Winter weekend in Istria

Girls only

Istria has been my favorite base for years (read – even from “past lives” before Liv) to which I regularly return at every opportunity, be it action, vacation, or mixed! That didn’t change after Liv’s birth, because Istria (still) has everything for everyone – couples, singles, families with children, or an adult team eager for good company. The reason for my last visit to Istria was the latter – more precisely, my belated birthday, which I wanted to celebrate with the girls! I say “delayed” birthday, because I was born in the eighth month, when, you guessed it, there is no party crew near me. We all disperse on annual vacations, and it is impossible to gather us in one place. Because of this truth, for years I have been faithful to the tradition of celebrating my birthdays earlier/later than the “official” date in order to spend them with my best off people – and that, of course, 100% offline! This year, too, I respected tradition, and gathered us all in my dear Istria.

I’ll tell you right now that it wasn’t simple either. Moreover, at times I thought it was impossible. Namely, coordinating six working women and mothers and bringing them together at sea in the same weekend is worthy of an operation for the CIA. In addition, you worry until the last day if someone (or someone’s child) will get sick at the last minute, if something else will come up that will cause one (or more) of us to cancel the trip, if someone will fight over a dead name or simply conclude that is too tired… Now I’m caricaturing a bit, but you know what I mean! However, we succeeded – so along with my birthday, we also celebrated the very fact that we are where we are, in Istria!

The location was a house in Duga uvala that was given to us by a friend’s friend at an off-season price. Even though it was a private arrangement “through a connection”, I definitely advise you to sniff out the renters on the sea who possibly offer winter accommodation at a “winter price”, which could be expected to be lower than the summer price. You have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain – where, in addition to a winter vacation on the Adriatic, I also mean money saved! If you have never been to the Adriatic in winter, Istria is the place for you. It’s magical to pass it in the first/second month too, when you can get to know all its smells, tastes, and places without the crowds and heat, which will give you exactly what you need – in our case, a weekend with an adult team!

The plan was simple. Stay in a shared house and have as much fun as possible, rest and “get crazy”! So, in a similar mode to my “psychotherapy” in Atelier No. 1, when I gather my girls with ceramics and booze, only this time we overslept (and, yes, we didn’t have clay). But that’s why we had something just as good – board games, pillows, and champagne! Like real kids, we sat on the floor and rolled around laughing until late into the night. With proper “stepping” in board games!

I believe that we will agree that going out with the team is a very important “ingredient”. That’s exactly why we decided to treat ourselves, and this time not only for a birthday, but for something different than usual. Namely, we did not cook or order the kolpa ourselves, but hired the services of a real professional chef who treated us for three full hours. Fine dining, 8 courses – in other words, a completely new gourmet experience in a 100% homemade way. The guy appeared at our door with fresh fish that he had caught last night and other delicious homemade food, and then he readily rolled up his sleeves. Yes, that means it wasn’t naked!

Time flies in good company and with good food, so this weekend was too short – which means I want to do it again as soon as possible, with or without someone’s birthday! If you are a recent celebrant, I definitely recommend that you think about this kind of engagement – a nice place, your team, a good time with socializing, and a bench! We all need that, and we all deserve it! It is psychotherapy not to be missed! I know that it’s not always easy to organize, gather a team, or find time, of course, it all costs at least something, even if you choose the most favorable options, but when you think about the benefits that come in return, it’s worth it to receive weekend organizations. If even one weekend is inconvenient for you, consider a daytime option, closer and without sleeping. It can be a spa, hiking, walking, picnic… any other form of socializing where you can gather your people and enjoy at least a few hours without remorse. You know that all obligations will not run away – so allow yourself to run away from them!