June 21, 2016 - Facts about Croatia and featuring the cities Zadar, Korčula and Hvar.

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Croatia Preview - Zadar, Korčula & Hvar

A big hello to you!!

Hope your week is off to a good start!

Only one more school day to go for my kiddies!  I have to tell you, I'm pretty psyched about Summer vacation starting!

We have a full week in between school ending and camp starting with no particular schedule.  That is what I am most looking forward to as me and my girls will be waking up leisurely, spending time at the community pool and just acting spontaneously.

Today is Travelin' Tuesday, and as such, we are going to continue with our feature of Croatia, as this will be our next scheduled "Elisa & Tanya" trip (date TBD).

Last week, we began our virtual journey and preview through Croatia, beginning in the cities of Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb. Click Here to read more.

This week, we are venturing along the coast to the city of Zadar and then south to two of the most popular islands along the Adriatic coast - Korčula and Hvar.

Zadar, Croatia - Old Town and lovely beaches (credit:lonelyplanet.com)

What I can say emphatically after reading a great deal about Croatia is that this will be a very busy trip when me and my "little" cuz go. There is just so much to see!!!

Moving on...

Zadar
Zadar has a history of three thousand-years! This city is situated on the beautiful coastline located on Croatia’s northern Dalmatian Coast.

Zadar offers plenty to see and do but does not experience the same crowds as the other popular destinations in Croatia.

Like many old cities, it's Old Town is the center attraction with numerous sightseeing attractions including Roman ruins, medieval architecture and several old churches.

In addition to the Old Town, Zadar's coastline is home to beaches for relaxing, sunbathing and swimming. 

Korčula, Croatia - best known as the alleged birthplace of the famous merchant traveler, Marco Polo. (credit: croatiatraveler.net)

Korčula
Korčula is a 30-mile island located off Croatia’s Adriatic Coast located off the mainland's Pelješac peninsula.

It is best known as the alleged birthplace of the famous merchant traveler, Marco Polo.

The town Korčula is full of Venetian Renaissance architecture, medieval towers and walls fortifying its harbor. In the central square is the Cathedral of St. Mark, dating back to the 14th century, along with vibrant markets and tourist activities.

Popular island beaches include Vela Przina, a wide crescent that's popular with families, and Pupnatska Luka, a turquoise cove.

Full of lush green forests, vineyards, olive groves, sandy beaches and charming villages, the island of Korčula is the sixth-largest Adriatic island.
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Hvar, Croatia - full of natural beauty (credit: hvarcroatia.net)

Hvar
One of the most popular places to visit in Croatia and in the Adriatic Sea,

Hvar is a city and port on the island of Hvar, part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia located off the Dalmatian Coast.

Filled with natural beauty, this island is known for its landscapes of spectacular beaches, lavender fields and lush vineyards, making it the perfect Croatian destination for outdoor activities ranging from hiking in the cliffs to swimming in the secluded coves and beaches.

Hvar Town, Hvar's main city is filled with 13th century walls, marble stone streets, Gothic palaces, stunning churches and an imposing old fortress.

The town square is one of Croatia’s largest and most beautiful, surrounded by many historic building like the 17th century Arsenal and the Cathedral of St. Stephen.  

And there you have it folks - three more destinations that Tanya and I will most definitely have on our Croatian Trip itinerary!!!

What I am struck with is how there is the perfect blend of "Old Town charm" mixed with beach beauty in so many of the towns and islands of Croatia!


I'm off to get my day going!  See ya back here tomorrow for some local hot spots not to miss this Summer!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 11 DAYS

From Wengen to Croatia

Well Howdy there Folks!

It's another Travelin' Tuesday, and while I'm not travelin, I am certainly thinking about it!!

Today Elisa and I will give you a little bit more information on Croatia (the next planned cousins trip), I'll also introduce you to Wengen, CH and then I'll fill ya in on a few personal travel mishaps.

I've got to tell you just how relieved I was yesterday...

Here's what happened - not sure if you recall an email that I received a number of weeks ago informing my about a schedule change in our flight itinerary from here in SoCal to NY.

Well upon reading this email, I was pretty disgusted. It wasn't the usual 2 minute schedule change, but our entire flight was being cancelled and taken off of the schedule.
With us being put on the next flight - which being that we booked a red-eye meant waiting until morning to take off! And not landing until early in the evening.

Ultimately taking 6 hours out of my day and my trip! So you can understand why I was so frustrated.

I immediately contacted the airlines and attempted to rebook something that had worked better.
Well being that little 'ol me fills her schedule pretty tight, we need to leave after a certain hour on that given Saturday (due to a performance), and no other flights were able to accommodate!

I was left to continue periodically checking the schedule of flights and then as of yesterday I thought I had found something (not realizing that I had the wrong date).
But when I called the airlines, I had them do a quick look and it so happens that if we leave out of LAX rather than the original planned ONT that we found a flight...I'LL TAKE IT!

This one even gets us there earlier than our originally scheduled itinerary - which I think is pretty awesome!
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After this happened, I was pretty much floating on air, I was just so happy! 

Not to mention that after being cancelled for no apparent reason by an Airbnb host (all I got was an email and no explaination) for our time in Wengen, CH during our Euro Ski Circuit; I was on the hunt for a new place to stay!

Wengen is a very small, quaint and car free village that the kids and I both adore - so there was pretty much no option of staying outside of the limits and in another town that might have more accommodations. 

Wengen, CH (c)travelincousins.com

Located in the Bernese Oberland in the canton of Bern, central Switzerland at an elevation of 4,180 ft above sea level. Part of the Jungfrauregion and they only have approximately 1,300 year-round residents, which swells to 5,000 during summer and to 10,000 in the winter.

So you can imagine how difficult it is to find accommodations in the winter - especially when most places are requiring a minimum of a week stay.
While our trip is definitely longer than a mere week, our time in Wengen will be for 3 days and somehow yesterday was my lucky day and I found a wonderful place for us to stay and was almost immediately confirmed!

Whew another big relief!!

​I gotta tell ya, with each of the cancellations/changes that I received, although I was certainly not happy about them, I remained fairly cool, calm and collected knowing that every thing happens for a reason and that something better will come along. 

I'm certainly not the most patient person you'll meet, but I've got to pat myself on the back and say that I've gotten better.
And the better I get, the quicker the new outcome is revealed!

Now let's move on and talk about Croatia!!

Here's what the TravelChannel.com shared about Croatia:
With approximately 1,200 islands, azure waters and picturesque villages rich in history, Croatia is drawing more and more travelers to its shores. In fact, Croatia closed the 2012 tourism year as the Mediterranean’s fastest growing destination.

How about a few facts about the beautiful country of Croatia:

1. Croatia became an independent country on June 25th 1991
2. Croatia has 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites
3. One third of Croatian territory is blanketed with forests.
4. There are so many different dialects in Croatia that people from northernmost Croatia have significant trouble understanding the people from the very south of the country.
5. The fortified walls of Dubrovnik are the most preserved fortification system in Europe.
6. Croatia invented the necktie.
   The origins of the necktie go all the way back to the 17th century, when Croatian mercenaries fought for the French in the Thirty Years’ War, bringing their distinctively knotted neckwear along with them.
7. Zinfandel grape variety originates from Croatia.
8. The Dalmatian breed of dog originates from the southern Croatian region of Dalmatia.

And finally, just a little bit of SCOOP from last night...
We had gone to the International Peace Choir's Year End Celebration.
​The kids had a great time with their friends. 

They each received certificates for each of their achievements. They were both voted as the 2016-2017 Choir Reps. Cosette will take the reign as United States Peace Ambassador beginning July 1st. And I will take the position of Board President for the next term.

And that my friends is it for today! We've suffered 2 days of record breaking heat and I sure hope that it's cools off a bit starting today. Cross your fingers for me.

Catch ya back here tomorrow,
​-T