From San Sebastián, it was about a 3 hour flight (2 flights) to get to Dubrovnik. We love the Sheraton just outside of the old city. You can take the water taxi in when you want to - or not. The Sheraton has a beautiful pool and beach and some good walking in the area it is in. Since we have been a few times in the past, we really didn’t need to spend much time in the city - this was just a little chill time.

Our son Charlie and his wife came to visit for about two weeks, so we did of course go into town to “walk the wall” and to visit one of our favorite spots - “the Hole in the Wall” - a small bar built on the cliffs just through the wall of the city. Enjoy a beverage of your choice (cash only please), and take the leap off the cliff. I had not done this before, but Charlie was going so I had to do it. No problem!

And having met the challenge in Dubrovnik, the next day we took a tour boat to visit several local islands and beaches - and of course we found another rock to dive from. I think it was maybe 100 meters high…or was that 100 inches?? We also found a spot for some cave swimming - Charlie handled this for all of us.

From Dubrovnik we headed to our favorite island - Korcula. We stayed in a beautiful house with a pool, and had access to a boat for the entire time we were here, and we were lucky enough to have great weather for all but maybe one day, so we took advantage of the boat, and toured different islands. The waters here are incredible - warm and clear - and no “predator’s” (i.e. sharks), so the swimming is great. Oh, but do watch for sea urchins - they can do some damage for sure.

After Korcula, we took the fast ferry over to Hvar. We had done a day trip here before, but had never stayed on the island. A bit of a party island reputation, but away from the main city it was not too bad. We were in an AirBNB for a week, while Charlie and his wife spent 3 days and then headed back home. The small islands just off Hvar town are incredible - maybe a dozen of them, with channels in between providing boats shelter and places to anchor. Several places with beaches, bars, and a few restaurants - we had one of our best meals of our trip at one of these - the fresh seafood was awesome.

We also visited the other main town on the island - Stari Grad - a great little fishing village on the other side of the island. A great place to walk around and a much slower pace than in Hvar.

From Hvar, we took the ferry to the island of Brac, and the town of Bol. A very small town, but a great place for 3 days, and chance to see something different once again. We did not do any boat trips, but we did do a land excursion, which was a great way to see some of this beautiful island. We met up with four ladies from England (3 sisters and a friend since childhood), and our guide Tino in his old army vehicle. A great vehicle that could take us on backroads of the island and get us to many interesting places. The Olive Oil Museum was the first main stop we made - in the family for something like 300 years, the current generation had preserved and restored much of the original structure.

From there, we headed over the mountains to Bol (where we were staying) and to the “Golden Horn” beach. A bit “touristy”, but still a nice stop. Then we headed over dirt roads and back on a paved road with many, many switchbacks, up and over the mountain to the highest spot on the island - what a view! And from here, a short drive on to an old shepard’s village - again, in the same family for over 200 years - to enjoy lunch. This was Croatian Peka - meat cooked under “the bell”. Typically lamb or veal (we had both) and vegetables, it is cooked with hot embers placed on top of a cover (the bell) in an open fire. Cooked for 2-3 hours, the meat is incredibly tender - it was excellent!

On the way back to our starting point of Supetar, we drove through a limestone quarry. Amazing to see - this limestone is some of the best in the world for construction and has been used by the ancient Romans, and some say there was even some used to build the White House. Most amazing was maybe the fact that we just drove right in - no safety concerns - no gates - 5-10 ton pieces of stone everywhere and big machinery - but no worries - just drive on through!

We had a great time in Croatia - truly one of our favorite places to visit. But as it’s popularity grows (we saw many more Americans here this year - and many younger ones), the prices have been going up. Starting to think we need to find some new places in. The future. But we do love the sea!

Headed out now - next stop is Sicily and the city of Palermo will be our starting point. More from there in the coming weeks.

Hope everyone is well and staying away from Typhoons and Hurricanes!

Make sure to check out the other photos in the album.

Take care,

Tim & Eileen (on the Wall in Dubrovnik)