Croatia was Amazing!

We spent a week in Croatia during the kids' October break.  Elise had been asking to go to Croatia for the last few years, and we're all so glad we finally went.  I would describe it as similar to Italy, but cleaner!  They definitely depend on tourism and they have invested in infrastructure to make it attractive for tourists.

We visited 4 different cities (2 islands) on the Dalmation Coast.  We flew from Zurich to Split, which I had thought would be just a required starting city, but it turned out to be a beautiful small city.  The promenade (called Riva) along the waterfront was really beautiful, and the fortress - Diocletian's palace - was amazing.  We spent 2 nights in Split at the Radisson Blu, with a tour of the city where we learned a lot about the country and the very interesting history.  We loved the town of Split because it was so alive!

Traditional Split dessert of fried dough balls with chocolate sauce.

The cute traditional restaurant called Tinel, where we at the first night.

Our tour guide describing Diocletian's palace.

The narrowest street in Split.

Did you know the necktie comes from Croatia?

Climbing this tower was a bit scarier than we expected...we only made it part way!

A "klapa" - a cappella singing group in a vestibule of Diocletian's palace.

From Split we took the catamaran to the island of Hvar.  Apparently this is a new hotspot for celebrities... Steven Spielberg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey, Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, Prince Harry and Novak Djokovic have all been there in the past couple of years.  We didn't see any of them :), but we found the town to be absolutely beautiful.  We stayed at the Amfora Hotel which was great.  The kids had a suite and we had a room across the hall, both with beautiful sea views.  They had a great pool area with a water slide (which the boys and Dave tried out).  Since it was the end of the season, it was quiet (except for some Asian tour groups).

Just trying out my new "Selfie Stick"!  The rest of the family was so embarrassed.

We only stayed one night in Hvar, but we did a lot!  There was a sand volleyball court at the resort, and the first evening we were wanting to play.  The hotel couldn't find a volleyball for us, but suddenly a group of Croatian guys came down and asked us if we wanted to play together.  it was so much fun!  Dave, Elise, Nate, Will and I played (Mer watched), and we held our own!  One of the Croatians came to our side (he was very good!), and we had a great time playing volleyball...

The next day we hired a speed boat and went out to the Pakleni islands.  The water was a bit rough that day, but we didn't go too far out into the open water.  We stopped on a beautiful island and had lunch - we were the only ones in the restaurant, which was run to a family.  And the food was great!

Walking around Hvar town was also a lot of fun.  This island is known for its lavender, so we got some souvenirs (even lavender honey), and we even found lavender gelato (called Mediterranean Flower).  It was awesome!

That afternoon we took the catamaran to our next stop, Korcula.  This catamaran trip was a bit better in terms of not being so crowded, but it was much worse in terms of the rough seas!  That's not something I want to do again very soon. :)

Korcula is known for being the birthplace of Marco Polo.  We stayed 2 nights here, visiting the birthplace of Marco Polo and the Marco Polo museum, taking a tour of the town, and learning a lot about the history of Marco Polo and of this region.  

From the tower of Marco Polo's home.

Another thing we learned while on the islands and also in Dubrovnik, was how many cruise ships come to Croatia.  The problem is, the passengers have all meals included in their cruise, so they don't get off the ship to spend any money at restaurants, etc.  They may bug a few small souvenirs, but otherwise don't really help the economy of the towns.  And it just becomes super crowded in the town for a few hours each afternoon!  It's actually a bit sad, and I was so glad we weren't coming there on a cruise ship!

From Korcula we went by ferry and car to Dubrovnik.  This was a car ferry, and it was a very fun trip.  We could go up on top (and it was only a 20-minute trip), and it was absolutely beautiful.  In fact, the weather for our entire trip was exceptionally good for October.  It felt like summer again.

In Dubrovnik we stayed at the beautiful Rixos Libertas hotel.  We had rooms with sea view and balconies, and the view was absolutely amazing.  The Adriatic Sea really is stunning.  We ate amazing food at the hotel, and walked into the old town of Dubrovnik each of the two days we were there.  We had a tour of the city and got a real appreciation for the tension between the locals wanting the economic benefit that comes with cruise ships coming in, and the loss of an authentic old city where locals can actually live, work and go to school.  Our tour guide told us that her husband had grown up in the old town and when he was young people could live their lives, buy everything they needed, etc. in the old town.  Today there are only about 800 people living in the old town, and the only shops are restaurants, gelato shops, and souvenir shops!  It did feel a bit like Disneyland - with only tourists walking around.  Dubrovnik was bombed by Bosnia in the conflicts 20 years ago.  Many of the buildings had to be reconstructed, and this was done in a way that they look like they did before the war.

At noon each day the pigeons descend on the town square where they feed them a meal of corn!

We took the gondola (built by Swiss engineers) up the mountain above Dubrovnik for a beautiful view!

That's our hotel - Rixos Libertas, that looks like steps (they're floors of the hotel, each room with a sea view).

There was a lot to do in Dubrovnik.  After our tour we took the cable car up to the mountain (with a fort that was once occupied by Napoleon) to get a view of the old town and the sea.  It was beautiful.  We ate lunch there with the most incredible view ever.  Later that day we walked on the wall all around the city.  That was really incredible!  What a view - and a bit scary on the side right next to the water.  It's a great memory!  The second day in Dubrovnik we went on the semi-submarine.  This is a submarine where passengers can see outside to the marine life, but then come up above as well.

We took the short 2.5 hour flight home and thought, as we often do at the end of a great trip, "We need to go back there again!"  But with so many great places to visit in Europe, we probably won't go back...at least not right away!   We're now looking forward to going home to the US for Christmas and then to South Africa in February!