World Cup Mania

While we've been on our trip, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been taking place back home in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Croatia is one of 48 countries that qualified this year, and the pride is everywhere --- flags, jerseys, hats, and even covers for car side mirrors in the country's iconic red and white checkerboard pattern.

With the six-hour time difference, the matches have been taking place very late night or super early in the morning, depending upon how you look at it.  For our last night in Croatia, we went to the local watch party at the end of our block.  The fans here are passionate about their football, and the cheering started long before the match even started.   We watched and cheered with the locals, complete with hand clappers and thunder sticks.  Croatia won the match 2-1 over Ghana and advanced to the knockout stage.

We dropped off Doug and Laura at the airport the next morning for their flight home. We're staying another week traveling through Slovenia.

Split

Split waterfront and the Riva

After spending several days in Dubrovnik, we're now in Split, the second largest city in Croatia in the heart of the Dalmatian Coast along the Adriatic Sea.  Split owes its origins to the Roman Empire, namely the Emperor Diocletian (245-313).  He was a Dalmatian native and built a huge palace here for his retirement.  After his death and the fall of the Roman Empire, the palace fell into disrepair.  At some point in the 7th century, a medieval town took root.  The locals essentially set up their homes and shops in the former palace, and even today, you see the juxtaposition of modernity mixed with the surviving Roman architecture just as it was almost two millennia ago.

Venetian architectural influence

The Venetian Empire took over the Dalmatian coast in the 15th century, developing and fortifying Split, and with that came the introduction of Gothic-Renaissance architecture.  Today's Split is a modern ferry hub whisking people, vehicles, and supplies to many of the islands along the coast.  The main promenade -- The Riva -- is lined with palm trees, shops, and outdoor restaurants with nonstop views of the Adriatic Sea and the comings and goings of sailboats, yachts, and dinghies.

Dubrovnik is well-preserved and screams proper and historic, while Split is more blended and gives off a much more modern vibe.  It's been wonderful to experience both.

Cathedral and Bell Tower

Dubrovnik

The view from Fort of St. Laewrence

We've spent the past few days in Dubrovnik, at the southernmost end of Croatia nearing the border with Montenegro.  For centuries, Dubrovnik was a maritime power and an independent city-state that paid whichever empire was in power nearby-- Byznantium, Ottoman, Venetian -- to maintain its independence.   The thick medieval walls still ring the old city center as it enjoys its nickname still today: Pearl of the Adriatic.

Dubrovnik is remarkably well-preserved, but that history was nearly lost during Croatia's war for independence from Yugoslavia.  Dubrovnik suffered almost eight months of bombing before being liberated by the Croatian army.  Many buildings were damaged, but today, the most noticeable reminders are the bright orange tiled roofs, that show which buildings have been rebuilt.

The darker, browner tiles are roofs that survived the bombing campaign.

We're proud to say we hiked the entire city wall for great views of the old town.  We also ventured to the Fort of St. Lawrence that sits on a nearby bluff with fantastic views of the city with its walls jutting into the Adriatic Sea.  We've wandered the many narrow lanes and watched the sun set from the Buza Bar that sits along a rocky outcrop in the Adriatic on the outside of the city walls.  Buza means "hole-in-the-wall", which we literally walked through to access the bar.

We've also eaten gelato daily because gelato makes every day a great day.  It's easy to fall in love with Dubrovnik which we've done in our few days here. 

Gelato makes everything better

The city walls lit up at night

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Old Bridge

We took an overnight side trip to our fifth country on this vacation -- Bosnia and Herzegovina -- and spent the night in the city of Mostar. Mona and I visited Mostar on our previous trip to Croatia and were excited.  The nice thing about repeat visits is I've usually done a previous blog entry about what we're seeing. I have a nice description of Mostar from 2022 here.

I promise I'm not being lazy -- just efficient 😀.  We even stayed at the same AirBnB as last time because the location was perfect, adjacent to the old city center.  We had a great meal over looking the Old Bridge and Doug and I split what I've come to call the Bosnian meat feast, complete with local beer.

After a nice whirlwind visit in Mostar, we stopped at Kravica Waterfall on our way back to Croatia.  On the last trip, we made a brief stop to see the waterfalls and then went on our way.  It is a popular spot for the locals who come here to hang out, swim, and truly enjoy the magic.  We said if we made it back, we'd do the same thing.  So we put on our swimsuits, packed our cooler, and spent several hours with the locals as if we were at the beach, except here we had crystal clear, cold water and the sounds of waterfalls surrounding us.  We could have easily spent the entire day, but we had a dinner reservation in Dubrovnik.  More on that later.

Happy Father's Day!

In honor of Father's Day, we wanted to let Pop know we were thinking about him even though we're traveling and not able to see him on his special day.  We love you Pop!

Roman Amphitheater in Pula, Croatia.  Built during the same period as the Colosseum in Rome, but much better preserved. 

Rovinj, Croatia

Veliki Slap (Great Waterfall) — the highest waterfall in Croatia --at Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

 

The Old Bridge (Stari Most) in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Piran, Slovenia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Our Happy Place

When we were planning this trip, the one place Mona really wanted to come back to was Plitvice Lakes National Park. This was the favorite part of our previous trip to Croatia and it was magical.  I wrote about it here, doing my best to describe the park and capture what we were seeing.  However, this is one of those places that you must experience in order to truly understand.

This was the first time Doug and Laura have been here, so I asked them to share their thoughts about the day.

Laura writes, "We’ve been experiencing the history of Croatia’s Istrian area for a few days. It’s been fast paced so the idea of spending the day in a national park came right on time. As much as I love nature, nothing could have prepared me for the walking trails at Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Before you start the trail there’s an overlook showcasing a beautiful waterfall behind a stunning lake. I could feel my blood pressure easing simply by gazing at the scene.

The water is the most remarkable shade of blue and up close you can see straight to the bottom. We were surrounded by both sound and silence — babbling brooks, roaring waterfalls, gentle birdsong, and a soft quiet among the trees. It seemed every corner we turned brought another gorgeous waterfall.

It feels impossible to capture the magic in words other than to say standing in the presence of overwhelming beauty changes a person. We’re lucky to have experienced it."

We agree with Laura.  It is a life-changing experience.

Having fun with a long exposure

Road Trip

Piazza Unita d'Italia

One of the great things about visiting Europe is that traveling from one country to another is like driving from state to state back home.  We started our trip based in Pula on the Istrian peninsula in northwestern Croatia.  We're an hour from Slovenia and 90 minutes from Italy, so naturally we took a side trip to both.  Counting our stopover and brief visit to Copenhagen, we hit four countries in our first three days.

Mona in Trieste

On Monday, we drove the 90 minutes (through Slovenia) to Trieste, Italy and explored the city center.  We spent time at the Castello di San Giusto, a large stone fortress overlooking the city and the Adriatic Sea.  It was actually built by the Austrians in the 1400's when they controlled this part of the world.  The castle provided great views of the city and the Adriatic Sea.  We walked through Piazza Unità d'Italia, the largest square in the City, and walked out on the Molo Audace, a 200-meter long stone pier built in 1751.

Castello San di Giusto

After grabbing lunch at a local market, we drove back though Slovenia and stopped in Piran, which sits on a point along the coast with sweeping views of the Adriatic.  We walked along the promenade next to the water and wandered the narrow streets.  We ate dinner at a local Italian restaurant, after which Doug proclaimed the stuffed pasta he'd eaten one of his all-time top five meals. I'm surprised he didn't lick the plate at the end.

We made it back to the house in time for bed.  After a fun-filled day and full bellies, we had no problem getting a good night's sleep.

Piran, Slovenia