I hadn’t exactly planned on hitting up Croatia while visiting Italy. Portugal? Probably. Scotland? Perhaps. But Croatia? Turns out that it was an excellent idea, and a great time, spending our Sunday there.

We left early for our drive out to beautiful, coastal Rijeka via Slovenia, and were on a dive boat by late morning. My friends were diving a spot in the Adriatic Sea. I would’ve loved to go, too, but ended up staying on board due to some lingering congestion and the strong likelihood I might injure my eardrum should I give in and go under.  Not that hanging out on a dive boat isn’t one of my favorite activities of all time to date.

When I dove in Indonesia, being under the sea was the best, but getting there – laying out in the sun on the front of a boat, bouncing slightly as the waves roll rhythmically underneath, drifting in and out of sleep to the sound of the ocean? – it’s definitely a worthwhile option. And I spent half of the day electing to do just that, as my counterparts looked for fish and turtles, and searched old ship wreckage.

In the evening, Jules and I found ourselves on prime real estate at a bar on the beach, ordering wine and snacks, and soaking up both more sun and the Croatian beach scene. It was bustling, full of young men and women, cocktails and gelato, couples and groups lazily sunbathing and busily playing games – something like volleyball – in the ocean. Boats sped by, with little kids waterskiing expertly behind, as if they’d started learning as soon as they could walk (and probably did).

I’d write more, but there’s not really a whole lot to add. It was just a really, really good day.

View from the Boat

A day at the beach