Croatia

Today we pack our bags and head back to Italy 🇮🇹. Croatia 🇭🇷 has been absolutely amazing—we’ve loved it and wish we had more time here. But all good things come to an end, and we must move on. We have a day sailing out of Dubrovnik, which will get us in at around 7 p.m. this evening to Bari, where we will check into our next Airbnb apartment. The day sailing will be an interesting change—more like a cruise. The ship seems to be very well appointed, with lots of options for the kids to keep themselves entertained and amused. ...

Today we had a slower morning with no real rush to be anywhere. We headed out mid-morning for a coffee and then to the cable car on the back side of Dubrovnik’s old town. The cable car was going to be a challenge—some of us are not fond of heights. We elected to get one adult and one child return ticket, but for the other adult and child we opted for one-way tickets, allowing a walk-back option if the cable car was too much. ...

Today was a big day out in Dubrovnik old town. We headed out early to get ahead of the crowds—and this paid off. Compared to last night in the old town, this morning it was quiet and peaceful. We grabbed a coffee and then walked the walls. We climbed the steep and seemingly endless stairs to get up onto the walls. Once up there, the view was amazing, providing vistas of the old town, the rugged coastline, and the surrounding areas. ...

Today we said farewell to Korčula. It’s been an amazing few days, and we have really loved our time on the island. Our apartment and hosts were wonderful, but all good things must come to an end. Our ferry didn’t arrive until 12:20 pm, so we had more time to explore. However, we had to check out by 10 am, so we carried our full packs with us. We set out to find one last coffee and soak in the old town. Most places in the old town were closed, so we just wandered the streets and took in the sights. ...

Today we planned to visit some of the local wineries; however, as most are not open until the early afternoon, we needed something to do this morning. We decided to take a walk to see the Church of St. Antun (Anthony of Padova), which is about a 6 km round trip (we didn’t tell the kids how far it was). We packed our trusty daypack and set off. The walking route took us through a lot of unexplored territory, which meant we got to see much more of the island than just the old town and surrounding village. ...

Today was about exploring Korčula further. We ventured out into the old town again, this time first walking around the outside of the walls before entering. It was an overcast and windy day, with rain looming. Many locals had suggested it would be a wet day, and the low clouds hanging over the nearby islands suggested the same. We headed into the centre of town and climbed up the St. Mark’s Cathedral bell tower—which had its challenges, given I’m not a fan of heights and the winds were only getting stronger as we climbed. ...

Today we moved on from Split and sailed by fast ferry to Korčula (about 3 hours). But not before we wished Laura a happy birthday! We all sat around the kitchen table to sing Happy Birthday and share some little treats and coffee. We packed up and checked out of our apartment (which was amazing and only a minute or two walk from the old town). Packs on backs again, we walked through the old town down to the ferry terminal and boarded our ferry to Korčula. ...

Today is our last day in Split—we leave bright and early tomorrow on a ferry for the island of Korčula. Today we slowed the pace. We needed a bit of a recharge after the past few days. Sleep-ins (7:30 am) and just chilling at the apartment before heading out to “get lost” in the old city. First stop—coffee. We found a nice place about a 2-minute walk from our apartment that roasts their own coffee. It was great. Laura and I had coffees and the kids had a second breakfast—sharing Nutella toast (inch-thick bread, thick Nutella, banana, and berries). ...

Today we headed out early, as we had booked a tour through Booker Tours to see Krka National Park, which is roughly a one-hour bus ride from Split. We met the tour group in the old city and then walked to our bus. Our tour guide was great and provided plenty of information about Split and the history of the region as we drove to the small village of Skradin to catch a ferry up the Krka River to the national park. ...

Today is a travel day. We say farewell to Varenna and Lake Como. It’s been a fantastic and busy few days—we’ve loved it. This morning, we caught a regional train from Varenna back to Milan, and from Milan we took a fast train (Frecciarossa) to Ancona, where we would board an overnight ferry to Split. We checked out of the apartment in Varenna, backpacks on, and headed for the station. ...