Turkey

9 weeks, 13 cities, 2 carry-on bags and 0 guidebooks. Traveling “EmilyStyle” means exploring the world with little planning, small budgets, lots of cooking and a focus on living like a local. Here’s how we did it! Our Mediterranean Route I don’t enjoy working on all the logistics that come with travel. So, we didn’t plan much…

Zadar was the perfect place to end our stay in Croatia. It’s a beach-front town smaller than Split and less touristy than Dubrovnik. Seemed like the Santa Barbara equivalent. The big storm was finally clearing out and we had one last sunny day.  We arrived at night after our drive from Zagreb. The walk down…

I could hardly find any information on driving from Zagreb to Zadar when were researching the last-minute detour. No idea why not, it’s an amazing route and gave me such a different perspective on Croatia. We first left Zagreb at 10:30 am on the A1 autobahn, before turning South on to the D1 at Karlovac…

When life hands you rain…go find some waterfalls!  The highlight of our drive from Zagreb to Zadar in Croatia was a stop at Plitvice Lakes National Park. The $15 entrance fee includes access to the entire park as well as free tram and boat rides. With about four hours to explore, we were suggested to take…

Thanks to the storm, we threw together an inland itinerary for our last few days in Croatia on the fly.  Instead of sunning on a sailboat, we flew to the Capital city of Zagreb and spent a lovely day full of museum hopping there. From Zagreb, I hatched a plan to rent a car and…

With the storm bearing down on Croatia, we were nearly trapped out on the island of Korcula. There was just one ferry out, and it left at 6:00 am from Vela Luka, almost an hour on the other side of the island. We made it on to the crowded ship packed with other “refugees” and…

I would have loved to stay in Korcula a bit longer, even with the storm. This island was a concentration of everything that makes Croatia so great: friendly people, overwhelming hospitality, beautiful landscapes, clear water and historic architecture. Basics Our apartment in Korcula was the best airbnb experience! From the moment Marina picked us up…

(We have just arrived in Chicago today for our last week of travel before heading back to San Francisco. While I wrap up the Croatian reports, I would love your recommendations on things to see and places to eat here!) We had planned to only stay one night on Korcula, but the storm cancelled our…

I was so excited to throw a dinner party in Korcula! Our wonderful apartment host was invited to be the guest of honor. After seven weeks of cooking on the road, I was thrilled to see that she had real kitchen with an oven and a gas range. First step, wake up early. The green…

A big storm was blowing in to Korcula in the evening. With our last warm and non-rainy morning, we rented bikes and headed out for adventure. The ride from Korcula Town to Lumbarda is just about 4 miles, but the rolling hills do make it a little challenging. Our first stop was the rocky lighthouse…