I love crowds. Every return to the Croatian capital is thus a special treat. Something is different this time, though. I am stunned by the ugliness of most people around me. Many are deformed or visibly derailed. And quite a few are simply ridiculous in their ways. My beloved is at work a bit longer today than on a usual day, but I am seeking refuge in her sparsely appointed apartment. In addition to so many signs of her, loneliness seems to be the only escape from the world out there. This may have to do with the weather, which is unwelcoming to boot, but my reaction may also have something to do with me. Perhaps I have been so cooped up in remote Motovun for about a month that Zagreb now strikes me as a peculiar zoo. The next few days will tell, but I will have to put up with the ugly crowds in the meanwhile. I shudder. Although the apartment I know well beckons me to stay, I cannot but cringe when I think of going out again. My consolation is that this is only my first day back. And there are many more to come.