"A toast to a great trip!"

There was a tiny playground in Cavtat. I played on the spinny ride until a parent told me to get off.

I wasn't very happy about it. I would have gladly shared.

Anyway, it was the last night of our trip and I wasn't going to let this incident taint it.  We decided to really live it up.

Things got a little crazy.

A farewell sunset from the Adriatic Sea.

Dubrovnik

The next day we were take a boat ride to Dubrovnik from Cavtat.  It was very windy, so our departure was delayed.

We were supposed to take the boat behind us, but it was too windy and the waves were too big.

So to our surprise we were put on a this tiny boat.  It was a wild ride!  Some of the wave were so big they almost swamped our little boat.  Mom fixed her eyes on the horizon trying not to get sea sick.

Arriving at the walled city of Dubrovnik.  During the war, Dubrovnik was heavily shelled from the surrounding hills.  Today, it is an extremely popular cruise ship stop.

We walked the entire wall that surrounds Dubrovnik.

Cavtat, Croatia

Our final destination for this year's trip was Cavtat, Croatia.  It lies just south of Dubrovnik.  It is a quiet little town that produced fantastic sunsets.

Cavtat provided a fun and convenient way to visit Dubrovnik (sits on the horizon) the next day.

We not too far from Italy!

Trogir, Croatia

Trogir is city on a small island. It was originally settled by the Greeks, so it is REALLY old. It is located on the Dalmatian Coast just a short distance from Split.

Above is a picture of the steps that lead down from our rental.

There are no cars within the city walls, not that any could fit.  There are just lots of curvy, off-center passage or alleyways that run throughout the city.  It is very easy to get lost!

I was very adventurous in what I ate on this trip. Since we were close to water there was lots of different kinds of seafood on the menu.  Among other things on my plate I am eating Squid!

Like many restaurants in Europe the meal isn't complete until you've had an after dinner liqueur.

I have a little funny story about my dad.  While we were at dinner my dad realized he didn't have enough "Croatian money" (they weren't on the Euro yet) to pay the bill.  He told us not to panic, he'd go find a ATM machine.  Meanwhile, he said for me and mom to just act relaxed like we were just letting our dinner digest to kill time. We didn't want to draw attention to the fact we couldn't pay for dinner

It turns out ATM machines in an ancient city, in Croatia are kind of hard to find.  My dad eventually did find one, but got horribly lost in the maze of alleyways.  Mom and I were waiting and waiting, while my dad in a mild panic was jogging thru the crooked alleyways hoping to stumble upon us.  He couldn't ask for direction because he couldn't speak the language AND he couldn't remember the name of our restaurant.  Finally, my dad arrived out of breath and sweaty with money in hand!  The waiter stopped by our table and said "I see you found an ATM".  

Even in daylight, it is still a little difficult finding your way around Trogir.

Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)

Plitvice Lakes National Park is a series of terraced lakes, 16 in all.  Some lakes are separated by a subtle difference in elevation and others a large difference.  This difference in elevation creates a tremendous number of waterfalls of all sizes.

Plitvice Lakes is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The park gets a lot of rain.  Luckily we dressed appropriately.

It is a large park with miles of wooden plank boardwalks.  The boardwalks are extremely important if you want to keep your feet dry.

One of the many lake markers.

"Plitvice Bloody Easter" was one of the first armed conflicts of the Balkan Wars that took place in this area.  It was part of Croatia's fight for independence from Serbia.