This post is long overdue. I was reflecting on why it’s been difficult to find the time to write it, because I’m on a nine-month long vacation! I realized our days are jam-packed with sightseeing plus figuring things out: logistics (why does every country have different systems for their public transportation?), foreign communication, cultural norms/etiquette, historical information, where we’re going to lay our heads tomorrow, etc. I’m not complaining at all, it’s just more mentally exhausting than I anticipated. I guess my time to contemplate life goals will happen later in this trip?

Ireland

In any case, we really enjoyed our reunion with Bryce in Dublin. While we did a little sightseeing, this part of the trip was mostly about spending time with each other. And of course we went to a few pubs to enjoy pints of Guinness and traditional food and music. As an added bonus, we spent quality time with our good friends from Colorado/Germany.

I didn’t initially love Dublin – it’s a little gritty, but it grew on me as we explored and sought out authentic experiences. The people in Dublin are literally the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met. Dubliners went out of their way to offer help with logistics and directions. I saw a middle school boy leap out of his seat at a train stop to assist an elderly man in a wheelchair getting on the train. They even have this cool program available where new visitors to the city can be paired with a local who takes them out for a pint/tea and helps them get acquainted with the city.

The excuse for Bryce’s trip to Dublin was to perform with Mike Masse. Their gig was fantastic and was embraced by an incredibly enthusiastic crowd (again, Dubliners are the nicest people in the world!)

We discovered a really cool museum called Epic: The Irish Emigration Museum, which explores the diversity of the Irish emigration experience. Its designers have used a variety of technologies to create the best interactive history museum I’ve ever seen.

We also took a day trip to Newgrange, an ancient burial/ceremonial site 500 years older than the Giza Pyramids. Since we couldn’t take pictures inside, here is the Wiki link. We all really enjoyed it.

Croatia

Bryce had to return home, while Elise and I flew to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We were not expecting cruise ship crowds! Bill Bryson aptly describes large groups of tourists on the move as “shuffling as if their shoelaces were tied together, looking everywhere but where they were going.” Yes. And this isn’t even the peak season. I can only imagine. 

Our strategy became all about getting ahead of the crowds. Our walk around the extensive City Walls revealed incredible views of town, the Adriatic Sea and various hidden gardens of bougainvillea and hyacinth. The walls are really impressive, up to 16 feet thick in spots. 

Dubrovnik is a beautiful city with a fascinating history. Its grand architecture includes Venetian influences and lots of polished marble and limestone. And it’s surrounded by clear, azure water that finally gave us some beach time.

While in Dubrovnik (aka King’s Landing), it was amusing to watch people reenact Game of Thrones scenes (including clothed reenactments of the “shame” scene). The Game of Thrones connections have contributed directly to Croatia’s increasing popularity as a tourist destination. And we participated in the fun a bit too. 

Our bus ride to Split briefly took us through Bosnia and Herzegovina (which creates a dilemma: do we count this country as one we’ve visited?) The voyage reminded me of this meme:

When Yugoslavia splintered, Bosnia and Herzegovina gained a whopping 12 miles of coastline. If you look very carefully, you can see it there in the south.

Split is worth a quick stop to see the remains of Diocletian’s Palace, the retirement complex of the notorious Roman emperor. As the city evolved, it incorporated the palace into its needs. For example, the former corridors are now alleys. So the palace is not a sight you pay to see: it is the core of the city, and it’s pretty magical (especially when lit up at night). Our hotel room was within the palace complex, so we opened up our window and – hey, there’s the Temple of Jupiter! I can practically touch it. 

We took a catamaran to spend a few days on the island of Hvar. Hvar Town, in our opinion, was the prettiest Croatian town of our visit. The buildings along Croatia’s coastal towns use primarily limestone, which absorbs and reflects the sun to create a varying palette of pink or yellow hues depending on the time of day. It’s mesmerizing, especially at sunset.

One day, we took an island-hopping boat tour. It was too cold for a long swim, but the sights were pretty spectacular. Croatia lays claim to some of the most pristine coasts in Europe. The highlight was going to the Blue Cave on Bisevo. Our little boat somehow miraculously squeezed under a notched entry to the cave, and the color…wow! Even though it was cloudy and had actually drizzled moments before we arrived, it was still vibrant and different from anything I’d seen. A shaft of sunlight outside of the cave enters through a channel, reflects on the sandy bottom and illuminates the water.

Some people argue that this is a tourist trap. I think that if you book an all-day trip that includes other destinations like we did, it’s worth it. I can understand why people would get really frustrated in peak season, when they often have to wait up to two hours to enter.

We continued north to Zadar, a city with a rich, interesting history brought to life for us by an excellent free walking tour. Roman and medieval ruins lie everywhere, including in the middle of banks and restaurants. This city is starting to rise on the tourism scene, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the next few years.

We randomly discovered that our visit overlapped with the annual viewing of St. Simeon’s (Simon’s) body, which is kept in a sarcophagus overlaid with gold and silver – the most significant and valuable object in Zadar. Archaeologists have verified that the body is around 2,000 years old, and some consider it a miracle that it is so well-preserved – it supposedly still has some flesh. Always curious, we took our place in line. It was well-preserved – I’m still processing the whole experience. 

Our last stop in Croatia was to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The mineral-rich water has a light blue hue that I struggled to capture on my camera, I think because the sunlight was pretty intense while we were there. In addition to the big lakes, Plitvice has hundreds of waterfalls. The fall colors are emerging here, and we really enjoyed our time exploring. I’ve heard that it can be challenging to commune with nature when bigger crowds arrive in the summer months.

One of my complaints about Croatia is that the food stocked in the grocery stores was pretty uninspiring (what in the world do people make for dinner from the selection offered?). Also, while the hosts at our hotels/apartments were lovely, customer service overall was pretty brusque. It got to the point that Elise and I took turns getting reprimanded by the bus drivers and customer service representatives for not magically knowing how all of their systems work.

Oh, and none of our interregional busses were on time, even on the most common routes. And I’m talking 45 minutes to 1.5 hours late! It’s still a mystery why, but everyone here seems to just accept it. I’m honestly not sure whether any of this is a byproduct of being a former communist society.

Slovenia

Finally, we took a bus Ljubljana, Slovenia, to catch flight. We had one evening to explore, so I’m definitely counting this country on my checklist! Our brief visit introduced us to a quaint city – often compared to Salzburg – with really friendly locals.

Our flight has taken us to what has proven to be our favorite experience of our trip so far. I’d post a Carmen Sandiego picture clue, except that a headscarf would be more appropriate inside many of the more recognizable historical sites. And anyway, we were too busy sampling the baklava. Guesses?!