CROATIANS are leaving for Germany, Norway, Austria, Ireland… However, lately more and more of them are choosing the far north – an island nation that has almost half as many inhabitants as Zagreb.

Martina Validžić, author of the new HRT documentary travel series Happy Cities, took us in the second episode to the northernmost north – to Reykjavik. There she met residents who live self-sufficiently and sustainably, in harmony with the incredible nature that surrounds them. They revealed why Reykjavik, despite its merciless climate, is another happy city.

Chef Pavle Bubalo, who has been working in Iceland for two years, did not hide his enthusiasm for this country. Although one would not at first connect the sea and Dalmatia with cold Iceland, Pavle points out that he was drawn by curiosity.

“I thought I liked snow and that it would be interesting to me, and then I realized that I don’t like snow,” he admitted.

Despite the fact that he does not like snow, Reykjavik is, he admits, an interesting city that offers peace and security. “The atmosphere at work is perfect for me, my colleagues are ‘crazy good’. I would say, one village, a slightly more modern village. Calm, quiet, pleasant and perfect for living,” Pavle described. “Here you save money, if you are a little more modest, if you are not too extravagant, you can save up to 2,000 euros a month,” Pavle admits.

“We don’t lock apartment and car doors”

His business colleague, Siniša from Zagreb, was his first support at work.

“Siniša thought that he would never in his life have someone dear to him who was from Split. But exactly the opposite happened,” said Pavle.

Siniša also reveals that Iceland is very safe. “My family enjoys it here, and my little girl enjoys school too. It’s safe, I can let her go outside without worrying that something will happen to her,” says Siniša. They also revealed an interesting detail – they never lock the doors of their apartments and cars.

There is also a long Icelandic story behind Mr. Tomislav Magdić. He has lived on that isolated European island for 25 years, and works as a chef in the Loki restaurant. He says work brought him to Iceland.

Ms. Lidija Lopac also worked as a manager in a restaurant in Croatia until 2015. “I wanted to change jobs, but I saw that in Croatia I couldn’t just change jobs that easily. I realized that I had to go abroad,” she said.

“I always liked the Scandinavian countries. I remembered a colleague who lives in Reykjavik. Then I contacted him,” Lidija says. Although she feared they would reject her because of her age, they welcomed her with open arms. “When I arrived, the job was already waiting for me, and they never even asked me how old I was,” says Lidija.

Source: index.hr