Island Life of Hvar

Our next stop on our Croatia road-trip was the island of Hvar. We arrived to Hvar by car ferry from Split and settled right into island life. 

Well, it took us a while to actually find parking. Then, even longer to find the hotel as we roamed aimlessly around town. Once we finally found the hotel we were advised we needed to move the car. It was parked on a cliff that we (when I say we, I mean Jer) would have to climb an abundant amount of steps to reach. With the help of the hotel staff, to assist with the luggage, Jer went on a mission to move the car. Upon his return, he was dripping in sweat. I offered him a nice refreshing cucumber water. Then settled in. 

Split Walking Tour

I'll admit, I underestimated Split. It was not high on the list of stops I was most looking forward to on our road trip. Merely, a stopover before getting to the good stuff. 

We decided to take a walking tour, since I had done little research on this area, and I quickly fell for this coastal gem. 

Getting In Trouble at Krka National Park

It's a fact that I'm horrible at making decisions. It came as no surprise that I could not decide between visiting Plitvice National Park or Krka National Park while in Croatia. So, I said screw it and visited both. 

Plitvice National Park - Rain Or Shine

Three years ago we booked a dream trip to Croatia that we ended up having to cancel due to our move to Arizona. Since the flights from Phoenix are not ideal it took us a while to book again. But...

Three flights, a full season of Ozark watched (highly recommend if you haven't watched), and 16 hours later we made it to Zagreb! After proceeding through customs, we picked up our car to head to Hotel Degenija. This hotel is located about two hours from the Zagreb airport and is just minutes from Plitvice National Park. Pro tip, make sure that your GPS is not set to avoid toll roads or it will add an extra hour to your journey from the airport (learned the hard way). Thankfully, Jer was driving because I could not keep my eyes open and fell fast asleep half way through. 

We arrived late with our stomachs growling. We dropped our bags in our room and rushed to dinner. I had my first of many pasta with truffles. Satisfied, it was time for bed. 

The next morning we woke to overcast skies. I checked the weather and there was a ninety percent chance of rain. I'm so used to never having to check the weather anymore because it rarely rains in Arizona. I was not going to let a little rain damper our day. Rain or shine we were headed to Plitvice National Park, umbrella in hand. 

Saguaro National Park

Every year, when I was younger, my mom would pack the car and we would set out for a road trip for a week. This was the only time that my sister and I would fight over the back seat (long before kids had to be in their car seats until the age of 12). The lucky winner would make themselves comfortable for the long journey ahead. Arranging the back with sleeping bags, pillows, books, games, their Nintendo, and their trusty Walkman. Yup, remember those?!? Madonna would be on repeat while I belted out Lucky Star for the 50th time ignoring all comments to shut up. Yes, I was the annoying little sister and I wore the badge well. The other would look back at the cozy setup with pure jealousy, asking "Are we there yet?" 

Not much has changed since then. I'm a lover of road trips. The difference being, that I no longer have to fight over the back seat and we have even better technology to pass the hours. 
   

Brunch at Virtu

Let me tell you about a little place, tucked on a quiet street in Old Town Scottsdale, where the best french toast of your life awaits! Virtu is one of my all time favorite brunch spots in Scottsdale.