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I have been in Dubrovnik, Croatia for a little more than a week and I am starting to feel very guilty. I have slipped into a dangerous daily pattern and I can’t seem to get out of it.

In the morning I start out with a list of things to do that day. Maybe it is a selection of places to see, maybe it is going to the bank, maybe it is going out to a shopping center to get some necessities, or maybe it is as simple as trying to find the mythical laundromat that people mention (despite the fact that no one seems to know where it is located). But first I have to find a free table at one of the cafes and have my first coffee of the day. This is where the first symptoms of the condition start to appear.

As I wait for my mandatory coffee to arrive, I start to get a little too comfortable in the shade. The coffee arrives and I slowly drink it. It is weird because the cup starts to feel heavier and heavier with each sip. I realize an hour has passed. Then a friend walks by and comes over to say hi. I invite them to sit. They sit and they spread out the newspaper as we wait for another coffee to come. Another hour creeps by and I haven’t moved. I notice that the men at the table next to me haven’t either. Everyone watches the masses of tourists from the cruise ships walk by on their three-hour tour of the city. We sip our coffee and complain about the crowds.

Then another friend joins the table. Should we go do something, like go for ice cream? The consensus is always yes, but we have to wait to finish our coffees. Everyone gets a bit more stuck to the chair. The sun is very high at this moment and you realize that it has been about four hours since you came to have a “quick” cup of coffee to start the day and all you have accomplished is drinking two cups of coffee, glancing through the newspaper, and getting caught up on the gossip from the night before.

This behavior becomes a conditon that repeates itself daily. Then one day a friend who owns a local restaurant walks by and comes over to say hello. He quickly assesses the situation and says, “Ahh… This is Fjaka.” Everyone at the table is a Croatian language student. We all look at each other to see if anyone knows what the word means. None of us have ever heard of it. He explains that Fjaka happens when it is very hot, and you can’t do anything. The sun must be very heavy and hot, no breeze can be present. You drink coffee for hours and it never cools because it is sooo hot outside. We all agree.  Ahh… Fjaka. I understand and am happy because I realized that at least I learned a new word today.

Read more: Cafe Culture, Croatia, Dubrovnik, Eastern Europe, Fjaka, Travel, Travel Routines


Lisa "Croatia + Icelandic Bands + The GCB + More Croatia = Poor Poor Lisa." -Dan, Globe Corner Staff Member

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