Sonnenaple Nassfeld Austria Fall Trip 2024

For the kids’ October break, we returned to Carinzia on the Austrian-Italian border for all the fall feels. Despite the horrible weather (it was rainy and foggy 90 percent of the time) and a severe cold running through the entire family, we made it work. We took advantage of a break in the weather for a hike on the slopes. Annika was a pro and served as an excellent instructor for her brother. As always, we recommend the Falkensteiner for excellent food, lodging, spa, and kids activities. We’ll be back, and next time with the bikes…

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Vis September 2024

After a few days in Split, we took the ferry over to the island of Vis, one of the more distant islands off the Croatian coast. Historically, Vis was primarily a military base and was only opened to the public in the 1990s; as a result, it is less developed and quieter than islands such as Hvar or Brac. We enjoyed incredible sea views, but the Caribbean-colored waters belied the water temperature in late September. The sea town of Komiza is particularly charming and ranked as one of our favorite spots, although it would easily become overwhelmed with tourists in the high season. While the shoulder season of September is generally good, by late in the month the weather and the seas became rough—but not before Dominic learned the pleasure of skinny-dipping.

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Split September 2024

We welcomed the GrandMimi’s visit to Croatia with a long-awaited trip to Split and the island of Vis. It’s easy to see why Split ranks as one of Croatia’s must-see spots. History meets gorgeous scenery at Diocletian’s palace, and there’s heavy Italian influence all around. Gelato at Emiliano’s is a must.

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Istria

Memorial Day weekend is a fantastic time to travel in Croatia— the summer heat and crowds haven’t arrived just yet. We decided to use this time for our first trip to the Istrian peninsula—3 hours drive from our home in Zagreb. Beyond geography, this area has heavy Italian influence in language, culture, and cuisine. We stayed in a little villa in Burici and slowly began working our way through the Istria bucket list, starting with a visit to hilltop village Motovun, wine and olive oil tasting, strolling through seaside Rovinj, and a small family bike ride in our neighborhood. It was a great time, and now we have even more ideas for the next visit. Mainly more biking, more wine, more olive oil…

Recommendations: La Casa de Mime restaurant in Svetvicnenat.

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Ski trip to St. Johann im Pongau, Austria

Julia found a fantastic family run and we loved our stay at the family-friendly Zinnkruegel in St. Johann im Pongau, Austria.

It was a great start to the new year with our first full-family European ski vacation! Papo persevered and worked on his “pizza”. Annika, showing no fear, continued to improve. Julia worked on her carving skills and for this old guy, slow and steady.

We've moved to Croatia

Unfortunately, I have neglected to post on our blog. A lot has happened since my last post; we’ve moved from Podgorica, Montenegro, to Reston, VA, and, as of August 2023, we have moved to Zagreb, Croatia.

Below is a slideshow of some photos from our first couple of months here in Zagreb. They include traveling by bus and tram through the center of the city (which Papo LOVES!), our kid’s first day of school, an embassy fall celebration at a nearby farm, a pumpkin festival, a fall family photo shoot for our Christmas cards (that have yet to arrive to us — that’s why you haven’t received our Christmas cards!), and a Croatian version of Day of the Dead.