The Danube flows less than a mile from our house. One hot day, I biked there, took off my shirt, and jumped in. The current was strong, pulling me eastward toward Vienna. Thankfully, I made it back home in time for dinner.

A few weeks later, we drove to a bigger body of water—the Adriatic. Specifically, Venice, home to St. Mark’s corpse, Peggy Guggenheim’s dog cemetery, tagliatelle, and gondoliers. In Venice, it’s legal for a 14-year-old to operate a motorboat. “Can I have a boat, Daddy?” I must’ve heard that a dozen times.

From Canals to Waterfalls

After three days in Venice, we left the canals, found our car in the parking garage, and hit the road again. This time, we headed to Trieste and then to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia’s mountains.

Plitvice is a national park with a series of cascading lakes, each at a different elevation, like a staircase. Between the lakes are breathtaking waterfalls, the tallest of which is 80 meters. The lakes are connected by a 20 km boardwalk made of hand-chopped planks.

We stayed at an inn called Plitvice Breza, where we met Bobby, a three-legged dog who lost his leg chasing cars.

Bobby shares the property with a blind cat, a herd of sheep, and dozens of chickens. Natashia, a tall and friendly woman, served our meals with gentle but firm reminders that leftovers were wasteful.

“I can’t handle this pressure,” Zoe declared over breakfast, overwhelmed by the responsibility.

Crossing the Adriatic

After breakfast, we packed up, carefully avoided the three-legged dog, and made our way south along Croatia’s coast on Highway A1. A few hours later, we were looking back toward Venice from the opposite side of the Adriatic, waiting in line for the Jadrolinija ferry to take us to the Croatian island of Vis.

As I write this, we’re sitting on the ferry’s restaurant deck, watching television and typing up blog posts. In a few hours, we’ll be on Vis for five days, staying at a sporty vegan retreat called Wear Active, with easy access to the beach.

Back to the Water

It’s been a month since I last swam in the Danube. The first order of business on Vis is clear: time to jump back in.

Note: We’re being very careful about COVID-19, of course. People are wearing masks almost everywhere we go.