Today, Renata, Mom and I decided to do a Princess Cruise tour to the Rock of Cashel, the Vee and Lismore. Lismore The first stop on our tour was Lismore. One of the main attractions of Lismore is Lismore Castle. Lismore Castle is the Irish home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. You can stay at Lismore Castle at a steep price with rates starting from 86,000 euros for a seven-night stay for up to 16 guests. Not in our budget. The Vee After exploring the town of Lismore, we headed towards the Vee, a V-shaped turn that showcases panoramic views of the Irish countryside, before making our way to Cashel. The Rock of Cashel The town of Cashel is famous for the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most ... read more

Portland Castle Portland marked our first port of call on our British Isles Cruise. After departing the ship Renata, Mom and I headed over to the first stop Portland Castle. At the Castle, we enjoyed some stunning sea views from the gun platforms and saw some interesting cannons. The Castle overlooking Portland Harbour in Dorset is one of Henry VIII’s finest coastal forts and was built in the early 1540s to protect against French and Spanish invasions. Four miles from Portland Castle, we took the shuttle bus to Weymouth a contemporary seaside town. Mom headed back to the cruise ship early but Renata and I spent some time exploring the town. We saw the beach (too bad we didn’t bring our bathing suits), tried our first Cornish pastry and explored the various streets. We then proceeded ... read more

Today Renata and I headed into Central London to explore. We made our way to Platform 9 ¾ and discovered the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum. We ended our day going on the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Renata and I are fairly big Harry Potter fans. We named our cat after the titular character. So, we were excited to see where Harry Potter was filmed. On the tour, we saw various costumes, breathtaking sets and interesting props. We also tried our first taste of butter beer, which was delicious I must say. I could have spent all day at the Harry Potter Studio, but we were on a time limit and the night was getting dark. We had to head back to central London to take the train to Norbury back to our cousin ... read more

After arriving back in Zagreb from Pag. Drea and I headed to the Mirogoj Cemetery. Mirogoj Cemetery is the largest cemetery (and the most noteworthy landmark) in Zagreb. It is owned by the city (not by churches like the other cemeteries) and accepts burials from all religious backgrounds. The cemetery was beautiful and picturesque and worth the visit. The next few days we went to the mall by her house and did some shopping. I got some beach sandals and we watched some interesting movies at the theatre, to say the least. One day we watched the movie “No Hard Feelings” starring Jennifer Lawrence and the other day we watched “ Fool’s Paradise,” starring Ken Jeong. Both movies were mediocre at best with “Fool’s Paradise,” being one of the worst movies I sat through. In conclusion, ... read more

Today was a relaxing pool day which was much needed. I laid down by the pool, read my book, and jumped off the rocks into the Adriatic Sea. In the evening we headed to Prora Beach Restaurantat Hotel Excelsior for dinner and to enjoy the sunset over the Adriatic with Dubrovnik old town in the background. At dinner, our waiter recognized Drea’s last name “Luburic.” Drea’s ancestor was a General who helped Croatia get independence from Yugoslavia. He praised Drea’s family for helping Croatia in their role of obtaining independence. It was an interesting experience to witness. Tomorrow, Drea and head over to Pag known for its Moon-like landscape. Until Then!... read more