Korcula - The bar is set high...

If ever roaming the landscapes of beautiful Croatia, it will be expected of you to indulge in the stunning Dalmatian coast, known for its intense, picturesque, breath-taking scenery. This is best done when ‘island hopping’. And so we did… From Dubrovnik we set off in our hired car and journeyed our way alongside the coastal line. The summer heat was blazing, however the inviting turquoise sea amended this, as we were able to pull the car over whenever we pleased and walk into the heavenly, refreshing water.

The road trip was heart-throbbing as the landscape never failed to flirt, taunt and tease until we fell in love over and over with the countryside. Israel and Ali were always such pleasant company; we were never short of laughter and Tim and I were constantly grateful for another life-long friendship in the making.

We boarded the car ferry and headed for the first Island: Korcula. It took us a while to locate our camping spot, however I am still convinced that it was the best one on the Island. We met a lovely couple who owed a small vineyard, a few goats and a house that had been in the family for 500 years! It was on the land next to this house that we pitched our tents, with orange and pink brush strokes across the vast canvas overhead. We slept on the rich soil, which was embedded with history, love and adventure. Israel made a new friend in the hilariously bleating goat.

Still, to this day, my most treasured memory from all of my travels includes the day that we hired a small, motorised boat and set sail for the small islands that lay close to Korcula. It almost wasn’t destined to happen; all of the boats were booked out for the day, when all of the sudden the lady at the desk decided to call her friend who lived 100metres down the road. Shortly we were met with a huge smile from a small-framed man riding his bicycle, waving ferociously at us. He took us to his boat, gave the boys a few words of advice and then waved us off from the shore. If I had realised then the gift that he had just given us, I probably would have squeezed him for an uncomfortably long time before boarding his dinghy. I am unable to describe the glorious escapade of the stunning water, the white rocks, the textured islands, all offering us their very best displays. Forever banked in my mind for whenever I need to go to a happy place!

Whilst we felt nothing could beat those stunning moments, we managed to be invited back into our boat owner’s house whilst he gave us free homemade shots and gave us all the time in the world to answer our questions about his hometown. Us girls put on a brave face and sipped the first shot with tiny wee sips, trying not to choke up. The boys, or men I should say, managed to finish ours and happily accept his offer for seconds. We left feeling very jolly and cheery. However, we didn’t leave without his best recommendations of where to eat. Yep, we did it again. We discovered the delicacies of this gorgeous island, and continued where we left off in Dubrovnik – fresh seafood, hot buns and balsamic vinegar, local wine and grilled veggie platters. Mmmhmmm…

Before departing the island, we popped into the Old Town and enjoyed some more sun with a touch of historical wonders; The House of Marko Polo!!

Enjoy the amazing photos by my talented Tim, and please oh please let them pull on the strings of your heart, as they still do for us.

Dubrovnik, Croatia - The start of our coastal love affair!

Dubrovnik, Croatia; Par-a-dise! When planning our next trip, we literally had no expectations of what Croatia would entail. We were slightly sceptical about the “beauty” that people had mentioned about the place, as in my mind Croatia was a small, war-torn, cute-but-rough-around-the-edges kind of place. My goodness, I am glad we gave it a shot!!

Late, in a humid yet lively evening, we arrived in Dubrovnik. As any traveller adventuring on an under-catered budget airline, we departed the dingy aircraft with empty stomachs and a keen desire to explore. After finding an abrupt but accommodating taxi man, we set out to find our Dubrovnik home. Speedily winding through the tiny streets that were ascending and weaving towards the sky, the taxi man put the breaks on and jumped out to dump us on our doorstep. The second we poked our heads out of the car door we heard this excited and welcoming “yoo-hoo!!” from what we assumed was a balcony above our heads, camouflaged into the night sky. We gave a big grin in the direction of the voice and headed up the steps.

Our host was what I can only describe as a motherly, kiss-you-on-the-lips, sweaty, but so sweet, older European lady who welcomed us with enormous open arms, and minimal English. We had a bit of chitchat through attempted sign language, but I loved her. She was gorgeous. She showed us around the homely flat and quickly left us to return to her home underneath our top floor accommodation. We put our bags down and then headed straight back out the door to find some food.

We were not anticipating the steps. We knew the direction to head in, so we took the opportunity when we discovered a little alley way of descending steps, thinking it would short-cut us to the main road, leading us to culinary delights. The darkness of the night was simultaneously enticing and deceitfully evil. The endless steps taunted our hungry selves, just working off more energy and creating a deeper urge to find food. But the second we did step out onto another cobble stoned street, we found to our right a small restaurant so appealing in appearance with its balcony adorned with hanging plants and small tables covered in red table clothes. Because of the hour of the night we walked into the empty restaurant, however the waiter was overly happy to seat us and feed us. Simple but incredibly tasty food satisfied the hunger, and my love for Croatia began. It always begins and ends with food, for me.

The next day started with a promising, gasping moment when we opened our balcony doors to see the post-card image of turquoise water with terracotta rooftops opposite the rolling green hills of Dubrovnik. It was unbelievable. I squealed a little, whilst Tim immediately grabbed his camera. We were only too glad to descend the killer staircase again, to see what else Croatia was hiding in its nightly shadows. The sunshine was gloriously illuminating the treasure that this place was.

After meandering down the main road we walked to the waters edge, grabbed some fresh fruit and just soaked in the warmth. It wasn’t long until our travel buddies, Israel and Ali arrived at the apartment, and we were busting to explore with them.  Once we had continued to marvel at the view, we decided to head into the Old Town. What a treat! The walled city that resembled an ancient civilisation was pumping with residents and tourists. The place was so attractive in its charm and enchanting structure, with a big wall circling the town and brick and stone houses/huts covering the inclining streets. It was swarming with small alleyways as the only travel route around. I LOVE backstreets. We encircled the main square of the town and quickly headed for the harbour side where we grabbed a gelato and weaved around the team of European, budgie-smuggler wearing men playing a game of football on the stone platform. It didn’t take long to find a cosy spot between the other swimmers, and we dived straight in. Turning around, once in the water, provided for one of our “highlight” moments when we saw the outskirts of the Old City, including an old castle, creating a picturesque moment to accompany the blissful feeling of swimming in cool, bright blue water with the summer heat.

Dubrovnik had us. The rest of our days were spent in the clear, photo-shopped looking water with in between moments of fruit eating and sun-blocking. I don’t know how we managed to always do it, but we found the best local restaurant which to my delight served unbelievably tasty seafood. Oh. My. Days! Needless to say, we went back every night and basked in the fresh Croatian delicacies. Tim’s carb addiction started at this point, with fresh bread served at every meal and traditional pizza and pasta alluring his taste buds. And of course beer.

On one of the nights we were wining and dining, an unexpected rain storm hit Dubrovnik, and we knew it was abnormal at this time of the year when the locals started freaking out a bit. It only made the experience more enjoyable as we walked home in the warm rain, completely full to the brim with the best tasting food we had ever had. To Tim’s absolute delight, the lightening put on a show for us, and Tim spent the last part of our last evening capturing the incredible scenery, which is now our lasting memory of Dubrovnik.