Croatian Islands

Whew, it's been a crazy few days, but we finally have a bit of time, and it seemed appropriate to throw out a blog.
After leaving the Julian Alps in Slovenia, we drove down to a incredible cave system in southern Slovenia, then crossed over the border two days ago into Croatia. At the end of our marathon driving day we pulled into a town I already can't remember the name of, and found a nice little place with rooms and a nearby pizza parlor. Pizza is big here due to the proximity of the Croatian coast to the Italian coast. Early yesterday morning, (Wednesday), we drove to Split, and after a four hour wait and a walk around the Palace of Diocletian, we took the car ferry to the island of Hvar. We found a great hostel last night, had some excellent seafood, (albeit overpriced as we failed to take the advice of another place from our hostel manager), then got a good night's sleep. The town of Hvar where we are staying is truly beautiful, with Mediterranian homes built down to a small harbor. Although it is a bit ritzy for my style, hitting it in the off-season is nice, and there is no denying why people love to visit here. The weather is incredible, the water is crystal clear, and the towns have amazing charm. I look forward to being able to post pictures for you all to see.
Today upon the behest of Camille and Katie, we rented a small boat, (with a 5 hp motor), and spent the entire day cruising around a few nearby islands, (there are apparently almost 1200 Croatian islands so they aren't hard to find), searching for unihabited coves. It was incredible. Having not wanted to spend the money to rent the boat at first, I have to admit that I was definitely wrong, and it was money well spent for the experience. Everything about the day was amazing, and one we will remember for a long time.
Tomorrow we leave for Dubrovik, which has received rave reviews from my parents as well as others. After that we will drive back up to Budapest and spend three days there before going with Katie and Avery for a couple of days at their temporary home in Canterburry, England.
Overall I have to say that travelling with the two of them has been incredibly enjoyable. Everyone has really worked together to make sure that we try to accomodate each other, and being able to travel with the two of them, who can encourage and help us on in our relationships with Christ, has been great. We really do feel incredibly blessed to be able to see what we have and will continue to see of God's creation.

Ryan and Camille