🧓 Granny Summer – The Temperature of Goodbye – Pipeaway Newsletter #189

Hi from Igrane!

This is the last time I’m checking in at the tiny Dalmatian village, which has become even smaller with the departure of the final hotel guests yesterday at noon.

Temperatures still hover around 20 degrees Celsius, so instead of heading directly to my hometown of Zagreb, I decided to linger around for a couple of days, under the autumn sun, without an alarm clock waking me up for work. Finally, no noise, no rush, no pressure.

This warm and dry autumn is called bablje ljeto (grandma’s summer) in Croatia. Our version of the late ‘Indian summer’ is a period when grannies can still warm up their bones under the sun.

Yesterday, as I entered the sea for one of the last dips, the cold water chilled my granny bones as if I jumped into the Arctic, not the Adriatic.

While I’m not a seal-man and can hardly stand long periods in water at such temperatures, the experience made me admire all those whose swimming adventures continue all the way until Christmas. Well done. For you.

I can’t say I haven’t tried. During one of my visits to Finland, I jumped from a warm sauna to a chilling sea. It was a refreshing and fun afternoon. But it was still just a one-off thing. Not a lifestyle change. Kudos to everyone who can and will continue treating their bodies with temperature shocks throughout the winter!

Well, I won’t abduct your attention for too long. Those sun rays won’t be around forever. So I do plan to expose myself to them for these couple of days of an extended stay, before urban life takes over.

Embrace your inner granny!

Have a warm week,

Ivan Kralj        
Pipeaway.com

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on them and make a purchase, Pipeaway may make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work!

Ivan Kralj

Editor

Award-winning journalist and editor from Croatia