The Ray's Days: Opposition in all things

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Opposition in all things

The day a long planned trip finally happens is always so surreal. This was our first trip to Europe since 2024 and our first trip with just our family for the whole time. We normally go early, meet up with family, and then stay longer, but this time it’s just us 5 Rays. Our flight left at midnight too, so it was an all day affair waiting. I froze a bunch of food we didn’t get to and cleaned and made sure everyone’s luggage got weighed properly.

Word on the street is that the airports are a mess, but IAD was smooth and easy. We got through security in less than 10 minutes and everyone was kind and happy. We thanked them for being there even though they’re not getting paid. We were tiiiiired.

Even when you fly at midnight, you are still served dinner, in my experience. And that’s why we ate tikka masala at 1:30am.

5:08am. Matt and I scored a row to ourselves - no middle seat! So we took turns laying down and got semi decent sleep.

7:18, just about to land in Munich. Get me off this plane! - that’s what I was thinking. But we actually had a lovely conversation with an older flight attendant about just how crazy things in our country are and just how sad and sorry about all of it we are. It’s good to hear people from other countries opinion, and in our experience, they agree with Matt and I.

Landed! Hooray!

We killed 2+ hours in the Munich airport and then it was time for our quick 1 hour jaunt to Zagreb, Croatia.

So our first flight was good. I don’t like flying, but it was the best kind of long flight you can spend in economy seats. Zagreb however, was having a storm with wind gusts up to 47 mph. And we felt that storm on the plane. I’d say the last half of the flight went from turbulent to very turbulent and never let up. The guy in front of me used his barf bag and I was thiiiis close. Even when we landed, the wind was whipping us around. And then it was freeeeezing, rainy, and windy. Feels like temperature of 15° and we were traipsing around outside looking for where to catch our shuttle to our rental car.

We had to borrow someone’s phone because, even though T-Mobile said there’s no problem with us making international calls, our calls for our pickup still weren’t going through. We finally got picked up, and then, long story short, exactly what I didn’t want to happen with our rental car happened and it was terrible and very bad and I hate being taken for a ride financially. It makes me steam.

Then trying to figure out parking for a cute restaurant Adi found near our Airbnb had us turning around several times and not finding any parking, so then we decided to go to our Airbnb first and walk to a restaurant, so Matt dropped us off because it was all city center pediastrain squares/paths and waited for us and we walked back and forth a few times trying to figure out the directions. We were cold, tired, wet, hungry, and I had to pee. We were not at our best and it showed. We finally put our brains together and realized it was right on the street where we’d driven past 5 times and walked past once.

Then we got to look again at the check-in pictures our host had sent to figure out how to unlock the, I kid you not, 4 doors leading to our apartment.

We finally fouu go red it out and Matt and I parked the car and met the girls and walked to the original dinner location, which ended up being a 3 minute (still very cold and rainy) walk from our Airbnb. This is the view outside our door.

Dinner was absolutely delicious and everyone tasted everyone’s and I’m pretty sure all the mean things we said when we were hungry were forgotten.

I can’t describe it adequately enough just how gross it is outside. See that abandoned, busted white umbrella? We saw at least 10 like that during our travails. Fences blown over all over, people walking just so miserable!