We’re driven to the Zagreb airport and treated to a Croatian tour / history lesson by our shuttle driver who seems to be the unofficial Croatian ambassador. He’s adorable and charming, with smiling, animated eyes that peer at me from the rear-view mirror as he regales us with tales of his country.
The Zagreb airport is so deserted, we honestly wonder if it’s been closed. Not a single car at the front drive. NOT. ONE! Not much better inside. The good news is, NO lines for check-in or security. We grab a quick sandwich, washed down with a (surprisingly good) Croatian red wine for me and a Heineken for V. The flight is sparsely populated as well, and before we know it, we arrive in Munich.
In the Munich airport, we encounter only the most minor of obstacles when the very German customs officer inquires as to our reason for continuing to Italy. We were prepared! Domicile, I repeat; Carlotta has advised that this is on the list of approved reasons for entry. Do we have an email, or a receipt, or an agreement of some kind? Why yes, in fact, we do! I produce not one but two copies of our (unexecuted!) lease, procured thanks to the combined efforts of our little multinational village: Sally, who threw together a basic lease before heading to the hospital (in Scotland!), Carlotta, who found us a simple one-page version in Italian, and Derek, who printed them both out for us in Croatia, before we left. English is better for me, he smiled. Great, a connection (in hindsight, I wondered if it was my “In love we connect” mask?); he peruses it, hands it back with a friendlier nod than his original greeting, and off we go into another deserted airport, before boarding yet another deserted (aka socially-distanced!) flight.
Finally, we survive a bumpy landing in Florence, and are greeted at the ariport and then driven to our little mountain paradise of Vico Pancellorum, by our dear friends Sam & Carlotta. They brought a stunning little wine — a Moscone Nocciolino, which we share with new neighbor Grahame, a toast to our successful arrival, before turning in for a much-needed good night’s sleep. Finally at home. Good night, Vico!