As the 2013 is coming to an end, many bloggers look back reflecting on what they’ve achieved (or not). For us, 2013 didn’t include lots of extensive traveling. We moved out from our old house, and bought a new apartment.
We owed some money to our family and just didn’t feel right traveling while owing money. However, we did lots of small trips in Croatia and some in Europe.
January: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Every year we have the same big travel plans for our end of the year vacation. We start planning our winter holidays the day we come back from our summer vacation. For months we keep talking about all the great places we could visit. We plan the budget, we plan the itinerary, we pick the restaurants we want to try out, we check the hotels where we would like to stay. The closer the Christmas time, the less we talk about our big, up-coming trip. As we approach December, we admit one to another that there is actually only one place where we really want to spend our winter vacation. It’s at my in-laws’ home in a small seaside village, not far from Dubrovnik. On New Year’s Eve we always visit Dubrovnik.

February: Terme Olimia, Slovenia
In February we went for a wellness weekend break in Slovenia. This spa & wellness resort is located in a small village Podcetrtek. There is nothing to do there, except to enjoy spa & wellness center. It turned out not to be our kind of a weekend break. Maybe we’ll sound like two goofs, but we found it rather boring. I guess too relaxed and too healthy is just not our thing.

March: Restaurant hopping in Istria
Traditional Istrian dishes are hearty including beans soup, stews, game, sausages, and alike. It’s a perfect winter food to warm you right up. Istria is also the most advanced region in Croatia when it comes to food, wine, and dining options in general. There are many great little restaurants serving home made dishes with fresh, local produce. March was a month of restaurant hopping in Istria. We had to balance this healthy February wellness break.

April: Frankfurt, Germany
In April, we went to Frankfurt on a five days city break. It was my first time in Frankfurt. Sure, I passed through Frankfurt Airport many times, but I had never been to the town before. I enjoyed Frankfurt a lot. It’s true that after spending a winter in our small seaside village (where nothing ever happens during the winter), I enjoy more or less any big town.

May: Wine sipping in Istria
There is no better place to be in May, but Istria. It’s a month of wine celebration. It strts with a yearly wine fair – Vinistra, followed by Wine weekend in Porec, and finally with open cellars day. May is always all about sipping the wine. To let you know how much we love it, it’s enough to say that we cancelled our San Sebastian trip that was (wrongly) scheduled in May.

June: Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb is Croatian capital. It’s a lovely town. And we visit it quite often. We even lived in Zagreb for six months once.

July: Camping Sirena, Novigrad
Novigrad is almost our hometown. But we were technically tourists in this same place. We decided to rent out our own apartment. The plan was simple: when we had guests, we would move to my aunt’s apartment. She lives in Zagreb, but has an apartment in Istria. However, the things never work out the way we imagine they will. My aunt lives in Zagreb and basically comes to Istria only few times a year. But the very same week that we rented our apartment, not only that my aunt came, but my sister with a family of four came to visit too. And a cousin with her husband and 2 friends. Yes, we ended up renting a cottage in the nearby campsite. And paying almost the same as what we’ve been making with a rental. We didn’t get rich, but hwe had a fabulous weekend by the sea.

August: Krka Waterfalls
We planned for years to stop at Krka Waterfalls, as they are on our way from Istria to Dalmatia. And we go at least five times a year to Dalmatia. In August, we finally visited Krka Waterfalls. They are awesome!

September: Dinosaur Park, Funtana
This is another place close to our home. But we always thought it’s dull. When my niece and nephew came to visit us, we took them to Dino park. It turned out to be one of the better activities to do in Istria with small children.

October: Zadar, Croatia
Zadar was fun. We spent a weekend there in October.

November: Split, Croatia
It wasn’t our first time in Split. But this time we stayed there the entire weekend. We had a great time.

December: Côte d’Azur, France
This was a business trip. But hey, it’s Côte d’Azur, and it is always a pleasure, either you visit it on business or leisure (this actually rhymes!). We stayed in Cannes, but visited Antibes and Nice as well.

Sorry, Jon! It’s not ’cause Zadar is less exciting than the rest of the places we visited. It’s just because we’ve been there only few times so far (and always spent a short time in the town – in October we stayed in Punta Scala resort, and went for a day trip to Zadar; and earlier we stayed inland in a small village Pridraga, and again only visted Zadar for a day). So we still don’t feel experts on Zadar. But now you’ve given us a challenge to take on – get to know Zadar better, and write more about it. Where are you staying? Maybe we can all meet for a drink during your stay there?
Enjoy your blogs and pics, but was a bit ‘underwhelmed’ to read here:
“Zadar was fun. We spent a weekend there in October.”
I’m starting to get really excited about my trip to Zadar in May, (as Mrs Chasing the Donkey can testify through twitter), and it only gets one solitary line :-(
Am well excited to be visiting Šibenik, Trogir, Split and Zadar. At least the one line it got was positive! ;)
Thanks for stopping by, Tonya, and for spreading the word.
These are great pictures. I love your blog. It is quite resourceful. I have several friends who travel at least 6 months out of the year. I am going to recommend your blog.
Hi Heather, thanks! Also if you need any information or help, let us know.
I’m moving to Eastern Europe this summer and can’t wait to visit all of these places! I think you blog is going to be a good resource for me :-)
Thanks so much for stopping by. Glad you’ve limed my photos. Where in Croatia are you going?
Planning a trip to Croatia for a week in April, and your photos definitely inspire me…I can’t wait!
Hi Emily, so happy that Zagreb left a good impression on you. And that you are coming back. Let us know when you are in Zagreb, and we will buy you a drink.
Hi Mary, thanks so much for your comment. I am glad that you are considering to visit Croatia. It’s a beautiful country. Let us know if we can help you with anything, once you decide to visit Croatia.
Oh my gosh, that pic of Zagreb made my heart skip a beat–we went for a whirlwind visit years ago–Portorož, Venice, and Zagreb–and we got an amazing impression of that city. We plan to go back for at least a month this year! Thanks for the gorgeous post.
You had quite a year of travel even if it’s not extensive. Trips close to home are some of the best. Blogging about it makes the rest of us feel inspired to travel there. I love your Croatia pictures since I’ve wanted to visit for awhile now. Looking forward to learning more. Those food pictures look so delicious! Wishing you the very best in 2014! Safe travels!
Adelina, it actually was a great activity, especially for small kids. We all ended up having a blast!
Love your photos! Dino park might look a little lame, but I’d be all over it. All that food you had in Istria looks so amazing.
It’s my favorite weekend in Istria! Let us know if you decide to attend. We can meet up for a glass of wine. Happy New Year to you too!
Thanks for the reminder about Vinistra. I’m going to begin figuring out right now how to schedule some time there. :) Happy New Year to you from Ljubljana!
Hi Sharon, it was a pretty good year. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks, Samantha! Happy New Year to you too!
It’s a deal! The same goes for you, next time you visit Istria.
What gorgeous pictures!! It looks like you had a fabulous year, full of awesome travel!
Great round up! All those food pics in your restaurant hopping look yummy! Can’t wait to see more beautiful photos of Croatia this coming 2014 :) Happy New Year you two!
Next time you’re in Zadar, you must stop and say hi! Happy New Year!