Croatia Day 1

Perfection Already

It seemed more than fitting to set off from Boston Logan airport for this, my last trip to The Netherlands, for the foreseeable future. It was in this same terminal, almost three years ago, we put Jenny on an airplane destined for a town she had never set foot in, a university she had never explored and an apartment she had only seen via FaceTime. That was the height of Covid- borders were closed to everyone except those who had residence status, which she did via her student visa. Walking through those doors today, a whole lot of feelings I had back then – like I couldn’t catch my breath, like my head was spinning, like I was gonna pass out – came flooding back. Putting my 17 year old on a plane to Europe, knowing that, God forbid, if something happened to her, I could not just get on the next plane and go to her was, frankly, traumatizing. I did not have residency therefore I would have to apply for an exception, deal with bureaucracy all the while the time would be ticking. Sometimes I can’t fathom I got through that, but I did..we did, and honestly, I don’t want to go through something like that ever again. So taking some breaths and reminding myself I was on my way to meet her, in Croatia first, for a celebratory trip on her graduating from university and championing her way through hardships and heartbreaks, having perseverance of the most remarkable kind and on acknowledging her missteps and her need for self reflection. This trip would close out the chapter of her time in Maastricht but first we would spend the next eight days exploring Croatia.

Unfortunately, I was traveling solo as Billy was headed to Nashville for a meeting while Jenny and her friend Noella would be arriving the day after me, following a seven-day, whirlwind tour from Ibiza to Barcelona to Rome to Croatia. Logistically, this was the only time we could do this trip due to commitments beginning in July and the need to vacate Jenny’s apartment in Maastricht so unfortunately Billy misses out on the fun, but also the work at the end!

I arrived into Split about twenty minutes too late to get the first ferry so I figured I should just take it easy until the next ferry four hours later. I walked along the waterfront, chose a restaurant from the long line of them, had two Heinekens for breakfast, then a plate of beef carpaccio and fries for lunch (plus two sparkling waters to counterbalance my two beers). I chilled for a while longer, enjoying the great people watching, before heading to the ferry port to make the final leg of my trip to our initial destination – the island of Vis, the furthest inhabited island off the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia.

By the time I arrived at our first destination, almost 24 hours later, I had already traveled by car, train, bus, plane, shuttle, ferry and finally by my own two legs. Traveling is a chore, there’s no two ways about it, but it has delivered some of my most memorable experiences, molded some of my staunchest beliefs and developed some of my greatest strengths. So like the old adage says, “no pain. no gain.” All of course worth it when one considers the fun and adventures I have had along the way!

Our apartment for the next four nights is dreamy, sitting right on the edge of the Adriatic overlooking the small harbor with a few dozen sailing vessels moored and the old town of Kut.

After getting settled I headed out to pick up a few necessities and quickly decided against dining out for dinner but opted instead for a loaf of fresh bakery bread with some prosciutto, cheese and a bottle of rosé – an old standby meal for us when traveling anywhere in Europe. And besides, the view from our little balcony just couldn’t be beat!

At one point I looked over and saw this older, local lady fishing with a hand-line – to no avail.

After dinner, I could feel myself fading fast but also itching to get out and explore more of this seemingly charming island, and I am so glad I did. The island has been inhabited since the 4th century BC but many of the buildings from the 1600s are still standing and in use, adding a warmth and feeling of coziness. I wandered along the narrow “streets”, winding this way and that, climbing up and down hand-carved steps, peering over stone walls, poking my head through dilapidated garden gates, and stopping to admire the bountiful array of flowers.

My evening concluded by watching the sun sink over the hills while licking on a deliciously simple vanilla gelato cone – absolute perfection!