Look at that spaceship boat to Croatia!
On the spaceship boat leaving Venice in the background.
Opal wasn't happy about leaving Venice.
Bye bye Venice...until next time!
Right after getting off the ferry and waiting in line to get passport checked in Porec Croatia!
Our room view.
Streets of Porec at night.
This old town has worn her right out.
Croatian dinner!
Madonna is very popular here at our restaurant...
vacationing is tough work...
Croatia Day 2!
Got the rental car...we rented an Opel :) Peter is thrilled about driving the streets of Croatia. Opal may not be as thrilled. The car seat from the rental car company was quite interesting to get installed properly, but no worries, our little Opal Moon is safe and secure. Lots of beautiful wineries and fields on our way out of Porec.
Once we got to the guy's place who has our Airbnb in Rovinj, there was a cherry tree in his driveway!!!! We all picked some and had a fresh cherry snack. Wow, first cherry tree for Sara and Opal Moon! Opal LOVES a fresh cherry!
Mossimo, our Airbnb guide loaded up his 4 wheeler with our bags and took off to our apartment. But thankfully we found our way on foot to meet him. And then, off to explore Rovinj. Sara was a little tired, and grumpy, but thankfully a picturesque bar built in to the cliff and overlooking the ocean set her back on track! Hard to feel anything but total gratitude around this kind of beauty. (the wine helps a lot too)
The Mediterranean secret bar...yes, we carried Opal and her stroller down super lots of torturous, steep steps to get to this hidden perch in the rocks.
After our pick me up, we walked up to the old church--the current version was built in the 17th century. But the location has housed a church for centuries before that. It was quite beautiful, on the highest hill in the old town of Rovinj.
Old town is quite small and to get in, you go through a Roman arch that dates back really far...as Peter says "that shit is really old".
We wanted to touch these old walls. Years and years of history here, pretty cool.
After the church, it was definitely time for candy. They have lots of little pirate themed candy stores here called Pirate Candy (pretty to the point). You aren't allowed to take pictures for some reason, but all the candy was in little treasure chests and was really gorgeous. We got some bags and walked on.
And of course, after the candy and a little strolling it was time for pizza! Opal Moon didn't try any pizza in Italy, but Croatia seemed the spot! It was very nice and Peter thought it tasted similar to what he is making in our oven :)
A little more candy, some more walking, and then on to dinner! We braved a LOT of old steps but the view from our dinner table was well worth it! Helen, this really is becoming Opal eats Europe!!! We went to an amazing restaurant with fish that was caught just that afternoon! And in the countryside outside of where we are there is one of the world's best known forests for truffles, so of course we had to get the truffle ravioli as well, so at less than a year, Opal has had some of the nicest truffles you can have. How are we ever going to cook for her when we get home?!
Also, as you can see, Croatia is so ugly.
Peter trying to entertain Opal in between entrees!
Opal eats truffle ravioli!
Peter points out the sunset and dolphins to Opal Moon.
Croatia Day 3!
Well, it's official, we cannot eat anymore with Opal wanting a bite as well. I mean who can blame her! Peter keeps coming back from cafes in the morning with about 6 different pastries! This morning there was a spinach and cheese, apple, and a traditional borec. We think this was something with cheese and egg maybe in a phylo? We also got more cherries from the tree :)
Off to our next town Zadar! Beautiful day for a drive...it was a bit cloudy earlier but now its all sunshine! And we've got multitasking down now! Internet in the car!!
We came across an amazing place on the coast to stop for lunch! We were the only people there when we arrived. The water is so clear you can see everything. We had a fresh fish and seafood lunch and then we were off! We think the fish we ate were some type of tuna, seabags, scampi, and calamari. The wine and beer were local and great too!
Opal's view in the car...well, she couldn't really see it, but it was pretty great. Opal needed a quick snack before we stopped!
she was loving the birds
Look at this water!
There were the sweetest little birds there who wanted to say hello (okay they really wanted our bread), but Sara really wanted to feel like Snow White. We promise one really did eat out of her hand off camera! Really, it did.
Ummmm, hello lunch.
Opal nurses....again.
We arrived in Zadar and found our way to our Airbnb easily. Of course, a quick, acrobatic nursing before we went to explore! And then we were off.
We arrived to Zadar on prom night!
Zadar, like a couple of the other historic cities in Croatia, is a walled city. One of the things that makes it unique is that throughout the old town, there are scattered relics of the Roman Empire, including the remains of a Roman forum, which dates back to the 1st century! As Peter says, "that's really old shit"! They are just laying around in the grass!
This circle building was an old church. We saw something going on in it, so Peter got bold and poked his nose in...they were so kind and welcomed us in. We gave a small donation to a cancer charity and then we got to go in to this 8th century old church that was built on top of the remains of another church that dated back to the 2nd century! They were singing traditional Croatian songs. It was beautiful. Peter wants you all to know that it was the church of st. donut (although spelled differently).
We thought that since we are here, we would try to get on Game of Thrones so we did some auditions in front of the old Church for believability.
Peter's audition...
Sara's audition...
Opal Moon's audition...
The Adriatic Sea is so blue and you can see right to the bottom! Peter soaking in the wind! Also, they have a water organ that has a series of pipes that plays sounds as the water rushes through.
Peter wanted to touch and taste the sea.
I mean this thing is thousands of years old and is holding up better than Peter!
But not Opal Moon.
Actually, everyone is really so kind and welcoming towards you having your child with you. And Opal needed to go to a 5 star dining experience before she turns 1 right?!
After dinner, we headed back out to the sea to watch the light show! There is a huge circle of solar panels that charge during the day and then at night they light up. It was raining and Opal was asleep - very peaceful.
Another great day for us all.
Croatia Day 4!
We started off the morning by giving Opal some baby food our sweet Airbnb host left for us. She seemed to like it. It was all in another language so we aren't sure what she was enjoying, but we are pretty go with the flow these days! A little bit of food and showering and then we are off again in the car to go to Split to take the ferry over to Hvar!
We made it to the ferry in Split to go to Hvar! We parked our car in the lane---after Peter asked about 6 people if we were in the right spot, and then we headed off on foot to explore the old town of Split. Apparently this is where a lot of Calisi's stuff for "Game of Thrones" is filmed! WE had one of the best meals EVER at this random little place we stopped at to eat lunch. Once again, Split Croatia is stunning. We really wished we had more time here.
Apparently Opal was not impressed at our spot for the ferry.
Peter was.
They even make their scaffolding for renovating pretty here!
Opal's first word...other than Momma, Dadda, night night, and moon...okay not her first word, but she now knows what a "tree" is and will point and try to say it. It is very cute. So here is a tree.
Our incredible lunch spot!!! It was seriously one of the best we've ever had!! Marinated white fish, grilled octopus salad, and shrimp marinated in a lemon and local olive oil! So good, Sara forgot to drink her wine!!!! It was a great random find!
After the best meal ever, it was a race off to get back in the car to board the ferry!
Oh, Okay, that's cool.
Loading the ferry while we Face timed Nanny Ray!
And here we go!
Opal was very active on the ferry at first!!! But she finally submitted and took a long nap for the rest of the ride.
Bye Split! Thanks for the incredible lunch!
Sleeping baby, happy momma.
We arrived in Hvar and the short drive started...we tried to take pictures, but it really does this beauty no justice. Fields of olive trees and vineyards all over and gorgeous Rocky Mountains and then it opens up to breathtaking views of the Adriatic (Peter really loves to say "Adriatic" whenever possible).
Out to hit the town and discover Hvar!
We walked around this sea wall that took us to a super hoppin' (yes we said super hoppin') beach bar. Naturally, we stopped for a drink with our baby.
Sunset at the Hula Hula bar!!!
Not a care in the world...these 2 are happy. Peter has his beer and Opal has her bread!
This was a drink called the Hula Hula..we had to order it, you know, trying to keep it local and all, but it was pretty bad. We were happy to have it for the pictures, but this was not consumed. Sara wanted to give it to the drunk crew in a cabana next to us! We decided not to.
Peter had to make a decision, can you guess which one he chose?
After our crazy time at Hula hula, we were off to dinner. We met a very nice waiter named Boris, but we did something we rarely ever do!!! We sent our mean back!!! Unlike everywhere we have been, it just wasn't that good.
The meal we sent back!!!
It was all just too much for Opal to bear and she wiped out.
We kept seeing this cat at dinner, and Sara was convinced it peed on one of us, so this is her smelling the stroller!
Sad about our dinner miss, but a night cap seemed to help. It really helped Peter!
Croatia Day 5!
We woke up to our beautiful view in the Airbnb in Hvar...honestly this is one of the nicest place we have stayed! Super modern with authentic old charm. The building is about 600 years old and this sweet, cool couple just redid this apartment in it. This was the view! The bed was super comfy so we woke up refreshed and ready to hike up to the old fortress! It sits up on top of the hill and is about the 16th Century. It was quite a climb up there, but worth it for sure!
view from our living room window
yep, we climbed all those steps carrying Opal in her stroller! Who needs a gym around here!
we thought these flowers growing out of this old wall were just amazing!
walking up to the fortress..hard to imagine anyone would want to invade it! it's really high up! a big climb! you got to really want it!
Teeny tiny windows to see who's coming!!
The climb was worth it, once again!
A nice man got a pic of us carrying the stroller back down. People got a good laugh at us hauling her up and down for sure.
The prison! I mean they did get a window and it was much cooler down there. We did not take Opal down here...thought we'd keep her out of prison for a while.
This was a cell
Sophie!!! I saw this and of course wanted Aurora to see! Looks like she's quite the global lady xoxo
After the fortress, it was time to go hat shopping and then get on our boat that we rented to go out to the islands! Peter almost bought this hat, but decided against it, good decision or no?
Peter navigating with his wine.
She is obsessed with sunglasses.
When we arrived to the first Island, Marinaro, we couldn't believe our eyes! It's like we found the most beautiful secret cove on earth, with a restaurant and bar and cabanas! It was just perfect and Peter docked our little boat perfectly and we all were off to explore. Turns out, the food they are making around this island is quite incredible!!! We had the freshest John Dory, swordfish tartare, arguably the BEST almond semifredo we've ever had! It was so good, that Opal HAD to have a bite. We would have regretted her never having tried it! Big surprise, she liked it!
Our captain!
We saw this place and knew we HAD to stop!
Opal is very helpful docking the boat.
This is the Adriatic Sea!!
We made it to the first island!
First stop...the bathroom...but some pics first of course!
"Opal Moon, can you believe this place?"
"Yea, it's pretty amazing! Do they have bread here?"
"Yes, no need to eat my necklace."
Our lunch spot! Heaven.
These chairs were right below our table.
Checking out maps with Dad
Mom, Dad, this is pretty nice.
Opal got confused at who she was with...not gonna find anything down there my dear.
I mean, wow, just wow.
Where they cooked our fish...Peter was thrilled!
This was Maria, she was lovely, removing our fish from the bone.
The feast!
semifredo!!!
Peter's after dinner drink...xo rum?!
Opal's favorite drink...mom's milk
Message on the bottle.
After lunch pass out!
Our table looking up
Packing up to get back on the boat...Peter has time to do a quick review of the Chico stroller (thanks again Neil & Sophie! This think has really been everywhere!!!)
Opal's return to the boat wasn't so easy...
But not to worry, she fell asleep very quickly.
Away we go! Back to Hvar, our stomachs, eyes, and hearts full!
After we got back, it was of course time to eat again, so we went to a really great restaurant and enjoyed a great meal ! We even sat behind some honeymooners!
Opal was asleep once we hit dry land...the life jacket seemed a bit excessive, but you know what they say about waking a sleeping baby!
Croatia Day 6!
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and ready for a drive! Our first stop was an abandoned town, where the only inhabitants seemed to be thousands of bees! And we drove through a small town in Croatia where the road seemed to get a bit narrow next to the canal...so a little bit of skillful driving came in handy!
When you see a cute blue bench, you have to stop for a pic!
Walking through the abandoned town! Not sure why everyone left??
Peter got pretty excited when Leonard Cohen was on the radio on our drive through Croatia.
Well, we stopped in this small town and found ourselves almost in a canal! Oops!
What we were trying to drive through!
After we were safely turned around!
Once we got out of that town, we were on our way to Dubrovnik, by way of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Once we made it to the town of Sucuraj, where we caught the ferry to Dubrovnik, it was, of course time to eat again! We found a cute little place right by the ferry terminal. We even made friends with a local dog named Buddy & a cat! Nicole!!!! It's the Croatian buddy!!!
EVERYONE HERE SMOKES! NOWHERE IS SAFE! We have come to accept Opal's inevitable exposure to second hand smoke this trip! It really is crazy...you can't even get fresh air on the ferry in the breeze!
But we make the most of it!
Croatian Buddy!!!!! His owner gave Opal some cheese to feed him, and Opal ate it instead!
These little birds (we think they are sparrows) have these cool little nests up on the buildings! It was a great opportunity to wish our moms a happy Mother's Day! We know you will see this after the actual day, but we love you guys so much!!! Happy Mother's Day to the best mommas ever! We love you!!!!
Once again, a gorgeous ferry ride. Sara went to the bathroom on the ferry and discovered a super basic toilet! A metal hole in the ground, where you have 2 places for your feet and you squat! Right after, she saw a handicap bathroom with a nice, normal toilet. Oh well.
We made it to Dubrovnik! Our Airbnb family is the absolute sweetest! They went above and beyond for us! They even gave Peter a beer when we checked in! They have 2 teenage sons who were the absolute sweetest and one of them walked us into old town to show us where it was. Upon seeing this old town Dubrovnik we were totally impressed! It is HUGE! And naturally we felt like we were starring in our very own episode of Game of Thrones. The song got a bit fumbled, but you get the idea. We walked through the town and went to dinner at this great little spot outside of a 600 year old church.
Peter has a fan in Dubrovnik!
Look at Dubrovnik! Pretty cool and very old! Way more touristy than any of our other places so far for sure.
Peter entering old town on the draw bridge.
Once we got through the gates!
Dinner in front of the old church. Happy Mother's Day!!!
We love that all the water bottles have different messages! Here is the one from dinner!
After dinner, we found the 'shaming stairs' for the queen Sirci?? (spelling) from "Game of Thrones"!
Take one...
Okay, we got the song now...take 2.
And then we found some musicians on the street!
After this, it was off to bed to rest before our next full day in Dubrovnik.
Croatia Day 7!
We woke up and our sweet Airbnb family had a nice breakfast on their terrace of strawberries, juice, croissants, baguettes, and coffee for us! They really are the sweetest. We packed a bag for the day, and then headed off into old town Dubrovnik.
We walked around for a while, and then decided it was time for lunch. Peter was really wanting to swim in the Adriatic, so we went to a little beachside restaurant, got some yummy food, and afterwards, he went for a swim! The water was a bit cold, but he loved every minute of it. After the dip, we thought we should walk the wall. There is a huge wall that surrounds all of old town and you can go up on top of it. There are about 800+ steps so we decided to leave the stroller at the bottom and just carry Opal Moon. It was great excessive and a great view!
Our walk into old town was a small sidewalk that overlooked this!
Walking throught the old town streets.
They have these gorgeous old fountains in the main square of Dubrovnik...Peter wanted to try!
Lunch at our little beachside spot.
Opal enjoyed it all.
Peter's swim in the Adriatic!
After the swim, it was time to walk the wall! This wall surrounds the old town city of Dubrovnik. About 800 + steps and took us a leisurely hour and a half to walk. Super cool up there! Great views!
We stopped for a fresh juice and Peter got a beer along the wall! We thought Opal may take her steps along the old wall, but not quite!
When we were walking the wall, we saw a super cute restaurant named Lady Pi Pi! We decided to climb the massive steps with Opal in the stroller to check it out. When we got there, they were closed until 6 for dinner, but we thwarted the system and got a table for some drinks until 6pm came! It was magical up there, quiet and just a perfect dinner spot. The food was delicious, and Peter loved their cooking on a wood burning oven. Afterwards, we were in a great spot to take the gondola up to the highest point and watch the sun set! Another great day!
Our steps to Lady Pi Pi
It was a great dinner and ended just before sunset so up the gondola we went!
view of old town Dubrovnik from the gondola
good night!
Croatia Day 8! The end of Croatia for our adventure.
We have just loved Croatia! We started our day with another breakfast from our sweet Airbnb family. Afterwards, we hit the road to see a little more of this beautiful country before heading to Rome! We stumbled upon a great little town with an amazing restaurant and ended Croatia with a bang! Then, off to return the rental car and get on a plane to Roma, Italia!
The view looking back onto Dubrovnik while driving away!
Our great lunch spot.
Boarding the plane for Rome!
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