Planning for the trip

I feel like I have been planning for the trip now for years. The hours and hours of research - in books, on the net and from fellow travelers (cool people like Kathy) has been phenomenal.

For example, I have spent hours and hours seeking out an affordable apartment in Barcelona for 3 people. The task seems straight forward, but gets more and more complex as you dig into it. Where in Barcelona will we stay? (first I began reading the lonely planet, and then I asked people who have been there - that helped a lot) Then you have to ask and figure out how much are we willing to pay? (Well the result of the price sometimes changes your desired location and what you need to have in the space) But factor into that .... there are 3 of us who need 2 rooms, so if we stay in hotels it can be awkward for the 3rd person not being as connected and out of the loop.

Sometimes figuring out the problem is easier than trying to figure out first what is the question. But in this case I think both the answers and the questions have been laborious.

I finally booked all of our internal (within Europe) flights last week. This week has been filled with booking hotels in Cordoba and in Seville. At the same time I am trying to stay a few steps ahead on ground transportation in Croatia. But trying to make an informed decision about how to get from Dubrovnik to Korcula would be much easier if there were regular modes of transportation - one bus a day (that runs in the middle of the day) sucks as the only option. It is a two hour drive up the coast from Dubrovnik, and then you need to coordinate with a 15 minute ferry ride over to the island, followed by getting from the ferry terminal on the island to our rented apartment (a 15 minute drive). Yikes!!!!!!!!

All of this could be solved by renting a car in Dubrovnik and driving to the Island. But once we are on the island (staying there for a week) we will want to do somethings independently (hence the need to rent 3 little scooters once we are there which are cheaper than a car for a week). I think in a past life I must have been a travel agent.

The carrot dangling in front of me that gives me the incentive to keep going is the week of relaxation on the island of Korcula. The Island is stunning, calm, the food and wine are fresh, local and yummy. Are rented apartment is on a very quiet little cove and a mere 5 meters to the Adriatic - I will be swimming everyday and that makes me so happy. The water in the Adriatic is so salty that you float in the water with ease. and the colours of the water are beautiful.

I look at this picture and I have no doubts why I am doing all of this work planning our adventure - ode to incentives!