It was so difficult to narrow down my favorites! I tend to get a little wordy, so mine is much longer than the rest of the fams—sorry!
Best Overall Country: ITALY
Why: This was a tough choice. Croatia was right up there with its pristine, sparkly coastlines, uncrowded well-kept towns and sunshine. Arriving with the uncertainty that comes with traveling during a pandemic, a clean and uncrowded destination goes a long way in my book! Though I loved Croatia, I picked Italy in the end because it just has it all. The food is to die for. It would be hard to find a bad meal if you tried. The country is bursting at the seams with history, gorgeous architecture, priceless art and endless ruins to explore. And, these ancient treasures aren't seen through a glass case or far behind a rope—you can get right up in there!! Venice is as colorful, playful and sweet as a candy shop. Pompeii's unburied sophisticated civilization is so well preserved it's easy to picture yourself walking down the street 2000 years ago in a toga stopping for a mug of wine. You can feel Rome's heartbeat; it has so much energy. It's impressive how well it preserves its historic landmarks in the middle of a modern city.
Best City/Town: KORCULA, CROATIA
Why: This tiny medieval town sits on the island of Korcula, two hours by boat from Dubrovnik. The town is the epitome of a dreamy, relaxing European getaway. It was fun to get lost in the picture-perfect, walled Medieval village and take walks along the water. Every once in a while, a rowdy million-dollar party yacht would dock for a few hours, but other than that, it was serene and peaceful. I loved running along the beautiful, palm tree-lined coast and riding bikes through the countryside. The pastries, gelato and Italian food were plentiful. Our place was above a cute Italian restaurant run by a talented all-women crew. It was fun to walk through their kitchen every day to get up to our apartment. After going through the kitchen, we had to walk through a sweet elderly woman's floor (actually through a hallway that ran through the middle of her apt!). She'd greet us with a smile and yell at us as we made the final ascent to our apartment. Turns out she wasn't trying to be mean, she was trying to offer us helpful tips, but it just sounded intense in Croatian! Hanging our laundry on the rooftop in the sunshine and taking breaks to soak in the sea views and medieval rooftops was a memory I'll keep forever.
City/Town I Can Imagine Living In: I can't choose!! It's a toss-up between DUBROVNIK or ZADAR, CROATIA or BARCELONA, SPAIN
Why: They all are medium in size with charming and lively historic centers while still having access to many modern amenities. When I think of Dubrovnik, I think of a shiny jewel. Half of the town is built on a hillside that overlooks the medieval castle and the Adriatic Sea. Zadar reminded me of Bellevue, where we live at home, with its size and aesthetics. I liked how there was a long sea promenade to run and walk along. Barcelona is a glamorous city with regal architecture, a great running path along the water and wide open bright streets.
Best Historical Site: VATICAN in Rome, Italy
Why: If you've read my blog, you've heard it many times before... having the Vatican almost all to ourselves was an unforgettable experience. Walking down the finely curated, decadent long corridors without a person in sight was a memory I'll cherish forever. I think I loved it so much because I had no expectations. I knew the Vatican was home to the Sistene Chapel, but I had seen 100 slides of it in art history classes and thought it would be super-crowded with limited time to view the masterpieces. I figured we'd quickly get our fill on old manuscripts and religious relics and head to lunch. Little did I know, the Vatican has grand collections of famous paintings, Greek and Roman sculptures and relics all wrapped up in a gorgeous building. I was so in awe of the finely displayed Greek sculptures. They looked so delicate and graceful even though they were made of stone. I didn't even think I liked sculptures until this tour!!! Our phenomenal tour guide, who has been navigating tourists through this famous site for decades, said the Vatican usually has 33,000 shoulder-to-shoulder visitors a day! I left feeling humbled, elated and grateful.
Best Natural Site: KRKA NATIONAL PARK in Croatia
Why: Everything about it was just so beautiful—the green/teal water, the massive width of the falls, the easy breeze through the trees and the wooden boardwalks that meandered over the water and through the woods.
Best Attraction: PENA CASTLE, MOORISH CASTLE & QUINTA DA REGALEIRA in Sintra, Portugal
Why: I was beside myself touring not one, but THREE distinctively different castles, all within a few miles of each other that I think I scared my family! It's not every day that one can take a 10-minute Uber ride to a Romanticist-era castle, then saunter down a wooded path to climb the walls of an 8th-century Moorish castle and then pop on over to an eccentric entomologist's quirky palace with a six-story well that leads you through a maze of underground tunnels and then spits you out into a mystical garden with a lagoon and mini-castle towers. The sun was shining during our self-guided tour and the charming little town of Sintra greeted us at the bottom of the hill. I thought it was absolutely magical!
Another Favorite: THE RED HISTORY MUSEUM in Dubrovnik, Croatia
Why: Being a history and mid-century lover, I found this museum very intriguing. It was set up to make you feel like you time-traveled back to 1970's socialist Yugoslavia as you walked through memorabilia-filled rooms that resembled a typical kitchen, bedroom, living room, etc. The creative set-up was a brilliant idea for learning about the modern history of Croatia.
Best Meal: BREAKFAST at Hotel la Tavernettain Scopello, Sicily, Italy
Why: It was fun to watch the kids' excitement as they awoke early for the hotel's daily breakfast buffet. After eating cereal with bananas almost every day, we welcomed the beautiful assortment of delicious food. I don't know which was better—the all-you-can-eat brunch with great coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice or sitting outside on a sunny garden patio listening to the birds and looking out at the ocean. Clint and I would sit out there for a couple of hours sipping coffee. It was a true vacation spot.
Best Sweet: Croatian pastries. I loved their simplicity. They weren't covered in super-sweet glazes or filled with heavy egg custards and marmalade. Bakeries are found on every block and pastries cost about 30 cents each. I have great memories of us all getting up early and hiking up many stairs to buy them. Trying to get out before it got too hot to make the steep climb motivated us to get out of the house.
Best Accommodations: LISBON, PORTUGAL AIRBNB
Why: Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of living in Europe in an old home with tall ceilings and windows, shutters, chandeliers, weathered wood floors and a wrought-iron balcony overlooking the town where I could walk to everything. This place fulfilled my Euro-living dreams!
MORE FUN MEMORIES: BMX biking at sunset with Austin in Sagres, Portugal; Entering the Hammam al Andalus spa with Kate in Granada, Spain; Seeing Mount Vesuvius' crater—in person!!; Watching Austin play his favorite sport in a castle court at sunset in Dubrovnik; Enjoying gelato on a warm fall night while sitting in the middle of an open-aired palace in Split, Croatia watching an impromptu couple dirty ballroom dance to a live restaurant band without a care in the world. They gracefully danced across the 1700-year old palace square like no one was watching with the confidence I'll never have! It looked like something you'd only see in the movies. I loved it!
There are old treasures around every corner—Venice
One of many indulgences in Rome.
Sipping coffee in Rome (with a wine chaser!). A European coffee is much smaller than a cup at home.
Walking along the beautiful coast in Korcula, Croatia.
Hanging the laundry on the rooftop in Korcula, Croatia.
One of the many walks by the Vatican. Our Airbnb was minutes from it.
One of the many sculpture rooms in the Vatican.
First stop on the castle crawl—Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal
Second stop on the castle crawl—Pena Castle, Sintra, Portugal
Third stop on the castle crawl—Moorish Castle, Sintra, Portugal
Always have been & always will be in love with European architecture & design—house in Sintra, Portugal
Interactive display in the Red History Museum—Dubrovnik, Croatia
Our usual breakfast on the trip.
I don't have a photo of my favorite breakfast in Scopello, Sicily but this is the view from the hotel dining area.
I never see impromptu dancing like this at home!—Split, Croatia