Trip Updates

Korcula, Croatia

Croatia slipped onto our itinerary a mere 2 weeks before we flew there. An awesome couple we are friends with invited us to join them at a villa they rented for one of their birthdays. A quick search revealed surprisingly cheap flights and, knowing that joining these two was guaranteed fun, we excitedly agreed to join them.

On arrival, we were struck by the natural beauty of the Croatian coast. After a quick trip through customs, we were collected by a driver for a 3-hour drive to Korcula Island. For much of the drive, we were small children again, our heads swiveling wide-eyed, trying to capture every inch of the stunning coastal road. On the right, rocky mountains soared to the sky while steep slopes on our left dropped to sea dotted with tree-covered islands.

Wyatt and the driver got along swimmingly. Wyatt asked dozens of questions and the driver gave lengthy, enthusiastic answers. For example, did you know that Dubrovnik was once a wealthy, semi-independent city-state of Hungary and then the Ottoman Empire? We didn’t. Salt mines, oak forests, and a moderate shipping fleet provided wealth that bought independence from their sovereign state.

Friends

Naturally, visiting friends was our favorite activity in Croatia. We miss all of our friends and, after a month of text-only communication, we cherished the opportunity to hang out and visit for a few days. Relatedly, we loved making new friends with other people the couple had invited to stay with them.

EJ took each of us over the bay on a Catamaran (see picture below), a fun, new experience for both of us. The wind propels you surprisingly fast but the ride is strangely calming with the sun on your back, ocean spray in your face, and beautiful views of the bay surrounding you on all sides.

Villa

First and foremost, the villa was wonderful for all the reasons you might expect. We indulged in hours kayaking, paddle boarding, and swimming in the warm ocean followed by more swimming in the even warmer pool. We took advantage of plentiful time and space to work out, read, relax, blog, and plan with the beautiful view constantly drawing our gaze. After weeks of travel, the villa provided a badly needed opportunity to rest and recharge.

Similarly, the villa was a highlight for reasons you might not expect. First, after weeks of handwashing, our clothes were starting to give off a bit of a funk so we enthusiastically stuffed everything in the wash the moment we arrived. Second, our room was spacious and spreading our stuff out was surprisingly satisfying after a sequence of tiny rooms. Finally, we relished eating healthy, home-cooked food comprised largely of salads, vegetables, lentil bowls.

Korcula

Korcula is the name of the Island we were on but it is also the name of a cute town a short distance from the villa. Over our days on the island, we wandered the old town, watched the sunset from a tower and got drinks atop the tower of a medieval wall.