Croatia Stole My Heart

I've always been an anxious traveller. 

I've never really had an issue with flying, no more than the next person, but it's the being away from home that bothers me. Being out of my usual surroundings; my "comfort zone" if you like, really sets my anxiety off. But, my boyfriend being a keen traveller, I finally accepted that I had to suck it up and push myself. We went to our local Thomson travel agents and very quickly settled on Poreč in Croatia. As our departure date got closer and
closer, I could have been sick with nerves but I was still excited about our first holiday together at the same time. 

We didn't set off to the best start, with my car not starting at 3am when we were trying to leave for Gatwick airport, but before I knew it we were off, on a plane, over 800 miles away from home. And I'm trying to keep my cool. CROATIA WAS BEAUTIFUL. I honestly cannot put into words how incredible it is as a country. We stayed on the West coast called Istria in a town called Poreč (pronounced a bit like "porridge"). Our hotel was glorious, the town centre was only a 20 minute walk away and there was THE cutest little road train that went between the town and the hotel along the seafront. Amazing.

The range of activities for us to do while we were away was fab. Our rep Jan was amazing and he looked after us so so well. But the highlights (other than how incredible the hotel was and the surrounding area) was our trip to one of their national parks, Plitvice Lakes. Some of the waterfalls there were 80 metres plus and it was a real sight to see. None of the pictures I took did it any justice! Even the 8 hour round coach trip was worth it.

Istria was just amazing. We spent quite a lot of time in our resort and venturing near to where we were staying. The locals were so friendly and spoke amazing English. We did go in the sea as it looked so beautiful, but being May, it was so cold we didn't spend any more than 5 minutes in there! I could have admired the scenery for days on end, and it's definitely something I miss the most.

Something else that I miss is the FOOD. Their locally produced foods were so, so tasty. I couldn't resist, I had to bring some home! Huge spreads were put on by the hotel at meal times, all freshly prepared yumminess.

Most importantly, (for me) this is the first time I have EVER been abroad and haven't had a panic attack. I was ridiculously smug and proud of myself. My boyfriend Sean definitely helped as he is so understanding of my anxieties, no matter how silly they may be.

I loved Croatia, and I definitely hope to return one day. 💓