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!

Brijuni National Park, Croatia

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

Stockholm, Sweden (MSC Baltic Cruise)

"The capital and largest city in Sweden, Stockholm is built on 14 islands located between the Baltic Sea and Lake Malaren.  Connected by over 50 bridges crossing open bays and narrow channels, it is often referred to as the "Venice of the North." This attractive city is filled with lush parks, wide boulevards and majestic structures of contrasting colors.  Ancient dark, stone buildings sit next to modern sky-scrapers of glass and block.  Add the onion domes, red washed houses, painted roofs, persimmon spires and curved garbles make this modern city an architectural delight."

Copenhagen, Denmark (MSC Baltic Cruise)

"Copenhagen is the premier capital of Northern Europe and the centre of the most dynamic region in Europe, the Oresund Region. The city is one of Europe's oldest capitals with a royal touch - the monarchy in Denmark is the oldest in the world! Discover Copenhagen through the walls of the Black Diamond, but also pay attention to all those historical architectural pearls such as the Royal Castle Amalienborg and the Church of Our Savior. Visit Louisiana, Arken, and Glyptotek - they are considered the best art museums in Europe; take a walk towards the Gefion Fountain, Copenhagen's own Trevi Fountain, or maybe visit Tivoli, the classy amusement park, located in the middle of the city. These are truly exciting, cool, and very enjoyable places to visit."

Kiel, Germany (MSC Baltic Cruise)

We headed to Kiel this weekend to get ready to board our first cruise!  Kiel was a quaint little town full of shops, restaurants, parks and really nice people...

We had a little time before boarding so we drove around to try to find the famous U 995 (the only surviving type VII submarine in the world).  However, our GPS did not like any address or coordinates that we tried to put in for the U-boat so we eventually gave up and headed back to our port....

St. Goar & Assmanshausen, Germany (Rhine River Cruise)

Today was Mother's Day and I was so thankful that I got to spend it with my wonderful mama here in Germany!  We spent a perfect day cruising down the Rhine River, touring a castle, wine tasting, and checking out some quaint, little villages along the way!

The tour was offered through the local USO office.  After an early bus ride we arrived at Burg Rheinstein where we were given a brief introduction of the castle's history by an English-speaking employee.  We were then free to tour the refurbished castle, grounds and gift shop on our own.