Today is my last day at NFUM ….which means I’ve less than two weeks till I fly home… 

Times they are a changing…

OK, so I could spend loads of time writing about how fantastic  my 31^st was…or I could say a few words and let the pictures talk for themselves.  I think I’ll choose the later option.  Words just won’t do it the justice it deserved.  Other than a humble thank – you to my oldest brother and family for funding it!!

Whilst you’re waiting for the pics to appear in the gallery think – Lavish, Stylish, Opulence, Beauty, Champagne, Oysters, Fresh Fish, Super Yacht, Adriatic Sea…. A most excellent of evenings that I will never ever forget.

Pics will be going in here…http://www.logicalthinking.co.nz/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=75

Something to keep you all waiting in anticipation though…

What a country Croatia is.

Serene is the word I would use to describe the area we visited – Dubrovnik.  It was absolutely stunning, considering the turmoil it went through in the early 90ties.  Over 70 percent of the buildings in Dubrovnik were damaged during the siege of Dubrovnik by the Yugoslav army from October 1991 to August 1992. Today, you have to look hard to see any the remnants of the war. The Old Town pays respect to this war by way of billboards illustrating where the damage was caused.  It really did amaze us as to how quickly this city and people have recovered.

From when we arrived in Croatia until we left we had a most excellent time.  Seamless flights accompanied by scenic landings.  This was all topped off by gracious customer service whilst airborne  and on land.  We  stayed at a resort that neither of us could quite define by just one word. It had breath taking views, decor, restaurants to say the least.  We felt very fortunate and somewhat… magical!

So of all the great things that happened on the trip here are a few of the highlights – be sure to also check out the ‘Croatian 31st Birthday’ blog as well.  It deserved a separate entry!!

Mooching Around

We had lots of days where we hazily awoke to the soft sounds of the birds outside our hotel room and when we gingerly pulled back the curtains we were greeted by the sprawling Adriatic sea. Every day was a stunner and the landscape was by no means boring. You had grand mountain ranges on one side, and an endless view of the Adriatic on the other. In the middle was a well planned coastline with the right balance of lush greenery mixed in with rocky beach access areas. 

The rocky areas were by no means an obstacle as there were free ‘posh nosh’ sun lounge’s that you could relax on for FREE!  To make it even better there was a full bar service so we could merrily pass the time sipping away on our cocktails whilst agonising over whether we would dip into the pool or the sea first.

Breakfast each morning was fabulous. We would wander down to the breakfast area which was surrounded by water and every day the spread was 5 *. Fresh fruits, cereals, hot options and a full range of sweet bakery foods.  The coffee they came around with was identical to that which I’d tasted in Italy so no complaints from me!

Dinners did not let us down either. Every night we could find a well priced restaurant that would often put on silver service for us, for a ridiculously cheap price.  Dave and I partook in 3 – 4 course meals many a night and had no hesitation swigging it all back with Italian, French or local wines of which there were many to choose from.

Lastly I must mention the range of weather patterns we would get. Due to the humidity most afternoons a huge tropical thunderstorm would pass through the region. The benefit was, that this mainly occurred out in the distance.  There was nothing more relaxing that sitting on your own balcony sipping a local beer and watching fork lightening whilst knowing a huge boom was on its way!!

Old Town

To get to the Old Town you have to catch a very stuffy bus for ten minutes but when you get there it’s another beautiful view that meets your eyes.  Every corner you look into was a picture waiting to be taken and I was sure to full up the memory card as much as I could whist wandering through alley ways and small squares.  It was the norm to stop at a café every now and then to have a beer and a light snack whilst watching the hoards of cruise ship visitors bustle through the cobbled streets and congregate in all the squares. A lovely way to chew through a couple of hours each day.

Also in the Old Town was the ‘Ancient City Wall’ walk which we decided to take on the last day there. It again was a spectacular adventure. The coastline is very charming from a birds eye view.  You could quite easily spend an entire day doing this walk as there are small café’s spread along the trail where you can sit and have an unparalleled view of the Adriatic Sea.

Another tour we wanted to go on was the ‘Gondola’ which we had spotted on one of our various walks and we followed our noses to the base of this.  Unfortunately it hadn’t opened yet, the launch was the next day!  This clearly gave us the incentive to return!.

So I can sum up the holiday by absolutely recommending this place if you would like an affordable, relaxing, sun seeking holiday.  The people are friendly, the service is fantastic and the weather is just second to none.  This place has surpassed my original favourite travel spot which was ‘Ko Chang’ in Thailand and gone straight to the No 1 spot!!

Take care,
Sarah

Photos can be seen here: http://www.logicalthinking.co.nz/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=57

No, I’m not heading to South Africa to replace Rob Green, or Emile Heskey but am going to be shooting for the England Skeet team in August.

Finished fifth at the selection shoot, with the top 10 getting places.

Browns resigned and Cameron is having cupcakes with the Queen. Change is upon us people…