Arriving in Našice

Našice is located in the Slovania region of Croatia. The capital of the region is Osijek. 

“It’s also the mosquito capital of Croatia,” Marina told me. Osijek may have the informal title but Našice definitely got its fair share of the bloodsuckers. I spent the night slapping and killing as many as I could, sprayed myself from top to toe with repellent and have still been bitten, leaving me blotchy, swollen, itchy and miserable.

Nikola, the guy I met during my last day in Korcula, had sent me a text message with the name of someone to contact about accommodation in Našice. I called Damir after I’d booked my train ticket in Zagreb and knew what time I’d be arriving.

“I’ll meet you at the station,” he said.

After four hours on a train without air conditioning, I disembarked in Našice and looked forward to a cold shower.

“Are you Miss Victoria?” A woman asked. Her name was Marina, and she had accompanied Damir to the station in order to translate.

My bags were put into the trunk of Damir’s car and we drove into town.

“We will go for a drink and talk about your options,” Marina said.

It wasn’t until we had got our drinks that I found out Damir didn’t actually have accommodation or rooms to rent himself. Instead, he and Marina had gone out of their way to meet me and let me know what would be available. There’s the Park Hotel in the center, as well as a couple of bed and breakfast places located approximately one kilometer from the town.

“Or, you can come and stay in my house,” Marina said. She said later that she’d been waiting until she met me before giving me that option.

“How much per night?” I asked. It would be great to stay with some locals for a few days.

“Nothing, we don’t want anything.”

So this is where I am right now. A sleepy little town that’s very hot and full of bugs. The train route took me through healthy-looking terrain, fields with crops growing in neat, well-tended rows, and Našice is full of green parks and woodlands. I’m reminded of the English countryside, but without the heat and humidity.

Last night I joined Marina, her husband Saša, and their two boys for homemade pizza. This afternoon I’m supposed to be going for either a bike ride or a hike with Damir and will also be trying my hand at archery. I’m planning to stay for three nights and then head back to Zagreb for one night before heading north to my “O” place in Slovenia.

This part of the trip is not something I’m really looking forward to, since I have to double back on myself and head to Switzerland for “Q” and keep the letters in order. I’m trying to only focus on one place at a time because as soon as I start to look at the overall picture and what I still have left to do, I begin to panic. Words of encourage welcomed…..

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