In my early dating days with Petey, I would take her to Naples near the Long Beach Harbor to slowly stroll the backyard docks of millionaire homes. We shared unshelled peanuts as we walked. I carried the nuts in my coat pocket so Petey would have to reach in my pocket within cuddling distance as we walked. I called it a “peanut walk.”One evening in Opatija, Petey and I had some time to kill before the big Grant Belleview Hotel World Cup Soccer guessing game so we took a peanut walk on the majestic promenade. We intended to wander just a few hundred yards along this legendary beachfront trail, the most romantic setting we’ve experienced in our young 30-year affair. In certain spots the zigzag walkway inclines above the sea affording spanning views of the bay then it might stretch flat at sea level.
In other spots it follows the beachfront road and in other spots it separates itself from the road to wrap around a fancy high-rise hotel or an ancient villa built to hug the sea. At one point, Petey happened upon an outdoor walled amphitheater where cartoons were showing for kids. At another point, we saw a “FREE WiFi” sign … got to make a note of that.We were about a mile into our peanut walk and Petey’s stomach started to growl. At this point we were too far from the road to reach civilized food and turning back would signal a compromise to the romance. So we kept walking hoping that this majestic promenade would soon end giving us
reason to return. It didn’t. We kept walking and walking … another mile. By this time, Petey’s growling stomach turned to Werewolf status … she was transforming before my eyes. Did I mention it was the most romantic settings we’ve walked? No matter … hunger trumped romance. We turned around and speed-walked toward the nearest road access to the nearest walk-up pizza place to the nearest food. The beast was tamed and our return to the big game timely. The beauty and romance of Opatija reaches forever.
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