Traveling in the Balkans and the Meditteranean

This summer we spent a month in Europe.  We arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia, spent five days on Lopud (an island off the coast of Croatia), spent a week cruising the Mediterranean aboard the cruise ship Magnifica, part of the MSC cruise line, spent 11 days in Sarajevo, Bosnia, a day in Herzeg Novi, Montenegro, and back to Dubrovnik.  It was definitely an adventure, traveling with our little Bean! He enjoyed meeting his tetak (uncle) Amar, None, and his cousins!

Things I love about the Balkans/Mediterranean:

• Walking everywhere (although not as enjoyable with an ankle injury)
• Green summers 

• Local, fresh, relatively inexpensive produce at markets within walking distance

• Delicious bakeries on every corner

• "Coffee culture" relax, take it easy, spend time chatting over Turkish coffee or rakia. There is no such thing as coffee to go.

• Seeing my husband catch up with family and old friends, as well as meeting new friends

• Learning new cultural customs
• Iftar dinners 
• Seeing historical sites
• Amazingly beautiful mountains and coastline

• No cooking or cleaning
• Small spaces are incredibly organized

Interesting Facts about traveling Europe:

• Random strangers on the street freely give advice about how to care for your baby
• Propu - the belief that sitting in a draft, going out with wet hair, or not wearing socks causes one to catch a cold, or worse; but having baby in a room filled with cigarette smoke - perfectly acceptable lol
• Manners and etiquette differ from those in the US

What I miss most (other than friends and family of course) when traveling:

• Hot showers!