Croatia

Croatia is not part of the Schengen Agreement and that means time spent here doesn't count toward the 90 out of every 180 day European visitation rule.

From Trieste I took a bus to Rovinj, the most convenient location within Croatia. As Jill explained, the border crossing between Slovenia and Croatia is old school. It used to happen between all European cities. The bus stops at the Slovenian side of the border where an agent boards to stamp you out of the E.U., the bus pulls forward 20 yards where the Croatian agent boards to stamp you into the country.

Rovinj (or Rovigno as Italians call it) was Italian until the end of WWII. Although the town is very nice, looking back I stayed there too long. It is on the Istrian peninsula, which juts down west of the mainland and once you get south of Rovinj there is only one more city, Pula, before the end of Istria. You pretty much have to go to Pula not because the Roman amphitheater is so impressive (it is) but because mass transit doesn't go anywhere else. Rovinj seemed inexpensive while I was there. I paid €42 / night for a small studio apt in the heart of the old town. Only once I got to Zadar did that seem pricey. But expense wasn't the reason my stay was too long; it just was. There's not enough to do in any of these towns to spend more than a night or two unless you're taking day trips.

Anyway after three days I went to Pula. Great Roman amphitheater and great transportation off of Istria but that's about it. The next morning I got up at 4:45 to catch a 6:00 flight to some place called Zadar. All I knew about Zadar was that it was on the mainland and that it had an airport.