Quarterly Review July to September 2024: A Summer between Blog Marathon and Road Trip

Updated on November 12, 2024 by Angelika

The third quarter had it all! From the blog marathon in August to a road trip across Dalmatia and the exciting planning of a double move - the last few months have been anything but boring. Not only did I start my first blog carnival, but I also strained my musculoskeletal system with an ambitious Croatia road trip and finally found out shortly before my return journey that I will soon be moving back to my old home from the 90s. But before I get too far ahead of myself, I'll take you on a journey through the highlights (and unexpected stumbling blocks) of this eventful quarter.

My First Blog Carnival

In August, the big topic was "Organizing a blog carnival" in the blogger community The Content Society was on the agenda, and I, an absolute blog carnival newbie, was right in the middle of it! Organizing a blog carnival for the first time and participating in others - challenge accepted.

Nine fantastic bloggers - including three travel bloggers - accepted my invitation and contributed their stories under the motto "The Places I Have Lived in." have contributed. Each contribution was like a road trip through the authors' homes and memories - full of adventures, surprises and, yes, a bit of wanderlust. I then compiled all the individual city stories in the article "Shared Places, Individual Stories: My First Blog Carnival in Retrospect" summarized.

Of course, I also took part myself, with "City Stories: Places that have Shaped my Life." There were also contributions for other blog parades such as "Lessons: What I Learned While Traveling" and "Our best travel games in retrospect: Vacation fun in analog times." I blogged even more in August and wrote so many articles that it was easily the most productive month of 2024!

Croatia Road Trip: Island Hopping, City Walls and Hefty Prices

In September we finally got going - I set off on a road trip through Croatia with my friend Paula from Melbourne. Meeting point: Split Airport, where we immediately grabbed a rental car and drove off to Šibenik. The idea was to have the Krka National Park on our doorstep, but we quickly realized that Šibenik is the perfect base camp for exploring Dalmatia. From Šibenik, you can quickly reach interesting destinations such as Trogir, Primošten, Split and Zadar. The Vacation apartment with sea view* was a real stroke of luck, including a super-nice host who provided us with tips.I We spent an extended day in Krka National Park and explored Šibenik extensively.

Next stop: Split, the unofficial capital of Dalmatia and our home for five days. We liked Split, although Šibenik somehow seemed more homely - of course, Split is just a few sizes bigger. But Split is strategically perfect, especially for island excursions! The huge harbor is the hub for tours to the offshore islands and even to Dubrovnik. We chose Hvar as our destination for the day, and the choice was perfect. Split itself has the Diocletian's Palace as a highlight, which is much more than a palace, namely the most beautiful quarter of the old town. Tip: A Guided tour* It's worth it to discover all the hidden corners and stories.

Then it was on to Makarska, where we spent three days in a "sun and rain mix". However, the last day compensated us with sunshine and a Excursion to the Biokovo Mountains*. A little tip from insider knowledge: If you want to see the Biokovo Skywalk and don't want to drive backwards along a precipice on a narrow and unsecured road, it's better to book a guided tour! The road only has one lane, which means that if a vehicle comes towards you from above, you have to reverse to the next passing place. I had read about this narrow-gauge horror and preferred to book a tour - and the guide was fantastic, with fascinating information about the history and geology of the area.

From Makarska we set course for the grand finale of our trip: Dubrovnik! Luckily we had a Quiet, beautiful and affordable guesthouse with free parking* in Lapad, a cozy district with good food at reasonable prices (in contrast to the old town!). An Aperol Spritz in the city center can cost up to €14.70 - we found the cheapest one (still €9) in an Irish pub. The tour of the city walls of Dubrovnik is breathtaking and absolutely recommendable, if you can get over the price of €35. The Dubrovnik Pass* is really worth it because it includes free entry to the most important sights and free travel on public transport.

Dubrovnik was also our starting point for two unforgettable day trips. For the very first day we had a Tour to the Bay of Kotor* booked. The excursion included a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Kotor and a wonderful boat trip to the island of Gospa od Škrpjela with a stop at the famous church and in the pretty town of Perast. Our second Excursion to the three largest Elaphite Islands* in the beautiful bay of Dubrovnik is a recommendation!

Our trip to Croatia was fantastic and full of highlights, even if it was not without obstacles. The rental car kept reporting tire pressure and brake problems, so we had to replace it on the third day. And then there was the "problem" with my foot - but more on that in the next section. By the way: Croatia felt more expensive than we thought, especially the alcohol prices in the restaurants surprised us. But with a few insider tips, we still found some affordable restaurants and konobas with delicious food. But that was often a matter of luck or good tips!

From Left Knee to Right Foot: My Body on the Wrong Track

Before the trip to Croatia, I thought I finally had my left knee under control - thanks to physiotherapy, strength training and a slightly less popular change in diet (less sugar, fat and alcohol, but a lot more protein). Shortly before my vacation in September, everything felt stable and I was convinced: I'll be fine! A road trip through Dalmatia was on the agenda, and I was to be the only driver. But, as life goes, "everything under control" can quickly become history.

The first few days actually went as I had hoped, no problems driving or walking. I was on cloud nine, ready for a pain-free vacation. But then came Makarska, our third stop, and my optimism took a painful dent - in my right foot! Without warning, a pain shot through my foot as I unsuspectingly walked through the vacation apartment. My left leg had been getting so much attention all year, and now it was suddenly my right foot's turn?

I dug ibuprofen out of my luggage and realized: soft soles are now the order of the day, hard flip-flops and trekking sandals are the new no-go. Luckily, I had two pairs of soft-soled sandals with me and even my hiking poles - honestly, at times like this I celebrate my habit of always packing more than I could ever need. With this equipment and plenty of painkillers, I actually managed to somehow enjoy the last week of my vacation in Makarska and Dubrovnik. The poles weren't the most elegant accessory, but at least I managed to get around.

Back in Germany, the pain virtually disappeared - at least as long as I didn't sit in the car for too long again. The appointment with the orthopaedist had already been made, and my physiotherapist also took a skeptical look at my right foot. She identified the culprit at the first appointment after the trip: a tender spot on my left shin that was sending the pain into my foot. The orthopaedist finally diagnosed periostitis and oedema, and now Diclofenac, insoles and compression stockings are supposed to provide relief. It remains exciting! 🤞🤞

Back to the 90s and a Muck-out: a Special Kind of Move

Towards the end of our road trip to Croatia, the phone suddenly rings and it's my father: "There's now a two-bedroom apartment available for me in assisted living!". After a year on the waiting list, this news came as a surprise. But the plan had already been made: I'm moving into his previous apartment, the apartment I lived in with my daughter for about seven years in the 1990s and which is full of wonderful memories. It's a bit crazy, but somehow I'm really looking forward to moving back in!

But before the big move into my "old home", I have a long to-do list. My father's move is planned for mid-November at the latest - that doesn't leave us an eternity. After that, the walls have to be painted, the old laminate torn out and fresh tiles laid. Fortunately, we've already found a tiler with free capacity and the right tiles. My own move is scheduled for mid-January, and until then it's a case of mucking out, mucking out, mucking out. It's amazing what accumulates in 16 years! Especially clothes that I "might wear again at some point" and books that are more likely to gather dust than be read a second time. I'm going to liberally clear the air!

For my father in particular, this move will be a bit like jumping in at the deep end, which he is looking forward to with one laughing and one crying eye. He is attached to his current (my future) apartment, but is also excited about the new phase of his life. I'm hoping he'll make some nice contacts and have lots of fun in his new environment, where he's sure to find a few adventurous peers. And I'm looking forward to having my new-old home with an office and guest room - perfect for when my daughter comes to visit. And nothing will change at Christmas - we've been celebrating it with the whole family in this apartment for years.

What else was going on in the 3rd Quarter

• We celebrated my father's 85th birthday with a delicious meal in the garden of the Landhotels Hirsch in Bebenhausen. Beforehand, my sister and I went on a boat trip to Ludwigsburg with our father, where we walked from the landing stage in Ludwigsburg-Hoheneck through the Favorite Park to the Baroque in Bloom.
• I have organized a city tour for 12 out of 12 through the The half-timbered town of Altensteig in the Black Forest which I had previously only known from driving through in the direction of Freudenstadt or the southern Black Forest. An excursion full of surprises!
• Finally I have the Solitude Palace which is only a few kilometers away from where I live and where Friedrich Schiller once studied at the Hohe Karlsschule.

My Blog Figures in the 3rd Quarter

While I was able to enjoy rising visitor numbers in August thanks to my many blog articles and the blog parade, things went downhill again in September - when I was on vacation and didn't blog at all.

Overall, however, my posts were clicked on around 1,300 times more often in Google searches in Q3 than in Q2.

With my Article about Weimar I am still surprised that the article is found more often via the image search than via the normal text search in Google. Could this be due to the filter I placed over Goethe and Schiller in the article image? 🤔

My Audiobooks in the 3rd Quarter

During my vacation in Croatia, I actually had no time at all to read or listen to audiobooks. Nevertheless, I listened to four interesting books in the third quarter, all of which I can warmly recommend.

Saša Stanišić: If the widow wants to be addressed, she places the watering can on the grave with the spout facing forward

Saša Stanišić, who came to Germany with his parents during the Balkan war in the 1990s, is a stroke of luck for contemporary German literature. In this collection of short stories, he plays with the possible variations of life stories. With subtle humor and precise observation, he explores small incidents that allow us to look deep into the souls of his characters. All the stories are interwoven, so they must be read in order, as the author explains in the introduction. Anyone who has the opportunity to experience Saša Stanišić at a reading should take it! Works of linguistic art are rarely presented in such an entertaining way. The audio book is read by the author himself - captivating, touching and with a lot of humor.

Dörte Hansen: Old Country

In her debut novel, published in 2015, Dörte Hansen tells the story of two women - Vera, who came to the Altes Land from East Prussia in 1945 as a "Polack child" refugee, and her niece Anne, who suddenly appears on her doorstep 60 years later with her child. In search of meaning, she flees her posh Hamburg life for the countryside after separating from her husband. Against the backdrop of the challenges of rural life, Vera's old farm struggles with her own past and issues such as home, belonging and alienation.

Michael Köhlmeier: The Philosophers' Ship

In this masterpiece, the virtuoso storyteller Michael Köhlmeier combines the true story of the deportation of Russian intellectuals in 1922 with the fictional encounter of the 14-year-old protagonist Anouk with Lenin on the sun deck of the ship. The central themes of the novel are the conflict between ideology and personal freedom, the politics of terror, home and loss. The audiobook is narrated by the author himself - a delight!

Daniela Krien: Love in Five Acts

In this book, author Daniela Krien, who was born near Schwerin and grew up in Jena, tells the interwoven stories of five women dealing with the ups and downs of life and love. Krien impressively describes how her protagonists struggle in different ways with failed relationships, loss and the desire for a fulfilled life. The book is also a wonderful portrait of contemporary Leipzig. I only discovered Daniela Krien this year and immediately added her to the ranks of my favorite authors.

My blog posts in the 3rd quarter of 2024

• 12 of 12 in July 2024: Tübingen – City of Flowers, Poets and Cyclists
• Quarterly Review April to June 2024: Between Health Issues and Alpine Magic
• Blog Parade: The Places I have Lived in
• City Stories: Places that have Shaped my Life
• Our best travel games in retrospect: Vacation fun in analog times
• 12 of 12 in August 2024: Stuttgart — The Best Viewpoints between the TV Tower and Weißenburgpark
• Lessons: What I Learned While Traveling
• Exploring Berchtesgadener Land: 9 Highlights and Tours [incl. Map and Tips]
• My 33 To-Wants for the 4th Quarter of 2024
• Shared Places, Individual Stories: My First Blog Carnival in Retrospect
• 12 of 12 in October 2024: Altensteig - Insider Tip on the German Half-Timbered Road