That End of Summer Scent
Summer traffic in Croatia
At the end of last summer, I was in the car, listening to a Croatian radio station based in Dalmacija, and the announcer said something that stayed with me.
She said (I’m paraphrasing): Summer is ending. The tourists are leaving. The roads are less congested, and the beaches are less crowded. Soon, the place will be ours again.
I remember taking note of her tone.
It was neither angry nor frustrated; it was a matter of fact.
It was the tone of someone who made peace with living in Croatia, specifically the Dalmacija region, where tourists outnumber the locals on the roads and beaches, especially during summer.
It was the tone of someone who has experienced this every year for X amount of years and has learned to navigate.
It was the tone of someone sharing her joy—the joy of getting something you lent to others - back.
Somewhere on a crowded beach in Makarska, Croatia
This June, Croatia, a population of 3.9 million, greeted 2.9 million guests.
That’s a lot of guests to accommodate! That’s a lot of space shared with foreigners on the roads, beaches, restaurants, hotels, and private accommodations.
And while all of it is great for the Croatian economy, culture, and so on, it can also be a lot for a small country and its people to manage. And in a short period.
And so, when a Croatian radio announcer shares their joy for the end of summer, I now get it.
I’m grateful that tourists want to spend time in a place I now call home. There’s so much beauty to explore. There’s so much to learn. There’s so much to fall in love with.
I want more people to experience and learn about Croatia. It is a country rich in history. It is a country full of natural beauty. It is a country with meaningful traditions and stories to share.
But it seems I’m also grateful that…
Summer is ending. The tourists are leaving. The roads are less congested, and the beaches are less crowded. Soon, the place will be ours again.
Huh.
Check out this video by video creator Andro Anic (@hey.andro). This is his take on how radio announcers in Dalmacija talk about the end of summer and what he calls the ‘end of summer scent.' Sorry, no translation.
In four hours on the Island of Vis in Croatia, I managed to do…very little.
And it was glorious.