10.26.21
Even though we’ve only been in Split, Croatia a few weeks, we already started planning our next few months out. This is not the first time we went through this exercise. When we initially left the US in February 2019 we went to Valencia, Spain, and already knew from the beginning that Tivoli, Italy would be next. That took us through the first 90 days and we knew we’d have to leave the EU (Schengen rules…), but didn’t have a plan initially. We eventually decided on Croatia, Split in particular, which is where we are now, and stayed north of town for 45 days and loved it. Croatia resonated with both of us so much that Kat later returned for some dental work, and here we are, two years later, back again. We had plans in 2019-2020 that may have kept us in Europe—or Asia–, so getting stuck in Mexico for 15 months was not part of our plan. Now we are back to “normal,” or at least our version of normal!
We love Croatia and decided to stay for about 63 days or so, a bit longer than planned. But, what’s next? Being cold weather wimps, we knew there was only one direction to go: South. Like the birds. To a warmer climate. Our initial plan was Athens, Greece since we only spent a few days there in 2019 and thought 30 days would be about right. From there we had the island of Crete as an option or Cyprus, or both. They are all EU countries so no matter where, we would be limited to 90 days.
As I started to investigate HOW to get from Split to Athens, the challenges started coming. Between costs and too many layovers, I began to rethink this. The only problem with this part of Europe is that trains are generally NOT an option, and buses can also be limited. We can take a bus only so far, ditto a train, but nowhere near to Greece. Kat also brought up the idea of skipping Greece and going back to Sicily, Italy, and to the island of Siracusa. Truth is, we both LOVED that spot, but flying to Palermo, the largest airport in Sicily, was pricey for our budget. So I looked at the map, specifically Turkey, and found the furthest city on the South coast: Antalya. And that is the new plan for about 40 days or so, maybe longer.
Antalya is warmish, has beautiful scenery and Turkey has one of the best railroad systems in that part of the world, including high-speed rails. That allows us to visit Istanbul and farther away cities without having to fly.
In this almost post-COVID world, somethings are approaching normal, but most are not. Before we entertain any country as a destination, we have to investigate their entry and quarantine requirements, if any. We have learned how to follow the rules as well as bend the ones that can be bent. It is not “fun” in the conventional sense, but we feel that at least we can travel with our terms to some degree.
What happens after Turkey?
Good question. Initially it was Israel, Jordan, and Egypt over a 6 week or so period. They are all close, but Israel right now is still off limits to Americans. Without Israel being an option I’m not sure if Egypt and Jordan are enough of a draw. BUT, the pyramids are on MY Bucket List, so that carries a lot of weight. Funny, we use this term “Bucket List,” and I can’t say I had/ have one, but there still are quite a few things I want to do before I check out.
Anyone know how I can get a ride in a private jet??
