Summer

Yesterday I decided that I would take a short trip to Croatia; today, I’ve packed a backpack full of clothes, food, and drink. It’s as simple as that for me. The freedom summer offers is you is the thing that I value the most.

An hour before I’m meant to board the train, I’m sitting here reminiscing about the above picture. Two years ago, I went on a trip to Croatia with my two best friends. We were joined at the hip, mostly because we were three strong-headed girls, without much regard for actions or consequences. When we were talking about taking a summer trip together, Andreja told us that she couldn’t join us because she was meant to be working on an island over the summer break. Allison and I could’ve run off to Spain, like we planned, but it didn’t seem right without Andreja.

Andreja was the first to leave Salzburg because she wanted to spend some time with her friends in Zagreb, but Allison and I followed soon after. What was to follow was absolute madness. I’m not sure if we saw very much daylight the days we spent in Zagreb. It was this concert, that jam session, this drink, that club. Day after day after day. By the end of our stay in Zagreb we were exhausted.

On the fifth day, we made our way from Zagreb to a place on the seacoast called Šibenik. For Andreja this was a journey she made annually because her family owned a house on the island. But for the two of us it was a new adventure we were embarking on. We pointed and exclaimed at every panoramic view of the sea. I’d been to Croatia before, but for Allison this was unknown territory. Once we arrived in Šibenik, we caught a boat to Zlarin, the island where Andreja lived. The waves crashed into the boat and we grew excited.

When we finally arrived in Zlarin, I immediately realized it was exactly what I wanted it to be. The island wasn’t full of tourists and cheesy souvenirs. It was a home for people needing a long-deserved summer vacation. I soon realized that everyone on this island knew each other from childhood and spent every summer together, whether they preferred to or not. I won’t say that we were welcomed with open arms, because we weren’t, but we were soon accepted as “Andreja’s friends.” We spent every day sprawled out on the warm slabs of rock, swimming in the sea, and downing beer after beer. We spent every night running around, dancing, and well, partying. It was the exact freedom we needed. No one in Zlarin judged us for how we behaved because, quite frankly, they were there for the same reason.

We relaxed. All the stress of college slowly evaporated and I doubt I even thought of anything school or work related for two weeks. We eased into our vacation as we would into the sea. I look back at the time spent both in Zagreb and Zlarin as my ideal vacation. I’m not sure if I would have the energy to repeat the entire experience, but I wouldn’t mind repeating a similar experience with my friends. The disputes we got into over those two weeks were harsh and cruel, but as a result, we grew closer, if that was even possible.

The three of us grew into a unit, referring to ourselves as Triple A. My trip this week won’t be about friends or partying, I’m sure I can live with the idea of just relaxing though. But it is very comforting to know that AAA will strike again. 

Sincerely, Missing the other two A's