La Donna

Everything you need to know about Zagreb, Croatia

Spending 3 days in Zagreb, I am here to gift you the good, bad, and ugly. Staying at Sheraton in the heart of the city, it shortly becomes exceedingly apparent that you are in eastern europe. This city’s reception is a bit cold. Once you move past that, Croatia has a lot of offer and you should undoubtedly take advantage of it. What should see? You must, stop in the local bars and eateries.

Quaint cafes and local eateries are superb and give you an authentic, avant guard taste of what Zagreb has to offer. Ceratinly, have a nice dinner at a recommended restaurant (remember to make a reservation and most restaurants do not open until 6:00 or 7:00 pm on the early side). The best restaurant I dined at was called Triology. Modern and classic decor, and insatiable food. (see the image of my duck above). From the appetizers to desert, it was impressive and our waiter had an insurmountable wealth of knowledge on wine pairings and was extremely helpful in recommending a pleasurable wine to match dinner choices. (I wish I could remember his name)! After dinner head to this lovely 200 year old wine bar! It was incredible. Staff was friendly and hospitable, and uniquely owned by an Australian couple. The views are awesome and was so neat to indulge in some fabulous wine in such a unique setting. (This venue seemed popular for tourist). As you can see in the image above some wines ranged well over $7,000.00 USD. I would defiantly recommend checking out this location if you are planning on visiting Zagreb. In addition to this hit the bars on the main hub street called IIlica. Mingle with the locals, we met the most friendly people whom even bought us local drinks and shots all night long. Most importantly get out there and explore, Croatia has so much to offer.

Ice Bar in Rome, Italy

Neat experience if you are getting a little too hot and bothered touring the city. Take a rest in the awesome Ice Bar, in close proximity to the Colosseum. The bartenders are hysterical! Locals and tourists alike enjoy fun music, good drinks, and a break from the historical ruins to a more modern environment. I have wanted to go to the Las Vegas ice bar since before I turned 21. Having been been to Vegas at least a few dozen times, I still have yet to go. So I was completely enamored with the idea of an ice bar! Maybe I went a little overboard, but I thought this was such a fun experience and would definitely recommend it. Particularly if you have been to Rome prior and want to try something new. Enjoy the fun pics below, I had a great time.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The town of Dubrovnik is a coastal hot spot and one I would recommend visiting. The walled city, as locals refer to it. Is comprised of four large stone walls that were built centuries ago to encapsulate the city. With a large commercial harbor on the east and beautiful ocean views of the Adratic Sea. The towns city center is full of galleries and local cuisine eateries. Additionally, if you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will find this city completely enthralling as this is where the majority of filming takes place. Oddly, I interacted with several tourist, whom only traveled to Dubrovik because of it’s significance on Games of Thrones. Don’t be fooled, there is so much more interesting culture and history besides this modern television show.

ROMA– Italia

Romantic, magical, and colorful. Roma will always have a special place in my heart. After making several trips here and spending a considerable amount of time here over the years, there is truly nothing like Roma. The Roman people are incredible; passionate, warm, and lively. I would recommend spending at minimum 4 days here, as there is so much to see! Foddies, religious folk, people’s people, shopaholics, there is something for everyone. Whether on or off season, Rome is packed because frankly its just that good. If you haven’t been, take a trip and experience it for yourself, those Romans really know how to live! Ciao Bella

Majorcia, Spain

This quaint island off the coast of Spain was insatiable. After a stay at some seriously prime hotels, the scenery and people could not be more enjoyable. The beaches and views were amazing. Comparable to a European Hawaii, and laden with British tourist. I would certainly recommend this destination if you are looking for a relaxing beach get away. Weather tends to be favorable even in the the fall and winter months.

My Croatian Adventure!

I just spent 2 weeks exploring all that Croatia has to offer. We started our trip in Split, from there we traveled to Hvar, Plitvica, Dubrovnik, and Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb. While each location boasts its own unique attributes and landscape, the overall feeling of the country in its entirety was that it was quite underdeveloped in terms of commercial tourism, particularly compared to its European counterparts ie. Italy, France, ect. Breaking free from communist regime and become what is know Croatia less than thirty years ago, the structure of the country still feels quite new and somewhat underdeveloped and unregulated. With certain mountainous areas even looking like a ghost town, vacant, and abandoned. If one is determined to visit this area, I would recommend Lav (Split) and Havar. Both of which are coastal towns and have a more updated vibe. Havar is particularly gorgeous and offers several water related activities. The cities capital Zagreb is having a major restructuring, gentrification, and seems to be moving towards becoming more metropolis and modern in comparison with its European counterparts. I will have several posts, following this, depicting each cities unique elements and attributes.