We travelled from Mestre to Zminj, in Croatia, to visit with a longtime friend of Frank’s in the village of Karnevali. It is one of the 100+ villages that make up the area of Zminj in Croatia. They own a beautiful piece of property with gardens, chickens, a workshop, and two dogs. We enjoyed every minute of our stay and visit. Another friend from back in their Cancun days was visiting at the same time which provided time for catching up, great memories, and lots of laughs. Branka toured us around along the coast on our first day and into the inland province of Istria for our second day.

On our first day we explored Pula and Rovinj with cobblestone pathways, small shops and great views of the Adriatic. Pula has several Roman influences and has hosted some big names at the amphitheater during high season. They were filming for a movie when we stopped by but thankfully the streets surround the outdoor theatre so we were able to see it from different vantage points. Rovinj is a bit further along the coastline with many terraces overlooking the sea...clear blue water and white colored buildings...beautiful!

Our second day took us inland to the walled ancient city of Motovun sitting up on a hilltop. After strolling through Motovun we headed further inland to Hum, one of the smallest walled villages, for some lunch on a terrace over looking the valley.