How to Be Free in Croatia

The Walled Cities Across the Adriatic Sea

I have traveled every quarter since 2011, discounting the pandemic.

2011 was the year I fell in love with a guy who loves travelling as much as I do. It’s a marvel we get to do this while managing two full-time corporate jobs and now a toddler.

Travelling is like opening a portal to another world. You open a door and get amazed by the unknown treasures you couldn’t have imagined.

This is how travelling to Croatia was for me. I’ll be honest, what attracted me was it had some famous Game of Thrones’ locations. But I was naïve. What I saw was far richer.

Allow me to take you on a thrilling adventure.

Savor King’s Landing like the most precious treat

For one of our quarterly escapades, we picked up Croatia. It was my husband’s birthday, and this was his dream destination. Flying there from Belgium wasn’t too tough where we lived back then.

The first impression was out of this world as the capital Dubrovnik, laid all brown and red against the majestic Adriatic sea.

I kept thinking if it reminded me of Florence in some ways, but the sea made it unique.

We held hands and walked through myriad alleys and pathways. It turned out to be the perfect romantic gesture I could offer my husband as we explored the city like little kids.

Our happiness was hard to contain, as you would note in the next picture.

The Game of Thrones’ fans would know Dubrovnik's old town is called ‘King’s Landing’ in the show and seats the power centre. It evokes love, power, and confidence as you step into it in real life, too.

See if you can feel this in my next picture here. I sure did. No wonder Dubrovnik is called the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’.

The vibrant daylight against the fortress, the smells of fresh foods and the natural colors all contributed to the mesmerizing allure of the city.

It was hard to say goodbye. As we soaked it in, we prepared for our next journey and settled on saying ‘Until next time’.

When you’re here, you become a part of it.

Drive across the Black Mountains and the Fjords

Driving across, we reached Montenegro. I often felt the need to wake up from my nap to rub eyes and stare outside in disbelief. It seemed surreal. Don’t believe me, then look here.

I recall feeling the need to ask the car to be stopped at different on-route locations, such as churches and lakeside stopovers.

If Dubrovnik seemed romantic, this was a whole new level of mystique. The black mountains, the quiet lakes and the deep fjords could make anyone want to not leave forever.

I swear I could see people around being swayed away by this light, breezy feeling. The joy was hard to describe; we looked for words but failed.

The easier thing was to be. Be there at the lake, take in the silence and feel our breaths.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Soak them in.”— Unknown

The city centres in Montenegro seemed familiar after seeing Dubrovnik. There were a few walled citadels against the Adriatic sea every few minutes of drive.

Our mood stayed refreshingly upbeat as we relished the unfamiliar sounds and the sights.

The journey across the country continued. And boy oh boy, was it beautiful! You decide.

Prepare to be surprised by sublimity

The final destination was Split in Croatia. By now, we were used to the walled cities and felt right at home in the hotel.

Not too far from the city, there was a glorious fortress called Fortress Klis. I don’t remember it being touristy even though it was the Game of Thrones’ location of Meereen.

I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was as we made our way into it after a short trek from the car.

This turned out to be a highlight of the trip. Not only were we taken aback by the beauty of the landscape, the fortress was stupendous. Its towers, bastions and tunnels kept us intrigued and made us feel like royalty.

Something here indeed brought our adventurous spirit to its edge.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. — Helen Keller

How it’ll stay in my mind : A bit of romance, adventure and nature. It made me realize why we mustn’t judge a book by its cover or a country by its initial impression.

What you see of Croatia in Game of Thrones is a tiny fraction of what the country offers.

Parts of the trip are a blur to me, like what we ate and where we stayed. But parts of it are as clear as the blue waters of the Adriatic. The parts where I felt alive. The parts I could go back for.

This is what I secretly hope every travel of ours to be.

#medium30challenge

Thank you to the Globetrotters editors for July’s Monthly Challenge — Action!

Adrienne Beaumont 😇 Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages JoAnn Ryan Michele Maize Anne Bonfert

Please check out some of the other Action! submissions I’ve enjoyed.

This adventure turned out to be sweaty and yet so gripping by Melissa Rach

Adrienne Beaumont 😇 took me back to Asia virtually with her adventure story of swimming with sharks and a natural fish spa.

And this one from Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages talks about her several adventures. My favorites were ‘feeding the giraffes’ and ‘climbing the Mayan ruins’.

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