Like the rest of the world, we, too, experienced intense heat this summer. No bueno! While it was pretty unbearable in Bucharest in July – it got even worse in Croatia. [August] In Zagreb & Split, I needed to get up about 6:30 a.m. so I could go out and get some walking exercise before temperatures hit the high 90’s in temperature and humidity. [I really miss Aquafit!] It’s a good thing that we made sure to have air conditioning in our summer Airbnbs!
One of our Croatian discoveries is that their wine is VERY good! We found a beautiful wine bar in Zagreb [cool & comfortable] and experienced a private wine tasting. We learned a lot about the wine regions which helped us to order wine with some semblance of knowledge. Croatians refer to themselves as a Boutique Wine Country – since they don’t export very much. We like boutique!
In spite of the heat and thanks to Uber, we enjoyed a variety of local restaurants. Our culinary adventures have been delectable! One of our more unique dishes was at Otto & Frank’s: The ‘Zagreb Breakfast’ consisted of Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream, Horseradish as the base, Grilled Ham, “Crispy Poached Eggs” [cooked sous vide and the rolled in a delicious light breading] fresh spinach, radish & spring onions on a slab of toasted bread. Whew! Michael diversified by having scrambled eggs instead of the poached. My variation was without the Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream – but the Sous Vide Poached Eggs were awesome!!
Not a morning person?… 
A Zagreb breakfast!
Eventually, we pushed ourselves away from the table and went off to enjoy the Museum of Illusions. Fun stuff!
A picture is worth a 1000 words.
Heads up! 
To Infinity & Beyond! 
Trick of the eye
After a week of eating and drinking in Zagreb, we headed south to Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Where is and what is a Plitvice, you ask?
From the their website:
The oldest, largest and most visited of seven Croatian National Parks, Plitvice Lakes became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. It is a complex of sixteen lakes linked together with a series of travertine waterfalls. Although the lakes surface covers only two square kilometers, the park area stretches over 200 km2 to surrounding mountains and adjoining rivers.
It was gorgeous and an awesome opportunity to hike – for me.
Michael needed to opt out. He had been experiencing quite a bit of pain from Plantar Fasciitis and the 14 miles that I hiked over two days would have been unbearable for him. He rested in the peace and quiet of our B &
B, Villa Lika, enjoying the clean country air, surrounded by verdant hills. Upon returning from my hikes, I shared my pictures, (of which there are many), with him. I’ll post a few – hopefully, they’ll convey the natural beauty that Mother Nature has provided.
Leaving the calm of the country we headed further south to the coastal city of Split. We had heard that August is the height of the tourist season. Just about everyone in Europe is on holiday for the entire month. Turns out – it’s true! And they were all in Split- or so it seemed. It’s one of the most popular destinations for a European holiday [aka vacation] in spite of the heat. When the crowds subsided in September, we could tell that the tourist season was finally winding down and school was resuming for the young’uns. The difference in population was significant.
Over 1000 islands are off the Croatian coast in the stunning crystal clear blue-green Adriatic Sea. One of the closer islands, Brač, ‘called to us.’ We ferried over to the island [an hour] & then bussed [another hour] to the white pebbled – make that ‘rocky’ Golden Cape beach near the town of Bol. It was lovely. Lots of trees for shade, restaurant/bars, chaise lounges, umbrellas, parasailing, paddle boarding etc. We lounged, people watched and napped. A very successful outing! I’m starting to catch on to this thing called ‘retirement’. It’s taken awhile!
We have a few more restaurants to hit and another beach outing on our agenda before we head to Western Europe. We’ll be heading to Lisbon, Portugal.