Korcula, Croatia

Korcula started off bitter and ended up sweet. I know it sounds petty of me to say that, considering how lucky I truly am to be spending this time in beautiful Croatia, but that first half day in Korcula didn't go so well, all things considered. Our host cancelled our accommodations just a day before we arrived, telling us the payment hadn't gone through (it had), but saying we could still have the room if we rebooked. When we arrived, though, her story changed and suddenly we had to pay cash (we had booked through, and had credit for Airbnb) or find somewhere else. All this after a 5AM wake up time for the ferry ride, on which I let myself get a bit too hot and dehydrated. So we were disoriented and suspicious when we arrived, a fairly bad combo.

After some lunch and some beer, we were fortified and happier. Deciding we didn't want to waste time looking for another place, we paid cash (and asked for a refund from Airbnb), and our host surprised us by giving us *back* money, insisting that the place was cheaper than the original booking price. All's well that ends well!

We ended up having a lovely two days in Korcula, which is a very small but beautiful town, very old, very picturesque. We spent our afternoons on the beach (perhaps TMI, but we found a secluded spot and did some topless tanning – that's a first!) and our evenings walking around the old walled city, along the promenade. We climbed up the steepest, narrowest steps to the tiniest tower to look out over the city. We perused some beautiful handmade jewelry. And we ate some really delicious food, including my first palachinke (a thin crepe with Nutella)!

The sunset on our last night was completely perfect, and I loved exploring the city in the evening, watching the pink sky and listening to all the hubbub. Like I said, it ended up being totally sweet.

Favourites:

  • Walking the promenade at night – the sunsets in Korcula were amazing.
  • U Maje I Tonke restaurant: delicious tapas-style food. Everything we tried was creative, homemade, and beautifully presented.
  • Marinero restaurant: set just off the main promenade, this restaurant is apparently owned by two fishermen, and the food was incredibly fresh. When we were there, an older (fabulous) woman who is American but has been spending her summers in Korcula for some time now was raving about the food to everyone who walked by. We weren't disappointed, it was delicious and well priced.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik was totally magical. Everywhere you turn, you're greeted by a view more beautiful than the last. It's picture-perfect. I think I wore myself out going on and on about how gorgeous everything was.

We stayed at a quiet apartment about 15 minutes by bus away from the Old Town, and we had the most gracious and friendly hosts (we booked through AirBnb) and the perfect view from our terrace.

We spent our (relatively short) time in Dubrovnik wandering, exploring, sightseeing, swimming, and soaking in all the beauty. It was at times overly crowded in the city but we made the most of our hosts' recommendations and had the most fabulous time. Our last night, we wandered over to the more distant Sveti Jakov beach, which is 80 steps down from the main road, and swam and sunbathed with all of Dubrovnik Old Town stretched out in front of us, and then watched the sun set. It was perfect.

Also notable from our time in Dubrovnik was my experience cliff jumping, my discovering lemon beer (more like lemonade), drinking cold water from the city's fountain, walking the city walls at sunset, seeing all the stray cats around the Old Town (remarkably clean-looking, though not too friendly), and swimming in the clear, cold waters of the Adriatic Sea.

I totally loved Dubrovnik, it was the perfect place to start our trip.

Favourites:

  • Restaurant Kamenice: the Old Town of Dubrovnik is pretty busy and can be overwhelming at times. This restaurant is central, serves great food (seafood and local Dalmatian fare) and is reasonably priced. We had this on recommendation from our hosts!
  • Sveti Jakov Beach: about a 15-20 minute walk from the nearest beach to Dubrovnik (owned by EastWest club, which is a two minute walk from the East Gate). We got lost the first time we tried to walk here, but undeterred we tried again the following day and were rewarded wonderfully! This beach is completely perfect.
  • Walking the city walls at dusk: it's far too hot and crowded during the day, but perfect as the sun is setting.
  • Restaurant Nishta: vegetarian restaurant, in Croatia! Crazy. Funny story, “nishta” means “nothing” in Croatian..but the food here was completely delicious, and I loved the organic blackberry wine.

Everyday Beauty: Weekend

This whole weekend was full of magic moments. There was the evening we went for gelato and got the best flavour combos ever: roasted marshmallow & watermelon, peaches & hazelnut, raspberry & milk chocolate. One morning the my sisters and I spontaneously gathered in the kitchen and made a big pancake breakfast. We had two family BBQs, two evenings in a row, and the food was simple and amazing. There was the night I spent at the kitchen table while my sister baked lemon squares like the pro she is. The weather was a bit mercurial but on the whole we had plenty of sunshine and beautiful dusks. It was a gorgeous weekend, a perfect summer solstice, the kind of simple, relaxed time that reminds me why I love being home so much.

Which isn't to say I wasn't also a bit overwhelmed and stressed at points throughout the last few days – it's only 6 days now til I fly to Europe, after all. But I'm very thankful to have this normal time with my family before I leave. So much love!

FAQs About My Trip

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It’s possible that writing a FAQ post comes off as totally pretentious, because my blog is not that big and I’m not at all famous and I don’t get asked that many questions. However, I think the Q-and-A format is a good way to summarize things without rambling on and on, so here we are. Plus, since I’m not really frequently asked questions on the blog, I’m going to mix in the questions that I am frequently asked in real life, by everyone from my Grandma’s favourite butcher to my ex-landlord.

What is this Great Safe Adventure you continually refer to?

It’s a reference from one of my most favourite books, Come, Thou Tortoise. I reviewed it here! The phrase makes me feel that the trip is (exactly as it sounds): both adventurous and safe at the same time. It brings it down a notch in my brain from “Terrifying, All-New Adventure”.

How long are you travelling for?

Three months! Beginning of July to the first week of October.

Are you travelling with friends or alone?

Both, actually. I am starting my trip with a friend of mine, and meeting up with friends who live in Berlin and Paris along the way! For the remainder of my trip, I’m going solo, but I’ve read that I’ll make friends wherever I go, so I doubt I’ll ever really be alone (unless I want to be!).

Are you scared to travel alone?

Yes and no. I’m not the kind of person who minds being alone (in fact, I love it), but I am a little nervous about navigating foreign metro systems and finding my way in cities where I don’t know the language. But I firmly believe that getting outside of your comfort zone every once in a while is the only way to grow as a person, so I’m feeling the fear and doing it anyways.

How can you afford this kind of trip?

I have been saving up for a long time. When I was living in and going to school in Montreal, I was waitressing at a busy restaurant, which means I was able to make enough money to take myself on this post-grad trip. I’ll also be on a fairly strict budget the whole time.

What are you packing? How much luggage are you bringing for a three month trip?

I’m bringing just one bag! Read more about my decision to travel with a carry-on bag only here. You can also see my full packing list (with photos!) here.

Where are you going?

Lots of places! Croatia (Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, Split), Berlin, Paris, San Sebastian, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Montpellier, Marseilles, Nice, Cinque Terre, Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento, and Wales.

Why aren’t you going to X country? Why aren’t you going to more places?

Italy, Spain, and the South of France were at the very top of my list from the moment I started planning this adventure. I have always wanted to visit them, so they were my absolute top priorities this trip. Croatia, because the friend I’m travelling with is Croatian, speaks the language and raves about the coast! And I’m visiting friends in Berlin and Paris. The rest of the cities sort of fell into place based on recommendations from travel blogs and the routes that the trains run in Europe!

As for the number of places, I think I’m going to have plenty to keep me busy! I’m spending more nights in the cities that I am the most excited about (Paris, Lisbon, Barcelona, Florence, Rome) and in the cities where I am being graciously hosted (Berlin, Penarth, Wales). This timeline feels right to me – I didn’t want to be always rushing around, I wanted to try to experience each city as much as possible.

Why aren’t you going for longer? You could get a job waitressing or as an au pair!

I know I could. And don’t get me wrong, the idea really appeals to me! Who knows, maybe I’ll find a job and not come back (I haven’t bought my return plane ticket yet, but I’m keeping money aside for that) – it’s possible and it may very well happen! I don’t have any other plans or job prospects, so I have no real reason to come home except for running out of money along the way. So we will see. Considering this is my first big trip on my own, I am not making any decisions regarding jobs abroad until I’ve done a bit of travelling by myself and gotten my feet wet, so to speak. I’ve got to get my traveller’s legs before I decide!

What kinds of things are you most excited about doing?

Wandering around, people-watching, eating (of course!), reading, writing, taking lots of photos, seeing beautiful things, gelato.

Throughout the whole trip, do you think you will be blogging?

Definitely! I’ve downloaded an app to help me out with the process, and I’m hoping to update the blog fairly regularly. I can’t say for sure how often it’ll be, but a good bet is that I’ll update when I’m on long train ride travel days. So stay tuned for lots of photos (with captions, as a friend of mine insisted!).

Got any more questions for me? Ask away in the comments below or on Twitter, @spellett!

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