Well...we did it...we took the plunge and set out on a proper trip with baby in tow. Gramma Kathy came to town and we thought, what better time to travel than when we have an extra pair of hands (plus, she's already been to Prague a couple of times)! So, off we went to Croatia and Italy (see the next post for more on Italy). Here's Jackson in his car seat, ready to set off.
The plane ride there was not exactly dreamy. The flight attendant's announcements were extremely loud, which scared Jackson and caused the crying to start LONG before the plane even took off. We were seated in the back of the plane with about 10 other small children & babies, and at least half of them were crying at any given time during the flight. So, Jackson did his part and cried or fussed for about half the trip...STRESSFUL!! Good thing the flight was only an hour and a half long. So, we landed, all was well again, and here we are picking up our rental car getting ready to drive to the small coastal town of Komarna.
The drive to Komarna was NOT a quiet one. We were in the middle of the craziest thunder, lightning, rain and hail storm I've ever been in. I'm not sure this video does it justice, but it was fantastic and scary! It lasted for nearly the whole 2 hour drive.
The plane ride there was not exactly dreamy. The flight attendant's announcements were extremely loud, which scared Jackson and caused the crying to start LONG before the plane even took off. We were seated in the back of the plane with about 10 other small children & babies, and at least half of them were crying at any given time during the flight. So, Jackson did his part and cried or fussed for about half the trip...STRESSFUL!! Good thing the flight was only an hour and a half long. So, we landed, all was well again, and here we are picking up our rental car getting ready to drive to the small coastal town of Komarna.
The drive to Komarna was NOT a quiet one. We were in the middle of the craziest thunder, lightning, rain and hail storm I've ever been in. I'm not sure this video does it justice, but it was fantastic and scary! It lasted for nearly the whole 2 hour drive.
We arrived late at night at our apartment for the week. So, we didn't get to see the beautiful view until the next morning.
Due to inclement weather, and Jackson's need for some time to adjust to the new surroundings, we hung out at the apartment for our first couple days. A perfect opportunity for Jax to try out his new sunglasses and sun hat :)
Hanging at home didn't mean we weren't having good times though. Check out this video of Jackson and his daddy having some play time.Our first destination in Croatia was Dubrovnik. It's a beautiful walled city in the far south of Croatia. The old town is the large area with all the red roofs. This photo doesn't look like much in its small size here, but click to enlarge it...it's really fantastic!
At least...it would have seemed beautiful if it weren't DOWN-POURING almost as hard as it had been on that first drive. People were absolutely frozen in place, huddling together, trying (in vain) not to get drenched.
As soon as we got into the city, I popped into the first store I could find so that we could buy an extra umbrella and something to keep Jackson warm. This ended up being a giant towel of the Croatian flag. Could I look MORE like a tourist? :)
We decided pretty quickly to stop into a restaurant and try to dry out a bit.
Then it was back out into the city for a trip around the city walls. 
Dubrovnik really is a beautiful city. Here are a few shots we got as we walked around the city walls. 
Through all the rain and wind, Jackson stayed cozy and happy.
It would have been nice to see Dubrovnik in the sun! Which, as our luck would have it, came out just as we were leaving. 
Ah well...c'est la vie. We headed back to our apartment in Komarna in time for a bath for Jackson.
Then the adults got to enjoy a dinner on the balcony.
The next day, we headed across the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina to go to Kravica Falls. 
We got Jackson all dressed up in his new swim gear...very stylish, don't you think?
The drive was lovely.
Though we were not expecting anything as beautiful as what we saw when we arrived at the falls.
It was a beautiful oasis. 
We spent just a couple hours here taking in the beautiful views...including some awesome dragon flies.
Zoom in on this one & check out that face!
Jackson enjoyed time with Momma...
And Daddy...
And Gramma...
And even a few strangers :) Once again, he was a big hit with his big smile and bright blue eyes. 
Our other stop in Bosnia-Herzegovina was the town of Medjugorje...famous for the numerous sightings of the Virgin Mary here.
Unfortunately, no sightings for us (unless you count ceramic), and the town seemed less of a spiritual destination and more of a tourist trap with tons of stalls selling ceramic Virgin Mary's, postcards and rosaries. But they sure were selling plenty of them!
On our way back into Croatia, there were more beautiful sights.
Including this castle from the 11th century.
We headed back to Komarna, for just one more night. We woke up the next morning to the most beautiful weather we'd seen to date. 
We took a walk down on the Komarna water front before heading up the coast.
We set off for Split...and, as you might guess, headed straight back into the rain! The main attraction in Split it's walled city containing an old Diocletian palace from around 300 AD.
The streets of the city were so quiet...practically deserted. 
All the shops and many of the restaurants were closed. It took us a while before we learned that the few hours we were planning to spend in Split were going to be pretty uneventful as it was a national holiday. C'est la vie again!
We walked along the waterfront, which was very lovely (even with the rain).
Then, we continued north to our final Croatian destination, Zadar.
It is from here that we would be taking a ferry to Italy the following day. We were pleasantly surprised with Zadar. The old town was beautiful. We wandered through the city...
..then along a lovely boardwalk, where we found a restaurant and spent the evening of our anniversary.
Jackson complied and fell asleep as the sky was growing dark.
As we walked back to our hotel at the end of the night, we came across a very cool section at the end of the boardwalk. They had built a wave-powered musical instrument into the bulkhead so that as waves came in they made sounds that kind of sounded like whales talking. There was also a big circle of lights that can't really be described, but can be viewed in this very short video and the following pics.
The next morning we walked to our ferry to set sail for Italy.
We spent the 6 hour trip taking turns between checking out the boat and beautiful scenery in the Adriatic Sea, and taking care of Jackson. 
Here Jackson is sleeping in one of the rare moments of the trip. Over the six hours, he slept for a total of maybe 30 minutes. He was just too excited and didn't want to miss any of his first boat ride.
Bye bye Croatia...
And Hello Italy! Here we are arriving at our port in Ancona. I'll start working on the next blog with details from the Italian portion of our trip, so stay tuned!
At least...it would have seemed beautiful if it weren't DOWN-POURING almost as hard as it had been on that first drive. People were absolutely frozen in place, huddling together, trying (in vain) not to get drenched.
As soon as we got into the city, I popped into the first store I could find so that we could buy an extra umbrella and something to keep Jackson warm. This ended up being a giant towel of the Croatian flag. Could I look MORE like a tourist? :)
We decided pretty quickly to stop into a restaurant and try to dry out a bit.
Then it was back out into the city for a trip around the city walls. 
Dubrovnik really is a beautiful city. Here are a few shots we got as we walked around the city walls. 
Through all the rain and wind, Jackson stayed cozy and happy.
It would have been nice to see Dubrovnik in the sun! Which, as our luck would have it, came out just as we were leaving. 
Ah well...c'est la vie. We headed back to our apartment in Komarna in time for a bath for Jackson.
Then the adults got to enjoy a dinner on the balcony.
The next day, we headed across the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina to go to Kravica Falls. 
We got Jackson all dressed up in his new swim gear...very stylish, don't you think?
The drive was lovely.
Though we were not expecting anything as beautiful as what we saw when we arrived at the falls.
It was a beautiful oasis. 
We spent just a couple hours here taking in the beautiful views...including some awesome dragon flies.
Zoom in on this one & check out that face!
Jackson enjoyed time with Momma...
And Daddy...
And Gramma...
And even a few strangers :) Once again, he was a big hit with his big smile and bright blue eyes. 
Our other stop in Bosnia-Herzegovina was the town of Medjugorje...famous for the numerous sightings of the Virgin Mary here.
Unfortunately, no sightings for us (unless you count ceramic), and the town seemed less of a spiritual destination and more of a tourist trap with tons of stalls selling ceramic Virgin Mary's, postcards and rosaries. But they sure were selling plenty of them!
On our way back into Croatia, there were more beautiful sights.
Including this castle from the 11th century.
We headed back to Komarna, for just one more night. We woke up the next morning to the most beautiful weather we'd seen to date. 
We took a walk down on the Komarna water front before heading up the coast.
We set off for Split...and, as you might guess, headed straight back into the rain! The main attraction in Split it's walled city containing an old Diocletian palace from around 300 AD.
The streets of the city were so quiet...practically deserted. 
All the shops and many of the restaurants were closed. It took us a while before we learned that the few hours we were planning to spend in Split were going to be pretty uneventful as it was a national holiday. C'est la vie again!
We walked along the waterfront, which was very lovely (even with the rain).
Then, we continued north to our final Croatian destination, Zadar.
It is from here that we would be taking a ferry to Italy the following day. We were pleasantly surprised with Zadar. The old town was beautiful. We wandered through the city...
..then along a lovely boardwalk, where we found a restaurant and spent the evening of our anniversary.
Jackson complied and fell asleep as the sky was growing dark.
As we walked back to our hotel at the end of the night, we came across a very cool section at the end of the boardwalk. They had built a wave-powered musical instrument into the bulkhead so that as waves came in they made sounds that kind of sounded like whales talking. There was also a big circle of lights that can't really be described, but can be viewed in this very short video and the following pics.
The next morning we walked to our ferry to set sail for Italy.
We spent the 6 hour trip taking turns between checking out the boat and beautiful scenery in the Adriatic Sea, and taking care of Jackson. 
Here Jackson is sleeping in one of the rare moments of the trip. Over the six hours, he slept for a total of maybe 30 minutes. He was just too excited and didn't want to miss any of his first boat ride.
Bye bye Croatia...
And Hello Italy! Here we are arriving at our port in Ancona. I'll start working on the next blog with details from the Italian portion of our trip, so stay tuned!
