Istria: The Best Kept Secret in Croatia

One of the unexpected highlights of our three weeks in the Balkans was lovely Istria — the heart-shaped, Italian-flavored peninsula of western Croatia.

Dave and I ended up here on a bit of a whim.  We were deciding whether it would be best to fly into Zagreb, Split, or somewhere else entirely — and it was cheapest to fly into Pula.

Pula?  We can work with that, I thought.  I’d read a bit about Istria, and I know that both Mike of Go, See, Write and Akila of The Road Forks were fans.  So Pula it was.

Girona: My New Favorite City in Spain

Early this year, I visited Spain for the first time and quickly declared it one of my favorite countries.  The culture, the architecture, the food, the beautiful men — how could I not fall for Spain?  Of all the cities, I found myself falling for Granada and Sevilla the most.

But my new favorite?  I think it might be Girona!

Évora: The Unexpected Beauty of Portugal

When I added Évora to my Iberian itinerary, I didn’t have many expectations.  I heard it was a lovely town, but my main goal was to see the Capela dos Ossos, the bone chapel.  Anything else would be a fringe benefit.

Sometimes, going into a place without expectations is best — because I was absolutely bowled over by the beauty of Évora!