Hrvatska, or Croatia (it depends on who you know.)

Oh što ja volim Jadransko More!

And really, what is there not to love? Going to the seaside in Croatia has been a favorite of ours ever since I first started coming here way back in 2007. We changed things up a bit this year and went further north than in years past... to Rovinj, Istarska. Rovinj is a beautiful and very old city, founded during the Roman Empire. There is a lot of history that I read on Wikipedia and in travel brochures that I could attempt to pass off to you, the reader, right now, but I have enough respect for you to forgo that this time around. Instead look at these pictures of our trip. 

 The cast of characters: We went with Mirko, Iva, and their son Vuk. They stayed in a hotel just a few kilometers down the coast from Rovinj and we stayed in a little bed and breakfast right in the middle of the stari grad.

 And now the setting: Rovinj is such a picturesque place... it's hard to take a bad snap of the city or the surrounding area... Of course, that doesn't mean my rolls are completely devoid of pointless photos, seemingly taken by a rhesus monkey. Rather, there are just fewer of those than usual this time.

 The old city from the far end of the pier on the marina.

 This was such a beautiful view that we couldn't actually afford it... That is a cocktail bar where one can sip Mai Tais and watch the sunset. However, for €10 or more per drink, we preferred to stay just behind the hostess stand, where the view is still thankfully free.

 First day, rock beach that was about 100 m from our front door. Later in the trip we got brave and started jumping and diving off of the rocks... Of course we have no photographic evidence of this, so you will have to take our word for it!

 More rock beach, different day. That water was soooooo clean that you could see clear to the bottom for meters and meters. It is also very salty, which means you float easily and then cure like bacon in the sun when you get out.

 Helllloooooo Rovinj! En route to the other, nicer-for-laying-out beach.

 Having a little sip of wine with some domaći sir, bought at the open market.

 You get it...

 Oldest part of the old city, standing on the pier.

 This was our home for the week we were there. Rooms Montalbano. Perfect location!

 We decided to take our best crack at a Coca Cola® advertisement. I think we did alright.

 Vuk is ready to beach it UP!!!

 When not on the beach, we walked around the stari grad, admiring it's tiny streets and somehow romantic laundry hung up everywhere.

 Posing like a couple'a bosses!

 Sunshine, good vibes.

 Evening stroll with the fam. Temišvarci!  goes to Rovinj... This comes later in the series when ratings dipped. They added a cute kid, and for sweeps week, started filming in other locations.

 Sometimes, the side streets just went straight into the sea... I suppose that was useful back in the day when the conquering hordes were at the gate.... Or maybe it was more useful for the conquering hordes? Either way, it makes for a cute little boutique run by some Australian woman who came here in '98 and "just fell in love with the place."

 ...Speaking of falling in love. How could you not with these two faces?

 Well, why bother to open the restaurant in the first place? It's like some people don't even want foreigners to come in and request the same boring, soulless food night in and night out. Geez.

 Eating truffle paste samples in the pijaca. I could have done this all day because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TRUFFLES, but Nata grew weary of the overzealous vendors in the marketplace.

 Pretty flowers, pretty lady.

 Dave on a boat.

 ...Like a 28 year old kid in a candy store. But for real, this place was so amazing. So much candy!!!

 And 20 mins later, the sugar buzz was in full effect.

 This is where we kicked off most every night, chilling on the pier by the marina, watching all ze Germans walk by and soaking it all up.

 Blayin' like true blayers do¹

 Beautiful Rovinj with different lighting.

 This is the episode of Temišvarci! where they deal with a serious social issue in a superficial way, a la Jessie Spano and caffeine pills in Saved by the Bell. Let's say... seafood addiction? Whatever, the point is either this is a charming pose, or Natalija has really bottomed out.

And then there was this centuries old Roman ampitheatre. I don't have any funny remarks. It's just an ampitheatre: giant, pretty, old. Why poke fun?

¹ blejati (blay-at-ï), v. inf. "to blej, spec. to sit around and do not much of anything productive or of value to society" derived from "blej," an onomatopoeic representation of the sound a sheep makes.