Trip Overview We had been discussing doing a family trip with my dad, step-mom, sister, and brother-in-law. None of us had been to Croatia, and a friend of my sister had just gone and raved about it. While Teresa and I (as well as my sister and brother-in-law) don’t really do organized tour vacations, we thought having everything taken care of would be helpful...
Leaving Venice Up early, we walked to Accademia Bridge (Ponte dell’Accademia) for some early morning photos, then to Bar all’Angelo for pistacchio pastries and cappuccini. We took a water bus (vaporetto) to a stop across from the train station, where we’d meet Ella and Dražen. The Mercedes van fit all of us, plus our luggage, no problem. The drive...
Truffle Hunting with Miro Tartufi Today was a day trip into the mountains to go truffle hunting. We went to Miro Tartufi, just outside the hilltop town of Motovun. The owner took us into the forest with two of his dogs: Lila was a 5 year old black lab, and Jeki was a 6 month old Italian Water Dog (Lagotto Romagnolo). He has another dog (12 year old Bela), but said...
Pula We started the day by heading to Pula, which is the largest city in Istria/Western Croatia. The city has some great Roman ruins. Some, like the Arena, are impossible to miss. Others, like Agrippina’s House, are hidden away and you need to know where to look to find them. Arch of the Sergii The first bit of ruins we encountered in Pula was the Arch of the...
Today we loaded up the van with our bags and headed out to Plitvice Lakes, stopping in Rastoke Village for lunch. Before we go any further, here’s how to pronounce Plitvice. (If you don’t want to click the link to hear it spoken, here’s my best attempt at phonetic spelling: PLIT-veetsuh.) Now, on to the details of an amazing day. Rastoke Village...
Šibenik Map of Šibenik Statue of Petar Kresimir IV Cave of Our Lady of Lourdes An anti-urination wall Saint Chrysogonus’ Church A fun wall with frames 15th century length measures Very old spot for feeding stray dogs Stray cats are also taken care of Church of St. Francis Door of the Church of St. Francis A free library It rained all night and morning, all the...
Morning in Split We had a leisurely morning that included some shopping and exploring before being picked up at 11am for a day trip to Omiš and a drive into the mountains for some traditional soparnik tasting (a protected Croatian national dish). On our way to getting our morning coffee, we came across a flock of pigeons. So, of course, Teresa and Hugh tried to join...
We had a leisurely morning before taking a catamaran to Hvar Island. Dražen and Ella took our luggage in the van so we wouldn’t have to carry it with us. They met us in Korčula. Here’s a photo of our luggage that Dražen managed to Tetris in to the back perfectly. Dražen is a master luggage packer! Here are a few photos of Split, as seen from the harbor...
we had a short 1-hour walking tour of Korčula Town that was very informative. We met a local bengal cat that is the “official” town greeter. It’s a very charming little town. Locals, including our guide, like to say that Marco Polo lived on the island. They even have a museum set up in what they say was his house. Historians say there’s no...
Left Korčula this morning. We were picked up in the van, then drove the van onto a ferry to the mainland. We stopped at Ston for lunch. Above the town are the Walls of Ston, a series of defensive stone walls that protect the city. Construction began in 1358. It’s known as the Great Wall of Europe, and is said to be the second longest preserved fortification...