” This is what I mean by “observing people.”

There were Italian, Czechs, Russian, French and tourists from all around the world. It'll always be a mystery to me as to why Italians speak so loudly; and on the beach in Solaris you couldn't miss them because of their tiger print swim wear. A fashion trend in Italy, I suppose. No offence to anyone! I became an expert in recognizing where tourists come from, even when they don't say a word. Czechs tourists were easily recognizable because their skin turned red like lobsters after only a few hours in the sun. The next day, I usually didn't see them. They probably hid from the sun in their hotel rooms and waited for their skin to cool off. At breakfast, I could easily spot the British tourists. They would have their traditional British breakfast: poached or fried eggs, fried bread or toast with butter, sausages and a mug of tea. Tourists from ex-Yugoslavia would eat their traditional cheese or meat pies, while German and Austrian tourists would enjoy their toast with marmalade and wonder how Balkan people can digest so much fat on a hot day. I didn't take a picture of any of  these tourists, but you know what I mean.

Now you see why I prefer going on vacations and not staying at home. But staying at home is not all that bad. Every year, I meet new people, listen to interesting life stories and compare different cultures. I think that the picture above tells a lot. The memories from this vacation always bring a smile on my face. I really enjoyed it, and hope that there'll be more “out of the blue vacations.”