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A cool thing happened on our way to Zaprešić today. We chose a route using mostly secondary roads, and sometimes the "small highway" which
often parallels the autobahn. As usual, there were a couple of confusing intersections along the way. At one point we came to a roundabout
that had a LOT of traffic backed up on it, and four possible outputs, one of which was the autobahn, which of course we never want to go on (I
don't even think we're allowed). We were consulting the map, trying to figure out which output we wanted to take when an old fella came past on
his bike and asked if we needed help. Brent showed him on the map where we wanted to go, and in mostly sign-language, the guy indicated that he
was going that way too, and we should follow him. We followed him through the roundabout and off at the correct output, down the road a small
way, then up an exit ramp to get onto the secondary road we wanted. We chatted a little bit - he speaks German, and we know a few words, so we
were mostly speaking German with a smattering of Croatian and English thrown in. A short way down the secondary road, he indicated his house to
the left, so we were saying farewell, but he wasn't ready to let us go yet. He has a huge house that he was currently in by himself, and a
bunch of fruit trees. His kids are grown and gone and his wife is sick (we assume maybe in a hospital). He insisted on giving us a bunch of
pears and apples that he picked from his trees - insisting that if we didn't take them, they'd end up kaput! We took more pears and apples than
we could reasonably eat (or carry), washing them under the pump that he has in his yard, as Nero the hund watched. As we were fixing to leave
for real, a group of about six cyclists came down the road from the other direction. They spotted the Canadian flags on our bikes and stopped
to chat - most of them spoke at least some English, so we had a good visit. Then, some of the cyclists loaded up on some water and fruit from
the old fella too. We took a group photo, and then everyone continued on their way.
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We've ventured back into Air BnB land. The area of Croatia we've been in doesn't have any/many campgrounds, and we've been staying in small
towns that may or may not have accommodation, so I've been booking ahead. I was having trouble finding good accommodation a reasonable distance
from Krapina on booking.com, so I had a quick look at Air BnB. I saw a listing for a two-story house that includes a washing machine. A
washing machine! I'm in heaven! We've been making do with "laundry wine" for a while, and it's just not cutting it anymore... we need to do a
proper wash. So, I booked in to the place. The hostess only had one review because she's new to Air BnB, but the review was positive, so we
thought we'd go for it. The place is a half-duplex that used to be her family home (ie. with her parents), but is now sort of the weekend home
for her and her own family who live closer to Zagreb. We have the place to ourselves. It is beautiful - seriously. The home is beautiful and
the yard is amazing! Price tag through Air BnB: $79/CAD. Unbelievable.
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