They told me about the beautiful sea. They told me it was a still relatively undiscovered destination. But nobody told me about the good eats in Croatia. Sometimes when I travel, I get as excited about the dishes I’ll have in a country as I do the sights I want to see. But Croatia took me by surprise. While there is some Italian influence in the cuisine, Croatia takes its own spin on pasta favorites. Like black risotto. The color, produced by squid ink, doesn’t make the dish all that palatable looking, but man, when you take a bite, you’re…

It wasn’t long after the crumbling of my marriage when Rachel, who’s been my bestie since 7th grade, asked if I wanted to go to Croatia with her and a group of friends she travels with. You need to know what state of mind I was in, tired of my life and ready for something new, when I said, “hell yes” to spending a week in a Croatian villa with 23 strangers. The trip wouldn’t be for 2 years, but because it was such a large group, the planning began early. I was delighted when I saw the house that…

I love this photo. It perfectly captures the absolute bliss I felt on a boat tour on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.