2 weeks exploring Norway's Fjords!

October 9, 2022

This August, we spent two weeks in Norway, exploring the beautiful mountains and fjords in the country’s southwest corner. It was a magical two weeks, and Norway is definitely on our “want to return” list!

For this trip, we flew in and out of Bergen, and rented a car for the journey in between (making a loop first driving East):

Our itinerary was as follows:

Day 1-3: Stayed in Bergen (3 nights)

Day 4-5: Tyssedal/Trolltunga Hike (1 night in hotel, 1 night guided camping)

Day 6: Overnight in Aurland (1 night)

Day 7-8: Gjendesheim (2 nights)

Day 9-11: Åndalsnes (3 nights)

Day 12: Norangsfjorden (1 night)

Day 13: Loen (1 night)

Day 14: Bergen (1 night)

We felt like this itinerary was almost perfect, the only change I’d make would have been to stay one more day at our amazing hotel in Norangsfjorden. Click on the above for full blog posts on each area, with some general tips/good-to-knows below if you are ever planning your own trip:

General tips & thoughts

All hotels in Norway have breakfast included (at least according to my Norwegian friend, and consistent with our experience), most are very good with a wide variety of food!
Book your activities/tours in advance; I thought we could play it by ear and book things day-of, but when I tried doing so, things were full.
Hotels are mostly small/local/independent and are not available on major credit card points sites, so Norway is not a great place to go if you’re hoping to pay with points for hotels.
Some hotels have dinner available/as part of the room rate. When booking, you may want to see if you have to include board in your room rate; one hotel required that you pay for dinner with the room (and I had only booked for one person which led to some confusion in check-in when we actually had two people). Another had it as optional, but I thought it was required.
- Many hotels’ included dinner is a set menu; if you have any dietary restrictions of preferences, tell them ahead of time (and if you don’t want to eat reindeer, definitely tell them as this is guaranteed to be on the menu)
- For the most part we loved our hotel dinners- they’re usually tastier (and a better value) than what you’d get at a restaurant. We paid about $65-75 per person for a 3-course meal which felt reasonable to us as San Franciscans.
Hotels in Norway do not have AC, it’s not usually very warm there so not a huge deal, but some nights we were a bit hot!
Renting a car is a great way to get around, but be advised that many of the roads (at least on our itinerary) are narrow and winding. The “M” signs along the way are designated places where you can pull over to let other cars pass.
- Gas is as expensive as you’ve heard! It cost us over $100 to fill up our tank (by our calculations, gas was about $9/gallon while we were there)

Bergen

October 9, 2022

Lodging:

Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz.

We loved the location of this hotel and the breakfast, however our room was very small! Overall, I definitely recommend this hotel, but would spring for a bigger room.

Clarion Hotel Bergen Airport (stayed here our last night before departure)

Probably as good of an airport hotel as you could hope for! Just a 5 minute’s walk to the terminal (and the tram that goes into the city). Clean & comfortable room and great breakfast. Recommended if you want to stay by the airport ahead of your flight (and bookable using Chase credit card points)!

Activities:

Rode the Fløibanen funicular up the hill for great views of Bergen, and some nice paved walking/hiking trails.

Walked around the Bryggen area (old wooden buildings dating from the 1700s), there are some tourist shops/cafes, a pleasant area to spend a couple of hours.

Walking tour (we did one through AirBnb, it was good enough but not the most amazing walking tour I’ve ever been on). I wanted to check out this one, but it was all sold out.

We also spent some time in the big mall downtown, not the most culturally enriching activity but was a good way to pass some time on our last day before our dinner plans!

Eats & Drinks:

Cafes

Kaffemisjonen - good coffee spot close to the center of town

Daily Pot - Apparently this is #1 on TripAdvisor, it’s a casual and healthy spot with bowls and soups, we had a yummy lunch there!

Løvetann cafe - Located a short walk outside the most touristy part of the city center, they had brunchy food and salad, in a cute neighborhood. A nice spot for lunch.

La Taqueria - My boyfriend was really curious to try tacos in Norway but as you might expect they were not the best tacos we’ve ever had.

Dinner spots

Fresco Hallen- This spot, inside the elegant Hotel Bergen Børs has recently opened. Beautiful dining room, great cocktails, and tasty dinner!

Damsgård - This was a steakhouse, of everywhere we ate in Bergen we felt this was the only place that seemed overpriced. We went there as it was close to where my local friend lives, but it’s not worth going out of your way for.

Spisekroken - Very cute tiny spot with a small menu, but was the only place we ever saw chicken on a menu in Norway! All three of us ordered the chicken and it was delicious, tasted like a Thanksgiving meal :)

Bars

No Stress bar- Cute and cozy spot with inventive cocktails

Dark & Stormy - Possibly trying too hard to be Instagrammable, but we enjoyed some tropical beverages here on our last night.

Note on transit to/from the airport:

Taxis from the airport to Bergen center are very expensive! We paid $90 for ~11 miles of driving, about a 20-25 min. drive.
If you don’t mind a longer commute, the metro is only about $5 per person, and takes about an hour and runs every 15 min (we took it twice, it was as clean and pleasant as you’d expect)
We never took an Uber, but looked at prices and they were about $60 to/from the airport.

Our first stop was Bergen, which has a great combination of natural beauty and historical old buildings.

We arrived late at night our first day, so went right to bed to rest up for our next day’s adventures! We started with a delicious and plentiful breakfast at our hotel, and then set off for some slightly better quality coffee and some exploring.

Right in the city center, there’s a funicular that we took up, to enjoy beautiful views of Bergen from above.

We were also pleasantly surprised to discover several paved easy hiking trails, it was so cool to get out into nature just steps from the city. We opted to walk down from the top, where we saw tons of school groups- what a fun field trip!

From here, we wandered around, Bryggen, a historical and touristy area of the city based around buildings that originally housed fish traders. Today it’s mostly souvenir shops but was charming nonetheless.

Years ago, on a trip to Argentina, I met Lars- a native Norwegian who gave me tons of tips for our trip! We were lucky enough to hang with him several times on our trip, pestering him with all our Norway questions and enjoying some fun restaurants and bars together.

Dinner with Lars in the beautiful restaurant Fresco Hallen

Our second day in Bergen, we got to experience the city’s characteristic rainy weather. Not ideal for a walking tour, but we survived thanks to our waterproof clothing. We learned about the history of Bryggen and its Hanseatic traders, and learned a bit about modern-day Norway.

After lunch in a cute neighborhood a bit outside the center, we had a jetlagged-induced nap! Well-rested again, we met up again with Lars and his friend for another fun dinner at a Norwegian steakhouse (who knew!).

Our final day, we packed up our bags and took the convenient metro out to the airport to get our rental car (Hertz was extremely disorganized, very surprising to us as most things in Norway seem to run much more smoothly!).

From here, we set out for our road trip adventures! Our first stop was Tyssedal to do the famous Trolltunga hike!

Tyssedal/Trolltunga Hike + Aurland

October 2, 2022

Lodging: Tyssedal Hotel

There are really not many hotel options in this area, and this was probably the best you could get, though nothing to write home about. The hotel was a totally fine place to rest our head, and surprisingly had a big and modern bathroom!

Activities:

You come here for one reason: to hike Trolltunga! Most people do the hike in one day, but we did an overnight camping trip with Trolltunga Adventures.

Eats & Drinks:

Fjoren - A surprisingly great dinner experience in the tiny town of Odda. Recommend booking in advance (can do so via email)

Stuo Eting og Drikking - Cute cafe in Odda, food was good (not great), except for the potatoes which were amazing!

We drove from Bergen to Tyssedal, home of the famous Trolltunga hike. You may have seen photos of this one before, it’s a big skinny rock that juts out over breathtaking views of a lake and mountains.

Our route had us cruising along the scenic Hardangerfjord. This was where we got our first taste of the beautiful Norwegian countryside (fjordside?). An hour or so into our drive, we reached Steinsdalsfossen, a waterfall right off the main road that you can walk behind!

Along the way, we enjoyed another scenic view at our lunch stop, Øvreviken Pizzeria which had a nice patio looking out onto a fjord, and seemed to be a popular spot for locals. We also stretched our legs in the little town of Kinsarvik, which is also the home of our silverware! The silverware shop was closed, but it was a trip to recognize the name so far away from home.

Since we took the “scenic route” it was about 3.5 hours to Tyssedal, but worth every minute! Our hotel was perfectly serviceable, but nothing to write home about. Since it was my boyfriend’s birthday the next day, and we’d be spending it in a tent, I made us a dinner reservation at Fjoren, a few miles down the road in Odda, which pleasantly surprised us.

It was early to bed for our big hike the next day! While most people do the Trolltunga hike in one day, we opted to do an overnight adventure with Trolltunga Adventures. In addition to trying something different, the benefit of this tour is that you get the chance to see the main photo-op rock twice and without crowds. Because the hike is so long, people all depart to do it around the same time (in order to make it back before sunset). As a result, everyone reaches the end at the same time and there can be long lines to get your photo on the “tongue.”

When camping overnight, you can start later (we started around 11 AM), and reach the rock after everyone else. Then, the next morning, you can be the first one there. You also get two opportunities to see the tongue, which was great for us since we had horrible weather the first day! It’s expensive (about $350 per person), but a very unique experience! If you are up for a night in a tent, I recommend it.

The first day of our hike started out sunny, but quickly the weather turned to rain…which didn’t let up for the entire day! While the hike was undeniably beautiful, the weather made it a lot less enjoyable. Luckily, we were pretty well-prepared with our clothing, with the exception of my gloves, which were definitely not waterproof, resulting in really cold fingers all.day.long.

Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, it was still a breathtaking sight when we reached Trolltunga! Our group took some hasty photos, eager to make our way to the shelter of camp.

The camp itself was perched on a mountaintop, with amazing views all around. Each couple had their own personal tent, stocked with warm sleeping bags. The guide’s tent had a full stove inside, where they cooked a very-welcome hot dinner of reindeer stew (perhaps not a meal I’ll recreate at home, but hit the spot after a long day of hiking in the rain). Because it was Nick’s birthday, they gifted him some socks and a game of travel Yahtzy (or Yahtzee, as we say here in the states).

The views were gorgeous, but it was way too cold to keep our door open for long!

After dinner, we retreated to our tent to stay warm, play some Yahtzy, watch Princess Diaries 2 on Nick’s iPad, and hunker down for a night of uncomfortable sleep (we aren’t camping people!!). All in all, quite an adventure for his birthday!

The birthday boy, ready to return to civilization!

Luckily, the next day, the skies had cleared! While it was still cold, we were all so relieved to not be wet. We also got to see a different view from Trolltunga, and took plenty more photos before heading down to the trailhead (~5 hours hike back).

We stopped in Odda again for a bite to eat before hitting the road to our next destination, Aurland.

Aurland

I’d booked Aurland for our next night because it’s only about 2.5 hours away from Tyssedal, but unfortunately there was a rock slide closing the road, so we had to take the long way, making our total commute a lot longer. Since we didn’t really do much in Aurland, I’ll just summarize briefly:

Lodging: Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

We didn’t love this hotel, but for us it was just a stop-over on our way further north.

I was really interested in staying here, but it required a 2-night min and was booked for our dates. Hotel Aurlandsfjord is another option in the area that was also sold out for our dates.

We had a long drive ahead of us, so didn’t get the chance to do any activities in Aurland, but the famous Nærøyfjord (Narrow Fjord) is close by, and you can take a tourist ferry through it. Unfortunately for us, the boats were all booked up for the morning times when we looked into booking day-of. There are also kayaking tours that can take you through the fjord!

We did get the chance to enjoy this viewpoint/walkway on our way out of town!

Eats

We ate at the restaurant in our hotel, which was not very good!

Also noteworthy, there was a good grocery store right in town, where we stocked up on some lunch supplies for our next hike.

Gjendesheim

October 2, 2022

Lodging: Hindsæter Hotel

We really loved this hotel, and were glad that we spent a little more for the bigger room option after several nights in really cramped quarters in other hotels (our room even randomly had two bathrooms in it, lol). The hotel has a sauna/hot tub which was very relaxing, and was only a 15 minute drive to the trailhead of the hike we came for.

Activities:

This area is right by Jotunheimen National Park, which I’m sure has many great hikes, but the one we came for was Besseggen.

Eats

Our hotel offered dinner, which we partook in both nights. It was a 3-course prix fixe, and included things like reindeer tongue and goat, so if you have any dietary preferences, be sure to let them know in advance!

Despite some of the more unusual foods, overall the food here was great and a special traditional experience.

We included Gjendesheim on our itinerary at the recommendation of my Norwegian friend, Lars, who suggested that we might enjoy the Besseggen hike, known for its view at the top of two different colored alpine lakes.

What can I say? I look glamorous when I hike!

Along the way to Gjendesheim, we saw a glimpse of snow, as well as an interesting small art exhibit in the middle of nowhere. We stopped at an unexpected Ethiopian restaurant along the way for some tasty falafel, before checking in to our cozy hotel.

An art exhibit along the way! It’s a bear on…trash?

There were several short hiking trails right from the hotel, so we took a short stroll to a beautiful river and small waterfall.

That was about all my legs could handle, still recovering from Trolltunga! I loved our stay at Hindsæter Hotel, it’s been a lodge since the 1800s, but has been recently remodeled and is definitely Instagram-ready. Our room included access to their “Mountain Spa” with a hot tub and sauna- very relaxing after a long day of hiking!

Tasty breakfast spread in the dining room

The main event here was the Besseggen hike which was a real burner! Of the three “big” hikes we did, we felt this was the third most beautiful, and the most grueling in terms of uphill effort.

For most people, this is a one-way hike, and the most common way to do it is to park in Gjendesheim, where you take a free shuttle to a boat. The boat drops you off in Memurubu, and then you hike back to Gjendesheim, where you get the free shuttle back to where you parked. There is lodging in Memurubu, so you could also hike to Memurubu, and take the boat back (the same day if you are a fast hiker, or the next day if you are less fast). Boat booking here if you’re planning your own trip.

This hike was relentlessly uphill, and includes a spot where you have to basically rock climb (in a very beginning kind of way- even with no rock climbing experience, I could do it). Along the way, we were treated to beautiful views of a glacial lake. At the top is where you see the view this hike is best known for: two different colored lakes on either side of a mountain ridge. Wow!

The hike back featured hours of us just walking through cloudy mountaintop. It was pretty boring to be honest, but at least it was flat! I’ve never hiked as fast as I did to get back to the parking lot and make the shuttle back to parking. I was ready to relax after this one!

Starving from our day of hiking, we relaxed in the hot top, and were looking forward to dinner at our hotel. When the chef described the menu and it included reindeer tongue and a trio of baby goat, I was less than excited. Luckily for me, I had specified some dietary preferences that excluded these exotic meats, and had some veggies instead…in addition to a deliciously prepared mountain trout. Nick did have the traditional menu, but he will not be ordering these delicacies again.

After a good night’s rest, we were off to our next stop: Åndalsnes!

Åndalsnes

October 2, 2022

Lodging and eats: Hotel Aak

A very cool historical hotel that has been hip-ly remodeled. We loved this hotel, it had many cozy areas to relax after a hike and great food. When we booked they didn’t have an online booking system, but I think they may now.

When we booked, the price we were quoted was per-person, because it included “full board”: breakfast, packed lunch, afternoon snacks/drink, and dinner. I assumed that this was the only option, but I think the “full board” was actually optional. So if you are not interested in having all meals at the hotel, you could explore that option! I believe you can also book dinner at the hotel even if you aren’t staying there.

Activities: The hikes we did here were:

Storaksla: A nice short hike we did when we got it, beautiful views for very little effort
Litlefjellet: Allegedly has great views, but it was so cloudy when we did it that all we saw was white
Romsdalseggen: We actually didn’t originally have this on our itinerary, but decided we could probably handle it! We are so glad we did, it was our favorite hike of the three big ones we did.

Driving into Åndalsnes, the mountain landscape became more extreme, with tall peaks all around- it reminded me a lot of Yosemite. We arrived in the early afternoon to a warm welcome at Hotel Aak, another historic hotel with super friendly staff (the nicest we encountered in Norway).

The only reason to come here is for the outdoor activities! It’s a very famous rock-climbing spot, but we stuck to hiking.

Our first day, we were still in recovery from Besseggen, but felt up for a short hike, and did one recommended by our hotel, which was flat and a little muddy, but led to beautiful views. Following that, we relaxed at the hotel and enjoyed a game of Ticket to Ride alongside a glass of wine.

Felt like the right moment for a “Sound of Music” twirl

Dinner at Hotel Aak is served at a communal table, and that night our companions were two Norwegian men who were there for some rock climbing, and who recommended that we do the well-known hike of the area": Romsdalseggen.

Our second day in Åndalsnes, we were hit with cloudy weather…we did another recommended sort hike, Litlefjellet, but all we could see was white clouds! Taking it as a sign to relax, we checked out the little town (which was pretty boring), then headed back to the hotel.

Since it was a Friday, the hotel was much more crowded with Norwegians visiting for the weekend. We played some card games and then enjoyed another delicious Hotel Aak dinner where we met a Norwegian woman who had studied abroad in Lafayette, CA (Nick’s hometown)- what a small world!

Finally on Day 3 we were rested and recovered enough for another big hike! Romsdalseggen was one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done- we got lucky with the weather, and were able to soak in some truly amazing views.

We considered taking the “family route” for this hike, which bypasses the steepest climb, but when we reached the juncture, we saw everyone else going for the hard way, and I decided I could handle it! I’m really glad we did, because I don’t think the family route has the same views. We spent plenty of time at the top taking loads of photos and enjoying a PB&J.

This hike, like Besseggen, included a section where you have to use your hands to “climb” up the rock a bit. I felt a bit scared, but it looked worse than it was, and I’d already done something similar at Besseggen so felt more confident that I could do it!

While the ascent of this hike was steep, I found it manageable overall. The descent, however, was so so unpleasant. I’d read about it online and thought maybe people were exaggerating, but it was truly a knee-killer; a lot of it is through trees, so for most of the way, there aren’t any views that make it worth it. There is a gondola that you can take down instead, which I would 100% recommend- you don’t miss anything on the downhill!

After cleaning up and relaxing, we enjoyed one more group dinner at Aak, where we met a mother-son duo who told us a bit more about Norwegian life (and I was secretly hoping the woman would adopt me as her niece, she was so chic and stylish!).

Norangsfjorden (Hotel Union Øye)

October 2, 2022

Lodging: Hotel Union Øye

This hotel is so cool! It dates from 1891 but was recently totally remodeled. There are lots of cozy common areas to hang out in (including a library), and each room is named for a famous guest. It’s pricey, but definitely worth it.

Eats:

We had dinner and breakfast at the restaurant in our hotel, you can eat lunch or dinner there even if you aren’t staying at the hotel.

Activities:

We didn’t do any! We just spent our time enjoying the hotel, but there are plenty of opportunities for biking, kayaking, etc. in the area.

The main event for us in Norangsfjorden was the historic Hotel Union Øye. This hotel is one of the most renowned in Norway and for good reason! According to their website, “It has been a place where visitors come to savor the good life and the tranquility in magnificent surroundings since 1891.”

We took a bit of a detour on the way there, stopping in Alesund, which seemed like a cute (if slightly touristy) town, but it was a Sunday, so everything was closed.

Unfortunately, on the route from Alesund to Norangsfjorden, Google Maps directed us to a ferry route that does not exist. If you are planning your own trip, be advised that there is no Leknes-Standal ferry.

Due to the ferry mishap, we arrived to Hotel Union Øye a bit later than expected, but managed to make the most of our time at the hotel, exploring and enjoying its many sitting areas :) Staying in this hotel felt like the opportunity to hang out in a museum (but like in a fun way). Each room is named after a famous guest, we were in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (of Sherlock Holmes fame) room. There is also a beautiful bar, and a cozy library.

We also enjoyed an elegant 3-course dinner in the restaurant; it was a bit more refined than the other hotel restaurants we dined in, and everything was delicious.

If I could change anything about our trip, I would have stayed two nights here- it was such a magical hotel, and there are many activities in the area that we just didn’t have time to fit in (guess we’ll have to return!)

Loen (via Geirangerfjord)

October 2, 2022

Lodging: Hotel Alexandra

We didn’t love this hotel, but it’s probably the best option in the area! I didn’t realize when booking that you have to pay “per person” because the room includes a buffet dinner. Overall I recommend it as long as your expectations are set appropriately.

Pros: Great location, right on a fjord, and less than 10 minutes’ walk from the Lown skylift. Our room was spacious, with a balcony that had a beautiful view! It also has indoor and outdoor pools/hot tubs- we didn’t go in them but they looked enjoyable.

Cons: Outdated (common areas and rooms). The buffet dinner (which was required as part of the booking) was not really our thing, not great quality food and a lot of tourists! The buffet breakfast was better :)

Activities:

Loen Skylift: One of the world’s steepest gondolas! Views from the top are amazing and well-worth the steep price for the ride up. There is a restaurant and coffee bar at the top, and several hikes that are accessible from the top (ranging from easy to hard).

To get to our next destination, Loen, we took a tourist ferry from Hellesylt across the famous Geirangerfjord. Geirangerfjord is one of the most-visited fjords in Norway and we were lucky to get a beautiful sunny day to admire it from the boat.

If you’re planning your own trip, you can book the ferry here. We had 2 people in 1 car and ended up overpaying, but we couldn’t figure out the right tickets to buy online (we bought “Car package & driver” which was apparently for 5 people, according to the ticket-taker on site).

There are hikes, kayaking, and additional boat tours available to do in Geirangerfjord, but we didn’t do any of them as we’d had plenty of active adventures already. We drove up to a viewpoint- it was nice for once to enjoy some views with no effort!

We had considered staying in Geirangerfjord as part of our itinerary, but were advised against it by locals. I think it was the right call as it’s a lot more touristy than the other places we stayed.

Another scenic drive took us to another fjord-side town: Loen!

We arrived in Loen around lunchtime, and checked in to Hotel Alexandra. What I didn’t know when booking was that I had to pay per-person, because the rate includes dinner and breakfast, this led to a slightly awkward exchange at check-in which was quickly rectified.

I actually didn’t know much about Loen, but had booked it as a partway stop between Union Øye and Bergen. We spent most of our day up a mountain (but this time, let a gondola do the work!). The Loen Skylift is one of the steepest in the world, and at the top is a visitor center with stunning views and a decent restaurant.

Views on views from the top of the Loen skylift

We had some lunch and decided to do one of the many hikes that are accessible from the top. I thought the hike was going to be way easier than it was (after three mega-hikes, I was tired!), and didn’t bring enough water or a good attitude! It was a lot more uphill than I expected, and we ended up seeing it through, but after the stunning vistas we’d seen earlier in our trip, it was hard for this hike to compare.

Reached the end of our hike (I’m so thirsty at this point!)

We discovered that the top of the skylift is a popular spot for paragliders- it was so nerve-wracking to watch them jump off a mountain, and a big relief to see them effortlessly glide down to a safe landing.

After our little hike, we decided to enjoy a rare sunny Norwegian day by soaking up some rays on our lovely balcony. Then, it was time for a weird buffet dinner! I suppose it wasn’t weird, exactly, it just was a buffet, and we are not really dinner buffet people. However, it was definitely fun to try ALL THE DESSERTS.

Loen made for a great little stop and I’m glad we ended up there. From here, it was back to Bergen for our last night of vacation (crying face emoji).

The blog is back…this time, in Croatia

May 15, 2022

I’m back to the blog after a long hiatus! Not only due to COVID, but also due to general laziness. However, now that travel is a possibility again, it felt like the right time to start recording my adventures again!

Note that, again, due to general laziness, I am getting around to posting my final posts about a year after my trip. Better late than never, as they say….

I decided to take my first international trip in 1.5 years was to Croatia. A lot of people have asked why I decided to go to Croatia, and the reason isn’t really very well thought out. Since Google had us working from home for most of the year, I took advantage of the opportunity to work from NYC for two months. I thought that, while I was on the East Coast, it could be fun to go to Europe since it’s a much shorter journey vs. making the trip from SF. I initially had Italy on my mind, but in researching some itineraries, I came across one that started in Venice and then went through Croatia; what I was reading about what there was to do in Croatia really appealed to me! Conveniently, airlines began flying directly to Dubrovnik from NYC on July 1, so that made the decision even easier.

Overall, I spent 11 nights in Croatia (click for links to those posts!):

2 nights in Dubrovnik

2 nights in Korcula

3 nights in Hvar

2 nights in Split

Visit to Krka National Park, overnight near Plivitce Lakes

Visit to Plivitce Lakes

1 night in Zagreb

Flew back to SF from Zagreb, with an 18 hour layover in Lisbon.

Overall I felt it was the right amount of time in the right spots; if I were to do it again, I’d actually probably reverse the order, working my way from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, to end the island portion on the more chill/relaxed Korcula. But with flights as they were, this was a better option for me! I loved my trip to Croatia, the people are among the friendliest I’ve ever encountered (and spoke very good English), the food was amazing, the vistas breathtaking, and I got to spend time on the sea, ancient towns, and in some beautiful national parks.

Dubrovnik

May 15, 2022

Activities

Walked the walls

Evening walking tour via AirBnb experiences

Cloisters museum

Boat trip to Lokrum

Cable car

Eats

Taj Mahal (Bosnian food)

Pantarul

Snek by Congo (breakfast)

Restaurant on Lokrum (could not tell you the name, but there are only a couple, and it wasn’t particularly amazing)

Peppino’s (gelato)

Boca Pena (also gelato :)

Drinks

Bakus wine bar

“Hole in the wall” bar

Panorama bar at top of cable car

Acommodation:

AirBnb

Day 1:

My flight to Dubrovnik was a direct 8 hour journey, where I miraculously managed to sleep most of the time. My AirBnb organized a driver to pick me up from the airport, so getting to my accommodations was super easy. I got my first introduction to Croatian hospitality from my host who was super friendly and spoke perfect English (like most Croatians I encountered!). Here’s where I stayed; it was about a 10 minute walk to the Old Town- not bad going down, but it was hundreds of steps to get back up! The amazing view made up for the effort though:

After quickly cleaning myself up, I set out to explore the old town. According to all the locals I talked to, the Old Town is usually extremely crowded, with lines to even get in, and literal shoulder to shoulder crowds. However, due to COVID, tourism is way down (one data point: they used to get 5-6 cruise ships PER DAY, now they get 1 a week). So, I had a really enjoyable experience wandering the streets without too many people around.

I had a tasty lunch and a much-needed espresso at Taj Mahal, a Bosnian restaurant (not Indian food, as the name might suggest). After some aimless wandering, I decided to walk around the walls of the town, despite the afternoon heat. In drafting this blog post, I made a note to myself here to “look up some info” about the old town walls, but I never followed up on that, so I guess just take my word for it that they are a great way to catch some views in Dubrovnik!

Sweaty and tired, it was obviously now time for ice cream from Peppino’s…and then a nap. Feeling adequately refreshed, I signed up for an evening walking tour via AirBnb experiences with the enthusiastic and knowledgeable Barbara. We learned a bit more about the history of the city, and ended at a wine bar for some Croatian wine and what would be the first of many cheese/charcuterie plates. The wine provided the social lubrication needed for the group to socialize a bit, and I ended up meeting some folks who I would hang out with the next day: a group of American army officers stationed in Germany, and the memorably-named Pookie, who was also traveling alone from Oregon.

Day 2:

I met up with my new friends for breakfast at a place on the main square called Snek (I wouldn’t necessarily give it top marks, but I was starving and its as the first place we passed!). From there, the guys wanted to kill some time before going to Lokrum in the afternoon. We visited the Cloisters Museum, which was recommended to us by Barbara; it usually includes the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in Europe, but since it was a Sunday, that part was closed. The museum was…okay. For $4 it was a decent way to spend 20 minutes, but not a must-see.

Next we headed over to the famous stairs where they filmed the “Shame” scene in Game of Thrones. According to multiple sources, a few years ago, tourists would strip down to re-enact the famous scene, so they had to impose a hefty fine to keep people from doing that! Don’t worry, I kept my clothes on for a photo….

Next we checked out the views from “Buža bar” which translates to “hole in the wall;” it’s a rustic place with seats overlooking the water, where you can jump in if you’re braver than I am!

We boarded a boat to Lokrum, which is the closest island to Dubrovnik and easily reached by a boat that leaves every 30 minutes. I’m sure in non-COVID times, Lokrum is filled with annoying tourists, but when we visited, it actually seemed more like a place where locals go to picnic, play soccer, and relax near the beach. Naturally, they also filmed some of Game of Thrones on this island, so we checked out those locations, and got our photo on the Iron Throne (one of many I saw on my trip).

We spent a couple of hours exploring the island, then it was back to the mainland for my new afternoon tradition of ice cream (this time from newcomer The Boca Pena) and a nap.

My AirBnb was conveniently located near the cable car, where you can take a quick ride to enjoy views over the city and a meal or drink at Panorama Bar at the top.

After enjoying some local wine and the sunset, I headed down and met my new friend Pookie for dinner at the NYT-recommended spot Pantarul which is in a less touristy area of Dubrovnik.

The next day its was time to enjoy one last view from my terrace before a 6 AM ferry to the island of Korcula!

Korčula

May 15, 2022

Activities

Biking and Wine tour with Korcula explorer (two of my favorite things!)

Sunset kayaking tour (a great tour, and I met a great friend!)

Ferry to the mainland (Oberić) to hike up to Monastery - skippable)

Eats

LD Restaurant (Michelin star restaurant, we went for lunch, and made our reservation by just stopping by the night before)

Lole Tapas Bar (yum yum, and the server was so friendly and fun)

Aterina (this was ranked #1 on TripAdvisor, but I wasn’t overly impressed. Maybe I just ordered wrong!)

Fabris (I had breakfast here b/c it was the first place I saw, it was large and good but kinda overpriced)

Aurora (I dream about the overnight oats here, they were so good!)

Radiona (I went for lunch where they have a limited menu, but my octopus salad was good!)

Drinks

Massimo Cocktail bar (this is worth seeing, it’s in the turret of the old castle walls and they bring the drinks up via pulley)

Wineries:

Popić

Vitis (Popić and Vitis are right next to each other with beautiful views and friendly vibes. I liked the wine but I’m also not picky about wine!)

Bire (recommended to us by people but the service was not very friendly, and no views, I think it’s skippable)

Acommodation:

AirBnb (great spot less than 10 min walk to old town. Many stairs to get up [typical Croatia])

I arrived to Korcula bright and early at 7:30 AM. I opted for the early ferry from Dubrovnik because I had my heart set on doing a tour that was only running once that week. More on that soon!

Korcula is a beautiful island, about a 1.5 hour ferry journey from Dubrovnik. It’s center is an old town (this will become a theme), with ancient cobblestoned streets and walls around that once protected the town; I also spent some time in the Lombarda part of the island, which has many wineries and its own town center (which I didn’t get the chance to properly explore). Korcula was very laid back and un-crowded (likely due to COVID), and again, I lucked out with an AirBnb with an incredible view!

My first morning there, I had second-breakfast at a hotel restaurant near my AirBnb called Fabris (overpriced, but tasty!). From there, I met up with my tour group for a day of cycling and wine tasting! The host was John, who is originally from London, but quit the rat race to enjoy life on Korcula several years ago. We biked for about an hour through the Lombarda countryside, passing olive groves and vines. Many people on Korcula still live a very traditional lifestyle, they harvest olive oil and make wine mostly for their own consumption or for selling locally, and that’s their whole job! Very different from a life of meetings and emails…

We enjoyed wine tasting at two spots right next to each other where we sampled the local varietal, Grk, as well as Rose, Plavace Mali (a red wine that, tbh, I didn’t really care for), and tasty sour cherry schnapps. No day in Croatia would be complete without a cheese and charcuterie board, and Popić did not disappoint in that department! It was a great afternoon of learning about local life and enjoying some laughs with my fellow tourists (one guy actually works with my best friend from college! Small world!)

Putting my Peloton practice to good use!

After an exhausting afternoon of relaxation at the wineries, I took a nap, and then spent the evening walking around Korcula until I worked up an appetite for dinner at Atarina (it’s rated #1 on TripAdvisor, but I thought it was just okay).

During my evening wandering, I peeped the breakfast menu at a cafe called Aurora, so returned there the next morning for the most delicious overnight oats of all time!

On the recommendation of John the tour guide, I decided to take a boat over to the mainland, a peninsula called Oberić. To be honest, I thought Oberić was going to be more exciting than it was….there just isn’t really anything to do there, aside from lay on the beach alongside vacationing Croatians. If you know me, you know that laying on the beach is not in my repertoire, so obviously I found something much less relaxing to do. There is an old monastery with sweeping views that is a steep 20-30 min walk from the port, so I set out to climb up to it…the best way to enjoy a view is obviously when you are covered in sweat. The monastery itself was boring, there is a nautical museum that I paid a few bucks to go into, but since I am not a model-ship enthusiast, it didn’t have much to hold my interest. But the views were great and I got to sweat out a little bit of that wine from the day before!

Some old model ships in the museum. Pass.

Back on the island of Korcula, I had a light lunch of octopus salad at Radiona. I’d been on the fence about signing up for an evening kayaking tour, because a) I don’t know if I like kayaking that much, and b) I was feeling kind of tired. But decided that I didn’t have anything better to do that afternoon, I signed up, and I’m do glad I did!

The tour took us to three different small islands off the coast of Lumbarda where our host, outdoorsman extraordinaire Boris, told us about some of the history and flora and fauna of the area. It was great to be out on the water, and I was able to paddle the whole 3.5 hours without my arms falling off (but it was close, tbh, kayaking is hard).

The best part of the kayaking tour was that I ended up meeting another girl traveling solo, Margot, who would become my travel companion for the next week! She is from America, but currently living in London for work, and we discovered that we had pretty much the same itinerary. While we didn’t initially decide to travel together for the whole week, that’s what ended up happening, and I couldn’t have asked for a better travel companion!

The first of many fun nights together, Margot and I decided to grab a bite together after our kayak tour, at Lole Tapas Bar. The waiter was super friendly, and invited us to sample some wine that he just got that he had been waiting years to try. So he uncorked the bottle, and poured a glass for Margot that unfortunately came with…A GIANT BUG. Ackkk! None of us had ever seen anything like that before! The next bottle was, luckily, insect-free.

Margot and I had both heard about a bar on the island that is housed in turret from one of the old walls, so we decided to check it out. You have to climb up a ladder to get to it, and they bring the drinks up by pulley system! While I was done drinking for the night, I served as videographer for the many flaming shots that guests were enjoying…

Very cool location for a bar! Photo from korculainfo.com

I had originally planned to leave Korcula early in the morning the next day, but Margot convinced me to stay another afternoon, because we both really wanted to try LD restaurant, and visit a couple more wineries. So after breakfasting once again at Aurora, we started our morning with some wine tasting, this time going by taxi (not bike) to Bire, which was recommended to us by the waiter at Lole. For me, it wasn’t a standout. The wine was probably better than the other wineries I visited, but there wasn’t any view to enjoy, and, unlike everyone else I met on Korcula, the man pouring the wine wasn’t very friendly (though he did look exactly like Tom Cruise!)

Next it was time for the main event of the day, a fancy lunch! Like most of the restaurants in the old town, LD Restaurant is located on the water, making a beautiful backdrop for a relaxing lunch. Lunch did not disappoint, we had four beautiful courses, including their signature Prawn gyoza.

After our leisurely lunch, we still had several hours to kill before the ferry to Hvar (there are only two per day), so decided to climb the clock tower for an aerial view of the old town, before continuing our day of wining and dining back at Popić winery, where I’d been the previous day on my tour.

Finally it was time to board the ferry for an hour-long journey to the island of Hvar! I loved the time I spent on Korcula, it’s quiet pace and all the amazing people I met

Hvar

July 27, 2021

Activities

Three Caves Boat Tour (Literally the worst website on earth but the tour was good. The guides weren’t the most engaging ever, but they structure the tour to avoid crowds)

Cycling in Stari Grad

Eats

Black Pepper (delicious upscale Croatian food)

Fig (Non-Croatian food in Croatia, good for when you need a break from the usual!)

Bocca (decent pizza place on the main square)

Hora Hvar in Stari Grad (Very cool restaurant on a farm. If you go, plan more in advance than me and order the traditional “peka” which requires 3 hours advance notice)

Aroma Gelato

Drinks

Hula Hula (I think this is a day party place, we went at a weird time and it was kinda empty but had a bunch of weird people there. I’m sure it’s more fun if you go at the right time)

Carpe Diem (I don’t even feel like i can comment on this place, we went at an off time of day, and it was COVID so was not its usual vibes)

Accommodation:

Hotel Villa Nora (Great location, very friendly staff and BOMB breakfast, definitely recommend)

Hvar is one of the most-visited spots in Croatia, and with its reputation for being a bit of a party island, I initially wasn’t sure it would be for me! In fact, I originally booked an AirBnb on the quieter side of the island, Stari Grad, which is about 30 minutes by car or bus to the main town. However, after looking at all the recommended restaurants, bars, and activities that I wanted to check out, I realized it was going to be quite a hassle to go back and forth, so canceled at the last minute and booked a hotel in the center of town and was very glad I did.

Margot and I arrived on the evening ferry, and my hotel sent someone to meet me at the port and carry my luggage/walk me to the hotel- seriously, Croatian hospitality is second to none! My initial impression of Hvar was that it was SUPER crowded compared to Dubrovnik and Korčula, it was the first time I felt like I was in a really “touristy” spot, and the first time we had to wait to get a table for dinner! We ate at a place called Black Pepper, where we shared some amazing buratta, black truffle pasta and something called “taste of the sea” (like a tuna bruschetta). A great start to our visit on Hvar!

This post would not be complete without a shout out to the ridiculous breakfast at my hotel…every day included some different tasty surprises.

Just what you want to eat before squeezing yourself into a bathing suit

Our first day was a boat tour of some of the many islands and caves around Hvar. We spent the day jetting around on a small speedboat to several beaches, places to snorkel, and some hidden (and not so hidden) caves.

My main accomplishment on this tour was, for the first time ever, not getting sunburned while being on a boat all day. Yay me!

We of course visited the famous Blue Cave; this particular tour took us in the afternoon to avoid crowds. When you get to the Blue Cave, you have to buy a ticket and go in a different, smaller boat that takes you into the Blue Cave. Apparently in the morning, sometimes you have to wait for 2+ hours to get into the Blue Cave. Luckily, we only waited about 10 minutes before a boat was available to take us inside. Because it was high tide, the already-small entrance to the cave was even smaller, so we all had to duck down to get into it.

For dinner, Margot and I hit up Fig, which has an eclectic menu that includes curry, burgers, and burritos. While I know that doesn’t sound good, it was actually great (so good, in fact, that Margot later also visited to their Split location to try the breakfast burrito!) Both Margot and I had a recommendation for a bar called Hula Hula Hvar, a beach bar, so we decided we should go check it out. I’m not sure if it’s more of a daytime place, or if it was just kinda dead because of COVID, but it was not the happening hot spot we expected. It was a few drunk people and one really old dude, so we stayed for a drink and then went to the much more interesting Aroma for some late night gelato.

After a day of sitting on a boat, we were craving some physical activity, so took the bus over to Stari Grad (where I was originally supposed to stay), and rented bikes to explore the “Stari Grad Plain,” a UNESCO world heritage site, which, according to their website is “cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC.” Obviously we took advantage of all this unique history to….bike to mores wine! This time, in a small village called Vrboska, where we sampled some local wines at Carić.

Margot had heard about a restaurant/winery/farm called Hora Hvar which is located in Stari Grad plain, so we decided to check it out, and ended up spending several hours there tasting their wines, enjoying (you guessed it) homemade cheese, charcuterie, and a giant plate of grilled meats and veggies. We got to see a little bit of the farm as well, including their donkeys!

TBH, not that interested in the donkeys.

Visiting Hora Hvar was an awesome way to spend the day, the only downside being that we had to then bike back after several glasses of wine! If you ever find yourself with the chance to visit Hora Hvar, I would suggest calling ahead ~3 hours and ordering traditional Peka (a dish cooked for a long time under hot coals)

Naps were in order when we returned, but our day didn’t end there! We also wanted to hit up the beach club, Carpe Diem. Now, I know what you’re thinking, which is that I am not at all a beach club person, and you are correct! But we decided that we just wanted to check it out for the sunset, and then leave…the leaving part actually is mandatory because the club is open as a day party until 10 PM, and then closes for two hours, before re-opening from midnight to 5 AM (NO THANK YOU). You have to take a boat to and from the island where Carpe Diem is located, so we got one at 8:30 which was the perfect time to catch the sunset from the water.

When we arrived, Carpe Diem was DEAD. It was like, post-apocalyptic vibes...which was, for me, much better than the alternative of being filled with hundreds of obnoxious drunk idiots. While it was a little eerie, we got to see the whole place with almost no one else there (with the exception of 5 drunk Spanish guys and a French bachelor party). I think the emptiness was a combination of being there at the last-popular time and, of course, COVID.

After a couple of very overpriced drinks and snapping some photos, we hopped on the last boat back to Hvar, where we had a quick bite on the main square at Boca before turning in for the night.

The next morning, we had a few hours before our ferry to Split, so we walked up to the fortress for some exploring and, once again, VIEWS! The theme of this vacation, in case you were wondering is: walk up things for views + eat cheese/charcuterie

I was so glad to have Margot to explore Hvar with, even though we didn’t really do the “party island” thing, we did get to see the ghost-town version of the party spots, which was interesting…and not something I would have done on my own! I’m not sure how fun Hvar would have been had I been there all on my own, but with a friend, a couple of days was the perfect amount of time there.

Split

July 27, 2021

Activities

Walking tour via AirBnb experience (not amazing, but it was only $12- definitely worth $12 :)

“All about Olive Oil and Wine” via AirBnb (super unique experience, you go to this hot Croatian dude’s farm and he shows you around then you have wine and a cheese/charcuterie plate. Interesting way to see a different part of Split!)

Dioclecian’s palace (if you visit here, I’d suggest trying to get a guide, we just walked around and didn’t really know what we were seeing)

Green market (farmer’s market, made me wish I had a kitchen to cook something!)

Eats

Šug (pretty good, not a standout)

Buffet Fife (traditional Croatian, super inexpensive)

Zinfandel (touristy but good)

Gelateria Emiliana (I went here at least twice, must eat!)

Drinks

Noor (very cool tiny cocktail bar)

Accommodation

Heritage Hotel Antique Split (LOVED this hotel, most helpful staff on earth and also a good breakfast)

From Hvar, Margot and I set off to Split, on our final ferry ride of the trip. I’d heard mixed things about Split, some people who had visited felt it was more of a stopover spot, while others said it was their favorite place in Croatia! While I am glad I visited Split, it doesn’t make the top of my list for spots in Croatia. It has some really interesting historical sights, a maze-like old town, and can also be a jumping off point for boat tours (having done that already in Hvar, I didn’t do that in Split).

Once again, I was greeted at the port by my hotel (having someone hold your name on a sign never gets old), for assistance carrying my bags and making my way to the hotel. I stayed at Heritage Hotel Antique Split, where the staff was SO friendly and helpful at every turn, if you ever visit Split, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Our afternoon was low-key, with lunch at Šug, gelato (for me), and a nap. Rested and refreshed, we joined a walking tour to learn more about the history and key sights of Split.

We befriended another girl on the tour, Vana, whose family is from Croatia and was on her own for a day before they arrived. We recruited her to join us for sunset views and a bottle of wine on Marjan hill, a popular park overlooking the city.

Vana had a recommendation for a Croatian restaurant called Buffet Fife, so we headed there for dinner, where we sampled a bunch of traditional dishes, including stuffed peppers, cevapi (traditional sausage ), beef with gnocchi, and, for the youths of the group, some shots of grappa (I passed on that one).

That evening in Split was the finale of some singing competition…we weren’t able to actually go in and watch it, but stood on the outskirts and listened until a drunk old woman started dancing with us, at which point it was time to move on! We grabbed one last drink at Noor, a very cool cocktail bar in the old town. Because of COVID, everything in Croatia has to close at midnight, which suits my lifestyle just fine! We called it a night and said goodbye to our new friend Vana!

If you read my post on Korčula, you may remember that I went on a Kayaking AirBnb experience; our host Boris said that he had heard good things about a tour in Split that was called “All about Olive Oil & Wine.” So Margot and I booked it, and set off for a day on the farm! Note: we since decided that the tour should be re-named “Farm to Table” because it wasn’t really all about wine or olive oil.

We drove about 20 minutes outside of Split to a town called Klis, where our host Marin showed us his family farm. Similar to the farms in Korčula, Marin and his clan mostly just use their products for their own family and sell some at local farmer’s markets- it’s not a big industrial production. We got to eat figs picked right from the tree, a kind of pear I had never seen before, and learn a bit about making olive oil and curing meats.

Of course, no tour in Croatia would be complete without homemade cheeses, meats, olive oil, and wine…so that’s what we did next! It was all so delicious, but after this, I will need a good monthlong hiatus from anything resembling a cheese plate.

That evening, we visited the well-preserved underground of Dioclecean’s Palace. It looked cool, but the signage didn’t really do a great job explaining it, and we both agreed it would have been much more interesting with a guided tour. For me, the coolest fact about the place was that it’s where they filmed all the scenes of Khaleesi and her dragons in Game of Thrones!

After our not-tour of the palace, we had a quick but tasty dinner at a rather touristy spot called Zinfindel, and then set off for an evening stroll around town. Tonight, instead of a singing competition, there was some kind of…children’s dance festival thing happening (“Mali Split” or “Little Split” is what the sign said). Like the previous night, we couldn’t officially enter the event, but were able to find a spot to view it for a bit. While I had no idea what was going on, it seemed like fun for the local families!

The next morning was a little bit sad! It was finally time for Margot and I to part ways, with me continuing on in Croatia, and Margot headed to Berlin to work there remotely for the week. We had one last small adventure, climbing the bell tower for, YOU GUESSED IT, views!

Then we took a quick lap around the green market (farmer’s market) in search of Soparnik, a local speciality. Soparnik is kind of hard to describe, but it’s very thin layers of pastry with Swiss chard and olive oil in between. Our walking tour guide told us that you can get Soparnik in bakeries, but the only good one is sold by one woman at the green market, so we tracked her down and had a taste, yum!

Snack in hand, and hugs goodbye to Margot, I went to go pick up my rental car, about which I had MAJOR ANXIETY. I am already a nervous driver, and add on top of that being in a foreign country, and driving a stick shift; my first car was actually a manual, so I know how to drive one, but it’s something I do only about once every two years. But it was time to conquer my fears and hit the road to visit some of the inland National Parks in Croatia: Krka and Plitvice Lakes!

National Parks! Krka and Plitvice Lakes

July 27, 2021

You may know that I often spend a good part of my vacations hiking and being outdoors, so I was super excited to visit two of the best known national parks in Croatia: Krka and Plitvice Lakes. They definitely didn’t disappoint!

From Split, I drove to Krka National Park. It should have taken about an hour, but have I mentioned I am a nervous driver? So it took me a bit longer, since I drive slow, and had to stop to set up my cell phone charging/navigation situation (since the shitty rental car had nowhere to connect a phone to charge or to play audio). Anyhow, I arrived safe and sound. Most people take a boat there, but I opted to drive my car in so that I could check out a couple of different areas of the park.

The main sight to see there is the big waterfall, Skradinski buk.

It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, but I was really shocked by how crowded it was, the experience was basically waiting in line to take a photo of the waterfall. Given how un-crowded everything else had been up until this point in my trip, I think I was expecting that to also be the case at Krka. However, my hypothesis is that Croatian people don’t visit the “tourist” places like Dubrovnik, but they DO visit their own national parks, so while there were probably fewer foreign tourists, there were still a lot of Croatians there. Despite the crowds, I’m still glad I saw it, but if I could do it again, I’d get there much earlier in the day.

Because I had my car, I decided to take a quick detour to the town of Šibenik, before continuing my visit in the park. Šibenik is another cute old medieval town, with some fortresses you can climb, and cobblestone streets to explore. To be honest, I was feeling very hot and tired and stressed about the driving, and didn’t totally enjoy my visit to Šibenik. It felt a bit like I was going through the motions, checking our a fortress and views because that’s what I was supposed to be doing. Had I been in a better mood I might have gotten more out of it. But at least it was a good place to stop and have a snack and some caffeine. Oh well!

Continuing on in Krka, I drove to the second most visited site in the park, Roški Slap. I think I expected Roški Slap to be something it wasn’t (I was picturing more waterfalls), but it was enjoyable in a different way. They have built 571 stairs that you can climb up to viewpoints, and to a cave that was once home to ancient people (cavemen…if you will). Climbing 571 stairs in 90 degree heat is not exactly a great time, but the payoff was some great views, and some coolers temps (and cool headgear) in the cave.

From there, I walked down to what I thought was going to be a waterfall, but was actually just a swimming area on the river that comprises the park. I sat there for a few minutes but wasn’t interested in swimming, so called it a day and hit the road once again!

It was another 2.5 hour drive to Plitvice Lakes; while I didn’t visit both parks in the same day, I wanted to stay overnight close to Plitvice Lakes so that I could arrive first thing in the morning; especially after seeing the hordes of people at Krka, I wanted to see the sights with a fewer people around!

I stayed at the cute and comfortable Rustic Lodge Plitvice, where all I did was get a pizza to go from a nearby restaurant, and go to bed early.

The next day, I was up early to get to the park when it opened, at 7. Since I left my hotel before they started serving breakfast, I was glad to have half a pizza from the night before as my morning meal!

Plitvice Lakes is the most-visited national park in Croatia; it consists of a series of waterfalls and lakes that are colors you can hardly believe exist in nature. Getting there early seemed to be a good call; there were only a couple dozen other people around, so I felt more like I was on a scenic nature walk than in an amusement park (which is what Krka felt like). The park makes it super easy to explore as much or as little as you want, with different routes (ex: Route C) that have super clearly marked signs to follow. It isn’t really an adventurous hike per se, but more of a pleasant stroll along wooden walkways and through some shady forests.

Me with the tallest waterfall in Croatia!

I asked a guy to take a photo of me, but he decided to take a video without telling me, so I present to you…the world’s most awkward video:

After completing “Route C” I decided to try to drive to what is supposed to be an amazing aerial viewpoint of the park (the “postcard view” as they call it). I drove about 15 minutes down a super narrow windy road (great for my anxiety….) to some GPS coordinates I found on a blog. I think I successfully found the right area, but the view wasn’t really what I expected. I was probably in the wrong spot, but I guess I’ll never know where the right spot is! I took a photo anyway.

My trip to Plitvice Lakes took about 4 hours in total, and I was so glad that I was able to see it…it was something very different from the rest of my trip, which up until that point had mostly been comprised of old towns, wine, and gelato. From there, it was off to Zagreb for one night!

One night in Zagreb

July 26, 2021

Activities

Free Spirit Walking Tour

Eats

Zrno Bio Bistro (Vegan place next door to my AirBnb, healthy salad time!)

La Štruck (Specializing in a regional dish that is similar to lasagna, unique and delicious!)

Frank & Otto (Tasty breakfast)

Melt Gelato (They have cashew gelato!)

Accommodation

AirBnb (I liked this place, but it was way bigger than what I needed and the AC wasn’t great!)

In planning my trip to Croatia, Zagreb wasn’t on the top of my list for places to visit, but it’s where my flight was leaving from, so I got the chance to spend an evening there. I had an Airbnb close to the center of town, which came with a parking spot. The parking spot required driving through a doorway that was about 2 inches wider than the car itself…thank god for my Airbnb host’s sister who offered to drive the car in for me (and, the next day, drove it out)…otherwise it would have been a disaster.

When I got in, I was SUPER tired and hungry from waking up at 6 AM to visit Plivitce Lakes, and subsisting only on breakfast pizza up until this point (now 2 PM). I decided to prioritize food over nap, and ate at the closest place to my AirBnb, which happened to be a very tasty vegan spot. At this point in the trip, I really needed a salad in my life, and this fit the bill perfectly.

After unsuccessfully napping, I decided last minute to join a free walking tour of Zagreb. The guide was great, but the weather was DISGUSTING. It was about 97 degrees, no breeze whatsoever, overcast, yuck. The tour was very worthwhile, but between the heat, being tired, and not having eaten enough, I was not feeling my best. I tried to take in some of the information anyway!

Especially the information on dinner recommendations, which led me to try a place called La Štruck. They serve a regional dish called, you guess it, Štruck! They have both sweet and savory versions; I only tried the savory kind, which I’d describe as a cross between lasagna and mac and cheese. Feeling I needed even more dairy in my life, I had my last gelato of vacation at Melt…they had a cashew gelato which was something I hadn’t seen before but was so delicious. Yum! Definitely made up for missed calories earlier in the day.

The crappy weather continued the next day, this time, thunderstorms instead of heat! I have to admit, I preferred the rain, and, since I was leaving that morning, it’s not like it ruined any plans I had to walk around the city. I did manage to get in a big and delicious breakfast at Frank & Otto and made a short visit to see the farmer’s market (so much amazing looking produce that I wish I could take home!).

Compared to some of the more tourist destinations that I’d been in for the trip overall, Zagreb definitely stood out as a place where people really live. I know that sounds kind of stupid and maybe obvious, but it made me realize how based around tourism all the other spots I visited were (not in a bad way!) While people weren’t as friendly and English-speaking in Zagreb, I felt like I got a small peek of a more authentic Croatia. I definitely could have spent more time there, but sadly it was time for vacation to start winding down.

I got to the airport waaaay ahead of my flight. My mom will be happy to hear that, since I usually get there very last minute which stresses her out. I needed to return my rental car, and take a COVID test to re-enter the US, and I wasn’t sure how long either of those things would take. Both tasks were super easy and efficient, which, combined with a delayed flight, left me with about 4.5 hours sitting in the Zagreb airport. While I can say many positive things about Croatia, the Zagreb airport really needs some more snack options. The international terminal only has a duty free shop, two restaurants (both grills) and one coffee cafe. Nowhere to buy a snack that is not a hamburger, a croissant, or a duty free bottle of whiskey!

As part of my long journey home, I had an 18 hour layover in Lisbon. I opted for a hotel right by the airport, but took an uber to the center of town for one amazing last meal at a restaurant called Essencial. Since YOLO, I opted for the full tasting menu, with 6 courses and 4 wine pairings. It was all amazing, and now I will never eat again. That’s a wrap on Summer Vacation 2021! I saw so many beautiful places, met friendly and interesting people, ate some great meals, and tasted every possible local gelato. I hope you all get the chance to visit Croatia some day, it’s a truly magical country with so much to explore!

Drake Bay

June 7, 2019

I spent my last few nights in Costa Rica in the remote town of Drake Bay. It’s a little hard to get to and I had a surprisingly hard time finding any kind of cohesive bus schedule. In the end I took a taxi to a town called La Palma where a bus departs twice a day for Drake Bay. Along the way the bus fords several rivers- not a drive I’d want to do!

The town of Drake Bay is super tiny, with a handful of restaurants and tour operators. They don’t even have an ATM or full grocery store!

Drake Bay took a little bit of warming up for me, I wasn’t sure at first if I’d picked wisely but by the end was sad to go!

At the “bus stop” (aka random bench in town), the owner of the hotel came to pick me up…well, he didn’t at first but then the nice bus driver called him for me hehe.

I stayed at Casa Horozontes, perched up a steep hill from the bay, with a beautiful view, comfortable hammock and very kind owners, Yami and Pedro. Pedro doesn’t speak any English but has the biggest permanent smile I’ve ever seen! Yami is like a nice mom, and helped to arrange all the tours I wanted to do while there. Breakfast is included and is delicious and huge, eggs, pancakes, fruit, YUM. You can also opt to have dinner there which is similarly tasty and grande (and much better than most of the food I had at restaurants in Costa Rica)

It was afternoon when I got in, so I just strolled along a beach collecting some shells (which is something I LOVE to do, but I don’t think you’re really supposed to take shells from beaches. Oh well).

The next morning, after my huge breakfast, I went on a snorkeling tour, which ended up being just so-so. The visibility in the water wasn’t great; we still saw a few fish, turtle, and manta ray, just not all that clearly. I’m not sure if it was the weather that day or if it’s always like that, I assume it was the weather otherwise I doubt snorkeling would be as big a deal as it is there! That evening I had a great strawberry daiquiri and a horrible piece of fish at a restaurant in town before embarking on a night tour which is a popular activity all around Costa Rica.

At first the tour was pretty cool. Even in the dark, our guide somehow spotted frogs, lizards, tarantulas and other creepy crawlies. The tour would have been great if it was two hours; that’s about how long I want to look at spiders and amphibians while getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. But it was FOUR HOURS LONG. I think it was supposed to be three hours long but our guide just kept on going! I appreciate his enthusiasm, but honestly all the frogs looked the same, I didn’t need to see 50 of them to get the idea. At least he got some cool photos….which he never emailed to us. Here’s the one photo of a spider that I took:

My last day of vacation (SAD FACE) I hiked to San Josecito beach. It was a beautiful clear day and the hike isn’t too hard, but like in Corcovado, the heat and humidity make it a bit more challenging. On the way, you have the jungle on one side and the ocean on the other, so the views are great and I even saw a few monkeys. The nice thing about this hike is that you can chill at the beach a while before heading back! I laid around and read and floated in the ocean, managing to get an impressive stomach sunburn to bring home.

I spent my last evening having dinner at the hotel with three Costa Rican sisters who were beginning their Semana Santa (holy week) vacation and who really pushed the limits of my conversational Spanish! After 3 flights and a long travel day, it was back home to San Francisco to dream about my next adventure!

Corcovado National Park

June 7, 2019

For my second week in Costa Rica, I headed down to the Osa Peninsula, which is the southwest part of the country, and more rustic and undeveloped than other parts of the country.

The primary reason to come here is to explore Corcovado National Park, the largest park in the country and one of the most bio-diverse places in the world!

I don’t usually allow this dorky hat in photos, but was too lazy to take it off and try to make my hair look decent!

Puerto Jimenez

After a quick and scenic 45 minute plane ride from San Jose, I arrived in the morning and had a day to kill in the town of Puerto Jimenez.

I didn’t have much of an idea of what to do, but I checked in at Cabinas Jimenez, where Annie at the front desk helped me plan a great afternoon.

First I needed to eat breakfast, so grabbed a bite at Monka Cafe. Appropriately fueled up, I rode one of the hotel’s free bikes to a beautiful beach about 45 minutes away. The beach feels super secluded, but is actually attached to a hotel, so there are some hammocks and chairs - yet I had the entire place to myself! After some relaxing with a book and a beach stroll, I had lunch at the restaurant on the beach, Pearl of the Osa and then hit the (bumpy) road back into town.

I grabbed a kayak, also free to use from Cabinas Jimenez, and headed out to some mangroves. I didn’t really spot much wildlife, but it was nice to be on the water and see a new landscape.

Corcovado National Park

That evening, I went to “orientation” for my hike that would begin the next day. We didn’t actually get that much new information, most of it had been communicated to us via email already, but I did meet Marie, a nice German woman also joining the hike solo, and we grabbed a bite together at Marisqueria Corcovado before turning in early for our 4:30 AM wakeup!

Our little hiking group and a cool tree!

Our hike to Corcovado spanned 3 days. The first day, we began in Carate, and hiked 12.5 miles into Sirena station, which would be our accommodations for the next two nights. The terrain itself isn’t all that strenuous, but the trek is made much more difficult by the extreme heat and humidity, plus the weight of a heavy pack (mostly water for the hike, but also clothes, etc for the 2 night stay).

Along the way we saw TONS of animals, which is why you do the hike in the first place! Our guide, Carlos, was a bit salty at times, but was able to spot even the smallest of creatures, quickly set up his telescope, and give us a great view. Steven, the other member of our group, had a great camera, so most of the photos you’ll see below are from him!

Not sure what this bird is, but it’s pretty!

Sirena station is basic, but actually very impressive for being located in the middle of nowhere- they even have Wifi (and it even sort of works!). We slept in dorm-style accommodations and the meals there are plentiful and served by friendly local staff. The experience felt a bit like summer camp; the guides from the different companies all know one another, and we got to know them and the other trekkers around meals or just hanging around the station. I already miss my Corcovado crew!

The second day was for some easy strolling right around the station. Unfortunately my stomach started hurting pretty badly the first night, so I was a no-show for the 4:30 AM nature walk (and slept in until the luxuriously late hour of 5:30 AM). I did join the group for the afternoon hiking where we saw more bird and animals and even a crocodile! But, I still wasn’t feeling great so didn’t enjoy myself 100%.

The guides and their scopes! Our guide, Carlos, is on the far left.

Luckily I felt much, much better the next day. We hiked out via a different route than we came, a longer and more hilly 14 mile trail. We started at 5 AM- a little later than you begin the Carate route, because of a HERD OF WILD BOAR who might attack you if you go in the dark. Totally cool. At this time of morning, it was still dark, with a thunderstorm visible in the distance and the calls of howler monkeys in the air (they sound like terrifying monsters). It was all a bit apocolyptic, but it was time to get back to civilization!

There weren’t as many animals to see on this trail, which I didn’t really mind since we’d seen so much already in our first two days. We made good time and were back in Puerto Jimenez by 1 PM.

I did my trek via Sucros Tours. Overall the company was very well-organized and super helpful before the trip. The three of us in the group agreed that our guide was not the best. He seemed kind of annoyed with us and our questions, and on the last day, hiked VERY fast, at times leaving one of us (ahem, me) far behind the rest of the group- not cool when there are natural hazards all around!

I cleaned up, took a nap, ate a quesadilla, and then met up one last time for dinner with Marie and Steve at PizzaMail.it for some post-trek cabo-loading and….WINE!

Monkey business in Manuel Antonio

April 15, 2019

Manuel Antonio was my second stop in Costa Rica, it’s main attraction is the epynonymus national park, known for its beaches and aggressive monkeys!

It took me FOREVER to drive there- 7 hours, including a lunch stop in sweltering Jaco. Luckily I was staying at a great resort, Gaia, where I immediately relax when I arrived. They greet you with a cold towel and fruit, then your own personal concierge provides a tour of the grounds. In theory your concierge is there for anything you need, but I’m pretty low maintenance, so it was more like just having a friend text me everyday to ask how it was going and if I needed anything. All I needed at that point was to relax by the pool before an early dinner at the hotel (which has a great restaurant called La Luna).

The next day was wildlife-packed. Gaia has a guide that will take you to Manuel Antonio, and he helped us spot lizards, bats and of course plenty of monkeys. I learned tons of interesting facts about animals- like that monkeys have a fingerprint in their tail, and that hummingbirds have to go into hibernation every night because they are so active during the day!

Our guide and his telescope. You can put your cell phone up to the eye-hole and take a decent photo!

They monkeys in Manuel Antonio are known to be aggressive about stealing food, but this one was just chillin’!

A hummingbird as seen through the telescope.

A “Jesus Christ” Lizard, so named because they walk on water.

We ended our walking tour at the beach, where I spent the next couple of hours relaxing in the shade. Overall the park was nice, but pretty crowded and not the best place for seeing animals in Costa Rica. The beach was also…fine. I’m not sure I consider it one of “the 12 most beautiful beaches in the world,” which it supposedly is.

Me at the beach! Some photo editing makes the water look a lot more blue than it really was. And makes me look slightly less pale than I actually am.

The most popular restaurant in Manuel Antonio is, unexpecedtly, a falafel joint where I grabbed a sandwich for lunch, followed by a quick nap before re-joining the nature guide for a tour of Gaia’s scarlet macaw preserve. The owner of the hotel is helping repopulate scarlet macaws in Costa Rica with a protected breeding area where they’re born and spend about a year and a half before being set free to go where they please. So of course, there are tons of beautiful rainbow-plumaged scarlet macaws flying around, as well as other animals like monkeys and !!sloths!!

For dinner I ventured into Quepos where parking is terrifying, because the streets have a two-foot drop off before the sidewalk, so if you are bad at parallel parking, you’re going into a ditch! I ate at a seafood place called Velamar but it wasn’t very good unfortunately.

The next day it was already time to move on! I got in a quick workout at the hotel’s gym (which I’m pretty sure is almost never used. Private gym!) and then relaxed and had some lunch by the pool before driving back to San Jose whose traffic is so horrible and disorganized it really puts the bay area into perspective.

I had a brief overnight stay at Casa Primo CR, a hotel close to the airport. The owner was super sweet and arranged airport transit for me the next day and even made me a sandwich for dinner since there are no restaurants nearby. The next day I was off to the rugged Osa Peninsula!

Arenal, Costa Rica: Volcano Views and Waterfalls

April 5, 2019

Hola from Manuel Antonio where I’m blogging from my patio while watching a thunderstorm! I’ve only been in Costa Rica for 4 days so far but it feels like a lot longer. I’m splitting my time here between the northern area of the country, and the Osa Peninsula in the south west. First stop: Arenal!

I arrived into San Jose (the capital) late in the evening so grabbed my rental car and stayed at a hotel near the airport. It was totally fine but nothing to write home about. I got in around 8 PM (after haven woken up at 4 AM) and was tired and hungry. Unfortunately for me, the only close restaurant was the Hard Rock Cafe! So much for immersing myself in Costa Rican culture!

The next morning I set off for the Arenal area, about a 3-4 hour drive from San Jose where I spent two nights.

Where I stayed

I posted up at the Arenal Observatory Lodge during my stay. A bit remote, it’s located less than 2 miles from the volcano that towers over the area. I was definitely glad to have a rental car since it’s about 20 minutes away from everything else in town. The best part was the beautiful grounds, they have 11 miles of easy trails with lots of plant and animal life to observe. It was a great way to stretch my legs after a long drive!

The room I stayed in was in a building separate from the main area, with six rooms and a shared bathroom, almost like a really nice summer camp lodge. However, I was the only person in the building! It was sort of nice (didn’t actually have to share the shared bathroom) but a little spooky at times since I was so far removed from everyone else!

Activities & Eats

My first day, I walked around Arenal Observatory Lodge and enjoyed some amazing views of the volcano. I didn’t know it at the time, but I got really lucky with a super clear day. The next two days you could barely even see the volcano due to heavy clouds.

After getting settled in my room, I headed over to the Arenal 1968 hiking area (so named for the year the volcano erupted). There is also a national park around the volcano, but a few sources I found online said they actually preferred the private 1968 area which is why I picked it.

They almost didn’t let me in since apparently they close at 4, and I arrived at 4:15, but I told them I was a pretty fast hiker, so they let me do the short trail which goes through some jungle and volcanic rock. Many people visit with a guide, which probably would have been worth it, but I enjoyed the scenery even without any background info to accompany it.

The following day, I was up bright and early for my canyoning tour with Pure Trek where we repelled down 4 waterfalls in the jungle (the largest is about 100 feet tall), and a bonus “monkey drop” which is a terrifying short zipline followed by a straight down drop into the water ACK. I’m pretty scared of heights, but so many blogs and tour reviews said that this was an AMAZING LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE so I figured I had to do it! I’m not sure it changed my life, but I definitely felt accomplished after it, even if I did take it super slowly the whole time.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos because we had to leave all our non-waterproof stuff behind so it wouldn’t get ruined. However I befriended a Canadian couple who had a Go Pro and took some pics of me, and I’m hoping that they email them to me!

I continued the waterfall theme that afternoon by paying a visit to La Fortuna Waterfall, a popular tourist destination where the main activity is posing for pictures in front of the waterfall! Despite the photo-happy crowds, it was still beautiful. I did take a photo with it but I look too ugly in it to post in public so enjoy this one without me in it:

Finally, to wrap up my water-themed day, I decided to indulge in another popular activity: hot springs! There are tons of facilities in the area, but I opted for a night pass to Tabacón on the recommendation of some of my fellow repellers and a friend who visited on her honeymoon.

It got off to a rocky start. I drove the 20 minutes there from Arenal Observatory Lodge only to realize I’d forgotten my swimsuit, so drove BACK, then back again. Having finally made it, I ate the included buffet dinner (about as exciting as you’d expect) and then was ready for a soak! They have tons of different pools, of varying temperatures and decorative styles. After about 15 minutes in the public zone I decided to try to access the GUESTS ONLY Shangri-La gardens recommended by my friend. Nobody was posted up checking for guest ID, so I just strolled right in and basically had the area all to myself! It was great, though would have been much more fun with another person (there’s only so much time one can spend soaking alone with one’s thoughts). I also think it would have been nice to see it during the day since they have a lot of tropical landscaping that was hard to appreciate at night.

This pic is from Tabacon’s website- I don’t have a photo of my own since, you know, water and phones don’t really mix.

My new favorite activity is catching the sunset, every night so far has been different but breathtaking.

Night 1, from the balcony at the Arenal restaurant (my HDR app makes it look slightly more purple than it actually was)

Night 2, from outside my room at Arenal (that’s Lake Arenal in the foreground)

As for eats & drinks, I’m afraid I haven’t been too adventurous so far this trip! I had dinner at the lodge my first night, and Tabacón the second. The town of La Fortuna (the tourist hub) doesn’t have a lot going on, food-wise but I did go to lunch twice at a very cute cafe called Organico Fortuna. The food wasn’t AMAZING, but it was super cute, and seemed like a healthy-ish choice.

Arenal was a great introduction to Costa Rica, stay tuned to hear what I’ve been doing in Manuel Antonio!

Extremely belated San Miguel de Allende post

March 31, 2019

It’s been more than 5 months since Bunny and I traveled to San Miguel de Allende (right after we were in Guanajuato) yet I never managed to blog about it! I am now on a very long layover on my way to Costa Rica, so this felt like a good time to jot down what we did!

San Miguel de Allende is an easy bus ride from Guanajuato but has a very different vibe than its neighbor. While Guanajuato felt much more like a university town and weekend destination for Mexicans, San Miguel de Allende was much trendier with many more western tourists/ex-pats, trendy bars and restaurants and plenty of tourist activities.

Where we stayed

We rented this great AirBnb. Super modern and well-located, and the host gave us tons of great recommendations. We got a LOT of light and noise from the neighbors, but hopefully the host is able to fix this for future guests. Look at the amazing view from the balcony!

Eats & Drinks

There are so many stylish and delicious bars & restaurants in San Miguel, and no shortage of stylish terraces. Some of the places we visited:

Casual Bites

Doce 18: A “concept house” with stores, restaurants, and bars. We stopped in when we first arrived for an acai bowl, and again later in our trip to enjoy a cocktail during an unexpected downpour!

This actually looked better than it tasted.

Ki’bok coffee: A cool hipster coffee place right by our AirBnb with a nice terrace for enjoying your breakfast

El Manantial: A “local” place recommended to us by our bike tour guide and AirBnb host. Like most places in San Miguel it was still very tourist-friendly. Amazing seafood and tasty margaritas at reasonable prices!

Tianguis Orgánico: The “organic market” that takes place on Saturdays. Tons of cheap yummy local flavors.

Inside Cafe: A great recommendation from my friend Nick, this cafe is owned by an Australian woman who married a man from San Miguel de Allende. Great coffee and big flavorful brunch with a view!

Drinks

Rosewood hotel: They have a great rooftop, and a downstairs bar. Expect a wait to go up to the roof around sunset!

La Azotea: This was the most bumpin’ nightlife scene we explored, trendy upstairs bar with so-so food (in case you want a bite with your drink)

The Blue Bar (inside Belmond hotel): Nice drinks and very cool atmosphere, but was super empty and lacking energy when we visited.

Quince: This is a full restaurant but we just stopped by for spicy margaritas.

Upscale eats

La Unica: Trendy restaurant with a cool balcony (cool balconies seem to be everywhere in San Miguel!) and clubby music. We had some really amazing cauliflower here!

Aperi: We reserved a spot at the Chef’s Table here (joined by a bunch of other people who were also from SF- ha!). It was an awesome experience, great to get to spend some time with other people and learn all about the food from the chef.

Moxi: I had REALLY looked forward to Moxi and grabbed us a reservation for our last night, but it disappointed compared to the other places we ate and the service was super bad.

Activities

San Miguel de Allende is more touristy than Guanajuato, but not in a bad way! It means there are a lot more organized activities you can book if that’s your jam. We did a couple of those, plenty of wandering the streets, and of course, day of the dead festivities!

Bici-Burro bike tour: An active way to get outside the city and see the surrounding countryside. It was a little more bumpy and intense than I expected, but ended with a relaxing dip in the hot springs (which you can visit without doing the bike tour).

La Cocina cooking class: This class is run by an American woman named Kris who has made her home in San Miguel de Allende. She is super knowledgeable about the history, food, and cooking techniques of San Miguel de Allende, and she even helped us book a driver for our early morning departure. We went on a shopping excursion at the local food market and learned how to make some traditional Mexican dishes.

Kirs and Chef Bunny (she was having more fun than her face suggests)

Botanical garden (El Charco del Ingenio): Located a short drive from town, strolling this expansive nature preserve was a great way to walk off some of the tacos we’d eaten during the week.

Shopping at Mercado San Juan de Dios: This is the food market we shopped at during the cooking class, and it’s also a good place to pick up souvenirs or enjoy a snack of elote (street corn!)

Fabrica la Aurora: Formerly a textile factory, this space now houses galleries, restaurants and furniture stores. While we were there, most of the galleries had Dia de Muertos altars on display which was extra special.

Día de Muertos

Día de Muertos is such a cool time to visit San Miguel de Allende, the shops and restaurants have altars up, and visitors and locals come out to celebrate. Compared to Oaxaca it felt like there were fewer days of celebration here; in Oaxaca there was something happening every night of the week around Día de Muertos, but it was festive nonetheless.

Last year in Oaxaca I passed on the face painting, but this year Bunny and I got into the spirit and it was so much fun! Note: this makeup takes like 15 minutes to get put on and like an hour to was off in the shower!

A very special part of Día de Muertos is visiting the cemetery, where, every year, family members clean the graves and leave flowers and favorite foods for the deceased to welcome them back for one night. In Oaxaca, families sit graveside through the night, but in San Miguel de Allende the cemetery closes at 6 PM, so we ended up showing up too late to visit in the evening, but were able to return the next day.

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And of course, just wandering the streets was a great way to feel the spirit of Día de Muertos, with colorful decorations galore.

Overall, we loved our trip to San Miguel de Allende- it’s a very approachable destination: gorgeous town, amazing food, and lots to do!

Kate & Bunny do Día de Muertos: Guanajuato

November 3, 2018

I’m back in Mexico; last year’s Día de Muertos celebrations in Oaxaca were so much fun that this year I managed to convince Bunny to come along with me. This year, we are visiting Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende to see what day of the dead is like in this part of Mexico!

Our first stop was in Guanajuato City, which is located in central Mexico, a couple of hours from the slightly more well-known San Miguel de Allende.

Guanajuato is a beautiful, lively, bustling little city. I was imagining it to be a quaint and quiet town, but on the weekend it was full of Mexican tourists and students who packed the streets wall to wall, with music, food, and street performers on every corner. The atmosphere was decidedly more relaxed on the weekday, when everyone returned to work and school. While it felt like a hotspot for visitors, we were surprised by how few Western tourists we encountered during our time there. There wasn’t much going on yet for Día de Muertos (we were there Oct 27-30), but we greatly enjoyed exploring the city.

One of the main plazas in Guanajuato city

Not the most beautiful photo, but this is a great example of what we encountered while walking around, tons of people enjoying a concert in the street.

DAY 1

We arrived in the evening our first day, and strolled around a bit to get our bearings. We didn’t have much time before we headed out to our dinner reservation at Las Mercedes, which is supposed to be *amazing.* We liked it just fine, but it didn’t stand out as one of the most remarkable meals I’ve ever had, and it was quite a cab ride away.

DAY 2

On our first full day, we woke up to find that Daylight Savings had occurred overnight, thanks to my not-smart watch. Having enjoyed a bonus hour of sleep, we set out in search of some coffee and breakfast. However we were surprised to see that the restaurants were all super packed- I guess the brunch scene in Guanajuato is just as bumpin’ as SF!

We settled for some coffees to-go and headed over to Mercado Hidalgo which has plenty of options for quick and cheap bites. The quesadilla stand I picked actually turned out to be not-so-quick, but worth the wait….yum!

We strolled around the market and the town center a little more before deciding it was time to eat again, so had a proper meal of Enchiladas Mineras at Truco 7.

Next it was time for some proper sightseeing! One of the popular things to do in Guanajuato is to appreciate the city from the viewpoint at the El Pipila statue that stands above the city. It was a quick FUNicular ride to the top for amazing views! People also brought the party up there, with a speaker, singing, dancing, and even some hula hooping.

On our way to the funicular, we got asked by a guy with a camera to be in a video for his YouTube channel, so he interviewed us about what day we would re-live if we could go back to a single day in our life, and what advice we have to people for living in the moment. Luckily his channel only has about 25 subscribers so I don’t think our advice will be the next viral hit.

Before you ask, no, you cannot see the YouTube video.

After our visit to El Pipila, it seemed about time to eat/drink again, we we headed back down to try to grab a drink at Bar Luna, which is on a very cute plaza called Jardin de la Union. The wait was over an hour, so we settled for the nearly-identical bar next door, Bar van Gogh, where the drinks were pretty bad, but the guac was very good.

They didn’t have any cocktails on the menu, so I ordered us tequila and what was supposed to be pineapple juice but just tasted like tang.

After our weird drinks, we strolled around and ended up stopping for much better mojitos at a very cute bar called La Champa.

We knew our trip wouldn’t be complete without checking out the night tour, Las Callejoneadas: a long-standing tradition in Guanjauato. The group dresses like medieval minstrels, and they sing, dance, and give a funny history of the city. Well, I gathered it was very funny, but we couldn’t really understand much since it was completely in Spanish.

To finish off our first night we had a great dinner at Los Campos and, obviously, some more margaritas.

DAY 3

Monday, we decided to escape the hustle and bustle of the city a bit, and, after an omelette stop at La Erre, headed back up the funicular and continued on past the viewpoint for some hiking in an area called El Cerro de la Bufa.

I got SUPER CONFUSED because I had read about a place called El Cerro de la Bufa in a totally different part of Mexico. So I was expecting there to be a tram, and a bunch of people, a museum, and a food stand with really amazing corn. But there is none of that in the Guanajuato El Cerro de la Bufa, so I was convinced we were in the wrong place, until I looked up the other place on a map. OUR El Cerro de la Bufa was just a small hike with a nice view of the city.

Look at this cool rock. Where’s the delicious corn I was promised?

Having had our fill of physical activity, it was clearly time for…TACOS. We walked back over to Mercado Hidalgo to try out a carnitas stand recommended by our AirBnb, called Carnitas Patlan

After eating our fill of carnitas, we did a little shopping for Day of the Dead themed earrings, then hopped in a taxi to Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera. As the name implies, it used to be the home San Gabriel de Barrera. We didn’t get much history about the man, but had a great time exploring the many different styles of garden he planted on the property.

We finished off our trip with some more bad cocktails by the jardin at Bar Tradicional Luna, but enjoyed them greatly thanks to our personal serenade by a mariachi band. Then we did the thing where you wander around trying to find something to eat- and ended up having some guac and margs at a cute place called La Santurrona.

The next morning we packed up, ate some breakfast on one of the plazas and hopped on the bus to San Miguel de Allende for the second part of our trip!

Quick links to where we ate/drank/slept:

Bars:

Bar van Gogh

Restaurants:

Mercado Hidalgo: Carnitas Patlan

Our AirBnb

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South America...and beyond!

In early 2017, I took a 3 month sabbatical from work to travel in South America, and blogged about it along the way. Since then, I’ve taken a few more noteworthy trips, and am sharing my experiences with you here!

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