Halfway through our Croatian exploration trip and we were having a blast. The challenge of driving was taking its toll but because public transport doesn't really exist we didn't have many options. Our love/hate relationship with the GPS continued on our journey to our Split apartment. Once we finally arrived our visit to Split was short and sweet, we ventured into the old town for the evening and wandered around followed by a delicious meal in one of the local squares.
The following morning started our trek to Plitivice National Parks, I was looking forward to the Parks since seeing the pictures of all the amazing waterfalls online. The signage was confusing and we struggled a little to figure out were we where but once we parked and had lunch we choose a trail. You could either go to the right and see the big waterfall and a couple others or go to the left and see multiple smaller waterfalls. After talking with some staff the larger waterfall route was deemed more kid friendly and we were off. Of course right when we start it starts pouring down rain, worst of the whole trip and we all get drenched! Lucky for us the rain passed and it was a gorgeous hike through the park. The waterfalls were amazing and the path was just build right through the waterfalls at some points, water flowing right over where you are supposed to walk. Not like any park we’ve visited in the US. After getting a little turned around (possibly my fault) we headed back to the parking lot and drove to Rovinj.
The next morning bright and early we ventured into the picturesque old town Rovinj. We headed to Red Island for a relaxing afternoon at the beach. I had already learned my lesson about the rock beaches so decided to lay out and relax. We saw tons of jelly fish and finally ended up illegally hanging out in the hotel pool (SHHH don’t tell!) We spent the evening wandering the town and shopping for things we can’t get in Saudi. For dinner we had the best Mexican food, something we have been missing terribly!! 
We decided to spend the following day in Slovenia, it was our first experience driving across a border and we had to cross into Bosnia and then into Slovenia which pissed the GPS off to no end. Slovenia was similar to Croatia in being very hilly with tons of green. It was so quaint. We started at Lake Bled with a lunch in Bled Castle with great views and traditional food. Next we found a place to bottle our own win in the castle and a small museum. Our plans to go luging and paddle to the island were thwarted by a large rain storm. Instead we decided to head to the capital of Ljubljana and explore. I have to say this is an area I’ve noticed the biggest personal change is my ability to be more flexible, expat life has done me good. It was still a rainy day but we had found such a gem in the town. Walked around the square and enjoyed some local market food along with getting some awesome photos. Maddy even got to play some little kids basketball, even though she couldn’t speak the language she did well. Finished our day with dinner back in Rovinj at a local restaurant where we had seen a pig roasting all day, it was delicious!
The following day we headed 45min south to Pula which is the sight of ancient Roman ruins. The colosseum here was built around the same time as the one in Rome and is one of the best preserved ones in all the world. We walked into the town and saw the Roman forum and busy square. At this point Maddy had a rare “3 year old moment”, we made a very hasty exit to the car. Not before she pee’d on Trey on purpose and tried to run in the street with us running after her screaming. Not any of our finest moments but thankfully nothing a long afternoon nap couldn’t fix.
That evening we decided to be brave and venture out again, we headed to the hilltop town of Motovun. You have to park and climb the mountain but thankfully since we got there so late we could drive up over half the way and park. We walked the city walls and enjoy the tiny community inside the walls. We got to experience truffles for the first time (Amazing!!) and wild asparagus pasta. Absolute food-gasm!
Our final full day in Croatia we woke up and had our final family breakfast with Jay and Beth before all heading to Zagreb and our final apartment. In Zagreb I wish I could say we continued our adventure but we were so exhausted that we just spent the afternoon and evening laying on our couch and resting. We bid farewell to Jay, Beth and the girls as they headed back to the states while we went on to Budapest.
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