Over the years we have traveled thru Europe, the United States and several different Tropical locations. We have enjoyed sight seeing and exploring the tourist regions of every location we have travel to. However, for our 30th anniversary we decided it was time to travel in a different way. We decided it was time to try an active vacation. After deciding on our activities, biking, running and hiking, it was time to decide which locations we were going to visit. Our chosen destinations were, Croatia, Ireland and Switzerland.
Wednesday July 27, 2016
We left the Portland Airport and arrived July 27 in Prague, Czech Republic. Scott had traveled and work in Prague for several years so he was very familiar with the city. We spent 2 days and 1 night wandering around the city, eating and working thru our jet lag.
Friday July 29, 2016
We left Prague and headed to Split Croatia where our active vacation adventure was to begin. Our first activity of our triathlon was going to be biking. We have always planned and coordinated our own travel plans, however, since we had never done an extended bike tour we decided to find a touring company to work thru. After a lot of research we decided on using Backroads. It is a worldwide active travel company. They provide not only bike tours but hiking, multi-sport and river cruise tours. Once we reached Split Croatia, Backroads was in control of our every travel need. The arranged for our hotel stays, our dinning experiences as well as transporting our luggage and giving us riding guides and van support along the way. Backroads get a 10 (plus).
For more Backroads information click here:
Day 1 - Early Saturday morning we meet our Backroads guides and the other 4 couples that would be riding thru the Croatia Island with us. First thing we did was travel down to the Port of Split and board our private yacht that we would be traveling on for the next week. When we were all settled in we headed for our first Island, Brac. When we arrived at Brac we were fitted for the bikes we would be riding for the next 6 days. One of the many reasons we choose Backroads was because of the bikes they provided. They were top of the line Specialized and they allowed us to bring our own pedals and bike shoes. A big plus if you plan on spending long periods of time on a bike saddle. Once everyone was fitted we headed away from the very small Port of Brac and headed up hill and inland. The one big lesson learned on day one of our bike tour thru Croatia was – Croatia is not flat! Day one was one of the shorter rides at just over 25 miles, which took us to a small town called Pucisca.
Our accommodations for the night were at the Daskovic Palace, which has been converted into a hotel/restaurant and is still owned by Croatian Royalty
Day 2 - After a good night sleep and breakfast we continued the 35 miles or so around the remaining portion of the Island and made our way back to Port where our Yacht was anchored and waiting. We boarded and headed off for our second Island. Along the way lunch was served on deck and we spent the next 3 hrs relaxing in the sun and at times swimming in the sea.
Hvar is a popular vacation destination with a very active port. We arrived late afternoon, had our Backroads group dinner then headed to our rooms to prepare for the 1st of 2 days we would be riding Hvar.
Day 3 - Our first ride on Hvar was over 35 miles up thru the olive orchards and down thru Croatian cities. This was the first of 5 days we stopped at a local shop or home for a traditional lunch, which usually consisted of a mix of meats and fish, pasta, figs, fresh salads and wines.
Hvar was the biggest Island we visited and the biking was by far the most intense. We rode on narrow roads with cars, tourist bus and local truck traffic that moved fast and aggressively.
We were sore from our first day of riding and the hills felt longer and steeper than they most likely were. After the quiet, peaceful ride of Brac emotions were frayed. By time we made it back to our hotel for the night several members of our group had decided the next day was going to be a spa day.
Day 4 - Silly Them!! The next day was by far my favorite ride of the trip. It was a shorter ride of 25 miles thru vineyard and olive orchards to
Stari Grad. We spend a little time wondering around the streets , had ice cream then headed back to Port. That night we had to ourselves. We opted for a light dinner then called it an early night.
Day 5 – First thing in the morning we headed to the dock and set off for our last Island Korcula. By this time in the trip we had settled into our biking, eating and sleeping routine and knew that we were on our last leg of our biking tour. When we reached the Port of Korcula our bikes were waiting for us and we rode a short 20 miles to our hotel. We had dinner and called it a day.
Day 6 – Our final day of riding. The past week we had experienced extreme hills, chaotic city riding and soul mending ride. Our ride in Korcula had a little of everything as well as breathtaking views and beachfront riding. It was a great ride to end our biking adventure on.
After our 25 plus ride it was time to head back to the main land of Croatia and the city of Dubrovnik. On day 6 we biked, boat and travel by bus. I’m sure if there had the Backroads people would have arrange for us to travel by train if one had been available, just to make sure we experienced all forms of travel that day. Once we reached Dubrovnik we settled in and had a formal dinner at one of the top restaurants’ outside the old city walls.
Day 7 – We spent the last day with our guides touring the city of Dubrovnik. The history of old and new in this walled city is incredible and is a place I hope to return to. The short amount of time we were there was just not enough for this history loving traveler. At 2 pm we said good-bye to our biking companions and Backroads guides
That night we took a tram to a museum dedicated to the Croatian war of the 90’s. Shocking in the realization of how short of time it had been. After spending a couple of hrs. at the museum we decided we needed to lighten our moods so we headed to the beaches, rented kayaks and took a loosely organized tour around the coast of Dubrovnik, by far the most entertaining event of our entire trip.
It would take a book to describe this adventure; my only suggestion is if you are ever in Dubrovnik I highly recommend taking the somewhat questionable kayak tour. It will be worth every cent you spend. In the morning we woke up early and walked the wall that surrounds the city.
The view, coupled with the realization of what that wall represents to the people was an inspiring way to start our day and next stage of our Travel Triathlon.
For more information regarding our Dalmations coast ride click here:
Friday Aug 5 2016
After our morning walk we headed to the airport, said good-bye to Croatia and prepared ourselves to say hello to Ireland. We were only in Dublin for 2 night and 1 day. But in that short stay I walked away from Ireland wanting to go back, as much for the people that I found so delightful as for the beautiful county-side you hear so much about.
Saturday Aug 6 2016
We slept in our first morning in Dublin. We spent the day visiting the city, the Guinness brewery,
washing our clothes and repacking our bags for the upcoming week.
After having a much needed relaxing day and a good night sleep we woke up early the next morning and headed to the starting line for the running adventure of our trip. If you follow FTA you already know Scott and I enjoy traveling to different places and running in the Rock and Roll Marathon series. R&R link
We do this not so much because we enjoy running but because it is a good excuse to travel to different destinations. When we realized that the Dublin run fit into our travel plans we made a few changes to our itinerary to make it happen. And that is how our trip became a triathlon instead of a biathlon.
As soon as we finished our run we headed back to our hotel, showered and headed back to the airport where we boarded our next plane to Zurich Switzerland. After arriving late and having a short but relaxing night in Zurich we woke up ready for our final leg of our adventure.
Monday Aug 8, 2016
A quick walk from our hotel to the Zurich train station and we were on our way to Eiger Muerren, a small ski town in the shadow of Eiger. We arrived in Muerren in the late afternoon after traveling by high-speed train, country rail train and tram. It was an exciting and beautiful way to travel.
After a quick check-in at the Eiger Murren Hotel (highly recommend) we put on our hiking boots and set out for a quick walk around the town and up around the hill side (mountain).
Hiking miles: 5
Tuesday Aug 9 2016
We were there to hike and hiking we did. Even thought our first we woke up to cloud cover and 100 percent change of rain we decided we would hike to a waterfall that we read about during our 5-mile hike the night before, this was supposed to be a 12 mile moderate hike. Instead we took a wrong turn and ended up going down the Mountain and into the town of Lauterbrunnen.
The day started off overcast and cool, but halfway thru the rain started and never let up. We ended up stopping at one of the small towns along the way and picking me up a rain jacket and continued on the Lauterbrunnen. We made our way back to the tram we had taken the night before, caught the country train back to Murren.
Our adventure that day ended up being a 17 plus mile trek thru they valley of Eiger. It was wet and a bit cold but an experience I would do again if given the opportunity. After we dried off and had a early dinner we decided to try once more to find the waterfall we’d set out looking for the day before. It turned out to be more of a rugged hike than we had anticipated but we did finally make it and it was spectacular.
We were not prepared for night and night came quick and we barely made it back. Hiking miles: 24 plus.
Wednesday Aug 10 2016
Murren is known for being a top rated ski resort and for the Schilthorn Ariel Cable car. You can take the cable car to the top of the Mountain where there is a viewing area and restaurant. It is also popular for being a filming spot of one of the James Bond movies. The ride up the mountain is steep and long and in a cable car, which meant there was no way I was going to take the ride up. Scott however looks for this kind of adventures wherever we go so he headed to the cable car early this morning and up he went. It was roughly a 2 hr trip and he thought it was a great. I’ll take his word for it. After his cable car ride we caught the train, tram and train again and headed down the mountain to Interlaken.
Interlaken is the largest city near Eiger, it is a tourist destination with shops and restaurants as well as parks. After spending a couple of hour wandering the street and having lunch we headed back up the Mountain and caught Jungfrau railway. From there we travel by rail up the mountain and visited Wenren and Grimmelwald. Because of time we opted not to go all the way up to the “Top of the World”, however our time in Wengen and Grimmelwald was spent hiking thru town and up mountain trails. After taking the tram back up the mountain to Murreen we opted to hike the remaining 3 miles instead of taking the train. Hiking miles: 14. After dinner we pack and headed called it a night.
For more information on the Interlaken and Jungfrau region click link:
Thursday Aug 11 2016
We had to catch the train and 6 am. The hotel staff was so gracious they pack us a breakfast to go. We headed back to Zurich airport and flew to Amsterdam. We have flown thru Amsterdam several times but never stayed. So we decided to do an overnight layover and head home the next day. I really wish FTA had an Amsterdam layover back then. We wandered around, caught the sightseeing bus and headed back to our hotel. It’s by guess there is a lot more to Amsterdam than what we saw.
Friday Aug 12 2016
We left Amsterdam airport at 10 am and arrived in Portland at 11:17 am. You’ve gotta love time zone travel.
Trip Rating: 10
Exhaustion Rate: 10
What I would change: I wouldn't have change anything. Our down time in both Prague and Amsterdam help us prepare for our travel days ahead. One thing to keep in mind. 3 weeks is a long time to be gone, especially when you have to come back. This was by far the hardest trip to return home from. Somewhere between week 2 and 3 my mind decided this was how it is suppose to be! Shock when I landed in Portland and day to day started again.
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