“Today I will swim in the warm Mediterranean Sea, drinking fine white wine on the beach while surrounded by beautiful European women.” So I thought as I stepped on the Sunday morning bus from Zagreb to Zadar, Croatia. But once I sat down in my assigned seat and haggardly inhaled through my mask, reality hit me – like a punch to the face.
Well, that’s what happened.
The previous night Neo-Nazi skinheads attacked me for wearing a t-shirt that read, “Love Beer/ Hate Fascism.” A large bandage was wrapped around my head. The doctor in Zagreb had instructed me to wear it for at least two more days. I could feel blood oozing from a scar above my right eye. My nose wasn’t broken, but it was swollen and made breathing difficult. Wearing a mask for COVID restrictions didn’t help. And a lingering hangover added to the pain.
Still, I had an AirBnb reservation confirmed and paid for ten days. After I spend the next two days bleeding out inside a room in Zadar, I could go outside and enjoy the seaside.
Continue reading “Bleeding In Zadar – How Not To Relax On The Croatian Seaside”
