Venture Finley: October 2015

On June 8, 2015 Daniel and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. We we fortunate to have Marylou and Jim staying with us, and took full advantage of this luxury by planning a trip to Pula Croatia for 4 glorious days. Daniel and I have only left our kids twice overnight in our entire marriage. This was definitely an opportunity we were extremely grateful for. It was a bit nerve wracking for us to board a plane and fly out of country from our 4 children. We kept looking around, thinking we were missing some people! But once we arrived in Croatia, we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves a bit!

I have not had a drink in 3 years. However, it is not every day (or every decade!) Daniel and I take time for ourselves like this. So I decided to indulge in a local brew with my amazing husband of 13 years.

Pula is situated at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula on the Adriatic Sea and is the area's largest city. Pula is known for its winemaking, fishing and shipbuilding. It is also home to many ancient Roman buildings, including the well-preserved, magnificent amphitheater.

Daniel and I had the opportunity to take a bus down to Kamenjak National Park, a nature preserve in this area. We rented bikes and spent the day riding the trails and hitting some of the most beautiful, rocky beaches we have ever seen.

The first thing we noticed was swim suits are definitely an option! Beach goers of all ages were gracing the beaches in the buff! Families were just hanging out as naked as can be. Daniel and I found this interesting as we saw one particular family, a young teenage girl completely topless hanging out with her mom and dad on the beach. I personally could not fathom doing this myself!

There were not a tremendous number of people on the beaches which Daniel and I particularly enjoyed, as we are not fans of big crowds. We very easily found our own little spaces on the craggy rocks overlooking the turquoise water. It was an extremely hot day and the water was gorgeous. Quite a few people could be found jumping off the cliffs on the rocky coast. We had an amazing time biking this gorgeous nature preserve, and hopping beach to beach. Towards the end of our day, I was brazen enough to embrace the culture and strip down to the buff myself on the beach, and jump into the Adriatic. Daniel says he was shocked as I guess I have always had a bit of "prudeness" to me. I told him, "I have had 4 children and made a full lap around the world. I have stressed about my health and fitness for years, and after 2 years in Germany I have not had the same level of rigor in this area as I have in the past. I am 36 years old, and I am finally comfortable with myself, imperfections and all!"

The food was absolutely amazing. We ate trifles, a local delicacy, along with all kinds of other delicious catches from the sea. I could eat seafood and fish all day every day. The food was amazingly fresh and incredibly cheap!

I must say our little second honeymoon after 13 years of marriage was well worth the wait, and honestly one of our most favorite places we have had the opportunity to visit in the last 2 years.