There is something special about the Croatian coastline—thank goodness, because we spent an extra week cruising the islands.
Here’s what I love about coastal Croatia:
The Adriatic Sea. The sea is colorful, clear, and refreshingly cool. Pre-summer, it feels too chilly the first two minutes and then was quite swimmable…unless you are 12-year-old boy with very low body fat. Bonus: We saw dolphins several times.
Sunsets on the Adriatic. (Okay, no brainer. Sunsets make the world go ’round. Sorta.)
The towns. I had to wear sandals the entire time because I was so charmed my socks fell off.
Obviously, small-ship cruises don’t stop at any uncharming villages. 
Croatian has plenty of UNESCO-stamped towns that have… 
…1) ancient and/or medieval buildings and historical significance, which lead to…. 
… 2) quaint narrow streets with slick stones worn by centuries or millennia of feet, which means… 
… 
3) charming restaurants and shops spilling out into church-lined squares and vine-shaded alleys. 
Just another UNESCO medieval building across the pitch. 
Lovely memories returning to Diocletian Palace in Split. We were here in 2019: https://needopedia.org/2019/08/22/arrival-in-split-out-of-5-stars-i-give-it-6/. 
Being on two cruises that mostly did the same thing means that I got a second chance to see Vis. 
Zadar (I think) had a gate that shows it was built by the conquering Ventians (winged lion) during a period of peace (open book).
And I was able to enjoy all that for 24 hours before I screwed around on a paddle board and forgot to take my right knee with me when I splashed into the water. A hospital visit and Xray later that afternoon said nothing was broken—but the doctor pointed out that didn’t mean nothing was wrong.
So we booked another week on another ship. If I am not supposed to be doing 20,000 step days, I needed to be put on a boat leash. Not exactly a great hardship, and when I could stagger as well as a drunk 3-legged elephant, I was at least able to get into the sea and do some PT swimming.
I still joined the group on the second week to go to Krka* National Park, Plitzvicsa’s little sister. Kyla and Dwayne did the full loop, but I still got some good views.
Ice, braces, and a bedtime Advil helped me get through the first few days. Then a wonderful Slovenian woman, a retired nuclear factory employee and trained masseuse, started massaging my knee twice a day, and gave me the opposite advice of the doctor. Mostly, I tried to listen to my body, and when we packed to leave Croatia, I had moments of not noticeably limping. Honestly, I’ll take it at this point.
And that’s how I gloss over 14 days in coastal Croatia–the most we spent in one area since we left home. On to Greece!
*Again, no vowels were inadvertently left out. This is the correct spelling.
Needopedia 