Rovinj - Possibly our favorite...

To reintroduce you to a common slang term that the youngsters like the use here… “Oh my days!!!!” If we were impressed with stunning sites and seaside beauty beforehand, we were completely “blown out of the water” with this little gem! Still remembered as one of our fondest times, our most treasured memories were created in this little Old Town, Rovinj. Nestled on the coastline, the old cobble-stoned streets wound their way up to a pinnacle point in the centre, with a stunning church overlooking the modest but lively town.

We arrived with our luggage bumping and racketing over the textured pathways, which led us to our European haven. Metres away from the city centre, we dumped our luggage, only retrieving our swimmers from the cases and headed back out the door. Everything I love about travelling is wrapped up in this darling town!! The heat, the little side streets adorned with boutique shops, art, weathered buildings that tell their own story and… GELATO! It was love.

A non-traditional beach scene of rocks or stairs leading to sea did not deter us from the water. In fact, we only left the salty paradise for our regular gelato stop, or mealtime (usually in that order).  After eating, we ventured around to try and find an undiscovered backstreet to get lost in. Tim was so gracious to follow me into the little arty deco stores and then I took my own turn whilst watching him set up a winning shot of the sunset. Everything was perfect.

Nightlife was buzzing, with tourists and locals. I typically wandered into an art store and spent a good amount of time staring at the handmade jewellery and wall art when the shopkeeper introduced herself. She was an Australian artist who had moved to Rovinj after her own love affair with the place began 20 years earlier. I instantly admired her courage, freedom and flair, and completely understood why she was so passionate about her now hometown.

To unapologetically add a bit of mushy romance to this share time, falling in love with this city was emphasised with the recurring realisation that I have the most amazing travel partner and best friend to share in these unbelievable moments. With the most stunning sunset painting the sky in pinks, oranges and purples, I had a “life-changing” moment of being incredibly grateful for my husband and God’s endless blessings.

Enjoy, pretty please! This has been a long awaited story time that I’ve been itching to share with you all. Loooove T&S x

Split - Final destination for our travel companions Iz & Ali

Split, Croatia. This is probably one of my favourite places to reminisce, for many of the same reasons as our previous locations. However, this one has so many perfect memories attached: memories of amazing friends, in a city of grand history and stunning views.

The first treasure of the trip was the catch up that we managed to orchestrate with the inspiring and ever encouraging Tim Belcher. He only enriched the gorgeous town even more, as we dined and caught up on our adventures. The nightlife was an absolute buzz! Crowds of people were swarming the main strand as we weaved our way through to find some of the best gelato after our European dinner. It didn’t take long to locate the gelato, however, it did take a little longer to choose the flavours… there were so many!

Scouting out a perfect swimming spot is a refined skill that I believe we have now mastered, after proving ourselves along the coast of Split. We found ourselves this abandoned concrete surface with a small bridge providing us with a jumping/lookout platform. The day could not have been more enjoyable. Hours of soaking in the sun, laughing our heads off, and trying too many times to capture golden moments. It was totally worth it – we got some cracking shots on the camera. These are in particular some of my favourite photos, as for once my husband actually features in them, rather than being the man behind them (unashamed self credit for the glorious photographs).

No doubt, it has evidently become expected that I will eventually go on to describe our dining experience… this one was bloody good! We were recommended by our accommodation hosts to go to a particular restaurant that was hidden in the backstreets of the Old Town. After getting lost in alleyways, we finally stumbled across a stunning little open restaurant that was subtly complimented with fairy lights, purple checker tablecloths and art pieces hanging on the concrete walls. We forked out a little more for this meal, but I would do it all over again, and again, and again!

The mouth-watering seafood that was cooked by the open fire was presented just in time, before the amazing aromas drove us to starvation. We feasted and then raved about the fantastic feasting for the remaining of the night. It did not end here. Nay! The insatiable appetite of my husband and the sweet-hearted/sweet-toothed Ali decided that they were going on a “dessert crawl”. We went from one dessert stand to the next on the main strip, and purchased the aromatic cinnamon doughnuts, Nutella crepes, coconut and hazelnut gelato….

Summer loving, at its best!

Unfortunately, this was the last destination that our amazing travel companions Iz and Ali will be joining us on.  From here we dropped them at the airport in the morning and said our goodbyes :( and continued on our coastal road trip to Rovinj.  This next post is a real treat!!!