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!

NZ/Aus Days 53-60: Sydney

The week that followed was full of much lounging around and catching up with our great friends Kristen and John. We were thankful to have enough time in Sydney to casually see bits of the city while still enjoying lots of card playing, beach crawls, and time with Baby. We loved both the bustle, energy, and food of Newtown, and the chilled-out seaside vibe of Coogee.

We made sure to get down to the Sydney Harbour more than once to appreciate views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. For a sight so iconic to Australia, we weren't sure it would hold up to the images in our minds. But the Opera House exceeded both of our expectations in its size, unique architecture, and accessibility. We had drinks at the Opera House bar, took a quick look around the inside, and walked its perimeter.

Another highlight was taking a boat from Watson's Bay to the harbour so we could appreciate the Opera House and bridge from a different viewpoint. We'd highly recommend this for anyone visiting Sydney.

On our last day of our two-month-plus trip, the four of us visited the Blue Mountains, and, of course, finished the day off with lots of laughs, some great wine, a match of Wha-bam, and some sad good-bye tears. XOXO

Day 60 seemed to go on forever, and with good reason. We left Sydney at 10:30 am and had a very long 13 hour flight where Baby refused to go in the bassinet. We transferred through San Fran, departing for Calgary before we had technically left Sydney: 8:45 am on the same day. A rough couple of weeks followed as the three of us adjusted to the 8 hour time difference, significant increase in daylight hours, and re-taught Baby how to sleep independently again. But it was all worth it for the amazing memories we created together on our first-ever family travel adventure.

NZ/Aus Days 50-52: Jervis Bay

Two long driving days followed with a quick night's rest in Eden. Our favourite stop was the surf beach in Narooma where we ate lunch and strolled along the shoreline. The white sand squeaked as it was supposed to do at Squeaky Beach in Wilson's Prom (where it had been too wet from rain to squeak). The pristine beach was deserted and as we looked out at the waves we noticed a pod of dolphins swimming by. They gaily rode the waves towards shore and jumped above the surf. Delighted, we watched, as one leapt from the water straight up in the air like a dolphin at Sea World trying to tap a hanging ball with its nose. We almost begrudingly got back in the car as it was such a lovely place to stop and rest.

A brief walk at Bateman's Bay

We spent the next two nights in Jervis Bay where we lounged on Hyams Beach, saw kangaroos, and tried desperately to get Baby back on her regular sleeping schedule (with no avail). It was with weary legs that we drove to Sydney, glad that it was our last stop and that we had smiling friends waiting to spend time with us. A few nights of drinking Australian wine and playing Wha-bam sounded just about perfect right now.

NZ/Aus Days 47-49: Sandy Point

We bid Melbourne farewell, and with it our friends, and continued on our way the next drizzly morning. We drove for what felt like forever along an uninspiring suburban highway that had us feeling thankful that we don't have to commute to work at home. Slowly the landscape started to change, and we were glad to finally turn Bo's nose back toward the coast.

Craig had picked a beach spot for us to stop at on Phillip Island. It had lovely sand and great views of the tumultous sea, and we joked that it had much less seaweed than his previous break spot. Unfortunately, the chosen beach was home to an endangered shearwater nesting ground and only one bird successfully left the beach that season. So... we had to do a lot of side-stepping around bird carcasses... and dying birds. :(  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the stunning view above.

We got back on the road heading to the complete opposite of bustling, trendy Melbourne. Three nights of solitude awaited us at our hideaway on Sandy Point. Where our Melbourne flat had been tiny, loud, and bright, this accommodation had oodles of space (as in, an entire king sized bed and bedroom for EACH of us!), the deafening quiet of a summer resort area in the off-season, and it was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face once the lights were out. It was perfect! The only similarity was the weather. At least the rain stayed OUTside our place this time. The other bonus? A short walk to a sandy beach, of course. We ventured out and were happy with our decision to come in fall for both the lack of people, and the lack of snakes on the grassy pathway to the beach.

Another draw of staying at Sandy Point is its proximity to the protected marine park, Wilson's Promontory. The Prom is host to such a variety of Australian wildlife that we were bound to see something cool. We set off early the next morning, and the day did not disappoint. We quickly checked the boxes of nearly all the classics: kangaroo, wallaby, emu, and echidna (and sadly a few dead wombats on the side of the road). Alongside the animals, the scenery was stunning. We walked another beach and drove to an impressive viewpoint. We would highly recommend setting aside a couple of days to explore this beautiful and wildlife-abundant area!