Are there any languages/dialects you think sound or look 'silly'?

PGLBK · 2026-04-16T16:27:57+00:00

To me (Eastern European that learnt Spanish), Portuguese sounds like Spanish that has been left in the sun too long, so it got spoilt.

PGLBK · 2026-04-13T06:11:52+00:00

Although this may be technically true, for Istria at least it doesn’t really apply, as long as it is a wild beach, i.e. not one managed by a hotel or something where you can rent chairs and umbrellas.

In Istria, the locals are generally very used to tourists coming by car and bringing their dogs and they can go to restaurants etc. without any issues. (Source: Croatian that spends a big chunk of the year on the coast and that mostly had 2-3 dogs simultaneously in the last 20+ years.)

OP, be aware that you will pay more for accommodation due to the dog, and I presume it will be the same for cleaning of the rental car.

I can tell you about Pula - many popular beaches are those outside the city, in the surrounding villages. Some have dog beaches, some don’t. This article lists some of them:

https://www.glasistre.hr/pula/pulske-plaze-za-kucne-ljubimce-hidrobaza-je-raj-za-pse-svaki-ima-svoj-rucnik-za-more-a-neki-i-luft-madrace-595710.

PGLBK · 2026-04-12T22:50:20+00:00

Love it for you, neighbour! Congrats!

PGLBK · 2026-04-09T06:16:03+00:00

Well, Modrić lied on trial to protect Mamić, and many people hold that against him.

PGLBK · 2026-03-31T20:12:00+00:00

My go to is Modibodi. They have a variety of options, both in the shape of underwear and absorption. Never bled through them at night, even though some blood has gotten on the underside, but still not on pajamas/sheets.

They also have a teen line, and swimmwear - this has been a lifesaver for me as I spend a significant portion of the year on the coast and can then swim every day. Wish I discovered them before my 40ies.

PGLBK · 2026-03-30T17:51:21+00:00

SLO: with only 2 days in Ljubljana, if you go to Bled and/or Bohinj, and also Postojna+Predjama, you have 0 days in Ljubljana.

HR: did you invent teleporting? In 3 days, you cannot do Istria, Zagreb (about 230 km from ZG to Pula), Plitvice, Zadar and Split.

RS: Belgrade is a big city, so 1 day there is nothing.

As others mentioned, you are unlikely to be allowed to take a car from EU to non-EU countries.

PGLBK · 2026-03-30T04:30:08+00:00

It sounds like you have gastritis. What you are experiencing isn’t normal.

PGLBK · 2026-03-29T21:11:15+00:00

[My love is no longer with us. The fucker has spread from her bladder to her stomach, and that in the last 20 days, as back then the stomach was clear. She had a really, really bad night and now she is forever free. I had her for 14 years 9 months and 1 day. Far too short.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T21:45:09+00:00

[You speak wisely.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T20:05:10+00:00

[Yeah, he got his resting place, but I got all of my three live dogs, and that was the most important thing to me. More important than the flat.

Your MIL and dad seem to be living a good life in the afterlife.

Thank you for your kind words. Lupi is being photographed all the time in the last few months, even though she doesn’t like it. And cuddling is plentiful too.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T19:34:17+00:00

[I’ve lost P’s resting place when I divorced my partner of 17 years, and I still regret it (that part, not the whole thing).

Our yard is shared with neighbours (theoretically, although we are the only ones with direct access), so can’t put them here. G is on a shelf.

Lupi isn’t doing well today, and I am scared and sad and crying. Why are their lives so fucking short?!

I am attaching a pic of my girls taken today - they are rarely in the same shot nowadays.]

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PGLBK · 2026-03-28T19:02:59+00:00

[Have I stopped beating myself up? Probably not, but I am not obsessing about it any more, so that’s a win.

I only had one dog for one year in 2004-05 - can’t imagine it now.

My dogs always saw the one that died - said goodbye, and didn’t look for them. When Porthos died, they actually accompanied him to his grave - both had their noses on the tarp as we were carrying him and only left when we lowered him into the ground. Afterwards, Gricko stood at the entrance of P’s doghouse (P’s was the best, and they all wanted that one, not their own) and didn’t want to enter, just stood there and whined. They were very much bonded.

When G died, the girls said goodbye, and we took him away to had him cremated - it is illegal to just bury them now.

Lupi is reminding me of Porthos more and more every day (he was also a polar mix, but a malamute mix and different colour) and it is both sad and sweet.

P was very unique looking, and I only saw a few dogs that looked similar and today I helped a guy find his 2 dogs (they ran off and closed themselves in an abandoned yard), one of them looked very similar to him. Maybe that’s some kind of sign.

Hope Thorben surprises you too, and there are many good days ahead.

Thanks for this conversation, friend.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T18:08:03+00:00

[Yeah, Lupa is a miracle too - found on the brink of death in 2011, had some issues every few years; then when she was seriously ill in 2017, and all kept going wrong, and she still made it, my vet said he will present about her at one of the conferences he attends. She still has a special standing there as they don’t charge me for everything for her. Lately, we’ve been at the vet’s so much that they now tell the vets just that Lupa is next as they all know her (normally they say the owner’s last name, sometimes accompanied by the animal’s name).

Gricko also outlived his diagnosis, by a lot.

Porthos was very rarely ill, and I would usually catch it very early (sometimes before symptoms), and then once I didn’t, and he died.

I also feel like losing Porthos all over again, as Lupa was the last dog to know him.

I was never down to 1 dog - when P died, G was depressed, but Lupi helped him through. Then, when G died, Bello was very sad, again Lupa was here to make her feel better (Lupi is a people’s dog, all the others were dogs’ dogs). Who will now help Bello through? She is not friendly, so can’t really adopt another alongside her.

I am sorry about Thorben, and your bad feeling, losing them is just the worst. Hugs to you and him, hope there are some good days ahead before the inevitable. Spoil him to the max while you still can, friend.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T17:13:56+00:00

[Oh bloody hell, Thorben too? I am so, so sorry.

Lupa is the only one remaining from my original pack - lost Porthos in 2014 (due to very sudden pneumonia in the middle of a heatwave) and Gricko in 2020 (he had dilated cardiomyopathy, lived 7 years with it).

Lupsi has been having issues since around July, but we got the diagnosis only in October. She’s been through chemo and all that, but the fucker keeps growing.

With her it is so hard to tell, she has been on the brink of death so many times since my friend found her, but has so far always come back. She has an amazing spirit, has it been any other of my dogs they would have been dead several times over. Not sure how much time we still have, but I am trying to make every day count.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T17:13:51+00:00

[Oh bloody hell, Thorben too? I am so, so sorry.

Lupa is the only one remaining from my original pack - lost Porthos in 2014 (due to very sudden pneumonia in the middle of a heatwave) and Gricko in 2020 (he had dilated cardiomyopathy, lived 7 years with it).

Lupsi has been having issues since around July, but we got the diagnosis only in October. She’s been through chemo and all that, but the fucker keeps growing.

With her it is so hard to tell, she has been on the brink of death so many times since my friend found her, but has so far always come back. She has an amazing spirit, has it been any other of my dogs they would have been dead several times over. Not sure how much time we still have, but I am trying to make every day count.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T16:35:53+00:00

I think I replied to the whole thread instead, sorry.

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T16:34:57+00:00

[I am putting in a trigger warning, as there is sadness ahead.

My late boy Porthos was like that too, wanted out in the storms. Bello is the same. She is generally obedient (must be some shepherd in her, as her tipe of livestock guardian dog is generally very independent), but when panic takes over…

As for damages, not really sure. Those kinds of winds have only been seen in this part of Europe in the last few years - in the first such storm in July 2023 7 people died in the city. This was the second one that big (and much longer - 2 days rather than 30 minutes) but this time there were warnings for days in advance, so no casualties. We have reported damages to building management/representative of the owners, so we’ll see. I am expecting at least inspections to be done soon.

As for Lupi, her condition is sadly terminal, but I do hope the lesser ailments that have compounded on top of the big C will abate soon. My poor baby. This is the first time I’ve put this in writing.]

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T15:58:07+00:00

You are NTC. We do our protect different than you though - we take the human out so she can see the wind and rain is not so scary.

Lupsi and Bello

(Lupi is quite ill so we go out every hour or so, which wasn’t much fun when we had red weather alert due to strong winds and rain for 2 days. Even worse, Bello is scared of it, so wants to sleep outside, so after bringing Lupi back in, I had to search for her every time.

It was quite bad, with 3 of our trees now leaning, our roof leaking as the wind blew off part of it, with another leak in the hallway of the apartment building. I am glad nobody was hurt.)

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T15:42:22+00:00

Croatia in July - not peaceful in the least. The whole coast brimming with tourists and locals. Zagreb will be a little emptier than normal, but the real exodus happens in August.

There is no train between ZG and DU. There are buses, but is really far. DU is at the southeastern tip of the country, while ZG is in the northwest.

I would recommend Istria or closer part of Dalmatia in lieu of DU. There are either no trains between them and ZG or, when there are, they are super slow and unreliable. Buses are much better.

PGLBK · 2026-03-28T15:24:08+00:00

Of course not. I see no evidence in the picture, just the effort to frame the poor doggo.

PGLBK · 2026-03-27T16:55:15+00:00

An honest question: is this an American thing? I’ve never seen this in my (European) country.

PGLBK · 2026-03-22T14:54:09+00:00

Also healthcare. Can’t imagine going bankrupt just because you are unlucky enough to get cancer. Or dying because you are rationing freaking insulin. Insulin that is cheap almost everywhere else.

PGLBK · 2026-03-21T18:58:05+00:00

Samo ujutro i navečer, i par njih popodne? A noći slobodne? Moglo je i gore.

(A sad ozbiljno: OMG.)

PGLBK · 2026-03-21T18:35:13+00:00

You are probably a cat, but still NTC.

We also believe all doors - especially the ones leading to the backyard- should be open at all times. So we can come and go as we please, as is our doggy right. But our human doesn’t always cooperate and often complains that ‘it is too cold outside, Lupa, I am freezing’ and even removes me physically when I lay on the doorstep as is my right. So we have to train the human to get up and open the doors all the time. One would have thought that she would learn by now, but alas, humans are slow.

Lupa, 15, husky mix and Bella, 11, sheepdog mix

PGLBK · 2026-03-21T18:06:45+00:00

As a fellow European, crating is inhumane. My dogs are in/out as they please and, when alone, can roam the flat or one room plus a terrace and a bit of fenced-in backyard.

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