Croatia - By Bike, Boat And Foot

Where people are friendly, food tasty and views right out of the Game of Thrones

- Shelly Kill

We all have bucket lists of things we want to do, places we want to go, and things we want to experience.

My husband, Jim, and I are fortunate to have traveled and explored many places in the last 20-plus years.

Jim loves the history and I the relaxing, though both of us enjoy active adventure travel.

Two years ago, I was re-acquainted with a Cashmere High classmate and friend Diana (Smith) Holt. She was in town visiting family. We caught up with happenings of our lives and she told me she was the owner of Bikes, Boats, & Boots Adventure Travel company.

Aha! Another trip added to my bucket list — Croatia, she told me, is one of the most beautiful and scenic destinations she offers.

This promised to be a very active adventure trip. In anticipation, we took to extra hiking, walking and biking outings to assure we were in shape for what awaited.

Our trip to Croatia was a 15-day adventure (Sept. 15-30) in this southeastern European country. We arrived a day early in Zagreb, Croatia‚ its capitol, hoping to reset our body clocks from the long flights and nine-hour time change.

Zagreb did not disappoint. We loved the hustle and bustle of the public market right outside our window in the city center. The hotel stays were thoughtfully planned by Diana to immerse us in the local culture.

On a tour of the city, led by an amazing and informative guide, we were approached by other tourists to inform us that our guide was a well-known former professional soccer player on the Croatian national team.

In each city and village, we visited, we had opportunity to venture out and explore the history and enjoy the local Croatian cuisine. Part of any travel is creating new friendships with fellow travelers as well as locals, who were more than willing to help with anything.