Well I'm definitely going. But will I ever be coming home again? - A liquidation story! (Part 1)

I awoke to the sound of my mobile phone alarm, although I'm not sure I’d even been asleep at all. 04.00! Time to rise from my brief 2-hour sleep in the back seat of the car, parked around the corner from Manchester Airport.

I was about to embark on a trip into the unknown. A four-day trip to three European cities I'd never visited before. Brussels, Zagreb and Ljubljana. A trip from which there might be no return. Well, I certainly didn't know how I was going to get back home again!

Monarch Problems!

I was flying out to Zagreb via Brussels early Friday morning to catch up with some old friends, to watch the Scotland football team in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and to stand-up paddle (SUP) in Zagreb. I was scheduled to return home on the following Monday evening, flying with Monarch Airlines. But there was a problem. Monarch had gone into liquidation the previous Monday!

At no time did I contemplate cancelling my trip. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had publicly promised to repatriate anyone who was abroad on the day the liquidation was announced. OK, so I wasn't technically abroad on that date, but how would the CAA know? I planned to turn up at Zagreb Airport at the appointed time and hope for the best.

Brussels Breakfast.

Onwards to Brussels. I had a five-hour layover in Brussels, and the city centre is only 20 minutes from the airport, so I popped into the city for some breakfast before flying on to Zagreb. I found a lovely restaurant on Grand-Place. And I have to say the waffles with fresh strawberries and cream were absolutely exquisite. I'll never feel quite the same about my typical breakfast of plain porridge! Just looking at the photograph now is making my mouth water!

I just had time for a beer or three at the airport before boarding my second flight of the day from Brussels to Zagreb.

Three Beers.

No beers

I'd never been to Zagreb before, but I had some wonderful SUP plans lined up. I had my inflatable Redpaddle 10'6 SUP with me, carefully packed into its rucksack.

Jarun Lake is in the southwest of the city, close to the River Sava. Jarun is well known locally as an area for sports and leisure. Swimming (in the summer months), rowing, sailing, etc, with land-based activities around the lake. My internet research suggested it would be an ideal place for stand-up paddleboarding, so I made my way over there on the Saturday morning. I understand that it is a very busy area in the summer, with a vibrant nightlife to complement the sporting activities available. This was October, albeit the weather was warm, at least 20° C, with a strong sun shining in the bright blue sky.

But when I arrived, I could see that a rowing event was taking place on the main part of the lake. It may have been a training event rather than a competition, but there would be no place for a humble SUP boarder in the six busy rowing lanes. I knew there was another lake area behind the rowing lanes. Hopefully I could paddle there, but I would have to walk around. There was no way across the rowing lanes. Fortunately, my Redpaddle SUP rucksack is on wheels, so I could pull it behind me rather than carry it.

SUP Zagreb

There is an island in the middle of the lake, accessed by a bridge from the west. It was a long walk around and onto the island, but well worth it. I found the ideal launching spot from the south side of the island. I guessed that this would not be a suitable place in summer, as it seemed to be a swimming area. But no one was there that Saturday morning in October, so it was ideal.

Jarun Lake

What a fabulous paddle it was. The sun, the blue sky and the trees with their orange and yellow autumn leaves were beautifully reflected on the glassy surface of the lake. A quick lap of the southern area of the lake was followed by a trip down a narrow, tree-lined creek which brought me back out onto the main part of the lake. By a wonderful coincidence, the rowing seemed to have finished, so keeping as close to the bank as I could, I paddled back down beside the rowing lanes, and around the island to exit the lake at my starting point. I spent just over an hour paddling almost four miles on a peaceful, Autumn day. I don't know about you, but that sense of peace and calm is one of the things that attracts me to stand-up paddleboarding. When I'm on the water, I can leave real life behind and just exist in the moment. Sheer Bliss!

Jarun SUP Route

As I headed back to my hotel, I still had no idea how I was getting home, but I had lots more fun still ahead of me. Drinks and food with friends. The Scotland game on Sunday. And a really, really exciting SUP trip planned for Monday. One I was a little nervous about, to say the least! Read about it, and how I got home here in Part 2.