Beach Days

Just a few kilometers from our apartment are a numbers of beaches to choose from to spend the day. We could see one from the road, but couldn't figure out how to get to this gem. After many turn arounds we found the secret way to get there. 

 The beaches in Croatia are mostly rocky with pebbles. There are very few beaches with just sandy shores. I actually prefer the little pebbles than having to deal with sand getting in everything.

These days at the beach were some of our favorite.

 Out in the ocean two planes continued to land on the water and go behind the mountain range. There must of been a fire around because they kept coming back for more water.

This is how Jackson looked the whole time were were at the beach. The water was clear enough that he snorkeled for hours and hours. He is a little fish!!

 After snorkeling for some they noticed that there were hermit crabs all over the ocean bottom.

This began a hunt that ended in many, many hermit crabs in the bucket.

 Grace was quite attached to them and started to name them all. Such a girl.

 My mom and Jason joined in and found them while Grace ran them up the shore to the bucket.

Grace loves to swim. She does so well and once she gets started has a hard time stopping. She could swim non stop if I let her.

 Love this picture!

 Playtime with Daddy is the best.

Sorry for this picture...but it was so funny I couldn't help but post. This woman was sunbathing next to us...unfortuntely. We laughed about this the rest of the day.

 

Our days at the Adriatic Sea were fantastic! 

Zadar, Croatia

We took the 45 minute drive to the city of Zadar. We stayed most of the day exploring the city and stayed till the sunset after dinner.

The city is has a lot of roman ruins which was really neat to see since I love Roman history. The columns and statues were amazing to see!

 Roman Ruins

 This is at the church of St. Donat. Most of the foundation was built on the leftover pillars from other construction areas.

 This shot just makes me smile.

 The gates entering the city.

 Ice cream to top off the night. For some reason there were so many ice cream shops in the city. So how could we pass that up.

 After dinner and ice cream we walked down to the end of the city's edge to the Sea Organ. It was amazing to hear the sounds that came from the pipes under the walkway. It was so relaxing...wished we would of come earlier to hear it.

After the sun goes down there are lights that light up as the waves crash under the walkway. We didn't stay until complete dark because we were so tired from walking all day. But I can imagine it would of been neat to see.

Here are the kids listening to the sea organ through the holes in the ground.

 A beautiful end to a fun day in Zadar.

Finally...We Made it to Croatia!

We woke up and hit the road with what we thought would be an early time (around 9) to make the drive to our apartment in Croatia. The roads were clear and we were making good time, until the stau's started. Wow! There have never been stau's like this on a road trip for us...ever!

At one point we were out of our cars with many other people just waiting for traffic to move. It didn't help that it was 100 degrees outside either.

After almost 12 hours on the road averaging 50 mph the whole way we made it to Croatia at around 9 at night.

Here is the view from the autobahn on the way to our place. Croatia is beautiful and more rocky than I would of thought. 

Our apartment was perfect for our week long stay. We got a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment not far from the beach.

It was only about a mile from the entrance to Paklenica National Park.

Our first full day there we decided to explore the park.

                           
                            

The is a very well known national park to do rock climbing. There were rock climbers everywhere scattered around. It was fun to watch them get up the steep rocks.

The perfect size car for Grace!

Do you see those two men on the rock at the top? You have no idea how tall this rock was!

It was so nice to have home cooked dinner at the apartment. 

At night we played many games and enjoyed our family time.

Croatia, Here We Come...First Stop Salzburg!

This trip has been planned for months, so it's hard to believe that it was time. My mom and dad arrived on the 28th and the 31st we were off on our 11 day road trip to Croatia. 

To break up the trip a little we stopped halfway on the way there in Salzburg for a few nights. It was a great opportunity to show my parents beautiful Austria and Eagles Nest. 

After a long day of driving we couldn't wait to get to the famous Augustiner Brewery. It was worth the walk there. The food was delish and the beer (made by monks) was even more delish!!

 The brewery beer gardens. Hard to get how truly big this place is!

 While waiting for food the kids were getting funny...

 and goofy.

 The next day we made the trip to Eagles Nest. It was a clear and beautiful day which made for an amazing view.

 The halls Hitler had made to go up in the elevator.

 No complaints from us with this view.

 We decided to take the 3 km hike down the mountain to the bus station. 

 At the documentation center as well as the bunker Hitler had built. Creepy being inside, but very interesting.

 Of course, what would a trip be without Grace finding horses to love on.

Next stop...Croatia!