Amy and Pat Taylor

As we drive through Croatia, we see that everyone has a garden of some sort. And most homes and most businesses beautify with flowering trees and plants.

The people we encountered were friendly and open. We felt welcomed everywhere we went.

The roads and highways are in great condition. No potholes. No Thumpita, thump, thump, as you drive. No trash along the highway. And almost no road construction. Definitely no semi-permanent orange barrels.

The coastal towns we visited are ancient by our standards, most of them dating back to the 13th century, some older. And the granddaddy was Zadar. 3000 years old - predating Jesus by 1000 years.

The stores, shops, facilities have all been cleaner than what we find in the USA. I don't mean a little clean. I mean really clean. No trash. No junk. No signs of lack of maintenance.

As tourist here, we are walking ATM machines. Wealthy by comparison and not only willing, but ready to spend our money. But they are not tugging at us to get our money. The people were quite helpful and incredibly polite. Americans have rough reputations abroad, but there was no sense of that here.

We also noticed that the people here seem to be tall and relatively thin. (Just an observation)

The food was tasty and fair portions (if not more than fair) for the money.

It would be fair to say that the people are prideful of their country - and they should be.

Croatia has been controlled by 9 other countries (in whole or in part), and some of those countries have owned or controlled Croatia several times.

Something that struck us was when we learned about their "Homeland War" - their Civil War - the War for Independence (1992). It was bloody and horrendous. But after the war, Croatians fostered a concept of healing and forgiving. All thoughts toward moving forward.

Croatians are extremely proud of their membership in the European Union and NATO.

The only "tourist tax" I felt was with respect to public toilets and (especially) laundromats. The prices were steep.

This was a fabulous trip.
We enjoyed.
We experienced.
We opened our eyes.Läs mer