Nature is a balm to the soul. I sought to surround myself with as much of it as I could afford when I left the suburbs of Atlanta and moved to the woods 25 years ago seeking a refuge from the hurried, harried pace of my life. My youngest child dubbed our home among the trees “Tin Can Gulch.”
Decades later, that child is suffering through the death of a long relationship and I have traveled to her adopted home in the Netherlands to offer her a mother’s comfort. One look at my daughter and I knew she needed to leave heartbreak and the bustle of Amsterdam behind for a serene sojourn in the forest.
The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku — forest bathing. It’s not hiking, jogging or counting steps. Rather, it’s slowing down and immersing yourself in the woods to engage all your senses. Touch a tree. Smell the fresh air. Listen to the birds. Watch the sunlight play with the tree leaves.
The Schovenhorst land area near Putten.
It’s just what a frazzled heart needs. Science says so. A couple of hours of forest bathing significantly lowers cortisol (stress hormones), reduces blood pressure, and improves heart rate variability. What’s more, trees release antimicrobial organic compounds called phytoncides to protect themselves. Inhaling these compounds boosts human immune function and increases natural killer (NK) cell activity.
In other words, chilling out in the woods calms you down and makes you feel good.
With that in mind, we headed for Otterlo, a small village bordering the Hoge Veluwe National Park. We encamped in a vacation rental nestled in the Dutch bos (forest). Birdsong filled the air as we bathed in phytoncides.
A beauty in the Veluwe
A few days in the Veluwe was a balm to our spirits, but left us thirsty for more. We ventured northwest to the small town of Putten to explore the Schovenhorst land area.
We enjoyed long walks in the bos, soaking up the peaceful beauty surrounding us…
Into the bos
and appreciated the man-made contributions to the forest as well.
Woodhenge — an artistic homage to StonehengeA forest tower in Schovenhorst
We marveled at the small and large tree gardens containing trees from around the world.
Walking in a tree gardenA Giant Sequoia
Mother Nature comforted and consoled as only a mother can, helping my daughter rest, quiet her mind and regain her footing.
I have been soaking in the majestic Italian Alps for more than a couple of weeks now. I have also been soaking in thermal springs while in the Italian Alps.
Bormio, site of alpine sking events during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, is a great place for thermal spas, but you have to get there first.
Getting to Bormio from Villa di Chiavenna was an adventure. The first leg was on a local bus to St. Moritz, Switzerland. It’s quite a scenic bus ride.
As seen on Bus 604 from Chiavenna to St. Moritz
We arrived in St. Moritz with three hours to spare before catching the famous Bernina Express to Tirano.
St. Moritz enjoying the spring thaw.
St. Moritz was made famous by hosting the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics as well as a number of other winter and sailing sporting events. The beautiful Lake St. Moritz was still frozen solid during our visit.
Lake St. Moritz in early April.
The Bernina Express has been operating since 1910 and has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2008. The train ride between St. Moritz and Tirano is one of the most scenic in Europe.
Despite my best efforts, I found it difficult to capture photos on the packed train car during the two-plus-hour-ride. Frankly, the photo ops on the hour-plus bus ride to St. Moritz had been more plentiful.
Frozen lake on the way to Tirano.
Once in Tirano, we still had an hour-plus bus ride to Borimo. Our stay in Borimo was brief — just one full day. We chose to spend it soaking in the Alps. But first we had to get to the Bagni Vecchi Hotel and Spa. That, of course, required a bus ride followed by a 1.25 mile hike up a mountain to the thermal spa.
Scenic views on the trail to Bagni Vecchi.
The climb was well worth it as the pools and views were stunning.
A pool with a view.
My alpine adventure ends in Bormio. Tomorrow begins the long trek home — where I can soak in the hot tub on the back deck of Tin Can Gulch. Take it from me, there’s no better soak in the world.
“Get off the bus at the pharmacy and walk 300m towards Switzerland.”
So began my visit to the second town in my Italian alpine adventure — Villa di Chiavenna, a tiny village on the outskirts of the larger Chiavenna located a hop, skip and a jump from Switzerland on Italy’s northern border.
Villa di Chiavenna
On the short bus ride from the Chiavenna train station to the pharmacy I heard German, Italian, and English. The only language not represented was French — until we met our AirBnB hostess who spoke Italian and French, but not a smidgen of English. Google Translate to the rescue since we have no Italian and minimal French
Our first full day in Villa di Chiavenna was spent strolling around the village perched amid the mountains and admiring the views.
Alps in every direction.
The river Mera runs through this village and on to Chiavenna. Looking at it from above is quite spectacular.
River Mera
This area is famous for grotto restaurants, but our first dining experience required that we essentially climb up a mountain to a local spot — Pos Motta Dagò. The food was fantastic and so abundant we brought leftover polenta with mushroom sauce home. But I enjoyed the scenery on the hike to and from the restaurant almost as much as the delicious meal.
A rustic scene.
Day Two saw us walking toward Switzerland again to check out the local lake. Walking trails populated both sides of the beautiful mountain lake.
Lago di Villa di Chiavenna
The lake is fed by the Mera River and the water is used for hydroelectric power in the area.
Mera running into the lake.
Between Chiavenna and Villa di Chiavenna is a beautiful waterfall that dumps into a small tributary to the river Mera. Walking and hiking paths abound.
AcquafraggiaRainbows danced at the base of the waterfall.
The ancient town of Chiavenna was a hot spot for travellers in the 19th century. Mary Shelley, Goethe and George Eliot, to name a few, rhapsodized about the Italian jewel. Beautiful, sunlit Chiavenna marked entry into Italy via the Splügen Pass, one of the first transalpine passes connecting northern Europe to the warmer south.
Sunny Chiavenna
Today, most travellers skip Chiavenna and head 60 miles south to Como with its luscious lake or head north to St. Moritz. Methinks they’re missing out.
Picturesque views abound.Buildings along the river date to the 16th century.River Mera is a centerpiece of the town.
The Swiss village of Soglio is about five miles from Villa di Chiavenna and dates back to the 12th century.
Soglio
I smothered the urge to yodel as I took in the magnificent views surrounding Soglio.
The hills are alive with the sound of spring.
Soglio’s cobblestone streets and low, rock walls beg visitors to roam even on a cold day in early spring when winter is hanging on by its fingernails.
Soglio defines rustic charm.
It’s quiet here. Life moves more slowly than in more populated places. I’m surprised that more travellers haven’t rediscovered it. But if that were to occur, the peace found here would evaporate like the snow in spring.
My alpine adventure in northern Italy begins in Aosta, a city of more than 33,000 nestled in a valley at the confluence of the Buthier and Dora Baltea rivers.
A river runs through it.
People have occupied this picturesque valley for millenia. The Romans left so much of a mark that Aosta is known as the Rome of the Alps.
The city retains the walls, two gates, and the street plan of its Roman predecessor, as well as a triumphal arch in honour of Augustus. Remains of a theatre, an amphitheatre, and the road from Eporedia (modern Ivrea — home of Olivetti computers for those of us who were around in the early days of the personal computer) are still visible.
The arch honoring Ceasar Augustus.A section of the ancient city wall.
An incredibly well-preserved cryptoportico (gallery or walkway) resides beneath what was once the Roman Forum.
Cryptoportico beneath Aosta.
The Valle D’Aosta (Valley of Aosta) has a namesake in my home state — the city of Valdosta — which to me bears little resemblance to this valley framed by towering peaks.
A 19th century govenor of Georgia disageed, naming his plantation “Valle d’Aosta” (later spelled Valdosta) after the Aosta Valley, believing the rolling South Georgia landscape resembled this large, Italian valley. The town was established in the 1850s taking the name Valdosta.
While water skiing is the only skiing you can do in the warm, humid climate of Valdosta, snow skiing is top of mind here in Aosta. We caught a gondola right in town to journey to Pila Ski in the Sky.
Ski in the skyeven as Springarrives in the valley.An alpine landscape.
The restaurant housed in a star-shaped building perched at the top of the ski slopes was quite good, offering local dishes in a buffet style. Make reservations as it’s very crowded.
Located about half-an-hour by car outside Aosta is the spectacular Gran Paradiso National Park.
A winter wonderland.
Scattered throughout the valley and environs are castles. Castello di Fenis is a short 30-minute or so ride by car outside Aosta. It’s a remarkable well-preserved medieval castle.
At the top of our list of things to do around Aosta was a trip to the thermal spa in Pré Saint Didier, a 50-minute bus ride through the mountains northeast of Aosta.
Soaking in the Alps.
I imagined returning to the thermal spa when snow covered the ground and the mountains shimmered white around me. Multiple warm pools and toasty saunas feel great anytime, but I expect they feel even better in the frigid air of an alpine winter.
But for now, it’s on to the next adventure in Chiavenna.
I first came to the Yucatan in 1997 as part of a week-long cruise of the western Caribbean. Cruising was different then….more expensive, assigned dinner seating and much more formal dinner attire.
Cruising is super casual and vastly more affordable 29 years later. That’s not all that has changed. The number of tourists has exploded. No where is that more evident than at the ancient Mayan ruins that beckon to travelers in the Yucatan.
Ruins at Chichen Itza
I visited Tulum back in the day and there wasn’t a local hawking souvenirs in sight. No gauntlet of souvenir stands to wade through….just the ruins themselves standing white in the summer sun as if you were an archeologist who had just stumbled upon a hidden city. That had drastically changed by 2012 or so when I visited again. Open-air restaurants and souvenir stands formed their own little city just outside the entrance to the site. Tourists swarmed.
On this cruise, I journeyed to Chichen Itza to visit that ancient Mayan city built further inland. Hundreds of other tourists joined me to wander among the ruins, marveling at the interesting mix of architecture.
El Castillo
El Castillo is the iconic representation of the pre-Columbian city. There was a time when tourists could climb to the top of the temple’s stairs, using a chain run up the center of the steep staircase to help in the ascent. No more. Too many footsteps trodding on ancient stairs. Too dangerous for none but the sure-footed.
One thing that doesn’t change — the ruins. My husband has visited Chichen Itza five times over several decades. He assures me the remnants of temples and El Caracol, the observatory, look the same.
El Caracol is 1,100 to 1,200 years old.
The thing that most fascinated me about Chichen Itza was the 500-foot-long Great Ball Court. A deadly game, Pok ta Pok, was played here and throughout Mesoamerica since 1650 BC. Ball courts have been found as far north as Arizona and as far south as Nicarauga.
The Great Ball Court
The ritualistic game involved getting a nine-pound rubber ball through a stone circle using your hips, and in some versions of the game, forearms, rackets or bats. The game was metaphorical for the constant battle between the forces of good and evil, as well as the cycle of life and death.
Imagine getting a nine-poundball through that circle.
In some cases, the captain of the losing (or winning) team was sacrificed to the ever-hungry Mayan gods. The Mayans were a bloodthirsty bunch. One of their favorite forms of human sacrifice was by extracting a beating heart. I would prefer a good, old decapitation if I were the notable warrior, enemy or team captain selected to be god food.
There are no rivers or streams in the Yucatan. Fresh water is obtained from cenotes, naturally occurring sinkholes eroded from local limestone.
A glimpse of the Sacred Cenote.
At the Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza, people were hurled into the water during times of drought, famine or disease. The Sacred Cenote is approximately 160 feet wide and drops 66 feet to the water surface, with the water another 66 feet deep. The sides of the cenote are sheer and the water is barely visible through the thick foliage.
The Mayans practiced human sacrifice right up to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Today, the only human sacrifices are tourists on the altar of commercialization. Well…that and the towels sacrificed to make those cute, little animals that magically appear on your bed every night.
You can travel the world, see amazing sites, stay in stunning places, but it’s always a pleasure to find a little gem in your own neck of the woods. Historic Tapoco Lodge, near Robbinsville, NC, is such a place.
The lodge sitsalong the Cheoah River.
Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains in the Nantahala National Forest, Tapoco Lodge is a historic site where adventure and sanctuary meet. Or as the Lodge proclaims — Adventuary!
Several hiking trails can be accessed on the property which is also located near the (in)famous Tail of the Dragon — a stretch of mountainous highway beloved by motorcyclists. Fishing enthusiasts can find rainbow, brown and brook trout in the Cheoah River and a variety of bass in nearby Lake Santeetlah, one of the most beautiful lakes in the country.
The Lodge was built in 1930 by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) to replace its existing boarding house erected as part of the hydroelectric efforts in the area. The name, Tapoco, comes from the first two letters of the Tallassee Power Company whose capital stock had been purchased by ALCOA in 1916.
For several decades, the lodge was used exclusively by ALCOA executives, but was sold to a Robbinsville family in the 1990s and opened its doors to the public in 1995.
The main building on the property.
The 122-acre property changed hands again in 2017 and today boasts nine luxury lodge rooms, 18 rustic-elegant cabin rooms, several event spaces, and an updated Tapoco Tavern and patio.
Our comfortable cabin room.
I particularly enjoyed the whimsical, rustic wall art in Santeetlah, Cabin 3.
Bear family vacation.A bear bike rideMa and Pa Bear
In short, Tapoco Lodge (www.tapoco.com) is a splendid little retreat to experience your own Adventuary. And you don’t have to leave the country to enjoy it!
Did you know that if you actually received all the gifts mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” you would receive 364 presents? Or that Christmas was banned in England from 1647 to 1660 and in Boston from 1659 to 1681 because it was considered a sinful celebration? Guess anti-papist protestants on both sides of The Pond didn’t like that “Christmas” is a contraction of “Christ’s Mass.”
I started thinking about these and other weird facts about my favorite holiday on a trip John and I took to Merry Old England in early November. We were visiting friends who took us to a very quaint farmer’s market in the Essex countryside where Christmas mingled in the air with a variety of barnyard aromas. I purchased some handmade tree ornaments to add to my collection. (Did you know that the first Christmas ornaments were made from fruit and nuts?) Later, over some delicious fish and chips at a local pub, I asked our British friends about the English tradition of Boxing Day. With visions of Ali and Frazier dancing in my head, I never understood it. I don’t recall any of those Downton Abbey Christmas episodes I religiously watched ever fully explaining it either.
A small Christmas market in Essex.
Apparently, the tradition of Boxing Day originated during the Victorian era when wealthy aristocrats gave servants/employees who worked on Christmas Day the following day off to visit their families. The day derived its name from the “box,” filled with gifts, money and leftovers from the Christmas feast that the aristocrats would bestow upon their servants/employees. Think Lady Mary gifting her lady’s maid, Anna, with a box of goodies. Did I fall asleep mid-episode? Do any of you Downton Abbey fans remember anything like this?
The British aren’t alone in interesting holiday traditions. In Japan, it’s customary to eat KFC for Christmas. No joke, you gotta make a reservation at your local KFC for Christmas Day. In Ukraine, decorating with spiderwebs is considered good luck. In Austria, jolly old St. Nick has an evil counterpart, Krampus, who punishes naughty children by beating them with a stick. Guess that’s one way to keep the kids in line. And if you think feeding all your relatives Christmas dinner is hard, don’t go to Portugal. During consoda, the traditional Christmas feast, Portuguese families sometimes set extra places at the dining table for deceased relatives who, I’m convinced, must be very picky eaters.
Son James and his wife, Jessica, moved to Tuscany this year. I’m anxious to learn if Italian Christmases are really celebrated with a wine-drinking witch, La Befana. Twelve days after Santa’s big scene, Italian families leave out a glass of vino and a plate of sausages for La Befana who pops down the chimney on her broomstick. Legend has it that the Magi asked her to join them in finding the Christ Child but she refused. She later regretted it and now travels the world looking for the manger, leaving gifts for children in her wake.
La Befana
Joulusauna – Finnish for “Christmas sauna” – is a tradition in most Finnish households on Christmas Eve. It provides a relaxing respite before the hustle and bustle of Christmas Day. It’s also an opportunity to pay tribute to the sauna elf – Saunatonttu – by leaving him treats and thanking him for keeping the sauna tidy and warm. John wants to know if Saunatonttu has an American cousin who cleans hot tubs.
The pièce de resistance of strange holiday traditions is caga tió in Catalonia, Spain. Locals there draw a face on a log, place a hat on top of it and throw a blanket across it. Then, they spend about two weeks “feeding” the log person fruit, nuts and sweets. Why? Because come Christmas Eve, the entire family beats the log with sticks and sings a traditional song that loosely translates to “If you don’t crap well, I’ll beat you with a stick!” until the log poops out all its treats. I can’t believe that this pooping yule log tradition hasn’t caught on all over the world.
The pooping yule log.
After reading this letter, you might be happy to know that I didn’t include any Christmas scenes in my latest historical novel, August’s Home, which will be available on Amazon in January. No pooping logs, no witches on broomsticks, no chubby elf donned in a red suit magically squeezing down a chimney. Nope, it’s just a story, steeped in North Georgia history, about overcoming childhood trauma to find a loving home with a person whom you’d least expect to be with.
Whether you’re expecting it or not, I hope there’s loads of warmth and love in your home this Christmas and throughout the coming year.
More than 4,500 years ago, 20,000 workers labored for 20 years to build the Great Pyramid, one of the most iconic landmarks ever. Egyptologists still aren’t sure how they did it.
Pharoah Khufu (Cheops) had the huge tomb built while the two smaller ones flanking it were erected for Khafre and Menkaure, his son and grandson. It paid to be Egyptian pharoahs.
The Pyramids of Giza at night.
Originally rising 481 feet off the desert floor, the Great Pyramid has wowed visitors for millenia. Almost 15 million people come from around the world each year to behold its mysterious grandeur. In early November, I was one of them.
To walk like an Egyptian in the 21st century is to battle pollution and the crowds of people and cars causing it. John and I flew into over-crowded Cairo and watched our limo driver fight traffic for almost 1.5 hours to drive roughly 14 miles to our hotel in Giza.
To gaze upon the enigmatic Sphinx made the gauntlet worth it. Erected for Pharoah Khafre, the mythical creature stands guard over the Giza necropolis.
The Sphinx is 240 feet long and 66 feet high.
The newest attraction in Giza is the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Pyramid-like entrance to the Grand Egyptian Museum
The vast structure houses artifacts excavated from the pyramids.
The museum’s most treasured exhibit is that of King Tutankhamen.
We journeyed from Giza to Luxor primarily to visit the Valley of the Kings, but the driver we hired at the airport, Ahmed, suggested we visit Dendara first.
Located about an hour north of Luxor, Dendara is a temple complex built by Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra’s father, beginning in 54 BC.
Entering the Dendara temple complex.
The temple complex is dedicated primarily to Hathor, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. It’s touted as the best preserved temple in Egypt.
Massive columns in Temple of Hathor.
Much of the architecture is still intact, including the roof and colorful reliefs.
We left Dendara for Habu, a massive mortuary temple for Ramses III built more than 3000 years ago.
Mortuary Temple of Ramses III
The Habu complex is amazingly well preserved.
An antechamber behind closed doors as seen through a peephole to help preserve it.Religious rituals for Amun, the sun god, were performed in Habu.
We visited the temple at Luxor in the cool of the night under a full moon.
One of the most impressive aspects of Luxor is the newly opened Royal Road, an avenue lined with sphinxes that runs 1.7 miles from Luxor temple to Karnak.
Restored Royal Road at LuxorUnrestored Royal Road near Karnak
The Valley of the Kings is arguably the most famous cemetery in the world. I learned on this trip that there are actually three other “valleys” – one each for queens, nobles, and workers.
We visited four tombs in the Valley of the Kings: Ramses IX, Ramses IV, Merenptah and Tutankhamen.
Well-preserved ceiling in the tomb of Ramses IVRamses IX tomb
The tomb of Merenptah was the deepest tomb we visited, but the most well known was that of Tutankhamen
The sarcaphogas that housed the mummy of Tutankhamen.
We left the Valley of the Kings to visit the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, a female pharoah.
Three-terraced temple
The temple’s massive terraces rise above the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari.
We ended our Egyptian touring with a visit to the Temple at Karnak. The dual obelisks were the exceptional feature.
Another obelisk is hiding behind the left column.
The giant columns at Karnak, like at the other temples we visited, are beyond impressive. Arches would not appear in Egypt until Roman architects introduced them. In the absence of arches, massive columns were needed to support the weight of the roofs in the temples.
Karnak’s columns seem infinite.
If I could only use one word to describe the tombs and temples of Ancient Egypt, it would be “massive.” Photographs or documentaries really can’t convey the scale. To appreciate that, you really must see the wonders in person.
The Republic of Macedonia, home to 1.8 million, is landlocked in Southeast Europe between Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north.
By World Bank standards, North Macedonia is an upper middle-class country, but it is an economically developing country in comparison to Western European countries. The average net monthly income in Skopje, the nation’s capital and largest city, is around $1100.
More than 25 percent of North Macedonians live in Skopje. It’s a rather bland city considering the rich history and physical beauty of the country.
Typical cityscape.
The most famous progeny the country proudly lays claim to is Alexander the Great. But Alexander isn’t the most popular name for a North Macedonian male. “Damjan” is, according to the country’s Statistics Office. Go figure.
However, our tour guide to Ohrid, a picturesque town about 2.5 hours west of Skopje, was named after Macedonia’s favorite son. Alexander the Tour Guide took issue with referring to his country as North Macedonia, insisting that his fellow citizens preferred Macedonia. We honored his request while on the tour. The UN and the rest of the world know it as North Macedonia distinct from a region of the world known as Macedonia, but Alex and his fellow Macedonians can refer to it however they please. Those of us living in glass houses — with visions of Gulf of America dancing in our heads — are in no position to throw stones.
Back to Ohrid. It resides on a colossal, ancient, tectonic lake that reaches a depth of 945 feet. North Macedonia’s side of Lake Ohrid was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979, with the site being extended to also include the cultural and historic area of Ohrid in 1980.
Lovely Lake Ohrid
The town is ripe with history and photo ops.
Amphitheater dates to Hellinistic period, then Roman.Samuel’s Fortress
According to recent excavations by Macedonian archaeologists, the town fortress was erected on an earlier fortification built by Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great’s father) in the 4th century BC. During the late 900s, King Samuil of Bulgaria restored the fortress to the medieval stronghold seen by visitors today.
Inside the fortress walls is being excavated by archaeologists.
The lake is undoubtedly what draws people to Ohrid. It dominates the scene with the look and feel of the sea as opposed to a lake.
Part of our tour of Ohrid included a boat ride which our tour group of seven shared with some ladies from Romania.
Arriving tour boat
Ohrid has a strong religious history and it’s stamp, particularly Christianity, is evident throughout the town.
A monastery from the front…And the rear.
Our lovely day in Ohrid ended on a sour note when our tour van broke down on the drive back to Skopje. The comraderie among our diverse group — two New Yorkers, a Chinese woman, a college student from Austria, and a young Frenchman along with Alexander the Tour Guide — ensured we made the most of it.
After watching Game of Thrones and eyeing countless travel photos online and in print, Croatia was on my “must see” list. The country looked incredibly beautiful through the camera lens, and the reality didn’t disappoint.
We arrived in Dubrovnik around noon on my 65th birthday jetlagged and hungry. I drove our rental car out of the airport while John searched for authentic Croatian food. With the assistance of Google, he found a restaurant gem — Konoba Konavoski Komin.
Delicious birthday lunch.
The next day, we headed into the Old Town of Dubrovnik, better known as King’s Landing to fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Old Town via the North Gate.
Tapped as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, the Old Town dates back to the 7th century, but much of what you see today was constructed in the 16th century. Limestone lines the Stradun, the main street through town, and narrow side streets intersect it like horizontal branches on a thick tree trunk.
Stradun
The Old Town is fortified by fortress walls, but the $50 price tag to climb the stairs for a walk along the wall and view of the Adriatic kept me firmly grounded.
Plenty to see with the city walls.
With just six days scheduled to tour Croatia’s coast, we turned to ChatGPT to map out an itinerary that would end up in Split.
Day 3 saw us leaving Dubrovnik along the coastal road headed for the island of Korcula with a couple of stops in between. First up was the medieval town of Ston.
Kastio Fort was built in 1357
Ston’s claim to fame is a series of defensive stone walls that originally stretched more than four miles, earning the Walls of Ston the moniker ” European Great Wall of China.”
A Tiny Section of the Walls of Ston
John and I lugged our head colds up numerous flights of stone steps to take a gander at a tiny portion of the Walls of Ston. For about $12, visitors can walk the walls.Walls. But, this is a beautiful coast, and tourists don’t need to climb ancient city walls to be presented with stunning vistas.
Along the coastal road near Ston
Next stop was Zuljana Beach, a tiny getaway on a calm, shallow bay. We sampled the seafood at a restaurant on the beach.
Dining with a view
Zuljana Beach is on the Peljesac Peninsula which is ripe with olive and pomegranate trees as well as vineyards. I spotted this picturesque little chapel on my walk from the beach back to the car park.
Going to the chapel
Korcula Island was our final destination and we arrived via ferry from the mainland right before sundown.
Day 4 dawned on the island and we headed straight to the birthplace of Marco Polo, according to Croatia. Venice lays claim as the birthplace of the explorer as well, and the city on the sea has some historical documents to back it up. No matter. The old Town of Korcula is well worth a visit.
Beautiful side street in Korcula.
Korcula is an exquisitely preserved medieval town. St.Mark’s Cathdral is the town centerpiece.
St Mark’s Cathedral
The town faces the Adriatic on multiple sides, and the views and the seabreeze are stunning.
The lovely Adriatic SeaBench with a view
From Korcula, we took the ferry back to the mainland to head to Makarska, the Croatian riviera, which is more than halfway between Dubrovnik and Split.
We got to Makarska in time to witness a splendid sunset.
From the rooftop of our studio apartment.
On Day 5, we ventured into town early for breakfast and a brief stroll around. Like all the towns we’ve visited here, Makarska is quite picturesque. The town is located on a horseshoe-shaped bay between the Biokova mountains and the Adriatic Sea.
Plaza in MakarskaClock tower at St. Mark’s Cathedral
We left Makarska to go inland into the Biokova mountains to experience the countryside and see two lakes — the Red Lake and the Blue Lake.
The lakes look very similar and are located near each other in giant sinkholes. The Red Lake, unreachable unless you’re equipped with mountaineering/rock climbing gear, is so named because of the iron oxide in the rock face surrounding it.
The Red Lake
The Blue Lake has a manicured trail leading down to it, which you can access for about $6. Like the Red Lake, it was probably formed when an enormous cave collapsed.
The Blue Lake
I spotted a lone swimmer when I walked down stone stairs to a viewpoint.
Spot the swimmer?
The drive to the lakes was rather harrowing for this American. Country lanes wide enough for a cow cart now accommodate two-way automobile traffic. But the countryside is lovely and the mountain views quite breathtaking, making the drive worth it.
Atop the rim of the Blue Lake
We finished Day 5 in the town of Omis, per ChatGPT’s advice. It’s another great beach town along the Croatian Coast known historically for the fearsome pirates who called it home in centuries past. Omis is unique because the Cetina River meets the Adriatic here, resulting in sandy beaches as opposed to pebbles.
Sandy beach in Omis
Day 6 dawned and we made our way to Split, the second largest city in Croatia after the capital Zagreb. It has the traffic jams that go with its size. We fought the traffic to the old town and its busy harbor.
Tiny portion of the harbor.
Split is a popular cruise ship stop and the old city streets were teeming with tourists. The main attraction on land is Diocletian’s Palace which dates back to the 3rd or 4th century.
Tourists learning about Roman Emperor DiocletianWhat’s a Roman palace without Roman columns?
But vacationers in Split come for water adventures. We ventured out on a 90-minute tour of the coastline aboard a 50% scale model of Columbus’ Santa Maria.
Santa Maria
The Adriatic is cold to me — an American used to the bathwater off the Florida coast. The chill didn’t stop people here from jumping off cliffs, docks, or boats into the Adriatic.
Cowabunga!
We couldn’t think of a better way to end our brief sojourn in Croatia than with the wind in our hair tossing along on the beautiful blue-green sea.
Life Iz Gud on the Road 