Last check in from Croatia!
July 22, 2024
7/19/2024
It was our last morning cooking breakfast at Zavižan, and it was an early one! Everyone got packed up and ready to hit the road. Finn was on aux because everyone loves his music. Cooper had lots of fun talking and bonding with one of our van drivers. As we drove the coast, everyone was amazed at how beautiful the water looked. It wasn’t long before we arrived at Paklenica National Park for rock climbing. The kids had three different climbing routes they could choose from, each with varying degrees of difficulty. Cooper was our first student to head up one of the routes and did it super quickly! Ellen tackled the hardest one and was one of the only girls to do it—she was a natural! Although hesitant at first, Ellison gave it a shot and made it to the top. Meanwhile, Stella posed for some pictures and looked through all the photos we had taken. We climbed for a little over an hour after most of the kids tried all three climbing routes. We loaded up the vans, took a quick pitstop for snacks, and arrived at lunch. We had plenty of amazing pizza to go around, and Henry even ate 10 slices! Before we knew it, we were back on the road, heading south down the coast. Once we arrived at our campsite, we took in the beautiful views and got settled in. Half the group went ahead and found an awesome swim spot, while the rest made their way to the water with Kelly Jane being the first to brave the cold water and jump in. Annie wasn’t far behind and enjoyed the water’s temperature. Davis and Wood found a rock to jump off of after Carter assessed its safety. We had some time before dinner, and everyone was quick to insist on showering. Despite only having two days left, Fielding and Finn decided to wash their clothes in the sink. We had a delicious dinner accompanied by some awesome musicians. After dinner, we had Moonup along the shore. Meg was elected as our girl leader of the day, but before we ended the night, Davis and Stella invented their own version of Family Feud. It was girls versus boys, and it got super intense! The boys ended up winning, with Fielding providing the last answer. Everyone headed to bed afterward because it was getting late. Some of the boys even cowboy camped (slept outside) under the stars.
7/20/2024
Our camping spot had a beautiful view overlooking the Adriatic Sea. It was a wonderful way to wake up and feel the ocean breeze! Wood even spotted some dolphins in the distance. We had breakfast, and Kelly Jane and Meg got to try instant coffee for the first time. We packed up camp and headed to zip lining. After driving to the drop-off spot, completing the safety course, and making it to the first zip line, it began thundering and lightning. We were disappointed but had to stop and come back down before the storm got worse. Everyone had such great attitudes, and our guide was even able to reschedule us to go later in the afternoon when the storm passed. We went to our campsite and swam in the meantime to pass the time. Stella got in the water with the boys and swam. Then we walked back over to zip lining, headed to the drop-off spot, and got to go straight to the first of eight zip lines. The first one is the longest and fastest, spanning over the Cetina River. Once again, Cooper was our first student to go down. Annie wasn’t the best at braking but had the best attitude and even got to go down the zip lines with the guides. We had so much fun, and the views were amazing! Ellen was such a natural, and the guides said she did it perfectly. Carter got some awesome pictures of Ellison heading down the zip line. On one of the zip lines, we were able to go in pairs. It was so much fun watching Meg do all the braking for Annie as they went down together! Henry and Davis went down together and nearly jumped off the edge, gaining some speed. Eventually, we got to the last zip line and met up with the band to take us back into town. We walked to a dinner spot near our campsite and indulged in some Croatian fast food. Finn ended up going for the traditional Croatian option of cevapcici. We got our rooms, dropped off our bags, and went down to the beach to do Moonup. We got to watch the Blood Moon over the Adriatic as we had our second to last Moonup. We played psychiatrist, and Fielding came up with a hilarious idea. We then all headed to our rooms, which were awesome mobile homes. Ellison was especially excited about the showers in our rooms. Everyone was tired from the day and went to bed pretty quickly.
7/21/2024
We got to sleep in and had a slow morning getting packed up and heading on the road toward Dubrovnik. Wood and Henry got to watch a water polo game this morning with Reid. We stopped at a grocery store along the way for lunch and continued our drive. We arrived at the hotel, dropped our things off, and made our way into Old Town Dubrovnik. We walked the city walls and even ran into the other group there. Then we shopped and walked around. Ellen got some cute jewelry, and Kelly Jane got some awesome souvenirs. We had an amazing last dinner for our banquet before heading back to the hotel and had our final Moonup. It was a sad but heartfelt one, and we could not be more impressed by how close this group is. It was a great end to our summer, and we are so thankful for these kids!
-Carter and Reid
Hello from Croatia!
July 19, 2024
7/13/2024
It was our first day on Rab Island today! We began the day early with another big breakfast buffet. We got all of our things packed up, collected the keys, and were on our way! It was a two-hour drive to the ferry, full of Olivia Rodrigo and throwback music. Henry had so much fun on aux and entertained us all! Stella and Ellison also tag-teamed some songs and got a great playlist going. Our car played games, and Wood led them in playing “Wavelength” (a guessing game involving numbers and categories) while we waited for the ferry. Everyone enjoyed the short but beautiful ferry ride that showcased a 360-degree view of the Adriatic Sea and the Velebit Mountain range. We drove the rest of the way to our camping spot in a cove on the island. We set up tents, and Cooper did it so fast that he ended up helping everyone else with theirs! Afterwards, we walked to the beach to eat lunch at Del Mar. Fielding tried one of their slushies and inspired others to do the same! Kelly Jane and Ellen stuck to lemonade and enjoyed their chicken nuggets. After lunch, everyone hopped into the water! Davis taught everyone some fun games in the water that kept everyone entertained for a long time. Eventually, it was time to head back and start showering. Once everyone was clean, we headed to the nearby basketball court. The girls took pictures while the boys played basketball, led by Finn! Wood and Cooper ended up playing soccer for a while with some local kids. Stella and some of the girls went to play volleyball! Meanwhile, Carter and Reid got to know Kelly Jane and Annie better as we sat in the shade cooling off. Soon it was time for dinner, and we were ready! Meg tried Reid and Carter’s favorite traditional Croatian dish, cevapi, and really enjoyed it. We took some more action shots and ate our delicious meal. We surprised everyone with some yummy gelato! Everyone was especially tired today, so we started Moonup on the beach as soon as we got back. It was a wholesome moment, and it wasn’t long before we all went to bed!
7/14/2024
We got to sleep in this morning, and everyone got great sleep in the tents! We had a wonderful breakfast of homemade croissants and bread. We got ready, put our swimsuits on, and drove to our sea kayaking spot! Our LODs, Annie and Davis, got to pick kayaking partners and led the way! Ellison got to sit back and relax most of the trip while her partner, Henry, showed off his paddling skills! Fielding loved our swimming breaks and was always the first one to jump into the water off his kayak! Finn brought his goggles, so everyone had lots of fun snorkeling and seeing the clear water from underneath! After a bit, we took a lunch break on our own private beach! Davis led a crew of people to scout out some cliff-jumping spots, while Ellen took photos of everyone with Carter’s camera! Annie and Kelly Jane hung out in the water and tanned! Fielding found some sea urchins, and Meg even got to (carefully) pick one up! Everyone ate their sandwiches, played some games, and Stella tanned with Carter on the kayaks! We had so much fun and soon packed up to head back out in the kayaks. On the way back, we played Wavelength (our group’s favorite game). Once we got close enough to the kayaking rental spot, Ellison, Henry, and Finn swam to shore while their partners kayaked their boats in. We racked our boats, changed into clean clothes, and drove back to our camp! We had plenty of free time during the afternoon, and everyone headed straight to the beach to hang out! It wasn’t long before we were ready for dinner, and the group walked over. Our LODs led us in our Moonup, where we learned lots more about each other! Afterwards, we surprised the group by letting everyone watch the Euro Finals game. Spain was playing England, and a few of our kids were especially interested in watching! Stella started a trend, and everyone got some ice cream while watching the game! Wood and Cooper were invested and watched the entire game with Reid, while Carter brought everyone else back to get ready for bed! It was a long but awesome day today!
7/15/2024
We got to sleep in this morning and worked up an appetite for a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and croissant sandwiches! It was everyone’s favorite breakfast thus far on the trip! Everyone got dressed and ready for the day, and we made our way to Rab Island’s Old City. We shopped around some of the souvenir shops, and Ellen found lots of great gifts and jewelry! Meg helped Ellison pick out some new Birkenstocks and also assisted Wood in finding a gift for his girlfriend. We continued walking around, got some great group pictures, and found our swimming spot for the afternoon! Everyone jumped in, and Carter gave Davis and Cooper categories for them to name before landing in the water! Annie and Kelly Jane made new friends with some local Croatian kids and told them all about Sephora and the U.S. We played Wavelength as a group and played signs too! Once everyone was tired from the sun, we got out, ate our sandwich lunches, and laid out in the sun! We hung out before grabbing some gelato and getting in the vans to go back to our campsite! Everyone went straight to the beach and got a cabana to hang out in! Meg and Stella tanned on the cabana bed and relaxed! Most of the kids pitched in to rent a paddle boat out in the water. Fielding and Henry accidentally forgot to empty their pockets, getting some things wet, but got everything sorted out afterward! The kids hung out for a while before it was time to shower and head to dinner on the beach! Afterwards, we got back to the camp and had some free time. Finn played some guitar for us, and everyone loved listening. Then we had our last Moonup on Rab Island led by our LODs, Ellen and Fielding. Reid and I are so impressed by how close this group has gotten in such a short amount of time. We finished our Moonup, and everyone got ready for bed. It was another long day, but everyone was excited and ready for a great night of sleep in the tents!
7/16/2024
It was bright and sunny when we woke up in our tents and got ready for the day! We had another great breakfast of hot dogs (yes, you heard that correctly) and puff pastries! While Reid and Ana went to the grocery store, Carter and the kids cleaned up camp and got ready to head to the mountains. Henry led the cleanup crew and was so helpful in making sure all the tents were clean and trash was picked up! Davis and Cooper led some of the group in card games, while the girls headed to the local market one last time! Kelly Jane did a last-minute sweep of the camp and helped collect lost and found items! Ellison was nice enough to help Fielding pack up all of his things. We were all impressed with Stella’s reorganization skills as she repacked her entire bag in record time! As soon as Reid got back from the store, we packed up the vans and made our way to the mountains! After our long car ride, we arrived at Zavižan mountain hut in the Northern Velebit Mountains! We made some lunch before having some free time! Wood started reading a new book and eventually convinced Kelly Jane and Meg to go on a run with him! Ellen, Annie, and some of the girls hiked up a nearby peak to take some photos! We had fun taking turns playing on the speaker and listening to Reid play guitar! Eventually, we started making dinner, with Ellen and Davis leading our cooking crew! They helped us make a delicious meal of spaghetti bolognese. Afterward, we climbed up to a cool spot nearby to end our night with Moonup! On the way up, Cooper had the idea to play Wavelength from 0 to 100 and had all of us laughing. We watched the sunset from the top of the peak and took some cute photos before heading down the mountain and going to bed!
7/17/2024
We woke up earlier this morning and had scrambled eggs and plenty of toast for breakfast. Meg volunteered to be on cleanup duty this morning, and everyone was super grateful! Once we were packed up, we headed out on our first hike of the trip. We ended up hiking almost 10 miles to Rossi’s Hut, one of the most famous trails in all of Croatia! The boys began the trek playing their game of Wavelength and coming up with all sorts of games! Finn was by far the best one at coming up with Wavelength story scenarios that always made us laugh at how accurate they were! Ellison made it her goal to go the entire hike without complaining, and we were all so proud of her for doing so! Annie accompanied Carter in the back of the group, laughing at their missteps on the rocks as they worked on their hiking skills. We arrived at Rossi’s Hut to have some lunch before making our way back to Zavižan! We made it back in record time and spent some time eating snacks, listening to music, and playing card games. Wood searched everywhere for his missing bouncy ball that he had lost but could not find it, sadly. Carter taught them how to play Empire, and everyone had lots of fun getting involved! Ellen helped out with dinner again, and we happily served our chicken tacos. Henry was a huge help cleaning up all the dishes! Everyone was pretty tired from the day, so we had a lovely Moonup that ended in a game of Mafia. Finn fooled us all into thinking he wasn’t the mafia! We had so much fun today and cannot wait for another hike tomorrow!
7/18/2024
Another slow morning for us at the mountain hut with a yummy breakfast! We were quicker to get ready this morning and soon were on our way. Not surprisingly, Davis and the boys started another round of Wavelength! Meanwhile, Cooper and Carter played a country-guessing game in the back! It was a challenging, mostly uphill trek, but we made it to the highest peak in Northern Velebit, called Veliki Zavižan (The Great Zavižan). The group took some photos and ate some lunch before beginning our descent. We had plenty of time this afternoon once we got back! Annie laid out on a bench and journaled while Wood read us excerpts of his book, “Atomic Habits.” Meg also spent some time journaling and took advantage of the nice weather outside. Kelly Jane managed to go on a run and take a great nap! Finn made up a lengthy handshake routine with Stella that we were sure to get on video! He then helped Henry and Fielding make dinner by cutting and cooking the chicken! We had pesto chicken pasta that everyone raved about! We had some dessert snacks and ended our night with Ellison leading our Moonup! We collectively agreed we will all miss how close-knit this group is, and although we are sad the trip is coming to an end, we are excited for what the next few days will bring!
Cruisin' in Croatia!
July 17, 2024
7/10/2024
Bok from Croatia!
Everyone arrived safe and sound today! We are so thrilled for this group of kids and excited to have them here after their long travel days. Stella was our first arrival and hung out with Reid and Carter at the airport cafe! It wasn’t long before our second arrival, Cooper, arrived and everyone started getting to know each other. We took online personality quizzes and trivia games to pass the time! Ellison and Henry arrived next and immediately pulled up chairs to get to know everyone! Everyone else arrived shortly after and we were ready to leave the airport and head to our first campsite at Camp Borje! Upon arrival, we set up our tents and enjoyed a delicious first meal of spaghetti bolognese! We walked back to our campsite and Wood had the idea to get the soccer ball and play a makeshift version of golf! Accompanied by Reid, and Davis, the four of them had a lots of fun playing their game! Meanwhile, Fielding and Finn were setting up their Enos! Meg and Carter discussed their favorite books and gave each other recommendations! Eventually, we sat down and had our first Moonup! We laughed lots, and handed out some merch! Kelly Jane got an awesome new jacket for coming on her fourth Moondance trip this summer! We closed the night by electing our first leaders of the day, Stella and Finn!
7/11/2024
It was an early morning here sleeping in the tents but everyone was excited for breakfast! After, we packed up our tents and packed the vans to head to the entrance of Plitvice National Park! Our guide, Ana, led us on a hiking trail around Plitvice, which is Croatia’s largest National Park covering almost 74,132 acres! Plitvice is under the protection of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). We got to see all 16 lakes and got to know each other better! Ellen, Annie, and Carter discussed our animals and loved walking together on the trail! It was pretty hot outside so Fielding found a water fountain and poured water all over himself, which had us all laughing! We took a ferry across the biggest lakes and shortly after stopped to eat some sandwiches and grab some water! We finished the trail and waited for the tram to take us back to the entrance! The boys grabbed some refreshing cokes from the souvenier shop and before we knew it, we were on our way to our new campsite! Reid took the kids down to the river to swim, only to realize most of the water had evaporated! The kids played cards, guitar, and games to get to know each other better before dinner. We had beef stew, salad, chicken, and french fries for dinner! We even got some chocolate and strawberry sorbet! Henry was especially excited when Annie and Wood didn’t want their ice cream and he got to eat theirs! After dinner, we had time to shower and Carter taught the boys a card game called “President.” We ended our night with Moonup and a game of Frogger before heading to bed!
7/12/2024
Another beautiful and hot day in Plitvice national park! Cooper and Meg are LODs for today and helped us get the morning started. We had a big buffet breakfast before putting our swimsuits on and heading to our river kayaking activity! After a quick safety briefing, we carried our kayaks down to the clear waters of the Mreznica river and hopped in! We went down nearly 10 waterfalls, with Ellison and Davis courageosly sliding down each one first! We arrived at one spot where everyone was given the option to cliff jump! Everyone did it from the highest point (around 25 feet)! The boys found an area underneath the waterfall to hang out and even went down a makeshift waterslide into the water! Ellen was the only girl to give it a shot and slide down it! We went down the rest of the river, swam a ton, had a nice picnic break, and went down some rapids! Kelly Jane and her kayaking partner got stuck momentarily on some rocks but after some maneuvering went down the rapids in style! We were wiped out by the end of the river and had so much fun! We changed into a dry pair of clothes and headed back to camp! Everyone played card games, listened to music and played the guitar! We had a delicious American style dinner of tomato soup, burgers, and French fries! We also got to have some ice cream to top it off. We ended our last night at Camp Korona with a special Moonup. We can’t wait to get to the beach tomorrow!
It’s early in the trip, but this group is truly special! Everyone has already learned so much about each other! We are excited to continue watching this group get close and create lifelong friendships! You’ll hear from us again in a week!
Carter and Reid
Henry- Hi mom and dad. Having do much fun. Everything is going great and we are staying busy. Can’t wait to see y’all soon. Love y’all
Finn- hey mom and dad having a great time and I’m excited to tell you about all the cool stuff we’re doing love and miss y’all.
Cooper- hello Mom and Dad I’m having so much fun, kayaking was just as cool as we thought it would be. I can’t wait to see y’all.
Davis- Hey mom and dad! I’m having a lot of fun! Miss y’all!
Fielding- see yall soon. I’m having a great time.
Wood- Hey y’all I’m having a lot of fun and we have a good group. I’m excited to see y’all and let Alaina know I’m doing good and having fun.
Ellison- Hey mom and dad! I’m having a great time! We’ve done super cool things. So I’m excited to tell y’all everything. Tell my friends and LL I miss them! Also tell Campbell I said happy birthday. I love y’all and can’t wait to see y’all soon!!
Stella – hey mom and dad!! I miss you guys so much!! I absolutely LOVE my group; all of the girls and guys are so fun and we have gotten so close. We are about to go to the beach, and we have already been to a national park and went river kayaking. I can’t wait to tell you guys everything!! Love you
Meg- hi mom and dad!!! I’m having sooo much fun our leaders say they’ve never seen a group so close. Kate- have fun in Bda I miss you. Tell everyone hello from me. I’ll see y’all in a week I miss and love y’all so much!
Ellen- Hi! I’m having the best time here and it’s so pretty! Love and miss y’all so much!
Kelly Jane- Hey Mom and Dad! It’s so pretty here and I’m having the best time! Thanks for sending me on this trip and hope y’all have a fun time in Greece! Can’t wait to see y’all soon! Love and miss y’all 🩷
Annie- Hey everyone!!!! I’m having lots of fun and I miss y’all so much! Tell brooks and will to have fun at camp! Love yall & see you soon
Safe Arrival in Zagreb!
July 10, 2024
Hello Croatia Families!
All students have landed safely in Zagreb and the trip is off to a great start! We can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next two weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
