Just as I sat down to write this, I decided to look back at my first article in what I am calling the “Adventures in Recalibration” series.

I wrote that first one the day we were leaving for Portugal, and the back story (you can read it here).

All we knew for sure was we had booked a month in Lisbon, and then had a loose idea of maybe a few more weeks in the Algarve? We figured we would just wait and see. Whatever was meant to be.

That has kind of become our mantra the past couple of months: trust the process, whatever is meant to be, everything is happening for us.

Trust the process, whatever is meant to be, everything is happening for us.

Because, here we are. Almost eight weeks in Portugal. A week in London. And now a full week (and then some) in Croatia. Who could have predicted that this would be the itinerary?

I remember being on a walk with Rob in Lisbon when we started floating the idea of continuing travel after London (London I knew I had to be there for work, but we initially thought we’d head home). 

We float a lot of ideas on our walks (we are floating the potential idea of what our fall could look like, but we shall see… trust the process, whatever is meant to be, everything is happening for us…

We plant the seeds that seem crazy when we say them outloud. Then nourish them by talking about them more.

And for many, maybe all this does not seem crazy at all.

But for the two of us, it was and is very new. Rob has worked straight for 30 years in corporate. The idea of being in between things, waiting for the right opportunity (he turned something down last week bcs saw it was not in alignment with what he wanted – and this kind of alignment matters more to us at this stage of life) . I’ve also always been working, and while I continue to do so remotely, so many things are different.

But every single piece of the past 10 weeks has felt like we are exactly where we were supposed to be.

We arrived in Split, Croatia at the tail end of Week 9. It was a Friday night, rainy and cold, and we couldn’t get a good feel for the place at all. It kind of felt like London all over again, which while I love London, I do not love the weather we had.

But like every new place and new transition, I remind myself that I just need some time to get settled, get the lay of the land, and a good night sleep.

It’s amazing how just a good night’s sleep changes everything.

Split: Rain, Ruins, and a Perfect Evening

The next day, our first real day in Split started with more rain.

I actually truly hate rain.

But, we pulled out our umbrellas which we frequently used in London, and walked down to the Old Town. Our air bnb is just outside old town – a perfect 12 min walk.

We wandered along “the Riva” (riverfront promenade), and then walked through the winding paths inside the old palace walls. It really is a beautiful little city.

And then it absolutely poured, so we ducked into a restaurant called Picasso for pizza while we dried off. It kept raining so it was a perfect time to head back to the air bnb to nap and do some work ( I am trying to squeeze in work especially when the weather is bad to free me up for when the weather is good…)

By evening, the weather cleared up, we had some leftover pizza and headed back into town.

We found this outdoor bar just outside the palace where they put cushions on the stone steps, and you can order drinks and they had some live music playing.

To say it was magical is an understatement. 

I don’t usually get too gushy (well, that’s not completely true…), but when the musician played Harvest Moon, one of our fave songs, I admit I kind of got teary. It was a thin moment for sure. We are getting pretty good at stopping to appreciate these moments, call them out to each other, express some gratitude, as well as some awe. And then my heart takes a picture (and I usually take one on my phone too). We pretty much had a perfect evening.

The next day we decided to do a more formal tour that took us into Trogir, a tiny town about 30 minutes from Split, and then on to Krka National Park.

The park is known for its falls – which were very pretty. We then took a little river boat through the park to the town of Skradin, where we had lunch (the cuttlefish risotto and veal risotto – specialities of the region) . And, totally a coincidence (at least I think it was!), there was a car rally hill climb, which Rob obviously loved ( More than the falls I think, and they were truly gorgeous).

The rest of our time in Split was a mix of work days and wandering.

We hiked up to Marjan Hill one morning, which overlooks Spilt and the 360 views were stunning. You can see the whole coast, the mountains, the city spread out below. We found a quieter neighbourhood on the way up, had a super healthy lunch (tuna and octopus quinoa bowl), and did our daily “Niksen” time sitting on a bench by the water.

I did a podcast episode here about “Niksen” (a Dutch term that means “do nothing” ) a while back, so it is a term we have been using and and we have been trying to do it daily. “Wanna go niksen” or “Where should we niksen” has become part of our daily conversations.

We are too cute:) Have I mentioned how travel like this can be so so good for a relationship? Spending this time together I truly feel like we are falling more and more in love each day. (There is the gushy stuff again. Sorry, not sorry).

We also had some amazing food at different restaurants over the week: Corso Maltese, Zinfandel, and then Fig – where we had the best burger (maybe of our lives…blueberry jalapeño chutney makes it.). And it wouldn’t be our trip without my now famous protein, fruit, yogurt and muesli bowls on a few nights.

And of course, gelato. Always room for gelato. Chocolate orange is my new fave flavour.

The Five Islands and Falling for Hvar

After a pretty busy work week, we decided to do what they call the “Five Island Cruise” out of Split and all I can say is wow.

First off, our young skipper had a great playlist. It has been interesting to see that almost every time you hear music playing, it is from the 70s and 80’s. We met a guy who shared that they do it bcs the visitors that are doing the most travel these days are the Gen Xers like us, who grew up with 80s music. They are trying to make us happy (and feel good so in turn we will associate good memories with the trip and return or share our experience). So the skipper’s play list was 70-80s (even though most of our cruise companions were millennials or Gen Z). We loved it.

We stopped at the Blue Cave which was phenomenal. A hole in the rocks above and below creates this incredible glowing blue light inside the cave. We also saw the Green Cave – though not as vibrant. But it was beautiful too. We stopped at the island of Vis, where part of Mamma Mia 2 was filmed (I’m a huge Mamma Mia fan!), and had shakshuka for breakfast. 

We also swam at another rocky beach on another island but the water was freezing (Rob made it further than me. My nervous system was screaming it was not in a mood for a cold plunge).

And then we arrived in Hvar.

We had originally decided that we would get off the tour in Hvar and stay the night. But then before we left, I’d heard people loved it so much, so I changed it to two. And then once we were there, we ended up extending to three. We could have easily stayed longer (except that we did not have enough clothing!)

Hvar is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Truly.

Every corner you turn, there is something that stops you. I took so many random pictures of doorways, and pathways, and gardens.

And yes, maybe some people will say it is too touristy. But I am learning, that touristy also often means beauty. And we are still in shoulder season, so it is not so bad (I agree touristy places in high season can be a nightmare). But there are real perks travelling this time of year. (And yes, there is a lot of beauty off the beaten path too, but I can also appreciate the touristy stuff!)

We had awesome food on Hvar too.

First night at a terrace garden overlooking the marina and an incredible sunset (Don Quinote). Second night on steps of an alley way (Leporini). Third night (best night) at another tucked away outdoor garden vibe (Mediterreaneo). All rather pricey but we felt like we were on a vacation on our travels. Our air bnb was super affordable too, so it balances out:)

The first full day we were there we rented a little Volkswagen Beetle (the thing to do!) and explored the whole island. We drove up through the mountains to Stari Grad, which was so charming we just sat on a bench by the water and soaked it in.

We then found a more secluded beach and cooled off there. We hit a couple more small towns before heading to Dubovica Beach, which is a very pretty beach. It’s a bit of a hike down to get there, but the water was gorgeous (although again, pretty chilly) and there is the cutest family run restaurant there (more like just eating in their yard. But so good. We had a fried fish they caught that morning). It was truly an amazing day exploring the island.

That night after dinner, we walked back along the marina and there was a boat with a choir on it, singing as the sun set. I took a video because I genuinely could not believe it was real. It felt like Disneyland, except it was just life. We were in awe (again)!

On our second (and last) full day, we took a water taxi to the Pakleni Islands and spent the whole afternoon doing absolutely nothing at Mlini Beach. We rented chairs, swam in the cold water, napped, and just lounged

If we stayed longer on Hvar, there would be many more beaches and islands I would explore! We met someone from India who said they visit 4 times a year (and he gave us all the good restaurants which of course we had no time to hit up). I totally get why they come so often.

On the last evening we climbed up to the fort at the top of Hvar that evening to watch the sunset. The lookout was breathtaking. And standing up there, looking out over this place we never planned to visit, we just felt so grateful. Another awe and thin moment.

Shorter Stays vs Longer ones

We will only be in Croatia for just under two weeks – which in real life is a long vacation for us, but on this trip, feels rushed.

In Lisbon, we had a full month so it allowed us to really go at a slower pace. There was no urgency. We could have slow mornings, work days, and still feel like we had plenty of time to explore. Even when I was busy with clients, I didn’t feel like I was missing out.

But on these shorter spurts, there feels like there is more of an urgency to get it all in. It is harder to slow down. Trying to balance work becomes harder bcs I just want to be out exploring! There is a subtle pressure that says I’m wasting time if I’m not out seeing everything.

And I interpret that feeling as my nervous system reading scarcity. Time is limited, so the internal signal says go, go, go.And it’s a completely understandable response. But I also know that the best moments on this trip have come from slowing down, not from cramming in more. And slowing down really has nothing to do with how long we are somewhere. It is more of my nervous system state.

I’m so glad that we listened to what felt right and stayed longer in Hvar. And those extra days gave us some amazing memories. Having a plan, but not being too married to it is what we are learning. Allowing space to change plans too is what I am trying to embrace.

What I’m Noticing

We’ve been gone for over two months now. Crazy, as I said.

And we know this chapter has a timeline. We need to be home at the beginning of July for a few reasons, including that Rob has a medical appointment he needs to get back for. And honestly, that reality is part of why we’re doing this. You just never know. You never know when the window is open and when it might close. So you go.

We also know we’ll be back in Europe. September brings my retreat that I am hosting in Italy and a cruise we planned with many of the retreat members (their partners are joining too) afterwards. Funny, it is a cruise that initially had Split on the itinerary but they had to cancel that spot and replace it with another spot in Greece. But we’ll hit Dubrovnik then, which is why we’re deliberately saving it for later. And we’ll pass through Montenegro for a day on that trip too.

But between now and July, we’re heading to Montenegro next (my son mentioned how funny it is that Montenegro was never on my bucket list and now I will have gone to it twice in one year!) We have to hit up an area out of the Schengen region (only allowed to stay in for 90 days out of 180 days), so Montenegro is what worked with logistics. We will then finish up with two weeks in Sicily.

None of which was on any itinerary when we left Canada. We are simply trusting the process of where we’re meant to go next.

Croatia has truly blown us away though. Put it on your bucket list! The history, the beauty, the water, the food, how well everything is kept. Stunning.

Rob and I keep saying the same thing to each other: when would we have ever done this? All the circumstances that lined up like dominoes to bring us here, right now.

I remember on Dec 31 having a discussion about what we were expecting this year to be like. We never would have guessed this. Ever. And we likely never would have planned something like this.

And that, I think, is the whole point of this adventure.

xoxo