After a wonderful time in Mexico, in both Puerto Vallarta and the Yucatan, along with some quality time visiting family and the usual doctor visits, it was time for the Nomads to think about where to go for the summer.

Croatia has been on our list of countries to explore for many years, but it popped to the top of the list when we met a new friend from Serbia, whose enthusiasm about the Balkan countries stimulated our wish to go there! So, we booked our tickets and prepared to leave.

On May 10th, we flew from Albuquerque to Seattle and on to Amsterdam. A short train ride then took us down to Brussels to rest up and get ready for our next destination - Croatia.

Zagreb, our first stop in Croatia, is the capital and largest city.
It enchanted us immediately with it's combination of elegant Hapsburg era buildings and museums,

. . . pleasant plazas with open air dining (with excellent local wine), and

. . . good public transit, and flowery green parks.

After ten days, we were feeling comfortable here but decided we must move on to explore the Dalmatian coast, where visitors spend the most time. So, we traveled by bus through the countryside, past green fields and forests, large reservoirs and lakes, villages and towns, through mountains via tunnels, arriving in Split on the Adriatic coast.

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Split
Split is a city in a beautiful setting with a picturesque waterfront promenade, lined with cafes and the facade of a Roman Palace.

Our home was a comfy studio apartment right on Narodni Trg (People's Square), with many outdoor cafes to choose from right outside our door, or just around the corner.

Split is an easy place to love!
Roman Emperor Diocletian recognized the merits of this place and chose it for his retirement home, building an enormous palace complex, which is now the centre of today's modern city.

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Hvar
After a very enjoyable 10 day stay, we decided we must continue our exploration of the coast with a visit to one of the many islands. So, we boarded a boat for a short trip to Hvar, one of the islands just off shore. Hvar Town offered more historic stone architecture,

. . . pleasant squares with plenty of outdoor dining with views over the harbor, and

. . . high on a hill, the Spaniola Fort, with amazing views of the town and more of the many nearby islands.

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Dubrovnik
Another boat took us on to Dubrovnik. International visitors have been coming here for many years to be amazed by the astounding fortifications surrounding the city. These walls are among Europe's largest and most complete Built in the 14th and 15th centuries, they reach a maximum height of 25 meters (82 feet) and completely surround the historic city centre.

We enjoyed views of the city and the historic harbor from the cablecar station high above, and

. . . later closer views of the historic harbor as we explored further.

Within these walls is the historic old town with many classic buildings, plazas and narrow passageways.

During our brief stay, a visit to the Maritime Museum helped us learn about the importance of maritime history to this city, and also the destruction that occurred during the 1991-1995 Homeland War.

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Return to Split
We then returned to Split, this time by bus along the coast, an amazing journey with continuous views of deep blue water and offshore islands on one side, and sheer mountains and red tile roofed villages on the other.

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Hamburg, Germany
Having enjoyed five wonderful weeks in Croatia, it was time to move on. We boarded a plane to Hamburg, Germany, where we visited a longtime friend, and enjoyed Winterhude, a new neighborhood, for us, with the great urban living provided by numerous cafes, walkable street life, and good transit.

We also returned to places we had enjoyed in prior visits:

The Kunst Halle (Fine Arts Museum), the City History Museum, the Rathaus (City Hall) and St Michaelis Church, and

. . . Hafencity, the grand urban renewal project to preserve the historic brick warehouses and redevelop the surrounding land that was formerly the Port of Hamburg (For our thoughts from our earlier visits, click here),

The highlight for us was a visit to the newly completed ElbePhilharmonie Concert Hall

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Haarlem, Netherlands
An all-day bus trip across northern Germany and the Netherland lowlands took us to our hotel at Amsterdam airport. On the days before our flights to the US, we visited Haarlem, a city with charming classic Dutch architecture including the great St Bavos church,

. . . and a return visit after many years to phenomenal art of Frans Hals

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We have now returned to our home base Albuquerque, visiting friends and savoring the toasty dry summer weather, writing and planning our next Nomad Adventure.

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