Sep 062024
 

As promised, here’s a post about our trip to Croatia and time bobbing on a boat in the Adriatic Sea.

For some years now, Croatia has been a highly recommended destination for travel thanks to the Game of Thrones being filmed there and its latest entry into the European Union. Its clear waters and fairly untainted coast line is also a popular draw for the yacht and sail boat lovers.

Since M often muses about wanting to sail the Atlantic Ocean or spend life on a boat, we have gone back and forth about a sailing holiday. Unfortunately, I have a very low tolerance for motion causing me to get ill rather quickly when getting jostled about whether in a car or on water. However, things like a fast roller coaster or a speedboat do not seem to affect me at all, so we compromised on a motor boat (yacht) for our water-based vacation.

Because we boarded the boat from Split, I decided it was a great chance to do a little bit of sightseeing if we added a day to either end of the trip.

Also, because it is easy enough to get a car ferry and driving is more convenient in some ways, we embraced a road trip!

So, from our home we drove about six hours to the southern side of Italy on the Adriatic Sea side where we caught the ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik. We stayed the night in Dubrovnik closer to the ferry port since it was a late arrival and we were tired from the long drive.

Knowing that we were coming back, we decided to get up early and head toward Split with some planned stops along the coast. So, we took the slightly longer coastal road stopping in Ston and Makarska Riviera, where we had lunch, to see a bit of the lesser known towns. Both were unique in their views, but equally interesting.

Finally, we arrived in Split where we had a hotel in the old town near the Diocletian’s Palace. It was an interesting old town area that bordered the harbor. There was a reasonable amount of activity along the shore as we people watched and took in the scene. Plus, we had to have a little Game of Thrones fun!

Then, it was a week of glorious weather on the water. Each day, we would anchor in a bay to relax and swim. Then, we would head towards a different coastal town on one of the 1200 plus islands for dinner and where we’d spend the night. It was indeed a luxurious way to spend the week.

Our friends joined us for five of the seven days, which added to the fun. There were only a couple of bumpy water moments, but we moved to calmer locations and I was well prepared with different methods of addressing these situations.

We returned back to Split, then drove the quicker highway route back to Dubrovnik, where we wandered around the fortified old town, saw the GoT stairs and then relaxed before our early ferry return ride and long drive home.

All in all, it was a lovely time. We relaxed, got sun, laughed a lot, and explored a tiny bit of a new country that wasn’t on our radar until recently. We agreed that we would likely do another boat trip, since I seem to have developed some sea legs, but we think we might try the Greek islands or somewhere different next time.

If you want to know more about the preparations I took for avoiding seasickness or where we stayed, etc., just let me know!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Aug 072022
 

We finally made some time to get away for a few days.

Friends of ours agreed to housesit for us to take care of the cats and pups. Although we could have taken the puppies, it was easier to and nicer to have them safe at home with people we know.

Based on recommendations, we decided to try the other side of the country with beaches on the Adriatic Seaside. Italian beaches are generally fine rock sand or big rocks, much like the “beach” in Nice. Therefore, the northern part of the country is not so popular for seaside visits. Still, since we had not yet visited the other side of Italy yet, we decided to try out the area of Cattolica, which was north of the recommended area of Fano or Senigallia, and south of the more popular and well-known one of Rimini.

While the sleepy seaside town was actually pretty busy, we did not necessarily love the area. However, we/I did love getting away.

For the first time since getting the puppies, I was able to sleep 8 hours of solid sleep! I read most of the day on a bed, dipping into the warm sea now and then. It was very relaxing for me. Though Matt did work and didn’t sit out on the beach as much, we both renewed our need for regular getaways.

So, for just about three hours drive, it was a much needed and enjoyed holiday!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

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