Hiking with teenagers

The children are in their prime. It makes you wonder where to go and what to do together. The blog sees itself as a suggestion of how to spend your vacation with teenagers and how to find time away from everyday stress, to exchange ideas, to recharge your batteries and to get a little closer to one another in the family. My daughter is a great person. She is almost 15 years old and in the midst of puberty. Since her first day on this world, a very close relationship has developed between us and it is precisely in this sensitive development phase (I mean her) that this close bond helps us. This is the only way to explain that she didn’t call me totally crazy when I revealed to her that we should do the Krk Island Trail together. Now, a fourteen-year-old girl understandably has other interests than traipsing around with her more or less graying father. Her girlfriends, her horse and last but not least her iPhone 7 are at the top of the priorities. In their personal ranking, school and learning are at the other end of the scale. Her father is, at least that’s what I tell myself, relatively high up, whereas hiking is relatively far down. So much for my daughter’s current emotional world. I think to myself that I hope I haven’t misjudged my venture “holidays with teenagers”. So hiking with dad. Well, although enthusiasm sounds a little different. I came up with something very special. Since skiing isn’t quite as popular and winter in the city is a bit dull anyway, I figured a few days on an island on the Dalmatian coast would do our souls good. So off to Krk and into spring. “So dad, if it’s absolutely necessary…” “Best” conditions for a vacation together with teenagers.

At the top of a teenager’s list of priorities: iPhone

No sooner said than done, as long as the iPhone is within reach, the pain is probably limited (she couldn’t take her horse with her, after all). Speaking of borders, first Austria – Slovenia and then Slovenia – Croatia and after 2 ½ hours we are at the sea and shortly afterwards in Vrbnik. The charming town with its old churches, chapels and buildings is situated on a cliff that falls steeply into the sea. In the center of the old town, the silhouette is characterized by the bell tower, which was built by a Venetian builder, I tell my daughter. Her: “Aha” (I mean to hear an aha with “?”). I think to myself: what the heck: vacation with teenagers! In the evening we eat in one of the bars, which are about 100 m above sea level and from whose terrace you have the impression of being able to dive directly into the deep blue. The last few weeks have been quite stressful for both of us and so we get to chatting again, even if she is staring at her cell phone (sorry iPhone 7) every now and then. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to the long weekend and the days ahead. Next morning we start to Báska. Not necessarily the shortest stage, but impressive. While the island of Krk is rich in vegetation in the north, the landscape south of Vrbnik is increasingly changing into a bizarre, moon-like landscape, with the deep blue sea always accompanying you on the crest of the cliffs. The contrast between the barren land and the colorful sea could not be greater. As expected, my daughter puts her iPhone in her jacket in the morning so that she always has it nearby. You never know when an important piece of news will force you to react quickly. And so it happens that after a few pings and similar signals (depending on whether from Whats app or Twitter or …) my daughter needs a short break to keep her response time as short as possible. Between these signals from civilization, which seem even more surreal in this environment, we also get to talk, listen and laugh a lot. To my amazement, after the first break, my daughter packs her cell phone in her backpack. I say nothing and smile to myself.

After quite a long day we reach Báska, and due to the ingenious routing from the high plateau we can see the place directly below our somewhat tired feet. This is at the southern end of the valley of the same name at the mouth of a river. Our hotel is in the middle of town, has very modern themed rooms and the food tastes so good not only because we walked a long way that day. Thanks to the luggage transport, our clothes are already in the room before we arrive. Oh yes, in the room my daughter took a quick look at the mobile phone, neither of us missed it at dinner. I fall asleep thinking that our trip is actually going to be very different than what you imagine a typical teenage vacation to be. The next day we go along the bay of Báska in a saddle, past stone fences in whose enclosures goats and sheep are kept. The climb up the pass is quite strenuous and I have to admit that I can’t quite keep up with my daughter’s pace. Ambition has long gripped her and I wonder what I’m training for three times a week. OK, due to the stress, it’s usually only two training sessions anyway. In any case, I’m happy that my daughter is like a different person. She is happy that she has her dad in tow like a steam locomotive. And the iPhone? Somewhere in the backpack – set to silent. Today’s destination is Punat, which is idyllically situated in a bay surrounded by small mini islands. On one of these islands, called Kosljun, there is a Franciscan monastery. Before that, however, we pass many lonely bays and always move along the ridge of the southern foothills of the island. The sea shows its indescribable play of colors from dark blue to turquoise green to azure and light blue tones. We rest in deserted bays and let the wind roar around our ears. Sometimes we just listen to the sea and sometimes to each other! And I think to myself: that’s what life is all about. In the direction of Punat, the vegetation increases again and you walk partly in the shade of pine and stone pine forests. This makes walking easier and we are already looking forward to a soft bed, a warm shower (that doesn’t mean you’re a wimp) and the local cuisine. Oh yes, and the island’s wine has improved enormously in quality in recent years. But this sentence only applies to me, after all, my daughter is not even 15! The next day we take a ferry across the bay of Punat in the direction of Krk, the main town on the island with its indescribably beautiful old town. The cafés at the harbor have already opened in March and there is a sociable hustle and bustle. It takes a little getting used to if you only hike in pairs for a while without meeting other people. But humans are known to be social beings and so we get used to the busy scenery relatively quickly. The next morning we take the shuttle service back to Vrbnik to our car. We pack our things and head back home. In the passenger seat, my daughter pulls her iPhone out of her jacket pocket and winks at me. We both have to laugh. I think certain things don’t change that quickly, but one thing I’m sure of: our bond has renewed itself and has become even stronger. So on the way back I think to myself that maybe the band is already so strong that next time we can walk the remaining stages of the Krk Island Trail. My daughter pulls me out of my thoughts and actually asks when we can do the missing stages, maybe in May, when you can already take a dip in the sea. I am already looking forward to the next holiday with teenagers. I would never have thought of that before the trip…

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