Student Shout-Outs!
June 10, 2025
Lina: Hi!! I miss y’all so much! I’m having so much fun and I’m so excited to tell y’all all about the trip! I love y’all so much (more)!
Lila: Hi mom and dad! I miss y’all so much and I’m having a great time. I can’t wait to see y’all when I get back. I was so glad to hear that dad’s surgery went well and I hope he starts to feel better! I love y’all so much and I can’t wait to tell you all about Croatia.
Halle: HIIII!! I am having the best time of my life and I literally never want to leave!! I hope y’all are having fun in Dwood but not too much without me. I miss y’all so much and can’t wait to tell yall all about it!! Love uuuu!!
Madeleine: Hi everyone! I miss y’all so much! I’m having the best time and can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! Love y’all so much!
Catherine: hey! I’m having so much fun. We are currently leaving our first destination and heading towards a new camp site. The first couple of days were so much fun. I got a couple cool pics and vids on the go pro. Sadly, wills go pro stopped working but I got some pics of him. Will and I got L.O.D. (leader of the day) yesterday and everyone loves Will. They call him cousin Will. Anyways, miss y’all!!
Leigh: Hi mom and dad miss y’all!! I feel much better and I am having so much fun! Tell all the girls I miss them too! See y’all soon!
Will M: hey mom, hey dad I’m having so much fun on the trip and I miss y’all. Tell the dogs hi for me and tell Sam hi too when he gets back from covy rise. Love y’all.
Mathias: Hey mom and dad I’m doing great in Croatia. I miss you and love you lots. See you soon
Will R: Hi Mom and Dad! Croatia is so beautiful. The nature is vast, the water is clear, and the people are kind. I am learning extensively about Croatia and the Balkans as a whole. I miss you all and can’t wait to see you all again! Bye for now love you all see you soon! <3
Pike: Hey mom and dad I finally made it. Croatia is beautiful! Say hi to Biscuit
William: Hey I’m having lots of fun and can’t wait to tell you all about it. Love you and see you soon
Ben: Hey mom and dad. I’m having a great time – the kayaking was awesome. We’re driving to the mountains to start the trekking part of the trip. Thanks so much for letting me do this. Love y’all!
Checking in from Croatia!!!
June 9, 2025
Hello from BEAUTIFUL Croatia! We have been having the time of our lives exploring this incredible region and getting to know each of the students. You are probably wondering… what has my student been up to, and we surely have stories to tell!
After a long day of travel we arrived in the Zagreb airport, quickly collected our group, and headed out with our wonderful driver, Marco, and native Croatian guide, Lara. Some well earned naps were taken on the bus, and before we knew it we arrived at our first accommodation: bungalows. Students paired up with a friend they had not met before and got comfortable. It didn’t take long for Lila to pull out her set of cards and set up a game of spoons for the group. As the night progressed Will R. shared his vast knowledge of European history and geography which left us all feeling in awe of his stories! Before we knew it, it was time for dinner and Moonup, where we reflected on our goals for the trip and shared what character from an alternate universe we would choose to be. Students received some sweeeeet Moondance merch and we headed off to bed, ready for our next adventure!
We rose to the beautiful Croatian sun and headed off to a breakfast fit for kings and queens: croissants, scrambled eggs, fruit, yogurt, infinite juices, and miniature sausages which the boys LOVED. We packed some lunches for the river and then drove through the Croatian countryside. Ryan hyped us all up with some new music as we rolled up to the Mreznica River where we would white water kayak. After getting ready and watching a safety briefing, we put our wetsuits to the test and hopped into our bright blue boats. The cold clear water was the perfect contrast to the warm weather for the day. To start the journey our river guide, Bailey, sent teams shooting down a 6 foot waterfall. As we launched downwards our smiles couldn’t have been bigger. William and Madeline sent their kayak spinning while laughing down the river, and eventually they honed their skills to travel in a more direct path! Then we arrived at our next obstacle, a waterfall so large that we could not to traverse it. Instead, we jumped down into it and Madeline was the first student to take the plunge! Mathias even took the option to jump from the highest ledge at 8 meters! As morning turned into afternoon we traversed several more waterfalls and headed into a canyon that was filled with beautiful trees and green vines dipping into the rivers edge. Bailey told us more about the history of the area and how the waterfalls were formed. Then, the river turned from steep drops to more gradual white water rapids. Our smiles still had not wiped away, especially Lina’s as she was sent down the final rapid backwards! After weaving through the rapids, we decided it was time to stop for lunch and pulled over at a place so bizarre it amazed us. In the middle of the most seemingly remote part of the river was the venue of a music festival to come, filled with statues ranging from Greco-Roman style pillars to pagodas: safe or say we were entertained. After lunch, a quick paddle led us to the vans and we parted ways with Bailey. We headed back to the bungalows and down to yet another river. Our campsite hosts a source of the crystal clear blue water we had seen earlier in the day and we took it all in, enjoying time on the bank spent playing Uno, reading, and journaling. We headed to dinner and then had our first student let Moonup. Our LODs (Leaders of the Day) Will M. and Lila led us through a wonderful evening and even surprised the rest of the group with M&Ms.
Our fourth day of adventure was spent in what we decided was one of the most jaw dropping places our eyes had ever seen: Plitvice National Park. We headed off for another great breakfast and then packed for the park. Lara told us about the uniqueness of the landscape and then led us on a wonderful walk through the park over glass blue lakes, in the woods surrounding it, and feeling the mist from the falls. Ben practiced his photography skills and captured the scenery beautifully, as it deserved to be captured. As we galavanted through the park our jaws continued to drop. We were quickly met with a surprise of equal delight, a boat ride across the larger lake that took us to a more secluded back side of the park. We agreed that it felt like we’re on a theme park ride where everywhere we looked something new and interesting popped up. After a fascinating day in the park we headed off for the preferred treat of Moondancers worldwide: ice cream. After some downtime at the bungalows, Pike spearheaded the efforts to acquire a ball to kick around so we headed up to the store and got one for the group. It is safe to say that now we are anticipating some great games of kickball. While we were at the store Leigh and Halle bought some candy unique to Croatia and reviewed them in a Go Pro style vlog! They decided that it was an interesting batch, with the sour strawberries winning out over some more whacky treats that were the shape of flying saucers. Safe to say these girls are after the true Croatian experience! After some more time hanging around we headed off to our dinner and to our third Moonup led by LODs Catherine and Will M.
We are so incredibly thankful that each of your students is on the trip, they are all making this group so special and welcoming. We cannot wait to see where the coming days take us!
Until next time!!!
Palmer + Ryan
Hello from Zagreb!
June 7, 2025
Hello Croatia Families!
We heard from our leaders that the group has landed safely in Zagreb and is enjoying well-deserved rest after travel! The trip is off to a great start, and we are so excited to hear more stories as they begin their adventure.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! 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
