Adventures in Croatia

Dubrovnik is a beautifully picturesque city. We visited in October just after tourist season and it was the perfect season to explore this ancient European city.

After an extremely early flight from London, we arrived at our hotel within the old city walls and quickly settled in for a little nap. After naps, we were out and about exploring the walls of the city where M started her daily (chocolate) gelato regimen.

After wandering the city stairs and narrow streets for the afternoon, we arrived at Cafe Buza just in time to see the gorgeous sunset.

Dinner our first night turned into an amazing feast while sweet kittens played at our feet. The cats of Dubrovnik have a certain spunk to them and M had a lot of fun with these feline friends.

We began our second day by heading up Srd Hill on the Dubrovnik Cable Cars. The view of the city and the Adriatic Sea is absolutely breathtaking. On a clear day you can see up to 60 km and when the sun is shining, the water is a beautiful turquoise color.

After we came down off the mountain, we did some more exploring of the old city and ran into this feathered friend. M wanted to hold him so the lady placed the cockatoo on her shoulder where he quickly removed her sunglasses. Silly bird.

After grabbing a bite, we grabbed some more...you guessed it. Somehow on our travels, M manages quite a few of these delectably delicious treats. And as traveling parents, we like to keep our little toddler happy.

Next up was walking the ancient city walls for more views of old Dubrovnik.

With views like this, Dubrovnik just takes your breath away.

 

After such a beautiful warm day walking the ancient walls overlooking the city, we ran to get our suits to hit the beach. Of course it cooled off right then so our water time was short lived. I can just imagine how lovely the water is in the warmth of the sunshine!

During our third day in Dubrovnik, we visited the aquarium which is housed in a medieval fortress.

It wasn't anything special but provided some relief from the drizzle coming down that morning. And this octopus was pretty amazing to watch move through the water.

Traveling during the off-season has it's obvious certain perks but also its difficulties when sudden changes in ferry schedules put a kink in your plans. We had planned to take a two hour ferry to the island of Korcula but instead had to drive two hours by taxi. Car sickness involved for M and I as the roads were the exact opposite of straight.

So the two of us especially enjoyed the 15 minute ferry ride from Orebic with beautiful views and fresh air. 

We stayed at another gorgeous hotel and spent two days on the quiet island of Korcula.

The day of my birthday we tried to take a walking tour of the old town Korcula but the toddler in M wasn't having it.

 

We headed to the village of Pupnat for lunch a bit earlier than expected and on the way stopped for this incredible view of old Korcula. 

We ended up at Konoba Mate for an incredible lunch. Our tour guide knew the family well and they treated us to quite a traditional Croatian meal. These unique dining experiences are one of our favorite parts of traveling. Learning from the locals, eating their food, and M playing with their little girl. A perfect birthday lunch!

After our bellies were entirely too full, we headed to the beach so M could have more time doing two of the things she loves best- playing in the sand and swimming.

I watched and felt so very grateful for this family of mine. Happiness is being able to have these experiences and travel the world.

After a delicious dinner at the hotel, we enjoyed this scrumptious birthday cake.

The day after my birthday, we were met with torrential rain. Davis and I hit the spa before returning via ferry and car to Dubrovnik. We spent one final night at the beautiful Villa Dubrovnik and M had her final Croatian gelato. 

On our last night we headed into old Dubrovnik for dinner and to find a Christmas ornament as it's something we bring home with us on every trip as a memory of the places we've traveled. The beauty of Dubrovnik in the rain is that everyone seems to stay inside so we were able to really enjoy the beauty of the city without many other tourists.

 We almost blew away. Seriously. It was quite the storm!

And that's a wrap. Another adventure. Beautiful memories. Another stamp in our passports.

Every time we visit another city, I pinch myself. We been able to do so much traveling as expats and I would have never imagined this life a few years ago. So very blessed to be on this adventure with these two.

Stay tuned for our next adventure: Lisbon, Portugal