Iceland

Iceland has been on our list of places to visit for a very long time. I even found notes from ten years ago when we tried to visit. We felt like spending one week would be a great taste of Iceland, doing the south and west areas of the island, and that two weeks may be needed to do the entire loop (and summer weather). We had a week off school to use in October and figured this could work. This is probably about as late as you would want to go for general tourism (although there are plenty of winter excursions if that is your preferred vacation). We did need to protect sunlight activities and drive in the dark some at this time of year.

Saturday

We flew direct from Dublin and landed around 1pm. We were able to get the rental car and be on the road to Vik by 2. We quickly stopped at a grocery and grabbed some water and a couple light snacks knowing that we could shop that night in Vik. We wanted to be out there by 5 or so to take in a couple sites around town before it was dark. Our drive was quite rainy and overcast, but generally pretty easy. We got to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach around 5:30pm and we were just starting to get some colors of sunset. It was a really nice area with waves crashing on the basalt columns, but calmer waves on the beach. There were a lot of people out viewing the sunset, including a wedding party.

After a couple people got wet, we headed over to town to eat at Black Crust Pizzeria. It was pretty busy but it worked out. We dropped two people off to wait in line to order while the rest of dropped our bags off at Vik Apartments. When we got back, they had ordered and found a table to sit. After dinner we hit the Kronan grocery store for breakfast stuff, lunch food, and more snacks for the car, as our next couple days would not be near any services.

Sunday

We got on the road around 8:30am. The sun was just coming up as we left and it was nice over the mountains. We first stopped at Dyrhólaey cliffs, just west of Vik. It was quite nice and we enjoyed watching the waves crashing. We also noticed snow atop the mountains in the distance to the north.

Our next stop was Solheimajokull glacier. We walked 10 minutes to the viewing platform. Then a few of us walked out to the glacier. There isn't really a good place to safely get on without a guide, but we were able to get on a bit of ice just barely. There were lots of little chunks of ice that had washed up next to the lake. The next stop was Skógafoss waterfall. This is pretty tall with a large carpark. Kacey and Nolan hiked up, while we just stayed down for the views. I went ahead and made a couple sandwiches to eat so we could start driving once everyone was back. The final stop on the south part was Seljalandsfoss waterfall. These are pretty cool and you walk behind them. Nolan walked the loop with us. We stopped in the nearby town of Hvolsvollur to get fuel and buy a couple things at the Kronan grocery store.

We headed an hour north to Gullfoss falls. There is a large carpark here and a big cafe and visitor center. There is a walk to an upper view and stairs down to the lower view. We felt the upper view was better and easier. The sun was great and we even saw a rainbow in the falls. Next was Geysir Park. There are several little smoke holes here and one large geyser. Strokkur Geyser goes off every 8-10 min and is pretty tall. We all got a real good look at a big release and some smaller ones as well.

We them drove to Brúarfoss falls. These are small but pretty and blue. Being off the beaten track made them less busy too. We enjoyed the view a bit and then headed to Efstidalur farm for some fresh made ice cream. The cows were in the barn attached to us, so we were seated next to them while eating ice cream. Also, their spoons are edible cookies! We then started the long drive out to our apartment in the west peninsula. We ended up on not the greatest road for about 11 km, which in the dark was a bit stressful, but we made it to Borgarnes for dinner around 7:30. We ate at Bara and enjoyed our meal. We made it to Eiðhús Apartments by 9 or so.

Monday

We got up and ate some breakfast in the room. We headed out for Snæfellsnes peninsula around 9am and started couter-clockwise at 54-56 intersection on the south side. There were morning clouds but we had good visibility. We started going north over the mountain. Our first stop was Selvallafoss waterfalls. It was hidden from the road but glad we ventured out to have a look. Very pretty and poured out into a lake. A couple minutes north the road ended and we headed west on 54. We stopped at the road to the shark museum (closed for the season) and parked to look at and quickly walk in the lava rock fields, Berserkjahraun. Next we stopped for views at Kolgrafarfjördur Viewpoint. This was really pretty and had a story about an Icelandic Saga.

We next drove through the little town of Grundarfjörður and took a picture of a little church with the mountains in the background. We continued out of town to Kirkjufell falls and mountain. This is a famous picture spot, and is the front cover to Rick Steve's Iceland book. It was beautiful and can't imagine a full sunny day there. We spent almost 30 minutes taking in the view. We went back in to town to use the public wc, after we were able to find it.

We drove about 30 minutes along the coast to Svöðufoss falls. This was an easy walk back to the falls. Kacey took the boys up the side of the hill to the top of the falls. Next we stopped in the town of Hellissandur where the Snæfellsjökull National Park visitors center in located. We thought we may eat a real lunch here, but didn't see much. So a few people ate some cake and soup and lunch sandwiches in the car.

We got back on the road around 1:30 and headed toward Skarðsvík Beach and Svörtuloft Lighthouse. The road was in pretty bad shape and had to drive quite slow. But the beach was worth it. Also, the lighthouse had a view of a neat cliff. We headed toward the Saxhóll Crater. We walked up 385 steps and the view with the mountain from the crater top was better than seeing inside the crater. Next was Djúpalónssandur beach and shipwreck. This is a big open beach with old shipwreck pieces strewn about. The area is protected so the pieces are left alone. There is also a nice overview for those that don't want to walk down to the beach area. We spent about 30 minutes exploring.

Next we stopped at Lóndrangar. It was raining a bit here so Kacey ran out by herself to the viewpoint. This is a picturesque spot in the sun. We continued on to Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge. The rain ended again so we walked up to the gorge. With the layout of the land, it doesn't look steep from the car park, but it is more intense than it looks! We were able to go in the gorge some (you enter the base opening) but most of us were limited due to shoes. Kacey, having proper wellies, went in pretty far. The boys ran up the side of the mountain to a patch of snow and brought some back. We then stopped for dinner in the town of Arnarstapi. There were actually a couple food options. We didn't really time for viewing the stone arch at the sea. We picked Stapinn for dinner and it was pretty good. We got back for bed for early rise to drive for the next morning's tour.

Tuesday

We left at 7:45 for 9:45 arrival at "Into the Glacier" Ice Cave Tour in Húsafell. Snow had fallen but we got there with buffer time we factored in. Our tour started at 10, we actually left around 10:15. They loaned us some water proof over-boots to start. We climbed in to a beast of a machine that is an old NATO missile truck. It took about 30 minutes to ascend to their base camp, and our guide told stories along the way, including Eric's Glacier. We stopped for toilets and just a bit of pictures and snow playing. Then we drove another 25-30 minutes up to the tunnel near the top of Langjökull Glacier. We really lucked out as the view was perfectly clear. We could even see the Snæfellsjökull glacier, about 125 miles away. We had heard the day before they couldn't see 20 feet due to fog. Once we got in the cave, we walked on rubber mats to a room with benches where we put on crampon chains. We walked in quite a ways and heard stories along the way. After 30 minutes we reached the cathedral room. We learned about a wedding that has taken place there and our guide sang a Icelandic lullaby. Learned about the self-healing fissure, summer (dirt) rings, and blue ice where more water was prevalent. It took about 15 minutes to walk back out, we were inside about an hour. On the way down we heard more stories, and learned about the largest forest, which is near Husafell.

We left around 2pm and headed to two nearby waterfalls, favorites of our guide. Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls (mother and daughter saga). The first was unique in how the water looks like it is running out of rocks for a hundred yards or so. The second looks like a deep cut torrent of glacier water. Next was Deildartunguhver, a district heating source. It was pretty neat to be up close walking around the steam vents and bubbling boiling water.

We decided to drive about an hour back north, backtrackking, to see the Gerðuberg Basalt Cliffs, as the main roads had gotten better. Maybe it wasn't worth the drive out of the way, but the two times we drove by it was dark. We made it in to our apartment around 6:30 in Reykjavik. We ate dinner next door at a food hall. We had pizza, Mexican, Icelandic, and Italian gelato.

Wednesday

We finally slowed down a bit today. We walked toward Hallgrimskirkja and stopped in a bakery on the way. Once at the church we went up the tower lift and it happened to be in time for the bells at 11. Then we listened to some organ music once back down in the sanctuary. We walked down toward Rainbow St and checked a few shops. The one public toilet was closed so we had to buy drinks at a restaurant and use their toilet. Colin and I then went for hotdogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a famous hotdog place.  We decided to walk back to hotel and to go to Sky Lagoon in the afternoon.

We obtained reservations for 2:30 and acutally got in the water around 2:45. We did the seven traditional steps, including a cold plunge. We bought a couple drinks along the way as well. We left around 5:15 and enjoyed our time there.

For dinner we bought the kids pizza and the adults went to Brass Kitchen. The lamb was good.

Thursday

Today was more driving to go back to the Golden Circle to see a few things we had missed previously. We started by going to the Geothermal Exhibition at Hellisheidi Power Station. For some engineers, this was a pretty fun way to spend an hour. There was stuff for kids and views of the turbines and generators. We headed east more and stopped in Hveragerði for the Reykjafoss Waterfall. Not that grand but we were across the street from a public (heated) outdoor pool. People were out doing laps.

We then drove to Hespa in Selfoss. Hespa is a yarn and wool company and we visited on of their studios where they do dying and have a little showroom of equipment and processes. Kacey loved it. Next we had a reservation at the Bobby Fischer museum. Iceland gave him residence status and he lived here until he died. We also visited his grave site just outside of town. Mike had a great time visiting and reading while the boys played a quick game of chess.

After eating a little food we headed north to Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park. We hadn't researched this too much but when we got there we realized it is mostly a commemorative grounds for the first Icelandic government. It also has nice views and the Silfra Fissure, a place people snorkel between two continental plates. It was very windy and chilly but the sun came out later and got quite nice. We watched snorkelers, and walked the creeks between plates. We also walked by the old church and Prime Minister's summer residence. We then drove around to the visitor's center, located above the cliffs. The views were nice and we bought some hot chocolate.

Finally we drove by Þórufoss falls on our way back to Reykjavik. It was a quick hike down to get close to the large, powerful waterfalls. Back in Reykjavik we had a quick dinner at chipper and bought some chocolates to share.

Friday

This day we slept in, and our only plans were to walk around Reykjavik. The adults headed toward Rainbow Street, following a walking tour. We stopped at BakaBaka bakery for a few random things. I then had another hotdog. Then we walked along the harbor to the Harpa Concert Hall. We walked around inside a bit. We continued Rick Steve's walking tour doing a small loop. After dodging some rain we saw a big double rainbow. I had been spotting something called happy marriage cake in a few shops and I finally had one at Brauð & Co. It was very good! And yes, I shared. Later in the afternoon I took a scooter ride along the north shore to the west shore. I met Colin for another hotdog and walked back with them.

Kacey and I finally had dinner at Old Iceland, after trying a couple other nights. It was very good and we bought all the food.

Saturday

We packed up and headed south to the Reykjanes peninsula. That night we would stay near the airport for a very early departure. We reached Kleifarvatn Lake around 10:00. It was a little frosty but the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and it was pretty. We headed south a few minutes to Seltún Geothermal Area. This was pretty neat with a lot of bubbling pools and a boardwalk around. Next we drove by Green Lake, but the clouds didn't really let the lake show off its essence, which we were able to see from the car.

Just further south down the road was Krýsuvíkurkirkja church. This was a scenic black church out in the countryside. We then headed down to the coastline to see the Krísuvíkurberg Cliffs. The sun was bursting out of the clouds while we were here. There isn't much to keep you away from the cliff edge, just a little chain link up to your waist. Further west down the coast we came to Hópsnes Lighthouse and shipwreck. The lighthouse wasn't much to look at but the couple shipwrecks in the area all have plaques and tell the stories of what happened.

Then we were in to Grindavik for lunch. Many places were closed but we found Papa's. It was good! The fish and chips were fantastic, the pizza was good, and we even tried an old local dish, hakari, or fermented shark. Many places were closed as this area is experiencing volcanic eruptions.

After lunch we drove to Brimketill lava rock pool. This was really cool with big waves splashing all around. If you wait long enough for a big one, you get wet. There was another great rainbow on our way out. Next we drove to Gunnuhver hot springs. This stop is not as interesting but it is really hot. We then drove out to Reykjanes Lighthouse and Valahnúkamöl cliffs. The sun was great in the sky and the area was quite nice. There was also a neat museum piece in the lighthouse.

Next was the Bridge Between Continents. It was busy when we got there, but it emptied out and was interesting to comprehend. I can imagine in the summer it probably gets super crowded. We drove back to Stampar and Kacey and I walked to the fissure. It was an interesting landscape. We drove to the airport area for hotel rooms at Konvin. After unloading, we drove back out to Hafnir for sunset views. Dinner at the hotel was decent enough.

Thoughts

We got lucky with no real travel delays for late October and the one day we thought we might have one, we just got up earlier to get more time on the road. We planned around shorter days. We saw a large amount of Iceland in eight days. We were busy most days while the sun was up. When driving in remote areas, you need to have food and water with you. Everything is cashless, we never even obtained any kronas. Things are very expensive, just expect that in your planning. We picked Sky Lagoon over Blue Lagoon as it is in Reykjavik. They are similar experiences and we enjoyed Sky.

Croatia and Montenegro

We have wanted to visit Croatia for many years and we finally got there right before school started in August. I also wanted to see Montenegro while there and we were able to see Kotor Bay as well.

Zagreb

We landed in Zagreb at 12:30 and took a taxi in to town to drop our bags at the apartment and eat some lunch. The 3 bedroom apartment at City Wellness was huge and comfortable. We walked toward the main square in Lower Town looking for food. We ended up at Pivnica Mali Medo (on restaurant row) and it was not bad. A good variety of pasta, meat, and beer. After lunch we walked down by the cathedral, which is still under construction from the earthquake of 2020. We walked through the main square to get some ice cream. We walked south through the city park a bit and then headed back to the apartment for a little rest. We stopped in an Asian market Liana spotted and bought a couple drinks. Around 7pm I headed out to eat some meat at a traditional Croatian restaurant and everyone else went to an Asian noodle place. I went to Gostionica Ficlek and they went to Torikaya Ramen Bar. I got Faširanci, spiced meat fritters, and Gemišt to drink, which is wine white mixed with sparkling water. It is a common drink for the area. I also got some cherry strudel, and strudel is widely consumed in Croatia. We met up after eating and walked to Sisters Ice Cream for some blueberry lemon mint goodness.

The next day we had no exact plans except to sleep in and walk some more areas. We headed west to the city park and walked north through it all. There are fountains, dancing guides, gazebos, and flowers. We made it up to the Dolac Market and walked that for a while. We bought some cheese and fruits to snack on. We then started a small walking loop from Rick Steves. We walked through the Oktogon building and then found the beginning of the Grounded Solar System art installation. First is the sun, which is fenced off for construction and possibly to have it cleaned due to graffiti. We ended up next to an Italian restaurant that looked good and people were hungry, so we stopped there for lunch. Al Dente was also ok, and they cut my pizza with scissors! After lunch, we found Mercury and and Earth on the art installation. We then walked toward the funicular and took it up to the Upper Town. We walked by St Marks church which is blocked off by fencing. But, you can still enjoy it's beautiful roof. We then walked down through the Stone Gate, which houses inside a Mother Mary Shrine. We then stopped for ice cream and a drink on the restaurant strip. We also found the Mars part of the art installation. Kacey and the kids were tired so they went to the apartment while I went to the Zagreb City Museum.  It was interesting to learn more about how the city came to be, and the Yugoslav wars. For dinner the kids had pizza and I went to Rougemarin for a steak. The next morning we walked to pick up our rental car and loaded up to leave by 10am for our drive.

Rovinj

The drive had a considerable amount of traffic until about the Karlovac area, where the road split to heard south. We continued straight toward Rijeka and then through the mountains and tunnels to Rovinj. This area used to belong to Italy (among other dynasties in the past) and feels like you are transported back to Italy. It is a dual language town and the food is still heavy Italian. We arrived at our apartment around 3pm and it was a great place. We were a 5-10 minute walk to the old town. We headed in and Liana and I walked around a bit while the others ate some food. There was a wedding going on at the cathedral so no entry. The view seemed like it would have been great from the bell tower. We walked around the north harbor and the little market that is there. We met up and bought some food for breakfast and went to the apartment to relax a bit. We walked in for dinner and ended up at La Fondiaria. We got gnocchi and local fuzi pasta with black truffles. We found really good ice cream after at Ombra lab. After dinner the sunset was really nice to watch at the north harbor. We hung out taking pictures at night at the south harbor.

Istria: Motovun, Završje, Grožnjan, and Buje

Today we planned to drive around the hill towns of Istria. We started first in Motovun. We had great views of the town on the drive in. We really liked this town, and it is the bigger of the towns we visited for the day. There was a great ramparts walk with a lot of great views. Also, some really good food with a view. There was also a little free outdoor museum that talks about the importance of the forests in the area. I also tried a limoncello spritz walking around. We ate a good lunch at Montana Gallery. We got the traditional pljukanci rolled pasta with black truffles.

On our drive to Zavrsje, we drove through Oprtalj. We drove in from the south, but on the north side of town is a really nice view of the town, so while we didn't stop in this tiny town, we did stop for a view on the way out. We then arrived in Zavrsje, which is a mostly abandoned, little town. We saw cats and a donkey, but no people. There were castle ruins and a church that is boarded up with a bell tower that is leaning. There are no services in town.

We next drove toward Grožnjan, which is a town that was nearly abandoned at one time, but now has been taken over by artists. We heard music being played, lots of paintings out for sale, and Kacey found a shop where the guy makes these little stone house things (hard to describe). We also got a little ice cream and a coke on the hot day. There were also some metal art of ships in a plaza.

We headed to Buje next, not sure if we would get out of the car. We did see a EuroSpar, so we stopped for some water and sunscreen. We parked in Buje and walked in to the old town. We found a scenic lookout and then considered going in the old fortress tower, but the owner was a little off-putting. We headed toward Brtonigla to potentially eat some dinner, as it is known for being a town with good restaurants. We drove for a few minutes and didn't really find what we were looking for, so we drove back to Rovinj to eat dinner at Pizzeria Stari Grad Rovinj, as their pizzas smelled very good the previous night. They were pretty good and we were well positioned for more ice cream after dinner again. Kacey tried Gelateria I Nonni for ice cream and it was also very good (and busy).

The next morning we woke up and made a couple trips in to town to photograph the old town with the rising sun at the north harbor. It was very pretty. We got on the road to Plitvice National Park via Pula.

Pula

We wanted to quick stop in Pula to see the Arena and eat some lunch before the long drive back inland. The arena is a surviving Roman amphitheatre that still has all 4 sides. It is still used for some music concerts! We walked the old town toward the market area for lunch. The market area didn't have as many lunch options as we were hoping, but we made it work. After some ice cream (again, quite hot), we got back on the road for the coastal route toward the park.

We drove toward Novi Vinodolski to make a stop at Cave Beach. Parts of the coastal drive are nice, but some are average driving. Kacey enjoyed sitting at the "beach", eating some snacks, and getting in the water for just a couple minutes. The water was crystal clear, but she was consumed in just enjoying it and didn't take any pictures. We got in for a couple more hours of driving toward Korenica, where our apartment was for the night. We ate at Restaurant TIME next door. I enjoyed my meat platter with mead liqour. I got some baklava for dessert while Kacey took the kids to the grocery for some ice cream.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

This NP is rated as one of Europe's most beautiful parks. It also gets extremely busy. It helps to buy your entry ahead of time online, and it also helps to review their website to see what walking path you may want to take.  We had decided on route H, which was a long mix of both paths and a boat trip across the lower lake. You are free to make your own path as some guide books point out. We did end up in a couple queues along the way, but it was manageable. You need plenty of water and snacks for the day, and use the toilet before starting. At the top of upper lakes (after the tram ride), there are not really big views for a while. The side path up to a lookout is worth it (about 10 minutes in). The walk is full of little waterfalls, big waterfalls, crystal clear water, and great views. You can clearly see fish swimming around, and fallen trees 10 feet down. We took the boat north across the lake to the area with some food. We got in line straight away to buy some sandwiches and drinks. The boat line to head back south was unreal in length, but we were walking another small loop and taking the shuttle back. For dinner we went to Šapina. I got some suckling pig and Liana got another pizza. We also got some nutella crepes for dessert.

In the morning I drank coffee on the balcony and enjoyed the sunrise over the mountains. We got packed up for our drive to Dubrovnik via Split.

Split

We were hoping to sit on a beach for a little while and eat some lunch. Parking was insane and after some driving around we snagged a spot on a dead end street that wasn't too far from the old town, but not the beach. We got some lunch in a food court area near the water and train station. Nothing was very good and it took forever. We walked over to the old town and got some ice cream while Nolan and I went up the bell tower. The views were nice. The old town has a lot of Roman ruins, but doesn't take too long to walk around. We got in the car by 2:15 or so for the 3 hours to Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik

We got in our apartment by 5:30 or so. We had quite the apartment debacle, but we had a place to stay. I dropped everyone off near Buza gate, dropped the car at the airport, and taxied back to the old town to join them for dinner. They had found Nico's and it was good enough. We ate a little ice cream and got back for bed for our early rise the next morning.

Montenegro

We booked a tour of Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor. We got picked up at 7am and started the drive. Within an hour we had crossed the border to leave the EU, which involves an exit out of Croatia, and then a separate entry in Montenegro. By 8:40 we had stopped and were taking our first look at Our Lady of the Rocks Church in the Bay of Kotor. Traffic around the bay backs up, as there is mostly 1 main road that winds all the way around the bay. By 9am we were getting ready to board a little boat for our trip to the church island. This island started off hundreds of years ago as a top of an underwater mountain that rose above the water just a couple meters. Over centuries, people took more and more rocks out to build the island. Now a church stands on the island and the top of the rock is reachable from a small hole behind the altar. By 9:20 we had landed on the island and we explored the tiny island and church for 30 minutes. On our way back we drove around the second island which is where the priest lives. In hindsight we should have walked around Perast more, but we got on the road toward Kotor.

We arrived in Kotor around 10:40 and were dropped off near the south side of town at the fortress. We had a few hours to walk around and eat some lunch. We walked the ramparts north to the wall. The wall makes its way up the mountain, but we didn't go up there (and it may not be open to the public). We went back down in to town off the wall and found lots of cats! They seemed to have a little cat village area. We walked the streets for a while and looked in a couple shops. We were waiting for some places to open for lunch, and we wanted a place with indoor seating to get away from the smoke and to cool off. We found a place that opened at 12, but it was 11:40. We walked around a bit more and went back and he invited us to come sit inside and wait on the kitchen to open. Kacey walked around a bit more while we cooled off just a bit. This lunch was pretty good, we all had good food at Scala Santa. After lunch we grabbed some ice cream and went to meet our driver. Ivan took us up the mountain to crossover to Tivat next. On the way up, he stopped at a fantastic viewpoint of Kotor.

Our next and final stop was Tivat. This area is known as the russian playground, as they don't need a visa to enter here and the area caters to the rich. Lots of large boats and yachts and fancy stores. We walked around town for 20 or 30 minutes, and it was pretty dead in the middle of the day. We bought some cold drinks and walked along the water, trying to stay out of the sun. We loaded up to catch a ferry across the bay to significantly shorten our drive home. The ferries run constantly so we didn't even really wait, they were loading when we pulled up. The crossing only takes 10 minutes or so, and we talked about muscle cars while waiting. There are no services on the boat since it is so short, so we just sat in the van AC.

The ride back was similar. Traffic exiting the boat, and a longer line to go through both security checkpoints this time. But by 5 we had crossed back in to the EU.

Dubrovnik

We got to our apartment around 6 and Kacey, Liana, and I decided to walk to Uvala Lapad Beach to get in for a bit. It was a great sunset spot and while the beach is pebbles, wearing flip-flops made it just fine. It was a great cool-off. We decided to eat dinner in Lapad, even though we were restricted with things being open due to the holiday of the Assumption of Mother Mary. It was already late and we would have to deal with more taxis instead of a 7 minute walk. We passed our apartment owner on the way out and he reiterated Pizzeria Scala, so we went there. Soon after we were seated it started to fill up. The pizzas were good.

The next day we had to pack everything up to store in the owners space upstairs, as we were moving close to the airport that night. We headed out around 9:30 to taxi to the old town. Our plan was to do the ramparts first before the heat got out of control. We started around 10am from Ploce Gate going counter clockwise (the direction they make everyone go). This is probably the better views of the town from here as you are higher up looking down. By 10:30 we were near Pile Gate. This stretch did offer one drink spot, but we didn't stop. The next part heads toward the water and is downhill a bit and offers a nice view of the Stradun, the largest street that runs through town. It is then back uphill just a bit to walk along the water. By about 10:50 we reached a drink bar with nice views of the ocean, so we stopped for some drinks and their bathroom. After an almost 30 minute break we started walking the last bit of the wall. This part had more water views, and views of the harbor. By 11:45 we were headed down to Stradun and started looking for some lunch. We found Dundo Maroje and it was close, had appealing food, and had indoor seating (again, it was quite hot).

For the rest of afternoon we were just going to stroll around with no real agenda. We followed Rick Steves guide a bit, but Nolan wasn't feeling well so we slowed down. We walked through St. Blaise’s Church and The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. We peeked in the Rector's Palace but didn't go in for a tour. We read about the bell tower and Orlando's Column. History in the town is interesting through earthquakes and wars, including the 1990s. We went to Peppino’s for some ice cream to cool off. We got some water from Onofrio's fountain, it was nice and cold! We initially were thinking to stay in town until early dinner, but people were getting hot and tired from a long week. So we headed to grab our bags and then taxi out to the airport for our apartment there (for a 6am flight the next morning). We got to our apartment by around 5. It was a new apartment and the owner showed us the small pool that was complete enough to start using. We walked next door to Domestico to eat some dinner, and grabbed a couple pastries from the grocery next door.

Summary

We tried to see a lot in a week, which required a lot of driving. It was absolutely doable, though. And there are plenty of apartments available for families. We knew this going in, but August is quite hot there. We kept a lot of water around and made sure our apartments had AC. The tour of Montenegro was nice because we had already driven a lot, when leaving the EU our driver used a different road, cell data doesn't work outside the EU, he knew all the spots to go, we didn't have to park, he knew the history, and rental cars works different outside the EU. These are all things you could tackle with time to plan, but we planned this trip last minute. Plitvice Lakes Park requires entry time tickets booked online in advance; an early start here is essential. And with better planning, you can create your own route that goes against the crowds. But, with our ~9:30 start on the 'H' route, there were crowds and a couple queues, but they were manageable.

Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland, 2024

For bank holiday weekend, we traveled to the Antrim Coast, an area we quickly visited in 2013. We left school an hour early to get ahead of traffic in Dublin and we got to our apartment in Ballycastle around 6:30. It doesn't seem like there is a lot of parking along the harbour, but we could always find a spot. Our apartment overlooked the harbour and playground and was a great location. We walked up the hill a bit to eat at Nellie Rua's. No restaurants amazed us while there, but oh well. There was a Spar next to our apartment, as well as 3 ice cream options, so we got some desserts Friday night.

Saturday morning we had 10am reservations at Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. During covid a few popular sites started timed entry. There were plenty of tickets when we bought a couple days in advance but by the time we were leaving the bridge area, we heard they were starting to sell out. The weather was absolutely beautiful. After crossing the bridge we stayed on the island taking silly family pictures, the kids had fun pretending to jump off the cliff. We had views of Scotland on this day! Our plan was to grab lunch food in Ballycastle and start driving east/southeast along the Coastal Causeway toward Glenarm Castle and see how far we could make it. Lunch was not easy or good, should have just made sandwiches. 

All the drives for the Coastal Route were really nice, scenic, and winding. We first drove by Fairhead, the cliff you can see from Ballycastle. We were a little confused as there was a massive climb fest going on, had to pay to park, and signs that said no trespassing. We learned later we probably could have made it work, but we continued on to drive by the Cold War Naval listening station (decommissioned). We also drove by a sign for Murlough Bay and made a note of it to stop by later if we had time (which we didn't). Our next stop was Torr Head. We grabbed the last spot and took Colin up the hill with us. The views were great and Colin liked the abandoned building. We then drove the coast road to Cushendun. Here there is a beach strand and some caves. We walked the beach just for a couple minutes, then drove over to the caves. The caves are just an area you walk around and explore. The kids had fun and it is a neat area. Next we drove the coast road toward Glenariff. We stopped at Layd Church along the way. We wanted to stop at Sandstone Arch, but the road is narrow and there is no where near to stop. It was a nice drive, though. When we got to the Glenariff area, we decided to head in toward the Glenariff Forest Park. We paid to park in the lot and decided to do the waterfalls hike. If you are wanting to visit the waterfalls, I recommend you park at Laragh Lodge Restaurant. It is a 5 minute walk to see these waterfalls from their back door, and then you can sit and have a Guinness instead of walking an hour in and out of the canyon from the upper forest park lot. We drove 40 minutes back to Ballycastle and had pizza at Thyme Cafe (they do pizza on Saturday nights), and Kacey had a delicious chai. The kids played at the playground at the harbour for a while, and Liana even went out to play on the beach a bit. After another round of ice cream and dessert, we got to bed.

Sunday morning we had reservations at Giant's Causeway at 10am, mostly to get us up and in there before the crowds hit. It was another really nice day, just a bit more overcast. The crowds were not too bad when we got out there and we were able to get plenty of pictures without having other people in our shots. By the time we left, it was starting to get crowded and the car park was full and backed up. We enjoyed walking around on the columns with low summer tides. The black rocks indicate high tide during winter and its quite a big difference (it was high when we visited in 2013). I recommend checking tides and if you have flexible plans, don't visit during high tide. Kacey took the long route back which goes further east and then up the cliff wall and across. I took the kids to the tide pools on the walk back out. We didn't spot anything except for dead crabs and huge 3 leaf clovers. When we all met back at the visitor center, Kacey said I should run up and check out the view. So Nolan and I ran up the hill for really nice views and a sheer drop cliff with no indication. We got on the road for Portrush for some lunch.

Portrush was starting to get quite crowded but we lucked out with a parking spot right next to a potential restaurant, so we just took it. The food was average but we had a decent view of the water. We drove around the harbour area on our way out and it was quite crowded. There was some kind of car show event going on and traffic in town was pretty bad. We were slightly against it so we didn't wait too long. We went west to Rinagree Point. It was a nice view, if you get out to the correct car park. Next we got to the east of town and stopped at White Rocks Beach. Kacey and I walked out to it, it is a pretty big sandy beach with cliffs as the back drop. The next stop was Magheracross view, looking down the cliffs toward Wishing Arch. This little car park was packed with people standing in line for an ice cream truck. We walked out to the two viewpoints of the cliffs, another really nice view. Just down the road a bit further was Dunluce Castle. We had previously visited the ruins, so this time we took the free trail down near the rocks and base of the tower. We had reached it just in time as that trail closes early at 3:30pm. Our next stop was Dunseverick Castle. There is a very small carpark but we grabbed the last spot, almost in the road. I took the boys down and up the walk to the castle, and then for view of the coast. We walked by some sheep on the way back and climbed the hill for fun on the way out. Along the coast drive we headed down the hill to Ballintoy Harbour, but there was no where to park, and the hike to Elephant and Skull Rocks seemed longer than we wanted to try. Our last stop of the day was Kinbane Castle. It is a big descent down to the rock peninsula where the ruins are, but it was worth it. We spotted a random sheep on a cliff edge just hanging out, not quite sure how it got there. We headed back in to town for some food and more playground and beach time. Kacey and I tried Morton's at the harbour for fresh fish and chips.

The next day we hadn't planned yet. The weather was not a good so we skipped visiting a bay nearby and went to the Belfast Zoo. It was pretty dead but we enjoyed seeing some animals without the crowds for about 2.5 hours.

Krakow and Berlin

For spring break 2024, we traveled to Krakow and Berlin with Kacey's parents. We have wanted them to visit Poland for a long time as he is one quarter Polish and grew up on some polish specialties. 

Krakow

We landed in Krakow around 1pm and got to our hotel around 2:30. We stayed in a 3 bedroom apartment right off Maly Rynek (little market) square, which is 1 block from the main square. The Easter Market had just started on the main square with loads of food and vendors. We got a few pierogi at Przypiecek and ice cream while walking around. Also ate some food at the market. In-laws arrived around 6 and we went for dinner at U Babci Maliny.

The next morning we got some pastries from Lajkonik for breakfast. Everyone but Nola and and Chris went to the St Mary's Basilica church. We all got more food at the market. This day we visited the Pinball museum, which also had lots of old arcade games. We did all you can play for 1 hour and had fun. For dinner, we had more market food.

We visited the Illusion Museum the next morning. Then once again hit the market for lunch food and booked Oskar Schindler's Factory museum tour at 2:15.

The next morning we visited Wawel Castle. We battled rain just a bit at the beginning. Several exhibits are closed on Monday but remaining were free. First we saw the Cathedral (not free) and went up bell tower. Then ate a snack. Then persian tents and then the armory. Last was Lost Wawel (still excavating areas). When leaving we walked down to view the Dragon.

Then more market food for snack. Dinner back at U Babci Maliny. The next morning we caught our direct flight to Berlin.

Berlin

Landed around 1:30 and took a taxi to Alexanderplatz. By 4pm we got to Hofbrau Munchen for german food and beer. Found Cuore di Vetro gelato that night, very good.

Woke up and taxiied to Berlin Wall Remains at Zimmerstrasse. Then walked to Checkpoint Charlie. After a snack walked to Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Walked past US Embassy to Brandenburg Gate. Just took in the view of Reichstag without visiting. We walked down to Potsdamerplatz for the Easter market, but it didn't start until the following day. So we ate some lunch at Lindenbrau. Then walked to gelato at Caffe e Gelato. Stopped by Spy Museum to buy tickets for the following day. Stopped in Mall of Berlin for the Lego shop. Walked to Neuhaus chocolate. Walked north then east toward Dom Cathedral. In laws and small kids took taxi back to hotel. We walked around the buildings of museum island and checked the TV tower entrance but saw it took 2 hours to wait. Found dinner at Bar Internazionale, good pizza. Then walked back to gelato.

Woke up and went to the cathedral (prebooked tickets night before). Organ was playing and nice views on the outside of the dome. Then went to German Historic Museum for the "Roads Not Taken" exhibit. Then taxi to Potsdamerplatz for lunch at the market. This Easter market much smaller than Krakow, but had a meat swing, dessert pizza stand, and a pesto pasta stand. Also some gluwein. Then we had 2:15 entry to Spy Museum. Nolan and I had dinner at Hofbrau and others went to asian food. Then back to gelato!

I took the boys up the TV tower the next morning (got 9am entry tickets). They enjoyed the views. Then we taxiied to Mauerpark. Looking for cherry trees in bloom but kids just played for a bit. Walked north looking for trees and found a few.  Taxiied to Berlin Wall Memorial. Nice exhibit. Walked to Restaurant Nuovo Firenze and spoke Italian for lunch. In-laws and Liana taxiied to the Olympic stadium. We walked by the Samuri museum (but expensive) and then walked past Sofia church and Jewish cemetery. Walked down to museum island and walked around a bit, played at the fountain. Then Nolan and I went to DDR museum, it was very busy. Everyone went to Hofbrau for dinner.