We knew that the popular tourist destinations would get fairly busy around the Easter holidays but we were surprised at just how crowded they became. Not only huge numbers of school kids on tour but also bus loads of North American and Asian tourists as well. Campgrounds nearing full capacity with local families kick starting a new season and many beaches in full swing.  It seemed more like mid July than mid April and considering the staggered Spring breaks in Europe, it’s lasted about a month long. 

Our original plan was to scoot across Italy rather quickly and considering how busy things turned out to be, this was a good decision. We have previously spent a fair amount of time in Italy and have experienced many of it’s major attractions so on this trip our only goal was to return to Pisa and Rome for some leisurely walkabouts and drive through some new unseen Italian regions. We did plan on spending some time on the Italian Rivera but it was so busy and crowded we decided to skirt it instead using the impressive, expensive, and fast moving “tunnel-to-bridge-to-tunnel” Toll road instead. Yes… Pisa and Rome were very busy but beautiful and very interesting as you would expect.  

With a better grasp of timing, we booked a, so-called, cabin on the overnight Ferry from Bari, Italy to Dubrovnik, Croatia on the well used 1980’s style “Jadrolinija Line”. With not much choice of boats or sailings at this time of year we had to hustle along to catch the April 25th sailing. Once on board we discovered our cabin with bunk beds and sink was about the same size as our large bathtub at home. Difficult for both to stand up at the same time, washrooms down the hall. Scary yes, but possible if we weren’t below the waterline and we actually had a window… The happy ending to this story was that with a cash only upgrade, we were relocated to a nice cabin with a real bathroom and window on deck seven. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a big smile on Margot’s face. The sailing was smooth, breakfast was good and the entrance into Dubrovnik harbour was beautiful. We parked our motorhome at the Port parking lot and walked up the long hill, through the massive city wall, and into Old Town. Another “Game of Thrones” film location.  Bert… I have to say that it’s not the same Dubrovnik that we saw in 1972. Still beautiful but so commercial, crowded and expensive. $60 for the privilege of walking atop the fortresses wall and $22 for two bottles of beer. I was sorry that Margot could not experience the same Dubrovnik that we did in 1972; minus those kids that stole the stickers off the back of our VW van.

After a few hours of walking the crowded tiny streets and stairways we were ready to pay our $35 parking fee and start our track northward. About 100 km up the coast we found a fantastic campground with only three other campers. From our “viewpoint” location we are just feet away from the emerald blue Adriatic and the most fantastic view possible. We plan on staying put for a few days of recovery and relaxation before moving on towards Split, amazingly those big buzzing crowds are quickly becoming a distant memory.