Unplanned Memories: Croatia

by Emily Hughes and Scott Page –

People have many different reasons for why they like to travel – whether it’s escaping their daily lives, running away from bad weather, or experiencing the sights, sounds and tastes of a new place and culture, everyone has their own motivation. For us, it’s usually a combination of the above. Over the past few years we have developed a pretty serious case of the “travel bug” and are constantly on the search for our next adventure.

When we look for our next travel adventure, we both want something different: Different scenery, different food, and different culture.  A chance to step out of our daily lives and experience something new that we don’t get to see on a daily basis. There is something really special about experiencing a new culture and seeing how other people live.  It is fascinating that despite our different locations and traditions, there are times it’s noticeable how similar we all really are, even if we are halfway around the world.  Oh, and warm, sunny weather definitely helps too.

Our most recent adventure was to Croatia – a country situated on the Adriatic Sea with a long and enticing coastline, romantic old towns, dramatic scenery, pebbly beaches and a tremendous amount of history.

We were first intrigued by Croatia several years ago when someone told use that this eastern European country combined the beauty of Greece and Italy together and could be visited at a much lower cost.  An inexpensive, beautiful vacation to Europe, why not? So, as anyone does these days, we Googled pictures and were instantly sold.

Online research billed Croatia as a beautiful country trying to overcome a troubled past with a steadily increasing popularity among tourists. What we found was a country full of adventure with stunning scenery, friendly people, welcoming culture and a lifetime of memories.

We went to Croatia for 2 weeks in mid-September, and found it was the perfect time to go – great weather, the days are still long, and the crowds of tourists have subsided.

The first stop was Dubrovnik, a fairy tale city dramatically jutting out of the mountains behind it into the sea and surrounded by medieval walls.  Its nickname, “The Pearl of the Adriatic” is fitting and it is the most popular tourist destination in Croatia. Inside the walls of the city the beautiful churches, museums, countless restaurants, wine bars and cafes will occupy you for hours.

A walk along the top of the walls of the city shows a birds-eye view and offers an interesting perspective on how its inhabitants have lived throughout its history, including recent history.  Looking across the rooftops, despite identical styles, some were very new looking and others clearly aged.  We learned that a lot of the buildings were destroyed during “the siege of Dubrovnik.”  Occurring Oct 1991-May 1992, it was fought between Croatian forces and the Yugoslav People’s Army during the Croatian War of Independence.

A few pebbly beaches are in easy walking distance from the city walls and lead out into some of the clearest and bluest water imaginable. Floating in the Adriatic looking at the mountains, walled city and blue waters is an unforgettable scene. And if you want to escape the crowds or heat of the city, you can take a short 15 minute boat ride to the island of Lokrum just off shore for swimming, hiking, incredible views, and of course cliff diving.

The beauty and charm of Dubrovnik is hard to describe but sure to leave a lasting impression.

The next stop was an island called Korcula, easily accessed by ferry boat from Dubrovnik. The old town of Korcula was a sort of “mini Dubrovnik” with medieval walls, several museums, cafes and a dramatic mountain backdrop with crystal clear waters great for swimming. Korcula, rich in history, doesn’t get as much attention from tourists as many of the other Croatian islands, but the laid back village is a perfect place to relax and unwind. On Korcula was one of the best meals of the trip: a Croatian staple, octopus salad (Scott ordered every time it was offered on a menu for the remainder of the trip).

The next ferry ride was to an island named Hvar. Hvar is Croatia’s hip and upscale island and is one of the country’s most popular destinations.

The old town, also called Hvar, melts into the harbor where many luxury yachts tie up. Hvar is best known for its nightlife but there are many other activities and sights to see if bars and loud music aren’t your thing. Day trips to outlying islands are also easily planned and take you away from the bustling promenade of Hvar town.  We took a day trip boat tour to surrounding islands that was one of the highlights of the whole trip.

*Among the beautiful sights were two caves – the green cave and the blue cave located on Bisevo Island. The green cave gets its name due to a hole in the top of it, which allows light to shine down through, reflect off the bottom and casts an emerald green color throughout the cave.

The blue cave is unforgettable. You enter the cave through a manmade entrance created in the 1800’s that was just big enough for the boat to fit through – you literally have to lay on the floor of the boat, which was the size of a large canoe, so you don’t hit your head. Once inside, the silvery-blue glow of the cave is breathtaking. The glow of the cave is caused by sunlight reflecting off of the surface of the natural entrance to the cave, which is under sea level. The reflection off the limestone formations bounces to the sea bottom and casts an iridescent blue glow throughout the cave that is mesmerizing.

After Hvar, we arrived in Split, a much more urban city than any of the previous places we visited. Split has a deep history that goes back to the days of the Roman Empire and still has many Roman ruins within the city. The Roman Emperor Diocletian built a huge palace here and to this day, over 2,000 people live or work inside the former palace walls.

From Split we took a day trip inland to Plitvice Lakes National Park – one of Europe’s most spectacular natural wonders. The park features 16 clear, turquoise-blue terraced lakes set in a lush forest, separated by natural dams and waterfalls. Plitvice’s unique climatic, geological and biological features are what make the park so special. The water has a very high calcium carbonate concentration and just like when calcium deposits form on a faucet, the deposits of Plitvice are constantly and rapidly – relatively speaking – changing the landscape. The high calcium levels break down fallen trees in the lakes and the flow of water moves those trees together, creating dams and changing the shape and sizes of the 16 lakes at such a rapid pace that you could visit months apart and see completely different water flow and lake sizes. Also, the calcium concentration prevents the creation of mud, so the bottom of the lakes are entirely stone, and a high magnesium carbonate concentration gives the water it’s beautiful color and prevents the growth of algae or other plant life.

Overall, we found Croatia to be a beautiful country, and we would highly recommend visiting it to anyone. The locals are friendly, the history is rich, the scenery is stunning and there are tons of things to do, whether you’re looking for adventure or leisure. Croatia offers everything we could wish for in a vacation destination, and so much more. Check it out, there’s a good chance it does the same for you, too.

*See the supplemental piece on the blue and green caves  – the colors are just astonishing!