by teresa wu

And so the real adventure began: After a refreshing night of hotel sleep, we packed up our bags again and headed to Marina Kastela, where all the Yacht Week boats were docked together. 

While our yacht was being cleaned, we went to the nearby supermarket to stock up on provisions for the week: Yacht life necessities include everything from toilet paper to vodka to Febreeze. We may have gotten a tad overambitious about the amount of food and beverage we’d be able to consume in a week on a boat. 

Yeah, just a tad. 

The heat was unbearable and we grew antsy sitting in our own sweat for hours. Guess there is such thing as being too early to the party. We drank warm lemon beer while sitting on the sidewalk and tried to shade our eggs, deli meats, and perishables from the sun as the afternoon wore on. Two lifetimes and many boats left the marina before we were allowed to start loading our gear onto our yacht: the Sajoma. 

But finally, it was ready. We squeezed our bags, our overabundance of water, and our assortment of edible supplies into all of the hidden crevices of the Sajoma before untying ourselves from the dock. We pulled away from the marina as the sun dipped low, casting a rosy, ethereal glow over us, our yacht, and our sea. 

And yes - in that moment, it felt like it was just ours. All ours. It was magical.

Sunset sail. 

The freshest faces you’ll see all week. 

Vera and I debuting our Yacht Week uniform: bathing suits and cover ups all day long. 

At night, we docked at Vis for the Yacht Week opening party. Our second yacht of friends finally arrived and we toasted to the good times ahead. 

And what good times they’d be…

On Friday of Yacht Week, Vera and I recovered from Ibiza by the infinity pool at Le Meridian Lav while we waited for the rest of our crew to arrive. 

As soon as Dan and Pat got in, we freshened up and cabbed downtown to Bota Sare for one of the best meals of the trip. The sun was just starting to set as we sat down on the patio, and we ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate the beginning of Yacht Week. 

This trip, I rekindled my love for seafood, which is always fresh and only lightly seasoned in Croatia. We started with an octopus salad, which quickly became my go-to meal for most of the trip. 

Bota Sare also had an amazing squid ink risotto, which can also be found on almost every menu in Croatia.

When in Croatia… why not order a whole fish?

The view from dinner. 

After stuffing ourselves full with seafood, we walked to Diocletian’s Palace where the Days of Diocletian Festival was taking place in the square complete with togas and gladiators. We made some new friends, then turned in early that evening to get our last solid night of sleep before our week of sailing began. 

Just returned from holiday and am experiencing withdrawals: From the friends, the food, the sun. Somehow at the end of these trips all I have to show for myself is a quickly fading tan and an empty bank account. 

The journey began in Barcelona - a beachy and relaxing start to a three-part vacation. Even though we only had a few days, we managed to squeeze in plenty of tapas and much-needed lounging by the pool. 

And some recommendations:

• Stay: The W Barcelona is one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve stayed in to date. The hotel sits right next to the beach, and your hotel room curtains open up to a view of the sea. What stood out in particular was the service - everyone, from the front desk, to concierge, to the bellhop went above and beyond not only to accommodate our needs but to make us feel like we were valued as individual guests. 
• Eat: We had a lot of amazing tapas in Barcelona, but my favorite meal was the one we had on our first night in Barcelona at Cerveceria Catalana. To be honest it was such a whirlwind of good food I barely remember what we ordered, but everything was delicious. Go early (before 8 pm) or the wait will be at least an hour long. 
• Do: Perhaps bath houses aren’t a typical tourist stop, but on our last day in Barcelona, Vera and I were feeling a little drained from too many nights out and we treated ourselves to an afternoon at Aire de Barcelona, the Arab baths. They are a must if you’re going to Barcelona - one of the most enjoyable and relaxing things I did all vacation. You’ll step into what feels like a different world. It was about 60 euros for a 30-minute massage and use of their baths, which include a steam room and several hot and cold saunas. 

This weekend, Brit and I escaped the heat of the city to head to Camp Cheryl (Amy’s affectionately named lake house in Connecticut). While I can’t imagine living anywhere else but Manhattan most days, the occasional weekend of serenity is absolutely necessary to stay sane.

Despite our geographic diversity, our group of Cyprus girls has done a pretty impressive job keeping in touch even three years later. Amy, Brit, and I - who lived in a single room together when we studied abroad - decided that by end of summer, we needed some catch-up time for just the three of us. Lake Terramuggus made for a solid backdrop for our girls’ weekend of wining, dining, and swimming.