One of the first recommendations that you receive as an expat in Zagreb is the coastal town of Opatija. Maybe it’s to do with proximity, or may be it’s an initiation ceremony, a detox centre, if you please, to shake off the city rust and begin a new way of life: unhurried and laid back. We were looking to get away for the weekend and this seemed like the perfect break.

Opatija is quaint and comes in pastel shades. It has twisty roads that take you round and round, and if you’re arriving by car, you tend to miss quite a few turns. The roads are also tiny, or rather traditional - the single lane variety; it wouldn’t usually matter, except we encountered a wedding party (a procession of cars waving the national flag and pounding at their horns) and in the process got bottled up for a long, long time.

When we finally got to our hotel and out, we realized there’s not much to do in Opatija. Once we walked the streets and took in the waterfront, that was it. And instead of being disappointed, it had a strange calming effect on us. It meant we didn’t have to dash across town trying to cram every landmark into our camera. It meant we could sit by the sea and read. Or just listen to the waves flirt, sometimes with the rocks, sometimes with the trees.   

Along the course of nothingness we learnt that Opatija is the first of the Croatian resort towns. It’s story goes back to the 1800's when a rich merchant, Ignio Scarpa, and his wife fell in love with the town and decided to build a summer home here. They named it Villa Angiolina (after the wife, of course). Soon after, they were playing host to famous businessmen, aristocrats, and even royalty. Word spread about this idyllic sea side town; hotels followed the tourists and the first shadows of a coastal resort began to form. Today the Villa serves as a local landmark and official meeting point. It’s right in the centre of the town and it’s pink – that makes it hard to miss.

In the two days that followed we ate, we drank and we lounged. When the guilt came crawling, we walked around a bit. We cruised the Opatija Riviera and took in the pebbled beaches and a dazzling blue sea. They say these waters have healing powers; whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but I could feel the stress that lives in my shoulders scatter away and the knots that hijack my back come undone. I could feel the clutter in my head clear out; only the words I wanted remained.