Croatia 2021
September 20: Jean and I are at our second favorite place* on Earth – the town of Bol, Island of Brač. Yes, we are again back in Croatia on the Dalmatian Coast!
A Break from Travel
Our 2021 journeys have been fantastic so far: Croatia, Greece, and Austria + Bavaria. After three months of constant travel, though, we decided we needed a “break.” Time to catch up on planning and posting, as I’m about 2 months behind :-\ And cooking; Ms. Confident in the Kitchen has been without a real kitchen for too long!. We also needed to save our “Schengen Days” for a couple of stops planned for November.
Conserving Schengen Days
What are “Schengen Days”? Several countries in Europe signed an agreement in 1990 (in the town of Schengen, Luxembourg) to a set of common visa controls so that both citizens and travelers could move across borders more easily. As a result, many visitors, including US citizens, don’t need a visa to enter the zone. Travelers can cross country borders just as easily as we do state lines in the USA. The Schengen member countries are roughly the same as EU members, but not exactly.
Visitors can, however, only stay in this “Schengen Zone” for 90 days out of every 180. On our 5-6 month Europe trip, we need to make sure we don’t overstay 90 Schengen days, so we visit countries outside of the agreement. Beautiful Croatia is one of those few countries in the EU, but not Schengen. That makes it an excellent place to relax and recharge!
Back to Croatia
So yes, this is our second time in Croatia. In June/July, we journeyed all about the country (see posts here). We were so pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the people, the food, and the natural beauty.
Our Second Favorite Place on Earth*
This time we found Bol, a laid-back small town on the island of Brač, just a couple of miles from the island Hvar. Our Airbnb is on the seaside pedestrian promenade, with a pebble beach 25m from the front door. It has a washing machine – no laundry in the sink on this stay! Markets and restaurants are walkable. Perfect! We will be here seven nights (a lot for us), running, swimming, cooking fresh whole fish on the grill.
Jean says Bol is “our second favorite place on earth*,” beating out Kauai and Lake Como. I agree! A great path to run, great swimming, wineries and hiking nearby, and what a view. We are already laying plans to come back next year.
In case you wondered, our home in Charlotte is, of course, our very favorite place on Earth!
Where Next?
After our “break” in our second favorite place*, we are back to Germany and France. We will explore the Rhine River and the Alsace Region, both famous for white wine. Then I will do an epic winding road through the Black Forest. I will definitely upgrade the rental car for that part of the trip!
Then it’s Egypt and Jordan, for pyramids, Petra, and Wadi Rum. Then Santorini and Crete in their off season. If the UK gets it’s covid entry requirements simplified, maybe Stonehenge. Then we will eagerly heading home for the holidays to see family and friends.
While we’ve seen so much – the USA Road Trip last year and so far this year Croatia, Greece, and Austria+Bavaria. There is still so much more to see, though. So, during our Bol Break, we are already laying plans for 2022!
* Favorite so far, anyway!