Defining Croatian food is a bit challenging because different parts of the country have their own specialties. But Mediterranean influence is heavy, and seafood is a staple along the coast. It also features many sweets, like dried fig cakes. A little known tidbit is that Croatia has among the best olive oils in the world, and they have the awards to prove it.

Croatia has so many sights to offer, but for this trip, I focused just on Split. It has a compact city center, and its old town is actually within the walls of what used to be Diocletian’s Palace. (Yes, those alleys you’re walking through used to be hallways in his spacious home where he went to retire from being a Roman emperor and grow cabbages!) Although there are a number of things you can visit, I prioritized two different filming locations used in Game of Thrones.

Grade

C.

Would I fly with them again?

The airline service is decent, but constant delays are a bit silly.

Before I took the metro to the Athens airport, I picked up a beef gyro from Bairaktaris for €2.20. Thanos likes their gyros better than the ones from Thanasis because Bairaktaris puts tzaziki on theirs. They even put fries in there! Maybe it’s a California-style gyro.

I wrote some haikus about the seven ruins included in the Acropolis multi-site ticket. Hope you enjoy them!

Good thing my flight to Croatia wasn’t until the mid-afternoon: this granted me time to visit the last two ruins included in the Acropolis multi-site ticket. I got to Hadrian’s Library first. Hadrian was a Roman emperor who donated this library to Athens in 132 AD. Part of the entrance is still standing, but the rest has been decimated over time.

Before saying goodbye, Kathy and Chris took me to the port of Merihas for lunch at Ostria. Its location grants a nice view of the moored boats, and the service was fairly attentive. We enjoyed some house white wine with our meal.

Before leaving Kythnos, Kathy and Chris took me to see a couple of churches and one of the villages on the west side of the island. The churches tended to be small and modest, which I prefer over the gaudy (Gaudí?) churches usually seen in Western Europe.

The Saccopouloses really know how to enjoy life and relax. I think Trivlaka Bay itself also helps. The seawater is pure, and although they do not technically own this little pebble beach, you have to get through their gate to access it.

Chris, a now-retired architect and academic, designed and built he and Kathy’s second home on the Greek island of Kythnos, lovingly dubbed Mikros Horio. It shows respect for the traditional Greek villages around it, as well as the shepherd huts dotted all over the expansive, terraced landscape. It’s also built with sustainability at the front of mind. Chris also designed many pieces of furniture for their home.