Before I had children and a global pandemic was even on the horizon, I was fortunate enough to visit Croatia. It is one of my favorite places in Europe besides Italy of course. Back in 2014, we decided to take a ferry from Ancona, Italy to Zadar, Croatia, crossing the Adriatic Sea. We climbed aboard around 23:00 and slept until the next morning arriving at 6:00. It seemed as if we arrived before the town was able to wake up. I was just amazed at how quiet it was, and the level of cleanliness. It reminded me a lot of Italy but I could feel the lack of pretention. We wandered the streets and had some coffee and breakfast. I looked up a beach town nearby that had prices cut in half because it was out of Zadar. On my map, the town looked within walking distance, and we had no plans except to relax and explore. 

Bibijne, the interesting-looking beach town I looked up was a 19-minute bus ride, but on foot, it was two hours… We got our steps in for the day and during the hottest part of the day. But it was worth it, we rented an apartment for €13 a night. While Zadar was charging €50 a night for a small room. The beaches were very clean and had clear water in hues of blue I could never imagine existed. One thing that stood out about most beaches was the organic-looking stairs placed with perfection. Also if the beach had bluffs to jump off of, there were always ladders available to climb out of after a quick plunge. 

The food was phenomenal, I ate my weight in grilled calamari with lots of lemon, fish and anything that came out of the sea was on our diet for the trip. We also learned some Croatian words that would come in handy, one of them being ‘pivo’, which means beer. By default the next word would be ‘hvala’, meaning thank you. 

An attraction away from the beaches and more inland were the Plitvice Lakes. Located two hours north away from the coast. The temperature difference was incredible, although it was July once we were at the lakes, we layered up in all the warm clothing we brought with us and it was still pretty chilly. It is definitely worth the bus ride, a complete change in scenery. The Plitvice Lakes also hold a collection of gorgeous waterfalls, and pathways made throughout the park to do some exploring with the ability to walk on the water.  The water was so clear you could see every living little creature swimming about and the stones at the bottom of the water source. Anytime I hear the phrase ‘go be in nature’ the Plitvice Lakes comes to mind, I wish I could transport myself back there even now. The peacefulness you gain from this magical place is a reset button most humans need in this modern day. 

As an American in Eastern Europe, I could sense I was in a foreign place. The buildings and wildlife gave off a very folklore fairytale vibe. It was like nothing you can find in North America, and somehow less fragile than anything I had experienced in Italy. 

The beach is my natural habitat, each day we would find a new beach to spend the day in. One particular beach we discovered was a nice compromise of bluffs, beach, shaded area with trees and grass. From the looks of it, it was the perfect place to set up our one-man tent. As the evening progressed and the skies darkened, we called it a night and crawled in our snug little tent, it was a little too tight, and very hot, a scuttle broke out and Sam, my husband, decided to sleep outside. Very late in the night, some cars kept pulling in for a brief moment and then abruptly leaving. It was very disruptive and it kept waking me up. This went on all night long. Finally, dawn arrived and I crawled out to find a place to pee, I found a nice tree with some tall grass surrounding it, upon further inspection when I looked around, and noticed so many used syringes, I was horrified. I walked towards the water to find Sam and he informed me that this must be a place where people bring sex workers and drugs. Those cars that kept coming at random hours of the night and then leaving were indeed prostitutes. I was totally freaked out and pulled the plug on the ‘camping life’. 

We eventually made our way back to Zadar and went to go see the sea organ. It’s a structure made into the stairs of the shore that when the waves crash into it, it plays different notes in the tubes below the stairs. It is very pleasant sounding, definitely go check it out! 

I realize, that this trip was once in a lifetime because, after a world pandemic, wars breaking out on the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Europe, and the exploding exaggerated inflation prices, the idea of rentals at those next-to-nothing prices will not exist again for a long time or ever. I would love to go back and spend more time in Croatia, I feel like we barely scratched the surface of exploring that unique place.