40 Adventures for My 40's in 1940s Style: Adventure #5 Croatia

I'm really glad I set out my bucket list of places I want to see in my 40s.

 

Croatia has always been high on my list and I've just never had an occasion to travel there. Truth be told, I travel so much (and far) for work that I really haven't taken advantage of all the beautiful places so close to me in Europe.  When I turned 40, I vowed that I would start taking my leisure time as seriously as I take my work (and try not to be such a workaholic). 

Well, it was fabulous that I posted my 40 adventures list because then my dear friend from grad school who blogs over at No Apathy Allowed mentioned that she would be going to a conference in Croatia and wanted to spend some time vacationing afterwards and if I wanted to join her! YES! YES!

We decided to meet up in Split and explore some of the northern coastline.  Split was such a nice city. I hear it's the second largest one in Croatia.

Like most of the towns, Split has an 'old town' centre. And when they say 'old', they mean really, really old! There's some beautiful architecture which tells the story of Native Croatians, Greeks, Italians, Austrians and others being weaved throughout Croatian history.

After a day in Split, we headed to our main destination – Korcula Island.  A pleasant ferry journey from Split.

Korcula Island

 

Wow, wow...Korcula is amazing. Much, much smaller than Split and like most of Croatia, surrounded by water.

 

The main purpose of the holiday was to UNWIND. So we did a bit of sightseeing but lots of lounging by the water. It was so divine.

I spent a lot of time in my swimsuits--something that NEVER happens in Scotland. lol.

I got this swimsuit on Amazon (the brand is called CocoShip) and I just love it! It was super affordable...I'm going to buy more.  I'm not sure if it's actually swimming friend--but it's certainly lounging friendly!

As is this suit from Forluna. This was my first time ever in a hammock! I could get used to this!!

There were some spectacular views around the island.  On one of the days we decided to take a wine tasting tour.

That was amazing--I had no idea Croatian wine was so delicious. They are really known for their white wines from the Dalmatian Coast and this particular wine was made on the island! I love learning and trying new things– especially when they are so yummy!

Old Town, Korcula Island

 We also spent some time wandering around the much smaller Old Town in Korcula.

Like the Old Town in Split, there are lots of little alley ways and things to discover. I just love this style of architecture.  Even when it's busy with tourists, you feel like you can slip away down a small alleyway and fall back into another time!  And I got the opportunity to take lots of my me-made summer dresses.  The one above was made with a 1940 McCall pattern (see blog post here).

I made this dress from a pattern in Tilly and the Buttons book 'Love at First Stitch'. I was actually a pattern tester and I just adore it the design. (Check out my blog post here).

 Look at these alleyways...I'm in love. They are so romantic...

Vrnik Island

I also had the chance to take a motorboat to Vrnik Island--which is right next door to Korcula. It takes maybe 15 minutes by small boat.

It's a super small island but you can also stay on this island. It's absolutely adorable. I could totally spend all summer here if I had that luxury (telecommuting perhaps?)

So, so happy that I saved up and was able to do a couple of my adventures this summer.  One more blog post to come on another adventure and then plotting and planning for the future!!!  What should I do next?  Here's my list with the ones I've completed in pink:

The 40 Adventures for my 40s Dream List (in no particular order...)

Places to Travel:
1. Namibia and Botswana
2. Cuba
3. Bali and the Pacific
4. Jordan 

5. Myanmar

6. Greek Islands
7. Morocco
8. Egypt
9. Bolivia
10. Argentina and Patagonia
11. Easter Island
12. LA/Hollywood/Disneyland/Dapper Day
13. Hebrides Islands
14. Mongolia
15. Japan
16. Croatia
17. Sri Lanka

Experiences:
18. Alaskan Cruise (coming to blog soon!)
19. Ice hotel + northern lights + reindeer
20. Multi-day steam train journey
21. Tall ship sailing
22. Steam ship sailing
23.  Tiger Moth or Spitfire experience
24. Hot air balloon in either Cappadocia or Bagan
25. Floating in the Dead Sea
26. Cruise on the Nile
27. Touring the UK in a vintage car
28. Route 66 road trip
29. Learning to ride a motorcycle

Events:
30. Up Helly Aa
31. Attending an international film festival (either Cannes or Sundance)
32. Vienna Opera Ball
33. Celebrating Carnival 
34. Attending Gertie's Sewing Retreat in NY
35. Lantern Festival in Thailand
36. Attending Viva Las Vegas
37. Goodwood Festival
38. Attending a swing dance camp
39. Seeing Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival

40. Freebie (to be decided later)

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40 Adventures