Croatia May 2025

We got up at our normal 6:30 am hour and got packed. Went downstairs for one last breakfast and all I ate was yogurt and coffee. I didn't even do any bread this morning. I'm kind of done with all this overeating. We caught our Uber to the airport at 9:00 am. Got there in plenty of time and the check in went smoothly. Ran in to some other members of our group at the airport and chatted a bit. Matt bought me one more coffee. I know spending money is painful for him but he spoils me anyway.  The plane was a bit late but we were finally on our way. Arriving in London, we figured out the train we needed to catch for our Air BnB. Bought tickets and off we went. We had to change trains once but everything went as Google said it should. We got off at Vauxhall and walked about .6 miles to our place, rolling our suitcases along the rough streets. I was glad to finally get to our place. We didn't stay there long. Matt wanted to do as much as we could with what was left of the day. So ...

 We enjoyed another of the incredible breakfasts this hotel offers this morning. I love the coffee here. It reminds me of Italy. Very smooth and not very strong. You don't even need sugar.  After breakfast, we all boarded the bus for Old Town Dubrovnik. This incredible fortress was built - or at least started - in the 12 century. It is very old. We started our time here with a city tour. Tamara is a wealth of information and gave us a lot of Croatian history as we walked through the Old Town. After the tour, we opted to walk along the top of the city walls. This walk is close to two miles and the views are spectacular from every direction. After our walk along the city walls, we had lunch together in the Old Town.  Just all wonderful experiences. The people are great and having the opportunity to be here is incredible. And in spite of so much heartache in my life, being with Matt never ceases to be enjoyable. We are so well matched in every way. His desire to never spend ...

 We had an early start this morning. Had to be ready for the bus by 7:45.  Headed down at 7 for the hotel breakfast and what a spread. Good grief. I can't even think about all that food. I just headed to the yogurt and had my typical. And of course, I added the half chocolate croissant. I've got to get back to some sort of my normal eating. I've had so much sugar here. Eating dessert regularly and not just a bite! Eating the whole thing several times a day. But that is a plan for forward, not for what has already happened. We drove a short distance and disembarked for our hike. It is a beautiful warm day. We hiked over rocky trails and through the mountain side until we arrived at Cilipi, about 4 miles. We watched a folk dance presentation here which was enjoyable. The music and dance displayed was the traditional Croatian. Afterward, we viewed all the local wares for sale and went through the local museum. Back on the bus, we headed for lunch in the town of Cavtat.  Lunc...

 Today we traveled from Makarska to Dubrovnik.  After the hotel breakfast - which for me was the same every day - yogurt with granola and coffee followed by a chocolate croissant - we boarded the bus, all packed up and ready to leave for the next fun thing. The drive along the coast line was beautiful. Croatia never disappoints with beauty around every turn. We stopped in the town of Narona for a museum tour. Narona is built on old Roman ruins from that date B.C. The museum has some incredible statues and a temple that have been unearthed. The tour took about an hour and a half and as usual, this is not my favorite thing. I have such a hard time being curious and interested about this stuff. But I endured and Matt enjoyed it.  After the tour, we crossed the street and boarded some old wood boats for a tour on the Narona River. It was beautiful and serene. It was mostly just entertainment for us with a different type of experience. After the river ride, we had lunch. I lov...

 I finally slept well last night. Fell asleep easily and slept through the night. No Ativan. Woke up with a headache and feeling a little rough but it passed.  After breakfast at the hotel, we took a short ride to the town of Makur. Our hike for today started here. The first part of the hike was rocky and steep but not too bad. We went almost two miles and stopped at the Kotisina Museum. This was an old restored Fort. Very old. It had five floors and each floor was very small. It was interesting but I started feeling pretty claustrophic and was glad to get out after a while.  Our hike continued to the town of Tucepi - about another 2.5 miles. It was a beautiful hike through the mountains with the Spanish Broom in bloom everywhere. The smell permeated the whole hillside. In Tucepi, we had lunch. The restaurant opened just for us. The food was fabulous. I enjoyed it as much as anything I've eaten here. After lunch, we headed back to Makarska. The rest of the afternoon is ou...

We got to sleep in today! Our meeting time was 9 am. Very pleasant not to rush. I didn't sleep great. Still struggling to get to sleep and we had party boats playing music with booming bass way into the night. But I finally got to sleep and got about six hours. Today, we are touring the island of Brac. After breakfast, we walked to the ferry, about ten minutes from the hotel and boarded the boat. It was a gorgeous day, as they all have been. How lucky can you be? After reaching Brac, we boarded the buses and headed to the stonecutter's school in Brac. This is a public school with a high school curriculum that teaches the stones the art of stone cutting. We heard from one of the students about his experience. It was quite interesting. We roamed the town for a bit after touring the school. Matt and I wandered the streets a bit and I had the proverbial latte.  Our next stop was an olive tasting and lunch. This was really fascinating. The family doing the tour had restored an old h...