With a month to go in Labin, we figured we were on the home straight. We were actually quite chipper in mid March when it was all of a sudden English/Irish week at Lidl. Hallelujah! They had the fish and chip packets (cod and chunky chips). We had them once before (thanks Lidl, Budapest) and remembered them being as close to actual, from the chipper, fish and chips as it's possible to get in this part of the world. We've been waiting patiently for upwards of a we...

With 8 weeks down and not quite 5 weeks to go, it occurred to me I should publish this blog - if for no other reason than some readers have seen how close we are to Ukraine. Only a 19 hour drive to Kyiv on a good day, with quick border crossings and a following wind. None of which exists any more - so no driving to Ukraine. If only the invading nutbars would also swear off driving/flying/tanking to Ukraine and go home. As I tie my meanderings into a bundle and ...

Despite leaving Paris (sigh…) only this morning, it feels like we've been traveling for weeks. It was a wonderful stay in Zagreb. We had a good flight, saw beautiful snowy alpine scenery along the way and landed in Zagreb spot on time - very smooth sailing indeed. We had a wash and a rest as soon as we checked in and eventually headed out as dusk fell to enjoy Zagreb's awesome Christmas lights. We were upgraded to a fabulous one bedroom suite with views...