Madrid, Spain

We left early this morning for a quick flight to Madrid via AirEuropa from Frankfurt Main (FRA).  The flight was easy and uneventful (which is great for a plane ride!). Once to MAD we hopped on the Airport Express Shuttle bus and headed into downtown!

Medulin, Croatia (Departure)

After checking out of our resort (and maybe some kicking and screaming to get us me in the car) it was time to enjoy our last day in Croatia.  Since we didn't fly out until 6:50 p.m. we had plenty of time to check out Medulin, another nearby village.

Well, we thought we had plenty of time...

Rovinj, Croatia

After a failed attempt at Kamenjak we decided to head north to the town of Rovinj, the "Blue Pearl of the Adriatic," to see what we could find there....and we are so glad we did!

Rovinj was absolutely beautiful!  The people were friendly, there were tons of restaurants, boats in the harbor, shops in alleyways...the sights, sounds, smells...it was incredible!

Prementura, Croatia (Kamenjak National Park)

On the recommendation of our waiter last night we headed about 15 minutes away to the town of Prementura to check out another one of Croatia's famous national parks, Kamenjak.

We were so excited to check this place out!  Take a look at the pics and you'll see why....

Brijuni National Park, Croatia

We arrived in Brijuni shortly before lunch.  The boat ride was maybe 10 min. but the kids loved it!

Fazana, Croatia

After enjoying another much-needed "sleep-in" day, we got up and headed by van to Fazana, Croatia (a little fisherman’s village about 25 min. away from Pula).  

Our hotel receptionist arranged for a shuttle to pick us up and take us to village where we would board a boat and spend the day touring the Brijuni National Park, a large network of islands off the coast of Croatia.

Pula, Croatia (Roman Amphitheater)

After checking out Ambrela Beach, we headed back into the city center to check out the Roman Amphitheater, a.k.a Arena of Pula, Pula’s “most famous and important monument.”

It was built during the 1^st century A.D. at the same time the Colosseum in Rome was built and has been the site of gladiator fights, medieval knight tournaments, and present-day performances.  The kid’s thought it was super cool they got to see “the broken thing in Rome’s little brother.”

Pula, Croatia (Ambrela Beach)

Even though the weather was a little too windy to enjoy the water (that jazz was COLD), we took the kids to a nearby pebble beach to check out the views after our fun morning at the aquarium.

 Ambrela Beach was less than a five minute drive from our resort and was awarded a "Blue Flag" for its “cleanliness and exceptional water quality.”  In the summer you can rent deck chairs and umbrellas (there are also bathrooms and showers and a lifeguard on duty). The kids had a blast learning to skip rocks and searching for "sea life!"

Pula, Croatia (Auquarium/Fort Ventura)

The weather today was not the best for a lot of the outdoorsy stuff (very windy, cool, sunshine but rainy).  We had discussed renting a boat to take the kids fishing but no one would take us out due to the wind.  Oh well, it was the perfect opportunity to hit up the Pula Aquarium located inside Fort Verudela (and less than a five min. drive from our resort)…after sleeping in, of course!  (I think I may like no-planned vacations after all).

Pula, Croatia (Arrival)

For Spring Break we decided we were going to take a much-needed VACATION.  And, when I say “vacation” I mean a trip that we I don’t spend weeks itinerizing down to the hour.  This trip was straight up purchasing plane tickets, picking a resort, reserving a rental car, and whatever happens, happens!