Welcome to Wander We Go. I’m Alex.
I write about life in Zürich, travels throughout Europe, and musings on both.
All in Travels Elsewhere
As you may have guessed, this post is all about waterfalls. Or more specifically, where to find them in Croatia. Plitvice National Park may get all the fame and glory (the nickname for this park is the poetic “Land of the Falling Lakes,” after all), but it’s not the only national park in Croatia with numerous cascades and clear turquoise pools. Krka National Park is beautiful in its own right.
I’m not sure if Istria is one of the “best-kept secrets” in the country, but I had certainly never heard about this region before planning our trip. And even then, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Previously, when I thought of Croatia, a couple standard things came to mind: Dubrovnik, the blue blue blue water of the Adriatic, and Plitvice National Park with all it’s waterfalls. Northern Croatia never really even crossed my mind. But I am so, so happy we made it there.
From here on out, whenever I hear the phrase, “a city nestled in the Alps,” I will always think of Innsbruck. You hear that phrase a lot, mostly in travel writing, especially in articles about Switzerland or Austria. But if there was ever a place that accurately embodies this phrase, Innsbruck is it.
Nuremberg. Famous (more like infamous) for yes, the WWII war crimes tribunals and hosting massive Nazi party rallies, but also more breweries per square capita than anywhere else, a charming medieval old town, teeny tiny little sausages, and an area literally named after Switzerland (Franconia Switzerland) because it, well, looks just like Switzerland.
It’s those unassuming cities that surprise you the most, isn’t it? Our weekend trip to Catania and Taormina caught me completely off-guard, in the best way possible. Sicily had been flying low on my radar, but these two little towns on the rock at the tip of the Italian boot certainly pack a cultural punch.
In a country like Italy where the city competition is truly fierce, I came to really appreciate Milan. It feels like an authentically Italian, no-BS working city, gritty and filled with contrasts, contemporary and up-and-coming, with undeniably great food and superbly cool style.
