Back from Croatia

On Sunday we got back from 10 days of sun in Croatia where I totally enjoyed the food (loved the cevapcici!), the sun and the warmth (both literal and the general friendliness).

Early morning at Baska Voda

Vienna is very cold (10°!C) and grey in comparison. William's routine is all jumbled and I am having to cook and launder once again... Oh well.

Here are some pics to of our stay.

Both William and Emma stayed awake during the whole plane trip but luckily slept in the car that drove us from Split to Baska Voda.

William "wearing" Emma's underpants to keep the light out

Emma had a proper sleep mask on to help her sleep

Getting up on Sunday morning was really hard as William had woken loads of times during the night

Annabel (alias Tata-yéyé) arrived later in the night and was greeted with much joy as soon as we were all awake!

Emma enjoyed some time with her Daddy

I love the scenery and the smells of pine wood and the sea

and late afternoon apéritifs on the beach where helpful in getting trough the evenings

For more pics of our hols click here

Emma's first haircut

At 25 months, we finally took the plunge and decided to take Emma to the hairdresser in an attempt to even out what little hair she has and make her look a little less like a mad scientist.

I think she quite enjoyed the experience and the end result is much prettier than expected.

Trampoline fun - Emma's new passion

Emma is not so hot on "swimming" in the sea, but the "popoline" has totally won her over... No matter that she hasn't quite figured out how to jump on her own yet.

At any rate, it means that by bedtime we're both totally beat and sleep like logs.

Emma's hearty appetite & morning sickness

Our first night was a bit rough due to Emma feeling uneasy in an unfamiliar bed (luckily I was asleep just an hour after her so I patiently managed the repetitive waking later in the night - self-complimentary tap on the shoulder ) but last night was smooth.

Emma's appetite is more varacious than ever after an afternoon on the beach and jumping on the trampoline (pics of that in a next post). Luckily for us, she is currently sleeping in so we enjoy a morning chat and tranquillement reading the Economist as we watch the occasional boat pass by. The good life.

The salty breeze and yummy tomatoes are a hit.

I just wish brushing my teeth didn't make me feel so sick... not sure my lovely family would be charmed by all-day morning breath, but I might consider mints if this goes on.

Tomorrow our Tata-yéyé (a.k.a Annabel, Emma's beloved auntie) arrives!

back from beautiful Croatia

We've been back from Croatia for a couple of weeks now but got caught up in kindergarden routines, the flu etc. and so I never got around to telling you about our little holiday in beautiful Croatia.

It's grey and around 10° in Vienna and autumn has come in most of Europe, so let me indulge my desire for sun and light by sharing a few observations and some pics of holiday weather with you. Hopefully it will help combat the sniffles!

Below the gorgeous view we woke up to every morning from our balcony at Villa Izabela.

Despite the familiarity of the destination (we had been in the region of Makarska Riviera in 2005 and I have spent many a childhood summer on the very same beach), or perhaps I should say, because of the familiarity of the place, I really enjoyed our holiday. Being an expat can mean that routine and familiarity are treasured more than adventure and novelty at every step! Taking Emma to the beach and watch her discover the salty water, pebbles and seafood was part of the fun. Not having been on a real holiday for ages made it more precious.

A note to new parents thinking of going on a holiday with their young one: Unless you can afford a suite, staying in a rented flat rather than in a hotel room really makes a huge difference. Not only can you cook, eat, play or nap when you feel like it, but you can actually enjoy your evenings à deux by having dinner, a chat, playing cards, watching TV etc. while your babe is safely asleep in another room. A Baby-call can also give you a little parental freedom. We managed Mojitos across the street one evening.

It was also fun to meet and interact with the owners of Villa Izabela to the point where they made us the most delicious palačinke (crêpes) twice and we helped their daughter with her English homework. Kind of like being part of the family.

The other great thing about this region's coast is that thanks to the "Sobe" (rooms) or "Apartmani" (apartments) the locals take part in (so logically also benefit from) the tourism. This means the coast has not been spoiled by huge hotels, locals feel less "invaded" by the floods of tourists since they are actively taking part in the logistics and benefiting directly from their stay. As for guests, their stay feels more homey thanks to home made food and morning and evening chats on the stairs or the patio. What a refreshing change from big hotels where you are just another guest needing a clean room by noon. If you value anonymous travel though, Croatia is not for you. Or at least not in June or September, the quieter, more privileged seasons.

Ok, now for some pics!

We also went to Plitvice, but the weather wasn't so good while we were there as you can see in a selection of my pics below.


























The scenery and colors are spectacular. I'd love to visit in the winter time when there's snow. Here are some beautiful pics of Plitvice in the summer time by Julius Silver. Definitely worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods.

up, up and away

We're off on our first holiday since I was three months pregnant with Emma - (we flew to Thailand from Izmir in January '07) and I can tell you we have been looking forward to it a lot!

That also means it's our first holiday with Emma (to a place other than a second home or family) so packing has been quite something (powdered milk, bottles, plastic plates, food for the trip, some toys, nappies, wipes, baby suncream, hats, cot, buggy, car seat...) !

We're heading for Croatia again (we were there in 2005), because the coast is beautiful and we can drive there relatively quickly, easily transport all the baby stuff and be mobile while we are there.

We'll be spending our first night just outside Zagreb in a place called Samobor (here) and then heading down to the Makarska Riviera where we've rented a small flat in Baska Voda.

For our second week, we'll be heading up to Plitvice National Park for 3 days and then we'll see...

We're really looking forward to it.

Must get Emma out of bed now and give her some breakfast.