Day 27 - Until Next Time, Croatia

We made it into Italy—through the backdoor!! This was a very big deal for us because it determined the direction of our trip for the next few months. If we couldn't get in, we would have headed East to Turkey, but now that we are in the Schengen Area, we have many options heading West.

We were a little nervous about our journey over the border for everything we read about Americans entering the EU varied. Some said, "No American Entry," some said, "Entry OK for all citizens who have been in approved European countries for 14 days," some said, "COVID test required." Well, we just got in. No questions asked. We feel relieved.

We couldn't have done it without the help of our gracious Airbnb host, Zarko, who also happened to be a bus driver in town and a former truck driver through Europe. Having crossed the Slovenia and Italian borders tons of times, he knew what to say and where to go. If we had had to talk to border control ourselves, I probably would have blabbed away and overshared, giving them some reason to send us back to Croatia!!

I can't begin to talk about our arrival in Venice until I give Croatia a proper goodbye. Croatia is like spending time with an old friend—comfortable, familiar, relaxing—and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I'll be forever grateful to it for opening its arms to us during an incredibly uncertain time. Having landed here in the middle of a pandemic, it was a relief to be somewhere where we could let our guard down a little. There were no crowds and people took COVID seriously, social distancing where necessary and always wearing masks indoors.

Croatia gave us a restful place to peel off all the layers of stress from zipping up our lives at home and provided a place that was an easy transition for our kids to get used to living in a foreign country. English is prevalent and the people are wonderful. Our impression of Croats is that they are modest, hardworking, resilient, kind people who take pride in their country.

As a woman, I would not hesitate to travel alone in Croatia. It feels very safe day and night. Upon renting bikes one day, we asked the rental shop employee for a bike lock. She looked at us, puzzled for a second as if no one had ever asked her for one before. We started to explain that we wanted to have the lock in case we stopped for breaks and wanted to walk around for a bit. She said theft isn't a problem and they are not concerned about the bikes being stolen. No bike rental business would ever discourage someone from locking up their bikes at home!!

And last, but surely not least, Croatia is stunning! It's clean, breathtaking coastlines dotted with picturesque swimming holes around every bend are unforgettable. It's medieval towns and neighborhoods are perfection—well-preserved but not pretentious.

We could easily stay here for months, but it's time to move on.

Until next time, Croatia... XOXO

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