One Last Hurrah in Croatia!

Warning: Picture Overload :D 

We enjoyed one last adventure while traveling through Croatia! After countless changes to our original idea, nixing Italy and Greece from the itinerary, and rearranging everything a few times, we finally made it to Croatia for a 16-day tour of the country! We are thrilled!!!

We arrived in Split at 8am on Saturday and directly set off for Krka National Park, a short distance away. We opted to hike down to the main attraction and were immediately struck by the views and what awaited us. Instead of trails, boardwalks sit over the crystal-clear water, weaving through small ponds, over and around countless waterfalls, and interspersed with beautiful trees, long grass, and little marshes. It was stunning!

We strolled along the boardwalk, mesmerized by the views. We took a side trail to a surprise lookout where we ogled at one of the bigger waterfalls, then continued on, snapping photos and soaking in the beauty. We passed through a little wetland area and were greeted by a chorus of frogs chattering to each other, backed by the sounds of the waterfalls.

As we neared the end of the trail, we came across the grand finale, and big kahuna, Skradinski Buk. It was stunning! It turns out the trails we had been on gave us teaser views of the falls from above, but nothing matched the view from below. There were so many waterfalls intertwined to make one giant waterfall. We weren't sure where to look! We pulled up a seat on one of the rocks, taking a breather and again, soaking in the view. We finished our time at Krka with a hot and sweaty hike back up to the car, setting off for our final destination of the day, Slunj.

The drive through the country was beautiful but also somewhat astounding. Remnants from the Yugoslavia War were scattered throughout the countryside. There were several obviously destroyed houses mixed in with others being rebuilt and many that looked new or recently renovated. Our Airbnb host would later share his story about escaping this area during the war and the processes of moving back and rebuilding. In addition to the houses, there were sheep and cows scattered in the pastures and cute little cheese and honey stands lining the roads.

After checking into our Airbnb, we took our hosts’ recommendation and walked down the hill to Restoran Amber for dinner. It was perfect! With individual patios, delicious food, and a view overlooking the town. Simply wonderful!

We woke early on Sunday, set to beat the crowds to the one and only Plitvice National Park. This was one of the highly anticipated stops on our trip, and man, it was INCREDIBLE! Within seconds of entering the park, we were greeted with a breath-taking view of Veliki Slap, aka the Big Waterfall. I don't even know how to describe it... it was just stunning and quite surreal.

We started down the path, still awestruck from the view and admiring it as we went. At the bottom of the switchbacks, we hopped on a boardwalk and began the walking journey around the park. We were blown away by Krka, but that was nothing compared to Plitvice!

The water was sooo clear! You could see everything deep down at the bottom; trees, rocks, fish, plants, algae, everything! Similar to Krka, there were boardwalks that passed over the lakes and through the waterfalls. We took that, skirting along Kaluderovac Lake and to the bottom of Veliki Slap, soaking in a front-row view!

As we continued strolling along the boardwalk, we passed by little waterfalls interspersed with calm, quiet ponds. Next, we took a detour at Supljara Cave and hiked through the caves to an overlook, spying a few bats along the way. At the top of the lookout, we were greeted with drone-like views overlooking the park. From this high, you could really see the different shades of water, and, given the clarity, you could even see some of the objects sitting under the glass top of the lakes.

We continued on to Milanovac Lake and the ferry dock. We caught the short ferry across to Gornja Jezera to the Upper Lakes portion of the park. Once again, we were greeted by more waterfalls, but this time, the boardwalks took us directly over the falls! We completed our time at the park with one last view of the Big Waterfall and then set off to a local Croatian BBQ that we had seen the day before. Along the way, we took a small detour to a secret overlook our host told us about, then filled our bellies with some delicious lunch in the countryside.

We spent the afternoon in Rasoke, aka "mini Plitvice," a 300-year-old fairytale mill village. The village is set atop of the natural streams and waterfalls and connected by little bridges. It was so neat and only a 10-minute walk from our Airbnb! This is definitely the land of waterfalls (and cats)!

We took our host’s suggestion (again) and visited Slovin Unique, a family-owned property with additional views of the waterfalls, cascades, streams, and a little museum featuring an 18th-century mill.

We ended the day with a peaceful dinner by the water, which included some very fresh, local trout and the “must eat in Croatia” Orahnjača, or as it’s known in my family, povitica. It wasn’t quite as good as Grandma Dot’s, but it was still delicious!

Shout out to Grandma Dot and the Cernich family! We made it to my great grandparents’ hometown, Mrkopalj, a quaint little mountain town at the bottom of a ski hill. After driving through the clouds (literally, thank you heavy fog), we made it. We stopped by the local church and met a very friendly lady cleaning the place. She didn't speak any English, and we only know a handful of words in Croatian, so we didn’t get very far in a conversation, but she was very welcoming. We drove through the town and found a cafe of sorts with some old men sitting out front. We figured we'd give it a try, hoping to find a coffee and pastry. We poked our heads inside and lucked out with the coffee! The gal working even humored us by letting us practice our Croatian with her.

There wasn’t much happening on a chilly Monday morning in Mrkopalj, so we decided to continue on our way, driving along the coastal Adriatic Highway as we made our way to Zadar.

We were in awe, yet again, with more unbelievable views! We stopped at Vidikovac Slipica- Eyes of Vinodol for our first jaw-dropping view of the sea. Then continued on to Senj for lunch, dining on the pier and stuffing ourselves with fresh seafood risotto and pizza. One of the best things about traveling in Croatia at this time is that the restaurants and cafes let you use their bathrooms! I never thought that would be a luxury, but trust me, after a year of unknown pit stops, it really is a relief!

We wound along the curvy coastal road, taking in the view of the water stretching for miles and the orange-roofed houses lining the hillside and extending down to the water. We adored the beautiful wildflowers along the road, including poppies and purple iris! It was neat to see a light dusting of snow on the top of the mountains blending with the sea and beaches below. Simply serene!

We opted for a home-cooked meal after arriving in Zadar but forgot to watch the clock! While washing the dishes, we realized we were missing the sunset! We grabbed our shoes and jackets and hurried past the harbor, down to the seaside, just in time to catch the last bit of the show! We listened to the sounds of Zadar's famous Sea Organ playing in the background, which makes music when the waves crash into the hidden tubes. Once the sun had set, we moved on to admire the light show at the "Greeting to the Sun." This unique work of art uses solar power to charge during the day so the lights can perform at night. It was a little silly, but still fun to see!

One of our goals for this trip was to slow down and take some time to actually relax while exploring the towns. With that in mind, we started our day in Zadar like the locals, with a coffee at a cafe. We sat in the promenade and soaked in the morning sun. We followed that with a few stops around the city then set off for the beach!

The sun was shining, and the temperature was hitting the upper 60s, and we were happy to be outside! We laid out our towels and pulled out a deck of cards, but right as we were getting ready to play, giant waves rolled in (thank you ferry)... and our lovely beach layout quickly turned into a messy scramble to move everything away from the water. It's amazing how fast you can move when you have a reason!

Heading back to the city, we found an exquisite place for dinner. I ordered the sea bass and polenta, and Jeff ordered the flank steak and ratatouille. Both were divine! We also sampled the black bread, which was a first, but also quite tasty! Pat Bunara is the place to go if you're ever in Zadar! We ended another day sitting out on the dock watching the sunset, one of our many favorite things to do.

On Wednesday, we made our way to Split, first, stopping in the medieval town of Trogir. We wandered through the teeny tiny streets, taking random lefts and rights while stopping for photos and popping in and out of the open shops. While we were in one of the shops, the lady working gave us some insider tips on where and what to eat. We took her suggestion and stopped by the local bakery and sampled the famous Trogirski Rafioli, a sweet treat with a walnut filling, kind of like a glorified dessert ravioli mixed with a fig Newton. It was tasty! We walked back to the car along the water, watching the little lizards scurry across the pavement and away from our stomping feet.

After dropping off the rental car, we zipped down to Split and settled into our absolutely adorable Airbnb. The views from the window were right out of a painting, and the location was pristine, right in the middle of the old town.

Once settled in, we set off to explore. It was another maze of tiny streets and so fun to just wander around. We dined at another delicious restaurant (another recommendation from the lady in Trogir) and enjoyed our meal alone in the outdoor courtyard, making friends with our incredibly friendly waiter. Everyone is so nice here!

After dinner, we set off to the water, just in time to watch another beautiful sunset! This is a dream!

We spent Thursday touring Split, starting with a bird's eye view from the Campanile Tower, aka Split's iconic bell tower. From the top of the tower, we scanned the city, admired the Adriatic Sea, and even found the window of our Airbnb!

We took a peek inside of St. Duje's Cathedral, which was much smaller than we expected, but still very beautiful. The center portion of the cathedral dates back to 350, making this the oldest cathedral building in the world. Pretty cool! The best part was the Romanesque wooden door which has survived unaltered since 1200. Given the history of what's happened here since then, that's pretty impressive!

Our next step was a walk around Diocletian's Palace and Peristil Square. We spotted the Egyptian sphinx and some archeologists continuing to excavate the area.

We continued on, weaving through the tiny streets and stopping at Tradicija Pastry for cherry strudel and a cinnamon roll, then set off for the beach! We opted for Kasjuni beach, which was further away but is apparently where the locals spend their time hiding from the tourists. We were greeted with crystal clear waters and the shining sun! We settled in and enjoyed a picnic lunch before jumping into the chilly water.

After looking down the beach, we saw an area that was more isolated and picturesque and decided to check it out. While walking along, we quickly realized a switch in the dress code… turns out we stumbled upon the nude section of the beach… but the view was too good to pass up, so we settled in and soaked in the European experience. :D

For dinner, we started with an appetizer of gelato from Luka's, followed by a stop at the local pizzeria. Sitting on the patio, we dined on pizza and pasta while watching the people pass by, along with the cats. There are cats everywhere here!

We woke early on Friday, ready for another adventure. We grabbed a coffee and got lost in the city one last time. We passed by the indoor fish market and wandered through the old town before heading back to the Airbnb to grab our bags and catch the catamaran to Hvar.

Hvar was the second place we couldn't wait to explore! Plitvice was the first, Hvar was the second. We knew we booked a rocking Airbnb and couldn't wait to see it first-hand. Plus, we had heard so many good things about this little island, and we were eager to check it out.

As we stepped into our Airbnb, we were ecstatic! We were greeted by a wall of windows with miles upon miles of sea stretching out behind them. The views were better than the pictures and exactly what we were hoping for. While sitting out on the balcony, we joked that we weren't sure if we would be able to leave... maybe we can just move here instead?

Given that it was mid-afternoon and we had sights to see, we pulled ourselves away from the view and set off to explore the town. It was so quiet, it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Between the whole covid situation and it being shoulder season, there wasn't much action.

While wandering, we found a little grocery store and decided to make dinner at our place since we knew we wouldn't find a view that could beat ours. We enjoyed our home-cooked meal just as the sun was setting along the horizon. #heavenly

We made like the locals again on Saturday morning, sipping coffee at the cafe next to the harbor. We followed that with a hike to the Spanish Fortress, soaking in the views of Hvar from above. We still can't get over how many different shades make up the color of the water! Green, turquoise, blue, navy... it is incredible!

After our hike back down, we wandered through the tiny streets and along the harbor, trying to imagine what it would be like during a regular season. I think we lucked out! We stopped and sampled the local ice cream, with our tastebuds exploding with delight at the flavor of the lemon basil sorbet! Next time we're trying peach and rosemary!

Following suit with our new normal, we followed our city excursion with a trip to the beach! We grabbed some sandwiches on the way and set off to enjoy yet again another wonderful view. Even though the temperature wasn't quite warm enough for swimming (mid 60s), the water was calling our name. We laid out our towels (avoiding any possible nudest sections this time), dipped our toes in, and soaked in the sun rays.

One week into our journey, and it's flying by! But at the same time, we can't believe it's already been a week since we checked out of our German home!

We spent Sunday zooming around the island on an ATV! Jeff was looking forward to doing this in Greece, but since that wasn't happening, we chose to adventure out in Croatia! We zoomed along the old highway, passing by hundreds of little rock walls lining the hillside. We weren't sure what they were at first but then realized they are structures for all the lavender grown on Hvar. We can't imagine what it would be like riding on the highway during the lavender season, the color, the smells, the views… maybe we'll add that to our bucket list. :)

Our first stop on the island tour was to Stari Grad, another cute town where the car ferry docks. We stopped for our morning coffee and a super fresh, very sour lemonade, once again taking in the feels of a good ol' European café in the middle of the town square.

We hopped back on the ATV and set off for our first beach of the day. As we drove along, the smell of fresh pine from the trees filled our noses, while our eyes were dazzled by the mix of olive groves and vineyards that were interspersed with bright red poppies. What a scene!

We arrived at Maslinica Beach, a little cove that we had all to ourselves. It was incredible and so peaceful! We brought our lunch and settled in, enjoying a secluded picnic. Afterward, we dipped our toes in the water, and as we were debating on if we wanted to go all the way in or not, we looked down and were startled by the transparent shrimps crawling on our feet and some weird little fish/snake/eel/lizard things swimming all around. If you know what the weird fish thing is, please tell us!

Needless to say, after those encounters, our debate turned into a verdict, and we decided to hold off and try swimming at the next stop.

We arrived at Dubovica Beach next, excited to check out the "best beach on the island" according to the locals we talked to and several blogs we read. We hiked down the rocky trail, passing by more wildflowers interspersed in the "deserty feeling" landscape which felt so weird knowing we were walking to a beach. We passed a couple of stone houses and popped out at the beach, greeted by a view of trash floating in the water… we were so disappointed and disheartened by what we saw. We walked along the beach, passing more trash, and found a place to sit away from most of it. We sat for about five minutes before leaving. The other sunbathers probably thought we were nuts, but there was no way we were going to relax in this setting and no way we were going swimming with the mystery bucket and other trash floating 10 feet away in the water. Next time we go to the beach, we are bringing trash bags!

Our last stop for the day was in the little town of Milna, where, thankfully, we were greeted with the crystal blue, trash-less waters we were hoping for. We laid out our towels and settled in, listening to the small waves sweep across the rocks. We braved the chilly water and quickly cooled off while going waste deep before hurrying back to our towels to warm back up. Eventually, we peeled ourselves away from the serene setting and made our way back to town, dropping off the ATV and passing by the local soccer field where numerous fans were standing against the fence cheering on their teams.

We spent the evening in town sitting on a quaint little patio, sipping wine, watching the sunset, and listening to live music. It was the perfect way to end our island day!

We took it easy on Monday, starting with homemade breakfast while enjoying our priceless view. We relaxed on the patio for as long as we could before having to check out and move along to our next destination. We caught another catamaran to Korčula, playing a few rounds of Gin Rummy while crossing the sea.

Our newest Airbnb offered yet again another stunning view. We really hit jackpot this trip! We had a view of everything from our patio in Korčula, the old town, sea, mountains... what more could we ask for? We walked to the old town for dinner and found a restaurant with a terrace and view that was almost as good as ours. Our food was delicious... again... and the sunset was beautiful. We're still pinching ourselves and trying to believe that all of this is really happening.

While exploring the old town on Wednesday morning, we found Aurora Sweets, a cute little café where we stopped for breakfast and coffee. We followed that with a morning hike up to the top of the church bell tower, reaching the top just in time to hear the bells chime! From the top of the tower, we found Marco Polo's house and admired the contour of the city streets, which look like a fish skeleton. The side streets branch off the "spine," aka main street, in order to reduce the wind and sun in the city. Pretty neat!

Marco Polo's house! It's the one left of the church.

Next, we peeked our heads into a few shops (most said this was their first or second day being open for the season. Just in time!). At one of the shops, we found a piece of art for our growing collection. We can't wait to hang it with the others!

As the afternoon approached, guess what we did? We hit the beach! It's just wonderful! Our summer tans are coming in earlier than ever, and our goal to relax has been a success.

We made our way to the outskirts of town and found a place on a secluded beach where we thought we would finally swim since the temperature was slightly higher today (low 70s). After warming up enough to need to cool down, we made our way to the edge of the water only to find that there were soooo many sea urchins, many many more than we initially thought… We took a couple brave steps before deciding that was a terrible idea and probably would not end well, so instead, we smartly retreated back to our towels. Luckily, we found another beach nearby with fewer urchins where we actually did jump in and swam until our limbs went numb (it didn't take too long).

We spent the evening cleaning up, packing again, and taking one last evening stroll along the water.

On Wednesday we headed to Dubrovnik! We had initially planned to catch the ferry, but due to the current situation, the ferry postponed their start date (again), leaving us with two options, hire a driver or ride the bus. We made a hard pass on the covid bus and instead opted for the private driver.

In order to get to Dubrovnik, we had to take a quick 10-minute ferry across the water then follow the sea through the mountains to the city. The roads were quite windy, and by the time we arrived, both Jeff and I were ready to be on solid ground. Our newest Airbnb host greeted us on the street and took us through the secret garden to the apartment. Here, we had another beautiful view of the sea from the terrace, surrounded by a well-kept garden.

Next up was an introduction to the old town of Dubrovnik via a walk around the walls. We had read about the city walls but weren't expecting them to be as big as they were. Simply put, they were massive! And offered outstanding views of the city. Fun Fact: Several scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed here!

We lucked out with our timing and had the walls to ourselves. We only saw a few other couples along the way and were so grateful we didn't have to experience the cramped corridors that we saw in pictures.

It's a whites day!

Following the walls, we snaked our way through the city streets and popped in and out of the artisan shops. Then, sticking with our schedule, we stopped by the local beach and dipped our toes in the water, wishing we had our swimsuits so we could go all the way in.

For dinner, we found the gem of all gems! Trattoria Carmen, it was absolutely amazing! Ivana, the host/server, was fantastic and hilarious, joking around with us and giving the best recommendations regarding what we should order. I had my choices narrowed down to two when she told me her absolute favorite was the Sole Fish, which was caught earlier that day and purchased from the local market. She explained that their menu changes each day (hence why it's written on a chalkboard) depending on what seafood they can get at the fish market. She also recommended the Dubrovnik Beef dish for Jeff, which was an absolute winner as well. A beef goulash-ish dish with homemade gnocchi and a cinnamon sauce that almost tasted like dessert, yes please!

The Sole fish ended up being a little more adventurous than planned… I wasn't expecting straight-up fish on a bone with its fins still attached. However, I knew that was a possibility given the culture and what we'd seen so far. With the high recommendation and being told that this was fresh from the sea, I was intrigued and couldn't pass it up. And I must say I'm glad I tried it and I'm proud of myself for eating it! :D It was a delightful adventure and another experience I will never forget!

We finished the night with a cup of gelato while sitting on the harbor (finally tasting the lavender ice cream we read about). Our Airbnb host, surprised us when we got back to the apartment, sharing their homemade Sweet Cheese Pie with us (similar to a cheese Danish). They told us it is their daughter's favorite and better than anything we could find in the city. By the time we went to bed, we were stuffed to the rim!

We enjoyed a quiet morning on Thursday, anticipating a chillier day with rain in the forecast. We wandered into a few of the many churches tucked away in the city. Our favorite was Saint Ignatius, which had a replica of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, including a working fountain.

We also popped into the Franciscan Monastery and admired the third oldest functioning pharmacy in the world. It dates back to 1317 and still has many of the original elements. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed.

Next up was a trip to the main harbor with the hopes of gawking at a few megayachts. We struck out with the yachts but won on the weather! We had a few sprinkles of rain when we started our day, but by 11am the sun was shining, and the sky was clear. It wasn't going to rain on our parade!

For lunch, we found a great little place, Green Garden, which was tucked away in a mini jungle. We ended up stuffing ourselves (again) while enjoying a chat with the owner.

We made our way back to the apartment, and after a warm walk, we were ready to dive into the cool water. Boy, were they wrong about the weather today! We were greeted by our hosts, who had again prepared another treat for us, Mediterranean Zucchini Soup. They brought it to our table outside, and although we were stuffed, we couldn't pass on an authentic homemade dish. We're glad we didn't because it was delicious, so much so that we even got the recipe! Next time the garden is overflowing with zucchini, you know what we'll be making!

We made it down to the beach, just in time to catch the last bit of sun before it tucked behind the clouds. We followed that with another stroll through the old town, then settled in for round two at Trattoria Carmen. The previous night, before we left the restaurant, we reserved a table, knowing we'd want to dine here again. Good thing we did! While we were dining, three other couples tried to get a table but were turned away! Sorry Charlie!

So many cats! But they're all friendly, well-groomed, and seem to be taken care of.

This time we sampled the shrimp dishes. We had homemade ravioli with fresh shrimp and homemade pasta with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and shrimp. They were both superb! We also treated ourselves to the local rožata (dessert) and rakija (traditional after-dinner liquor). Not knowing which rakija to try, Ivana surprised Jeff with an olive walnut liquor and me with one I can't pronounce but tasted just like a Christmas floral shop in a cup. What a fun evening! We ended the night sitting on the beach and reminiscing about our incredible trip.

On Friday, we set off to our last city, Zagreb. We're rocking the 6am flights and woke early to catch another one. On the way to the airport, our taxi driver filled us in on the history of Croatia, his plans for rebuilding two tourist houses in the countryside, and shared the details about the Russian billionaire's yacht we saw out in the water (a massive beast with two helicopter pads!). Good thing he was chatty at 4am because we weren't!

We arrived at the hotel in Zagreb at 8am, just in time to enjoy breakfast before our PCR covid test. Thankfully we were able to get the PCR test at the hotel so we didn't have to find a testing center somewhere in town! Woot woot!

Once the tests were complete, we set out to explore our final city. We wandered through the outdoor market and over to the cathedral. We peeked around the outside of the cathedral and were surprised to learn that it was closed and under construction due to last year's earthquake.

As we explored the town, we popped into the local shops while dodging some of the crowds (it was definitely the most people we've seen in one place all trip... well, really since last summer). We stopped by Saint Mark's Church to admire the tiled roof (the medieval coat of arms for Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia are on the left side, and the emblem of Zagreb is on the right), then made our way to the one of a kind, Broken Heart Museum.

The Broken Heart Museum is filled with artifacts from people's relationships... Everything from little figurines and records to a hand-knit, unwearable sweater to an elliptical, old dreadlocks, and postcards from lovers, and our personal favorite, a pizza box with a goodbye letter attached written by a person diagnosed with Celiacs. Each artifact was accompanied by a short story, some were entertaining, some were sad, some were gross, and some were just funny.

By the time we finished at the museum, it was time to think about dinner. Given the larger crowds, less mask-wearing, and goal of avoiding Covid, we decided to pick up dinner and dine in the serene atmosphere of our hotel suite.

We spent our last day in Europe cruising in our Mini Cooper convertible and checking out another castle. Trakoscan Castle is located about an hour away from Zagreb atop a hill next to a lake with a nature trail.

We toured the inside of the caste, then walked the nature trail. Along the way, we saw hundreds of tadpoles swimming in the creek and in a side pond, countless frogs chirping and leaping about. I've never seen so many frogs in my life!

On the way home, we stopped in the little mountain town of Samobor and were met with the rain that we'd been expecting for the past three days (thankfully we lucked out for most of the trip!). We walked along in the spitting rain, admiring the town but ultimately decided to head back to the hotel. It's not as much fun when you can't hide in a restaurant or café while waiting for the storm to pass!

We took one final stroll around Zagreb and picked up our last European dinner along the way. We finished packing our bags and settled in for the night, setting another early alarm for our last 6am flight.

It was yet again another absolutely incredible trip and the perfect way to celebrate our time in Europe! A mix of beautiful views, incredible waterfalls, serene beaches, cute little towns, and delicious cuisine along the way! What more could you ask for?!