Popsicles and Popcorn: Europe-part 2

Wednesday was a busy day.

We visited the hilltop town of Motovon further inland. This area is known for its olives and oil.

We had some fabulous samples of olive oil!

Note to self: buy GOOD olive oil!

We bought a gorgeous painting of this!

Then we headed back to the coast to visit Ravinj.

Another gorgeous seaside town.

Yes we climbed this bell tower. Gorgeous views.

A little "hairy" getting to the top as the steps are like ladder rungs... hundreds of years old.

Lulu, my little crooked footed 4 year old had no fear!

I, on the other hand, had a death grip on her on the way down!

Definitely need a glass of the famous wine after that!

See the bell tower in the background?

Thursday we headed to Italy and the city of Trieste.

This was the largest city we went to on the trip.

Lulu spotted the "American-go-round" and HAD to ride in Cinderella's "car"!

BEST part of the tip for her! Ahhh...simple pleasures!

Pizza time!

On the way back to Croatia we stopped in Izola Slovenia.

This was a hidden gem of a town. So clean and peaceful and BEAUTIFUL!

Nobody wanted to leave.

We found sea glass by the pound.

We enjoyed the warmer temps.

Played on the playground

And just soaked up the day

Friday was our last day in Croatia before we headed back toward Germany.

We decided to spend the entire day at yet another fabulous coastal town.

This time we were on the eastern coast of the peninsula in a small town called Rabec.

These pictures just won't do it justice

Just to the left is the little restaurant we sat at for hours while the kids enjoyed the rocky beach.

Heaven!

We started to load into the cars when our friend checked out this path.

Little did we know it went on for miles along the coast with more spectacular views at each turn.

Sadly, Saturday arrived and we had to begin our journey homeward.

We had such a wonderful time with our dear friends.

The teens had a room to themselves where they hung out.

The Littles had one too and played house, restaurant, office, school and did various crafts... laughter and chatter filling the air.

The parents sat at the cute little bright blue table, had wine and talked late into the night.

We saw many interesting sites, took in God's unbelievable works of creation that took our breath away at times, experienced new cultures and made friends from across the world.

We are so glad we decided to celebrate "50" BIG!

Memories made with family and friends are a priceless gift!

These are pictures of the 300 year old house we stayed in and the views we had! There were dogs and horses and goats nearby. Rural Croatia! Perfect for a clan of 12!!! Would be awesome in the summer as it had decks, covered porches, a grill and a pool with a wonderful sunning deck

These stone fences dot the countryside. No wood posts or wire here.

We stopped at Lake Bled, Slovenia a very popular summer destination. There are many outdoor activities to do here. We just spent a few hours taking in the scenery and having lunch enjoying the view.