Love by the Sea

by Ana Alic (Canada)

Making a local connection Canada

“Growth is not linear.” Hearing that on a podcast, while serendipitously on an 8 hour flight to my homeland of Croatia, really settled my soul. I planned this trip as a way to travel with my best friend for her cousin’s wedding. This wedding was a week-long extravaganza on the posh island of Hvar, where tequila shots cost 120 Kuna each ($25) and dreamy sailors spend the summer taking tourists, and in this case wedding guests, island hopping. After a week of slivovica shots and a gorgeous bohemian wedding, it was time to go to my parents home. Both of them hail from the land of ancient architecture and turquoise water where they’ve built a summer home in a village outside of Zadar. I decided to “stay for a month to work on creative projects," I told myself to justify quitting my job and taking a beach sabbatical. Intuitively I knew this trip would be more than that, a chance to know my self-worth and love. This felt like an appropriate place to ponder such kismet questions. There’s been no monumental moment of heart healing, just a slow progression: a sunset bike ride in the fields, a sacred swim, an afternoon spent exploring the village. I was able to spend time with my cousin Antonija who lives in a town called Seline near my home. Her town is by Paklenica National Park, an incredible mountain for its renowned rock climbing and hiking. I’ve been told that the cave in this park is home to a natural formation that looks like Buddha. It’s no wonder it has attracted spiritualists from all over believing in its portal energy. After a day of rock climbing, a night of drinks at the only cocktail bar in town was in order. So there we were, me and my cousin who is 12 years younger and a local celebrity and model. I stuck out, not just for my refusal of a plastic straw opting for my travel bamboo one, but because I was new in town. So as the universe would have it, when you set out on a journey of inner healing and you aren’t looking for romance, romance comes in the form of a cute bartender serving you an aperol spritz sans straw, with an even cuter accent. He was wearing a fedora and had longer hair compared to his crew cut counterparts. He smiled at me while I drank the cocktail he crafted, wondering if I noticed the extra oranges he slipped in. My cousin stepped away and there was his chance. He came out from the bar, leaving his list of cocktails to someone else and sat right beside me. “Hello Ana, do you like your drink?” He pulled out a cigarette and I didn’t even question that he already knew my name. “Yes, it’s really good. What’s your name?” “Niko...oh shit, I have to go make cocktail. I’ll be back.” He left his cigarette in the ashtray, along with his drink. And he did come back, many times that night. Was this my eat-pray-love moment? Was I about to embark on a romance with a handsome Brazilian expat but replace Brazilian with Croatian bartender? Niko was sweet, he set up beach picnics for me after his shifts and would ask my cousin if it was ok to take me out. We spent many nights swimming, counting the shooting stars by the shore, and drinking pina coladas he would pre-mix at the bar. On my last night I snuck out to see Niko. We set out the usual routine we created: swimming, stars and drinks on the beach. I left Niko and the beach with a simple “laku noc” - goodnight, driving past my cousin’s house and the mountains I grew to know as home. This was not the love story ending you may expect, our journey ended on the shore, yet something more sacred in its place. A sense of love for myself and appreciation for the sweet moments we had. This was the beginning of a different love story, the one where the girl falls in love with a coastal village that knows the making of her own true heart.