Croatia Through My Eyes

Over the past month, many of you have asked for more details about Croatia and here is my attempt to address all your burning questions.

Croatia Love

Prior to booking my trip to Croatia, I actually knew very little about the country. A dear friend had spent a day in Dubrovnik on her honeymoon a few years ago and her photos of the walled city are images that have stuck with me and inspired me to consider Croatia as my next destination. From the moment I arrived in Croatia, I was quickly pulled under the spell of her beauty and seduced by the rich history and the gracious people I encountered. Croatia is a fabulous fusion of Central European and Mediterranean influence and boasts of having over 1200 islands.

English is widely spoken and though we attempted some of the language, all the locals we encountered were anxious to practice their English. Tourism is fast becoming a pillar of their economy and the locals want to do all they can to encourage and entice others to visit their land. Currently, most Americans tend to just make the day trip to Dubrovnik as part of their Mediterranean cruise itinerary. My advice is to dedicate more time exploring other parts of Croatia as well and try to get there before the secret of this spectacular country gets out and becomes part of everyone’s travel agenda.

Favorite Moments - Croatia

Since my return from Croatia, images and moments of this stunning country have been swirling around in my head. The calm clear-blue waters of the Adriatic, limestone cobbled streets and stairways, walled cities, palace ruins, pivo (Croatian beer), hours spent sitting in outdoor cafes, wooden walkways, waterfalls, and the odd snake in Plitvice Lakes National Park, naps and nauseous bus rides through the countryside, margarita pizza, morning white coffee and chocolate croissants, Billy Ocean on the radio, walking the roads in Korcula, dogs walking with purpose, aggressive pigeons, getting lost in Zagreb and Dubrovnik, and the unforgettable day trip to the city of Mostar. And I must not forget the kindness of all the people I encountered on this journey.

Here are the top things I have been reminiscing about since my return to reality.

Favorite moment - Zagreb

Given that Zagreb was largely chosen for logical reasons as the gateway in and out of the country, I was pleasantly surprised to find the city full of energy and with a robust café culture. The nights were warm and balmy and perfect for café hopping along Tkalciceva, a lively avenue full of cafés and patios, near Trg Bana Jelacic, the heart of Zagreb. The fantastic people watching and inexpensive drinks along this boulevard of cafes made this a great way to begin and end my time in Croatia.

Croatia Teasers

Sadly, I'm back from exploring Croatia. However, I am chock-full of stories and escapades that I can't wait to share with you. To tide you over while I'm furiously scribbling away, here are a few photos from two amazing Balkan Peninsula countries.

Croatia

Plitvice National Park

Split

Korcula

Croatia Bound!

In just a few short days, I am off to explore the wonders of Croatia. My Croatian escapade will take me to the following locations:

Zagreb

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Split

Korcula

Dubrovnik

I have no doubt that this journey will yield some blog–worthy adventures! So stay tuned my friends. I will return shortly with all sorts of juicy Croatian tidbits.

The Big Reveal

Who knew that it would be so hard to compose a list of five destinations? Since I last wrote to you about our little experiment, I have been frantically working on my list; adding and removing places in preparation for the deadline this past Wednesday. About an hour before the big reveal, I was still struggling with what to put for my fifth selection. Time was running out.

The plan was to email our Top Five list to each other. At the appointed time, I made a last minute choice for my fifth destination, held my breath, and hit send. KJ’s email arrived moments later. I eagerly opened her email only to find that two of her destinations were the same as mine! We were off to a great start.

So without further ado, here is the final list in alphabetical order:

Columbia
Corsica
Croatia (on both lists)
Easter Island
Honduras (on both lists)
Iceland
Philippines
St. Petersburg, Russia

Each place on the list is a worthy destination. How were we going to narrow it down to just one? We had some hard choices ahead of us.