Balkans Days 16-19: Split

It was a two hour ferry ride from our island that brought us to Split. Experience had taught us that the front bench seats provided great views out the bow as well as enough space to rock an unwilling baby to sleep in her stroller. We arrived in port just after 8pm and were greeted by an enthusiastic and friendly guy our age more than willing to help us lug our belongings to his dad's apartment and give us a complimentary tour along the way. We were quite excited for this accommodation...we were staying IN the wall of the palace. How cool is that?!

We managed a quick transfer from stroller to crib with fairly little crying, then began sweeping up the many decorative flourishes in the flat that posed a significant risk to Baby (i.e. the piranha-like skull with many sharp teeth, sea urchin, heavy pottery from a shipwreck just within her reach, etc...You may have guessed that there was a nautical theme).

Look closely and you'll see Erin enjoying the view from our palace wall apartment!

Split had a very different feel from Dubrovnik or Korcula. In both of our previous stops much of the beauty came from a cohesive aesthetic that transports you to a specific'ish time and place. Split is an ode to adaptability and change, as evidenced by our modern apartment built into a 1500 year old Roman wall.

Whether it is an ancient Roman mosaic poking out from under a restaurant's wall, or one facade that shows seven different periods in which it was partially rebuilt with different stones, something different is waiting around every corner. Split's old town, centered around Diocletian's palace, is also frequented by locals in addition to the many tourists. While this was a welcome change, the groups of young men pre-drinking in and around the poorly-lit empty alleys by our place was a different vibe than gelato slurping toddlers. We were once again glad that we were visiting in the off-season so the hordes had lessened.

Making the most of an early-rising baby by getting out for a wander before the shops open

In our three days there, we hit up most of the main attractions. With rain threatening the short-term forecast, we took our first morning to climb up a big hill to Marjan park so we could achieve widespread views of the city and port. It felt so good to be in nature again after our long stint in Dubrovnik. We continued our workout by summiting the bell tower in the palace. The top was stunning but slightly nerve-racking with the high winds and open aired vestibule. Passing other visitors on the creaky staircase was definitely more than a little precarious. We visited a few temples and went in and out the four palace gates and mainly just enjoyed the architecture and atmosphere. Split has a lovely waterfront promenade, The Riva, for strolling, and there was, of course, gelato on offer. All in all, we enjoyed our time there but not quite as much as the warm and inviting streets of Dubrovnik that we'd left behind.

Balkans Days 9-15: Korcula Island

As if wandering around Dubrovnik for a week wasn't relaxing enough, we stopped next at the island of Korcula, halfway between Dubrovnik and Split. An easy two hour ferry ride got us right to Korcula Town and we quickly settled into our accommodation for the next two nights. It boasted a sweeping view of the water and mountainous island across from the spacious balcony. Our host offered us a bottle of her family vineyard's wine, a bowl of freshly dried figs, and left us to relax for the evening.

We spent the next two days wandering the old part of town and relaxing on their pebble beach. Korcula is much like Dubrovnik in its walled exterior, red roofs, and lovely stone archways, but it was much quieter. Tour groups here consisted of 2-5 people, not the 20+ in Dubrovnik. We enjoyed strolling along the walls with the strong sea wind blowing through our hair, and our lunch at Aterina where we sampled their take on a local delicacy, black risotto (cuttlefish in its own ink). We could feel the immenince of the off-season both in the lack of tourists and closures of some businesses. We reaped the rewards of this by staying late at both our Dubrovnik and now Korcula rentals meaning leisurely departures and a happy baby who got to have her afternoon nap in her crib.

It was a quick taxi ride over to Lumbarda on the other side of the island which was even quainter and quieter. Our next host graciously upgraded our room since we were some of his last guests for the year. The panorama from the massive balcony was breathtaking. He pointed out the two sandy beaches that inspired us to choose this location and invited us to come up to his family dining building at 7 for a welcome drink.

The true beauty of this offer was that the building he was referring to was literally outside our doorstep. A mere eight stairs brought us one level higher than our flat meaning we could take our baby monitor with us and be closer to our sleeping child than if we'd been on our own balcony. A dinner out without the need for a babysitter! :)

Already giddy with the concept, we were astounded when we sat down and saw exactly what our generous host meant by a "welcome drink." There was a plate of thinly sliced ham with olives, a plate of octopus, marinated anchovies, a basket of bread, pickles, and sliced cheese. He offered us first his home-made herbal brandy, then his vineyard's white and red wine, giving us both bottles to take with us when we were finished. It could most certaily be considered a meal - all on the house. It was the perfect start to our five-night stay.

The penthouse suite we were staying in was perched high on a hill above the small town. A 15 minute walk brought us to a sandy beach with the gentlest entry possible, which was just perfect for Baby. She loved crawling around in the sand (shoving handfuls in her mouth), splashing in the surf, and "swimming" in the water with us. We popped in briefly to two wineries in town for tastings but they each had only their white on offer as the season had basically ended. We did manage to try the house cherry brandy at the second stop and were intersted enough to buy a bottle. We ventured out to find more tasting rooms but they were all closed. The slow-paced island was perfect for us to enjoy our time together as a family and make the most of the spectacular balcony view.

Balkans Day 4: Montenegro

Flexibility is an important quality to have when embarking on long-term travel. This was something we needed frequently when we did our year-trip and has been especially useful when travelling with an unpredictable baby. But determination is also helpful.

Back when we were planning this trip, we decided that we wanted to go to Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro. We laid out our itinerary, knew that Dubrovnik was a great launching point to visit Montenegro, and even booked a night's accomodation in Kotor. It was only when we realized just how expensive the "take-a-rental-car-out-of-the-country" tax was that we changed our minds. Our hopes dashed, we tacked the extra day on to our stay in Dubrovnik to line up ferry schedules and to coordinate visiting a childhood friend of Craig's. We'd find another time to go, we decided. But truthfully, we were a little disappointed.

So when we got to Dubrovnik and saw that there were tour companies all over the place advertising a day trip to not just Kotor but Perast and Budva as well, our eyes lit up at the chance to still go. We're not usually fans of tours but for less money we'd see more of the country, not have to worry about border crossings, and get a small boat trip out of it. The huge drawback was our lack of flexibility. We'd be stuck for chunks of the day with Baby on a bus or a boat with other people and most certainly without a crib. Hmm. Was it really worth it to try? She might be a screaming mess ruining our time along with everyone else's on the tour. As we previously mentioned, sleeping in the stroller has not been her strong suit recently. But this was our chance to go after we'd already given up on the idea. We had to go for it.

Fast forward to 4 am the morning of. We'd already gotten up once with Baby. She'd been crying HARD in pain from her teeth, apparently. This was no longer looking like such a good idea. We crossed our fingers that we could each get a little bit more sleep before we needed to be up at 6:30 to leave. We did in fact all fall back asleep and didn't wake until Baby got up next...at 7 am. Craig's alarm hadn't gone off.

This is where Erin's meticulous planning skills really paid off. We were out the door - with a baby, let me remind you - in 15 minutes. That included Erin nursing Baby and Craig making eggs for us for breakfast. We had everything we needed and were at our pick-up spot 5 minutes early. Major parenting points!

As we waited outside one of the Old Town's three gates, we realized just how insane Dubrovnik's traffic is. With only three entry points to the town, congestion was astronomical. Tour bus after tour bus stopped to unload cruise ship passengers, shuttle buses stopped to pick up day-trippers, intercity busses stopped to pick up travellers, and city buses stopped to pick up locals. There were vans delivering food and supplies to restaurants, men driving little carts with fresh laundry to drop off at hotels in the old town, dollies piled high with produce for the daily market... and it ALL seemed to be scheduled for exactly 7:30 am. It is amazing that we were able to find our correct transport vehicle. We jumped in a little groggy but relieved and energized for the day ahead.

Our driver and tour guide got us right on our way. Baby happily waved at the different passengers in our van, and we watched the same views unfold before us as our drive in from the airport.

We started getting a bit anxious as we approached the border as our tour guide reinforced just how out of his control this portion of the tour was. "It could take 5 minutes or it could take 4 hours. It depends on today's guards." Thinking it was maybe just the situation that had us sweating, we brushed off the raising temperatures as we idled in the line. Five minutes later; however, our guide jumped out of the car breaking the only border crossing rule he'd given us (nobody leaves the vehicle), talking frantically into his cell phone. He got back in to move us forward and briefly apologized to us for the heat.

The air conditioner was broken. He gave us little information as he jumped out again, muttering something about us needing to wait for a new vehicle at the next town. As we drove through no-man's land (having had only a quick stop at the Croatian side - yay!), he shared that it was more than just the air conditioner that was conking out. Our whole electrical system was crashing. He hoped that we could make it to the bottom of the hill where there was a town we could stop at.

Admist all of this, he also asked us if we wanted our passports stamped when we entered Montenegro. Hearing a chorus of "yes"'s, he grabbed two beer from his glove box and proceeded inside the station. He came back beer-less and announced that we had stamps. :)

It felt like the whole 15 of us held our breaths as we sailed downward to the town below. It turned out that we had a scheduled pit stop here anyways, and that half of our party was actually getting off at this town to board a boat to continue onwards. The tour we had paid for kept us on the bus for much longer so that we could get to see all three aformentioned towns. Our guide informed us that our 10 minute pit stop would now be 30 minutes and that everyone could meet back at the van at that point. We grabbed a quick coffee and snack at a cafe, put Baby to sleep successfully in the stroller, and met back up with the group at 10 am.

Of course, the situation had changed. It would now be an hour more of a wait until a new van arrived. Our guide encouraged us to switch to the other tour, offering us a discount for the increased cost, and everyone changed over to the boat tour. We quickly boarded a small catamaran with us apologizing for the ridculous amount of stuff we had with us ("We'd intended to leave most of it on the bus!"). With all the commotion, Baby had awoken after only 10 minutes of sleep so we looked about a little anxiously as we pushed off from shore. Whether it was the right decision or not, we now had to live with it. She wouldn't sleep, she wouldn't nurse, and it was clear that the previous night's wailings had, in fact, produced her first tooth. Maybe we should have packed the Tylenol.

In the end, Baby was more resilient than we even give her credit for. She enchanted the other passengers, focusing particularly on a group of three grandmas travelling together. She loved the boat and all of its interesting parts. And everyone was very accommodating to her grabbing their stuff from their bags, hanging on to their knees, and having their shoelaces tugged as we bobbed along the stunning coastline.

Montenegro was lovely. We sailed along the tighter coast between steep jutted mountainsides. Deep gorges were cut into the stone and we entered a fjord high and narrow. Little towns maximized the tight space between the crest of the water and the quick rise of rock. Houses dotted the entire coast that we road along.



We came first to two islands that are just off the coast of Perast. Our Lady of the Rock was a man-made island that houses a church built by the generous donations of sailors so they would be watched over while out at sea. The beautiful blue dome stood tall atop the rocky mantle. It was charming despite being overrun with tourists. We considered trying to get Baby to sleep but the stop there was too short. Back in the boat we were finally able to get her to succomb to the vibrations of the boat and she drifted off.




It was great timing as we were then served lunch. Our expectations had been admittedly low, but instead of meat and cheese sandwiches it turned out to be a beautiful spread of sliced meats, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pickles. Domestic wines were offered and everyone chatted and seemed pleased with the change of plans.

Kotor was noticeable from a distance. Like Dubrovnik, it is tightly ringed by its defensive wall, unlike it in that its moat is still full of water. As we crossed into the old part of town on foot, we were transpotred to another era. Tiny streets twisted and turned with low arched doorways over tiny shops. A peek inside showed that the arches continued in the interior, making each shop seem set in a cosy cave. They boasted wares of lavendar dolls, stonework, and intricately designed glass lamps. It truly felt as though we were walking through Diagon Alley. It seemed that every fifth turn brought us to a new church or another corner of the small city's walls and we were quickly sheparded back toward the centre. After we felt that we'd wandered enough, we chose what we felt was the most atmospheric square and nestled in for a drink and a snack.



We had a quick stop in the town of Perast on our return trip, where we strolled the waterfront and looked back out at the two small islands. Then a short boat trip dropped us back at our van with our original driver and guide and we effortlessly passed through the borders and made our way back to Dubrovnik as the sun was sinking beautifully into the sea.

We had survived - and Baby had thrived - during our 12 hour day international trip now dubbed as Baby's first tooth celebration!

Doing Dubrovnik with a Baby (9 months)

Travelling as a family has been such a special time for us and we are definite proponents of the idea. So far, Croatia seems to be a great place to visit with young children. If you're planning to hit up Dubrovnik with a little one, here are our thoughts to help make your time easier.



We would highly recommend having a baby carrier to explore the old city. There are MANY steps which can be quite slippery even without a drop of rain. There are parts that are completely manageable, though, by stroller, and we frequently took ours out if we were planning to walk to Banje Beach, visit the market, or grab a drink on a patio. You can enter both Pile gate and Ploce Gate where there are no stairs, as well as walk between them along the Stradun (the main street) and Old Puca (second biggest street). To enter or exit the Buza Gate (North Entrance), there is a huge flight of steep stairs so it is not a good option for strollers or little feet.

We saw no sign idicating it as such but strollers should not be permitted along the city walls. It is a constant train of steps both up and down and certain sections are quite narrow. So we used our carrier for this excursion and had no trouble. The few museums we visited allowed us to bring Baby in with us free of charge (or judgement), either in the stroller or the carrier, and locals and tourists alike were enamored with her.

Outside of Kotor's City Walls on our day trip to Montenegro

At 9 months old, Baby herself was happy to people-and pigeon-watch. We never needed to have toys with us when we went out but did plan ahead with a meal or snack for her if we were intending on sitting and having a drink or an appy. In September we had no trouble with heat. We did use her long-sleeved Rashguard bathing suit at the beach which was super convienent. Keep in mind that the beaches here are not sandy. She was happy for a short while to sit on the rocks in the surf and try to best us by putting pebbles in her mouth. Compared to other European beach spots, the water is quite warm.

With prior notice both our airport shuttle and day trip tour to Montenegro provided us with an infant car seat. Check yourself, though, to ensure that it is installed tightly and correctly.

The water in Dubrovnik is "safe" for drinking so we didn't worry about washing the food we prepared for her in tap water. We did choose to opt for straight bottled water for her drinking water just in case it upset her sensitive little immune system. Baby didn't seem upset stomach-wise here, but she did have some issues on the island when we moved on to Korcula so we switched to bottled for everything for her just in case.

If you're planning to visit Dubrovnik or Croatia in general, feel free to leave us a comment and we can attempt to answer any specific questions you have about family travel in this part of the world. Happy Travelling!

Balkans Days 2-8: Dubrovnik

Our street was so picturesque that we couldn't walk out the door without getting in someone's photograph!

Expecting to need a few days to adjust to the time change and recover from the flights, we planned a relaxing week in Dubrovnik. It turned out to be a great choice for us. Our Air BnB provided us with a fantastic launching point for many daily wanderings.

In Dubrovnik, tight alleyways twist and turn concealing tiny cafes and boutique shops jammed together in a pleasing fashion. For many it's a day-trip destination or a cruise ship landing spot so staying overnight provided the opportunity to leisurely stroll the otherwise packed streets with large tour groups incapable of stepping out of the way for a couple carrying or pushing a baby. We fell into a routine of going on three walks a day with breaks for Baby's two naps. The maze of sidestreets gave much choice and new discoveries were found at every turn.

A rare sight: the main street (Stradun) empty of tourists

Family selfie!

Durbrovnik is an old city encased in its original walls. The 2km are walkable and a great opportunity to get a lay of the land. Views from the highest tower showcase the city, the walls themselves, and the Adriatic sparkling in the background. We timed our walk of the walls for late afternoon so the crowds had lessened, the sun was lowering providing beautifully atmpospheric views, yet the rust-coloured rooftops still shone against the deep blue background.

We would highly recommend visiting the War Photography Museum prior to your walk of the walls. This stunning display of history really enhanced the experience by reminding us how recently the walls had been used in actual combat. It was a very different feeling to look through the arrow loops picturing yourself in medieval times vs 20 years ago. The weight of their recent war was heavy.

Banje

The city was also protected, of course, by the sea. Citizens have made the most of this by creating wall bars and swimming spots from rocky outrcroppings accessible by winding staircases and giant slabs of rocks. The water is unimaginably clear, and we enjoyed taking morning dips at various wall spots and afternoon swims at Banje Beach.

The view from the wall looking down at
a wall bar and the swimming spot below.

All this adds up to a tremendous amount of walking! There were 372 steps between our tucked-away flat and our most frequented wall beach that we needed to navigate both up AND down. There are over 80 steps just to get down to Banje Beach from the main street. It was; therefore, a great relief to take an impromptu trip to the top of the city on the gondola. We enjoyed the panorama immensly but would recommend shelling out for a few drinks or a meal at the restaurant (ideally at sunset) to really make the most of the experience.

Balkans Day 1: It's Only 8 Hours

It's only 8 hours. 8 hours...that's nothing. We've done two 13 hour flights already with Adventure Baby. It'll be fine.

Everything but the kitchen sink

We tried to reassure ourselves going into our overnight journey from Toronto, through Munich, to Dubrovnik, but we knew it would still be challenging. Since sleep-training Baby back in June, she has only wanted to sleep in her crib. We'd requested a bassinet bulkhead spot for our trip (prepaid for in advance), but when we got on board, that wasn't where we'd been seated. We admitted to ourselves that there had been a good chance she wouldn't sleep in it anyways. Craig reassured Erin by reminding her that by take-off, we'd already completed 25% of the entire journey. There are times when Math is a godsend.

It was nearly 3 hours past her bedtime when the plane finally took off. She was beside herself. Everyone around us was probably cursing their luck to be stuck near one of the only children on the huge plane. But as we always tell ourselves, everything is better once we're actually in the air and the vibrations do their thing.

No matter how well a baby travels/sleeps on a plane, there is something claustrophobic about not having anywhere to go or having your normal soothing techniques available to you should they become inconsolable. Luckily, albeit reluctantly, Baby finally fell asleep: first in the carrier, and later on our giant nursing pillow that is annoying to lug around but so worth it for moments like this. We managed to rest, but arrived 8 hours later feeling pretty groggy and in much need of some actual sleep.

At the Munich airport we were able to get Baby to fall asleep in the stroller so she could attempt to get her normal 12 hours of night-time z's. We decided to spell each other off for 45 minute chunks of time so we could each have a BREAK to go and eat lunch. They have a sweet little quiet section in the international terminal with lounge chairs which allowed for a much-needed stretch. Then 4 hours later we were on our way to Dubrovnik. All things considered, Adventure Baby did a fantastic job. We exited the terminal looking a little worse for wear to be greeted by our airport transfer. After expecting the regular mini-van group shuttle that seems to be an international staple, we were surprised to see a young, stylish guy holding up a card with our names on it. He led us to his sleek black sedan as immaculately groomed on the inside as his purposefully touseled hair, and proceeded to escort us along the stunning Croatian cliffsides with club beats and Beiber hits (for our Canadian benefit?) serenading all the way.



Our spirits lifted with each turn in the road. The landscape was absolutely stunning. Shrubby hillsides to the right swayed downwards towards the road where the land then dropped suddenly straight down to the blanket of azure that stretched as far as the eye could see. Lush islands spotted the sea with many sailboat silhouettes backlit by the sinking sun. We couldn't have picked a more beautiful time of day to arrive. When we rounded the last big bend and spotted Dubrovnik's old town, compacted between its high, ancient walls, rust-coloured shingles ablaze in the glory of the sunset, our eyes met in excitement.

Our cosy little Air BnB
with views of the fort walls and gondola

With raised eyebrows our driver unloaded our many, many bags and skeptically wished us luck lugging it all to our rental flat in the pedestrian-only old town.

Craig expertly navigated our way through the narrow cobblestone alleyways without glancing at a map, and at last we had arrived. It was perfectly 6 pm...Baby's bedtime at home. Exhausted from the journey, she went to sleep with little fuss. We smiled at each other and high-fived...we were back on the road!

Canada Travel: Vancouver & Pender Islands

We'd barely caught our breaths from returning from Oz when we were packing our bags again and heading back to the airport. A weekend away in one location promised to be an easier trip. So why did we still have so much stuff?!

Baby whimpered when we first boarded the plane, and we had to reassure her that she was not going to spend a lifetime on this flight. The one-hour trip to Victoria would feel like nothing to a pro traveller like her. She quickly adjusted and remained happy for the entire flight despite the crying babies and restless toddlers surrounding us.

Our final destination: Pender Island for Craig's cousin's wedding. But we'd never miss an opportunity to do a little extra exploring while we were away! It would be Erin's first time visiting Vancouver Island or any of the surrounding Gulf Islands, and the views from the window seat did not disappoint as we descended towards Sidney.

Having only a few hours before we had to catch our Pender-bound ferry, we opted to explore Butchart Gardens and have lunch at Brentwood Bay. Clear skies and a light breeze made for an enjoyable walk around both. Our little nature-lover agreed that it was the perfect add-on to our day.

First carosel ride!

Craig's family had rented a stunning VRBO property on South Pender Island. Its panoramic views and posh interior were enough to make anyone relax. We enjoyed some good quality family time both at the property and at the wedding itself, which was gorgeous and personal. It was there that we celebrated Baby's six-month milestone. Could she be any cuter???



We planned it to have time on our outgoing day to visit Victoria and all of its charm. Baby still wasn't sleeping without assistance so we were just exhausted by the end of our fourth day away from home. So we'll admit that we didn't make the most of what Victoria had to offer. But we did luxuriate at Beacon Hill Park (where we took a family nap on the grass), and we wandered the harbourfront. We also didn't miss the opportunity to get gelato and have a patio lunch. We know we've got our priorities straight...

All in all, it was a successful little trip. We send a big shout-out and congratulations to Nikki and Brodie for including us in their special day. Cheers to a life of adventure together!