Planning a Vacation is Hard Work

I have spent so many hours researching Croatia, ferry routes, flight schedules, island cities, mileage points, credit card points, hotels, b&bs....aah!! I know, I shouldn't complain about planning a vacation, but damn it's a lot of work. I think I have figured out a way to use credit card points to pay for nearly all of my flights, which is awesome because airfare is ridiculously expensive right now. Here are the places I will hopefully be hitting: Bologna, Pescara, Hvar, Brac, Split, Trogir, Plitvice National Park, Zagreb. Too ambitious? Help me pare the list!

Also, I think I promised updates on a few things:
1) Hertz Lost and Found - I did get back my broadband card! They were willing to send it to me but I ended up having to drive through Orange County a couple weeks later so I just picked it up at the airport.
2) Buying from Zappo's was great. They upgraded the shipping method so that I received the shoes 3 days after ordering them online. I'm still on the fence on the shoes but I guess I need to decide soon whether they're a keeper.
3) Haven't received my bags from Tumi yet. I'm hoping that the backpack I bought will be enough for all my travels through Croatia though. :) Too ambitious? We'll see! If I do end up using just my backpack, I'll include a pic of my expert packing job in an upcoming post.

Big congratulations to my friend Brian who is newly engaged!

Next Stop: Chicago

Google, I Think You're Wrong

I just had my first ridiculous Google Maps moment! Currently planning a vacation to Europe and trying to figure out the best way to manage combining Italy and Croatia together in 8 days. I was going to hit Tuscany and then fly to Croatia, but the flights are super-expensive so I thought I'd explore hitting the eastern side of Italy (Bologna, Venice, etc?) and driving to Croatia instead. Check out this sweet path that Google Maps advised me to take for driving from Split to Dubrovnik in Croatia:



I think I might take my chances on the 4 hour drive within Croatia instead. :)

BTW - I need advice/recommendations on Italy and Croatia. Things to do, cities to visit, places to stay! I'm very much looking forward to getting out of the country and turning off the Crackberry.