Dubrovnik.
I was told that you either love Split and hate Dubrovnik, or love Dubrovnik and hate Split. They are as much similar as they are different. And personally, I prefer Dubrovnik. Perhaps that’s why I visited this fort town on three separate occasions!
Krka National Park.
Schedule: 8:30am pick up — 10:30am arrival in Skradin — 11:00am start of the river cruise into the park — 5 hours free time — 4pm departure — arrive back in Split at 5:30pm. We booked with the Split Walking Tour Team through a hostel. Cost: 200 kuna for a private minibus transfer and boat ride. 90-110 kuna for the Park entrance depending on if it’s low or high season.
The mountains in Croatia are like nothing I’ve seen before. Gray granite with small green shrubs scattered throughout. This is Croatia.
Split.
I don’t know why some people hate Split. It’s Eastern Europe. Yes, there is graffiti and old buildings, but the alleys are interesting, tons of character with cute shops and restaurants. My favorite area is the small plaza on the interior walls of the palace where there’s live music every night; people sit around the outer steps, and enjoy drinks, music, and the ambiance. Couples even dance in the middle of the square!
Budva.
The metropolis of Montenegrin tourism, thanks to the great number of beaches and hotels, make Budva a most desirable tourist destination.
Budva can be a day trip from either Kotor or Tivat, or as I would suggest, staying the night down there as it’s a huge city and I only dipped my toes into the Old Town.
A quick 30-minute drive to Budva from Tivat with stunning coastal views along the way will give you a wonderful sense of the landscape of beautiful Montenegro.
Tivat. Porto Montenegro.
Given the timing of this portion of my trip (mid-October), and how ‘dead’ it appeared to be in Croatia, I was a little concerned with Montenegro following the same seasonal ebb and flow. Unfortunately, I was right. Kotor and Tivat were both extremely quiet, with the majority of restaurants and shops being closed for the winter season.
However, Tivat could not have been more drastically different from Kotor. Tivat, Porto Montenegro was named the ‘Superyacht Marina of the Year for 2015’.
Picture this: A clear, crisp autumn morning with the sun rising over the Bay of Kotor, surrounded by stunning mountains, steam rising from the water, creating a mystical atmosphere. The perfect day to explore this hidden gem of a country.
Unfortunately, I’m watching all of this from a bus, leaving Montenegro. My time here was spent dodging the rain and taking advantage of the few hours of sunshine I had in Budva. I hoped to stay here a while longer, but with my luck, the only bus back to Dubrovnik was at 8am. Losing in Montenegro…
Bosnia.
What a surprise you were! Like most people, I assume, I’ve heard so many negative/scary comments about the country that it was never on my radar of places to visit. However, after traveling, the city called Mostar, was brought to our attention on more than one occasion. Most notably, because of one very important landmark, The Old Bridge.
Croatia.
Oh Croatia, your islands are beautiful, your water is clear and warm, and your old towns are classic.
If you go to Croatia, go on a sailing trip. It’s the best way to see all of the islands and take full advantage of the Adriatic Sea. Also, Croatia is likely the only place I would recommend visiting during the high season. We were at the tail end (late September/early October) and all of the shops and restaurants were closing, the towns were so quiet you had to whisper, and most of the main tours weren’t running. A HUGE bummer if you fly all the way there and can’t go to the Blue Grotto or the Cave Bar, so be sure to do your research beforehand.
Munich Oktoberfest. How to Have a Successful Experience.
“Cloudy with a chance of cleavage.”
A little history.
Munich’s Oktoberfest began life as a wedding for the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig to princess Therese from Saxony-Hildburghausen (hence the name of the Theresienwiese) on October 12, 1810 and attended by the local community. Today the Munich Beerfest traditionally takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October.
Innsbruck.
Once in Innsbruck, we went to the store, bought food for three days and didn’t leave our apartment.
I know this is probably starting to feel like a theme, but we haven’t truly relaxed since Budapest three weeks ago. It was time.
We stayed in a beautiful alpine apartment in Mutters, 15 minutes outside of Innsbruck. Only a 20 minute walk down to town, but the weather was windy and stormy so we decided to hunker down. We cooked, watched movies, updated resumes, applied for jobs and drank mimosas. A much needed break and relaxing two days before heading off to Oktoberfest!