Stranger in a Strange Land: Greetings from Pula, Croatia!!

Hey all! I know it's been a while since my last post... I have to say that internet (or at least free internet access) is quite difficult to come by here. Besides the fact that it can cost up to $45 to access the internet for a 24 hour period, it's also very hard to find places that have internet access... Unlike the U.S. where you can get free internet access at virtually every coffee shop! :) But, we did finally manage to find free internet access at the hotel we stayed at in Pula, Croatia... Yay!! :) And, I can now officially update you on our Italian/Croatian adventure...

We've been having a wonderful time on vacation!! :) We feel so fortunate to have been able to see so many places and things! :) We're currently in the city of Pula, Croatia. We left Italy on May 27th and we took an overnight car ferry to Dubruvnik, Croatia. We arrived early in the morning on May 28th. Since then we've been spending our time exploring Dubruvnik and it's surrounding areas... And, I have to say, that Croatia is an absolutely beautiful country! Between the mountains, the endless coastline, the clear blue water, the palm trees, and the cute little towns and villages with their trademark red tiled rooftops that dot the landscape... it's the perfect vacation destination! :)

During our stay in Croatia, we've also had the opportunity to visit the countries of Montenegro and Bosnia... Very cool! We took a day trip to Montenegro and visited the Bay of Kotor... It was such a beautiful area! We also took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia to see the Mostar Bridge, which is a symbol of the city, and was destroyed during the Bosnian-Herzegovian War in 1993. The town is still in the very early stages of recovery, where tourist money is very welcome. :) The people were very friendly and they seem to still be jittery about the prospect of lasting peace. Overall, it was probably the one place the has the most modern significant history of all the places we've visited. Quite an amazing experience!!

On that note, I'm going to post some pictures of our travels, and then Brian and I are going to head out to do some more sightseeing... Today we're heading to Rovinj, Croatia... It's one of the most photographed cities in this country. It's a small island city, where all of the buildings are built right to the edge of the island, so that it looks like the city is floating on water. We'll make sure to take plenty of pictures! :) We miss you much!

Outside the city walls of Old Town in Dubruvnik, Croatia... That's the Adriatic Sea.

Old Town Dubruvnik...

Brian and I at the marina in Dubruvnik, Croatia...

The marina in Dubruvnik, Croatia...

Dubruvnik is on the right... The island on the left is the island of Lokrum...

The city of Dubruvnik in the distance... So pretty! :)

Brian and I on the top of the fortress overlooking the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro...

The flag of Montenegro...

The Bay of Kotor in Montenegro...

Mostar, Bosnia... an area which has found peace in recent years. You can see the new construction on the left, and an older, bullet-ridden building on the right...