The Nice Thing About Strangers
Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.
Groove, Death, Italians
Nervous Italian Tourist holds on for dear life with both hands.
“Groove is in the Heart” is on the radio and the Italian tourists are certain that we’re all going to die. For me, the pace and aggressive passing of Croatian bus drivers is no longer alarming. I’ve been on this route many times. I hope I’m not losing my gratitude as we fly down the coastal road, but I’ve lost that panicky thought that these will be my final moments.
Back at Makarska, the driver sat for a coffee with a remarkable sense of self. He winked at me and smoothed his hair. He flirted with the sixty-year-old waitress. So I don’t clutch at the handles of the seats when we pass the lumber truck, when we pass the wagon and trailer. I don’t look nervously at the guardrail and consider how insufficient it would be to stop a fast-moving bus. I trust him to preserve himself first, and the rest of us because we are sitting behind him. He drives this all day, nearly every day, so it is best to rely on his broad self-protection and his well-worn habits.
–On the bus from Split to Medjugorje.
The Nice Thing About Strangers 
Cool. Does look a bit scary though.
I have some other photos that I tried to take, but they were blurry for good reason!
It’s a lovely view, even if it’s your last. 🙂
Oh dear … this is my country and my people -:)! I know the type of the bus driver so well! Coast is absolutely beautiful, I have been down that way many times!
Thank you for posting this,
Daniela
I love the drive. I always makes me gasp and laugh–but usually at the views and the drivers smoking under the non-smoking signs. It’s part of the joy.
What a lovely country! Some people are born land-locked, you know? 🙂 Hvala!
Paige
Sometimes you just have to have faith in the bus driver……………….
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Reblogged this on The Nice Thing About Strangers and commented:
This was one of my favorite days on a return trip to Croatia. I’ve been thinking about what a gift it is to be able to see that beautiful place on now several occasions. As I plan for this summer’s visit, I am reminiscing like mad. 🙂