Just about a month ago we had a long layover in London.  In that 11-hour layover, we actually had enough time to see many of the major tourist attractions.  So, what did we do this time?

Being on a budget is really a blessing for us on this visit.  It forced us outside the tourist areas and into a neighborhood that we had never explored and saw so much more of what London is about.  Walking and exploring the neighborhood is how you really discover the soul of a city.  So, we were excited to land in Battersea and wander.  From our home base, we spent much of our time roaming Battersea, Clapham, Chelsea, and Westminster.  Each of theses neighborhoods (district/city), were so unique.  You can see the gentrification and diversity of Battersea and affluence of Chelsea.  Clapham was vibrant with young professional, but maybe a counter to Shoreditch edginess and liveliness, which reminded us of home in the pacific northwest.  Tip: Eating in the many great takeout (mom-and-pop) places in Battersea is the best way to stay on a budget, but the really amazing things are the owners.  They are super friendly and really want to get to know their customers.  Each place made us wandering nomads feel like we were at home.  That's a win in our book!  Oh, they also only accept cash.

We were also able to do a quick getaway to Stonehenge and Bath.  We did it on a tour coach versus public train.  It allowed us to see the country side and it was in the end cheaper and more convenient.  Often people pack their day tours, but we looked for a tour solution that provided us the most free time versus being ushered around and not being able to experience anything.  Oh, and we really enjoyed Bath and Stonehenge!  Definitely go!  Tip: The most common day tour from London is Westminster, Stonehenge, and Bath with a lunch stop, but you are in a constant rush from one place to another with a bunch of driving in between.  The Stonehenge and Bath only (no food) trip gives you guided information on the bus, essentially entertaining transportation, but provides free time once you get to the destination, which was perfect for us.  We had about 1.5 hours at Stonehenge and 3.5 hours in Bath to do whatever we liked.  It was a long day though, starting at 8:30 am and returning around 7:30 pm with traffic.  If you have extra time, I would spend a couple of days in Bath.

Although we were in London for more than 4 days, it was fast.  We had an American Thanksgiving in London, which was the first Thanksgiving abroad for us, and then dinner and cocktails into the early morning on Black Friday with our friends.  No shopping for us.  Sites are nice, but nothing beats time catching up with friends!

-Vu

Grocery Beer Price Index: 2.1 pounds for 500ml Fullers London Pride ($2.75)

We came in late October just as the tourist season began to wane. It was an interesting transition from the hustle and bustle of the crowds and festivities to near silence. There were days in mid-November we would barely see a tourist until a cruise ship would arrive. Some of the restaurants and shops in the old town closed for the season and the ones that were open often adjust their schedule based on the arrival of the cruise ships. The touristy old town goes into hibernation until the spring when the next season starts.

It was definitely an intriguing time to visit, especially for an extended stay. We really enjoyed it!

We wanted to share some thoughts and tips, especially for visiting Split in the fall.

1. Foods – Our favorite dishes in Split where Dalmatian classics like octopus salads, black ink risotto, and fresh grill fish/seafood, but you will find that generally that these dishes are on the more expensive side and don’t vary much across a high-end restaurant versus the everyday konoba. The street foods are generally cevapi, hamburgers, sausage, and pizza, which will be your cheap eats. Food in Split, usually encompass various Mediterranean cuisine and can be really spectacular, but if you are looking for a little variety, you might find it lacking. For instance, it is very hard to find (good) Asian food. Tip: We found that some of the restaurants started to reduce their prices starting in early November. In general, if you head out a little further from the Riva and the old town prices are also better.
2. Wines – We were extremely surprised by the local Croatian wines. For the most part, most folks haven't heard much about Croatian wines, because there's only enough production for local consumption. However, Croatian wines are excellent, especially for the price. If you come to Croatia and you love wine, you have to try Pošip, Dingač, Babić, and Crljenak. If you enjoy Zins, Crljenak is the original Zinfandel! Good bottles of these are magic and affordable! We hope to discover more wines in our future visits to Croatia.
3. Photography – Fall might be an ideal time to come on a photography trip. The sky is consistently dynamic with epic sunrises and sunsets and the color of the landscape gradually changes to rich orange and browns. There are very few people around, especially early in the morning. You can capture major sites without anyone. You will always have the great Dalmatia landscape all year long, but it’s super comfortable to hike around in the fall for photos as there is not the repressive heat of the summer. Tip: Come after the first week of November after the tourist season dies down. Only disadvantage is that the days are shorter.
4. Hiking – From Split you have access to a lot of great hikes. There are three hiking areas that we would suggest:
   1. Biokovo – The national park is about 90 minutes south by car. We rented a car for the day to give us the most flexibility. Biokovo is one of the highest point in Dalmatia you can drive with specular views of the surrounding islands, mountains, and Adriatic. It’s beautiful and there’s an abundance of well-marked trails. We didn’t drive up. Parts of the road are single lane roads that can get hectic with traffic, especially if you are there in the summer. We wanted to hike up from the bottom. You have to plan for a full day to entertain the most popular hike from Makarska to Vosac, which is between 3.5-4 hours each direction (upwards of 8 hours round trip). In the fall, it’s hard to complete before you lose daylight. Tip: If you don’t want to rush, especially in fall or winter, it is worthwhile to stay in Makarska for a day or two. It’s a great little town and you can enjoy hiking Biokovo without having to cut it short like us (park info).
   2. Marjan – We jogged up this beautiful park regularly. There are well paved paths as well as good trails. If you start from the city center and walk north to any of the major loops, it will be about 6 miles (10km). There’s some spectacular views from Marjan, including great rock climbing, biking, and trail running. Tip: Start your hike/run before sunset and catch sunset from the top (history).
   3. Mosor – It’s a local bus ride to the start of this trail from Split. Basically, you will be hiking the mountains you see looking east from Split. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to go, but it is on our to do list (hike info).
5. Shopping – If you are looking for a little retail therapy while abroad, Split has three very modern malls (Joker, Mall of Split, Center One). Of the three, Mall of Split is probably the most posh, Center One is the largest, and Joker is the most convenient. Joker is about a 10 minute walk from old town. For the most part, fashion is accessible quick fashion, which includes the many global brands you are familiar with. Coming from the US, major brands carry a premium compared to prices at home. The bargains come from locally made or manufactured products. Tip: Some store support VAT refund with purchase of more than 700 Kunas (about $100) on one receipt. This is essentially a 25% refund of the cost. Just ask. You get a stamp at the airport and then mail in the refund form to complete the process. It’s quite complicated, but can be worth it if you made a big purchase.
6. Grocery – When you talk about groceries, it’s a very similar story with other shopping. Imported products are expensive and local products are more affordable. The grocery stories are everywhere in the old town and it’s easy just to pick-up what you need when you need it, especially if you have limited storage space. Locals shop for produce and meats in the open markets (Green Market, Fish Market) versus from the grocery store. A lot of the produce come from China and they prefer the locally grown stuff. Prices vary quite a bit between different grocery chains. If you are on a budget like us, we usually go to different chains for different things. Tip: If you going to a grocery store bring your own bags or you will have to purchase them. Also some store require you to weigh the produce before checkout.

There’s a lot to do in Split and the surrounding area, including many beautiful UNESCO sites, which we didn't cover. Also, there are amazing outdoor adventures and intriguing local foods. For example, if you want a food adventure, right outside of Split there are towns that specializes in frogs and lamb. Split and Croatia seem like an endless adventure.  We will be back for sure!

​Come to Split and go exploring!

-Vu

​P.S. ​Sorry we have not provided updates about our boat as we promised, but I did sneak in a photo in the slide show above.

Grocery Beer Price Index: 7 kuna for 500ml Karlovako ($1)
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Imagine having to get rid of everything you own.  That's what it means to move from a house to a boat.  During this transition to minimalist living, I learned a thing or two about downsizing.

The process officially kicked off when our house was sold after listing for only a day.  At that moment, there's a real deadline and we needed to move quickly. Where am I going put everything?  What to keep?  What to bring?

At first, we looked to store the furniture we've collected and love over the years.  However, with the buyers accepting our offer on the furniture that meant we didn't have to rent a storage space anymore.  That was a great relief!  We really hope they love the pieces as much as we do. 

Now that all the big items were taken care of, sorting the rest should be easy right?  Umm, not really.  The reality struck when we realize EVERYTHING needed to fit in 3 bags weighing 20 kg/44 lbs each and 1/3 of a single garage for storage.  From then on, every day after work and weekend was about sorting closets of clothes, deciding what household items stay, packing tubs to give away, and boxing all the essentials and documents etc.  That felt like forever, but it was about two and a half weeks and we finally had to leave our West Seattle home.

While it was a super exhausting process, when we finally moved into our apartment, it was quite liberating.  Everything seemed a little simpler, easier perhaps.  It's pretty neat I have to say.

If you ever want to give this a try for your house, closet or garage,  here's what I've learned that might help...

• Once again, I learned the power of a deadline, and leverage a date you can't move.  So it doesn't drag on. 
• Establish a goal for how much you want to minimize. Ours was 3 bags in 60kg total!
• If you ponder about an item, it's out.   Decide fast, you won't regret much. 
• Unless there's a compelling reason to store, stay with 2 categories:  keep or give away.  Or the stored items will never be looked at again.

Maybe this is not for everyone, and maybe having less will become more in other ways.  We will see!

-bella
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ps, can't believe it's been 3 months and going!