Ashton and Zach, a couple who became known following a chance encounter with Croatian fans on the day of their wedding, have arrived in Croatia. At Split airport they did not hide their excitement, telling RTL Danas on arrival that they had been constantly repeating: 'We are really going! We are really here!'
Ashton showed on Instagram how they were greeted at the split hotel where they would spend the first night in Croatia. In the room they were met with a bouquet of flowers, Croatian wine and glasses, and Ashton thanked the hotel for the welcome alongside the photograph. The couple said that they had fallen in love with Croatia before visiting it.
Their story began three months ago, when they had just married in the town hall in Philadelphia and came across a group of Croatian fans gathered before the match between Croatia and Ghana. The fans greeted the newlyweds with song and celebration, and Ashton and Zach then told: 'This is an experience we will talk about for the rest of our lives. Everyone is urging us to come to Croatia. It would be great. Neither of us has ever been there before.' Three months later, their wish came true.
Ashton and Zach say that the Croats won them over with their passion and temper in Philadelphia, and now they will meet the country from which their new friends come for the first time. Ashton said: 'I am looking forward to seeing everything we will see. He is particularly looking forward to the football match, and I am looking forward to enjoying every day because I do not know what we will encounter. We have seen the photographs, but I think the experience in person will be completely different.'
Their first visit to Croatia was organised by the Croatian Tourist Board and the fans' association Hrvati. The journey will take them from Split via Dubrovnik to Zagreb, and a series of activities have been prepared for them. One of the first stops will be Poljud, where they will watch the match between Croatia and Spain and meet again the fans of the Vatreni, which is where the story began.
Ashley and Zach said: 'We hope to bring luck, and maybe even victory. The fans in Philadelphia were so excited, and now we will experience them on home soil. I think the atmosphere will be crazy. We will also bring a crazy energy.'
