At Scenic and Savvy we’re thrilled to hear about other people inspired to make dream travel a reality. Our Inspiration stories give a glimpse into the experiences of such travelers as they personally detail their journeys to dream destinations around the world. Take a sneak peek and you may just find your travel muse with inspiration to take a similar trip!
Tom and Carol are a well-traveled couple from the Midwest. They’ve visited most of the U.S. and many European countries. Here Tom details their trip to Croatia – delving into their experiences in this beautiful country along the Adriatic Sea:
THE BASICS
We flew from Chicago to Split Croatia in May of 2019. We have traveled with a number of friends on other trips to Europe. There were 32 people traveling with us. The tour was arranged by Carol & Chris Mastonardo, who at that time owned Germantown Travel. We had heard about the country and islands of Croatia from Carol, who had taken a group there the previous year. We looked up information and pictures about the area and decided it was an area we were interested in exploring.
THE DETAILS
Because of the flight times to Croatia, the group decided to fly to Dublin, Ireland and spend a day at Malahide Castle & Gardens. We had been on a 2 week tour of Ireland a year earlier, enjoyed it immensely, and given the chance for our group to return and see another area of Ireland we had not seen before. This also allowed us to then fly to Split, Croatia at the end of the day. We flew at night and then immediately were able to sleep and be ready for our adventure in Croatia.
The first 2 nights in Croatia were spent at Le Meridien Lav Hotel in Split. It was a beautiful hotel with swimming pools and a beach area where you could swim in the Adriatic. There were many bars and restaurants in the area where we explored.
We had a full day excursion to Bosnia and Herzegovina and had to cross the border into Bosnia. It was moving seeing the walls riddled with bullet holes. We also visited a medieval town, Mostar, rich in Ottoman history. We had lunch overlooking a 16th century Turkish bridge (Stari Most) and part of the old bazaar. We made a brief stop in Medjugorje, the place where 1981, six children so an apparition of the Virgin Mary. It was very moving.
The remaining 8 days were spent aboard a private yacht Esperanza. This boat sailed along the Dalmatian Coast where we stopped to explore the islands and see the local sights. The food on board was good, we had fantastic breakfasts and lunches. Dinners we were on our own when we were off the boat.
We went to Hvar Island and visited the beautiful city Bol. We also visited the Hora Winery where we learned how to make pasta and were given a tour of the area and enjoyed a family style meal outdoors. Another day we sailed to Mljet Island which is actually a National Park which is famous for its two salt lakes. Additionally, we visited a Benedictine monastery which is on an island in the middle of one of the lakes. Our last stop was the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, which has a 15th century stone wall which was built to protect the city from invasion. We stumbled on an out of the way bar, high up on a cliff overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Great place to enjoy a drink and watch the sunset.
The cost of the trip including airfare was expensive but well worth it.
THE MEMORIES
Traveling by boat along the Adriatic was a wonderful experience. We enjoyed seeing the land from that vantage point and experienced beautiful sunrises and sunsets. One memorable dinner was had at Storija Restaurant inside a Diocletian Palace,
in Split, one of the sites for filming of the TV series Game of Thrones. Delicious! We picked up Christmas ornaments from many of the islands to remember our fantastic trip.
Even though it rained nearly every day on the trip, the rains were short or while we were sailing. The temperature was cooler than normal and when we swam off the boat one day is was cold. Normally this time of year is warm and beautiful. Because of the rains, when we visited KRKA National Park the rivers and low lands were flooded. That caused the raging water to come very close to many historical buildings we were touring. It was something to see!
So what tops Tom and Carol’s travel bucket list now?
We have been to many European countries and most of the US. We have traveled on Ocean and River Cruises but would like to explore other countries in our future travels.
Thanks, Tom and Carol. Cheers to more dream travel in the near future!
