Travels with Tricia

Category: Outdoors

  • Wine, Surf, & Sun: A Weekend in Sonoma County, California

    Taking to Bodega Bay’s beach just before sunset, we had to pinch ourselves that we were really strolling through the golden sand in winter. Between us both, Shawn and I had endured our fair share of brutal Midwestern, Canadian, even Continental-European winters. But this weather, we were told, was exceptional even by California standards. During…

  • Exploring the Ancient Roman Ruins of Salona: A Day Trip from Split, Croatia

    The ancient Roman city of Salona is located near Split, Croatia, in the city of Solin. Today, this landscape is dotted with abstract ruins, leaving much to the imagination. However, about 1,700 years ago, Salona was home to more than 40,000 people, making it one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. As we…

  • Escaping to Marjan Hill, the ‘Lungs of Split’ Croatia

    Marjan Forest Park is often referred to as the “lungs of Split, Croatia.” The park’s pine forest exhales fresh oxygen into the nearby city — which is removed, but within walking distance. Marjan (or Marjan-Park Šuma, in Croatian) has been a popular recreation spot since at least the 3rd century. Back then, Roman Emperor Diocletian (who had…

  • The Women's Lido building overlooks Lake Palic, in northern Serbia.

    Paddleboating & Promenading at Lake Palić, Serbia

    Passing through Palić’s Great Park entrance, a heavily-carved wooden arch that resembled reddish-brown lacework, I couldn’t help but imagine who had strolled through the gates a century earlier when this part of northern Serbia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We continued along on a sidewalk that was covered by a thick canopy of handsome old trees, our…

  • Delicious History: Zinfandel Wine & Octopus Peka in Kaštela, Croatia

    As our friend’s car propelled us up the jagged slopes of Kozjak Mountain in Croatia’s Dalmatia region, we struggled to steady our cameras enough to document the increasingly-magnificent view. Simultaneously fearing for the health of my friend’s tires which risked being ruptured on the rocky dirt road, I marveled at the panorama along this stretch of…

  • Shades of Blue: Krka National Park, Skradin & Primošten, Croatia

    During an excursion along Croatia’s twinkling Adriatic Coast one winter afternoon, I concurred with astronauts who’ve professed Croatia to be the bluest place on earth. Along with our friend, Damir, we’d left our home away from home within Diocletian’s Palace in seaside Split, and headed northwest on a day trip. We had plans to stop at Krka National Park, the risotto and yachting town…