Visas Secured. Mission Complete.

I wrote the title to this blog post last Fall and put it in drafts. I do things like that, count something as fact when it’s still just a thought. Back then, I was in a battle with the Atlanta passport office, stuck in phone limbo, drowning in unclear rules about getting to Italy. We had cancelled all 6 Airbnbs I previously lined up, and were searching for a one location/one year lease. I was even hustling to recruit ten people—and ten dogs—to fill a private jet. It’s called manifestation, and I decided we were coming to Europe, no matter what.

And here we are. Not exactly as planned—2.5 months in Italy, then a leap over to Croatia—but I’d say it was meant to be. Michael loves Croatia far more than our time in Italy. Maybe it’s the Adriatic, maybe it’s the way people welcome you like you’ve always been here. Whatever it is, this place feels like the right fit.

Last Friday, November 8th, we finally, finally secured our visas for the year. What does that mean? Technically, it lets us stay here until September, though we’re set to head back to the U.S. in April. Without these “residence permits,” we’d have been booted out of Schengen territory. Not so easy with a dog like Vannah. Until last Friday, we couldn’t leave Croatia without voiding our stay; after all, we’d blown past the 90-day rule long ago.

After riding out nearly 90 days in Italy, we applied for the Digital Nomad Visa in Croatia. It turned into a dance of paperwork—requests for extra documents, more hoops to jump through—but while they processed everything, Croatia let us stick around. Leaving, though, would’ve been a one-way ticket out of Schengen. We cut it close, especially with Michael flying home for Thanksgiving in just two weeks.

But it all worked out, in the eleventh hour, with a few (new) major obstacles that I’ll save for another day. Let’s just say that we lucked out by becoming friends with the owners of our apartment, because they played a vital role at the end. So now we have three weeks left in Split—actually, two for Michael, three for me—before we head to Zagreb on December 1. It’s getting quite chilly now along the coast, so we’ll lean into it and go north to the capital.

Zagreb has a kind of old-world charm, a mix of medieval streets, Austro-Hungarian architecture, and lively squares that take on a whole new glow in December. It’s famous for its Christmas markets—Zagreb’s Advent is known as one of the best in Europe, with twinkling lights, mulled wine stands, and a festive buzz that fills the city. As much as we would love to spend Christmas with family, it’s just too expensive and Vannah already has a one-way ticket slated for spring. We’ll be home soon enough.

Stay tuned. We’ve got a few last adventures here in Split, then a whole new scene waiting in Zagreb.