Welcome to “Wandering Off Somewhere”

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Hi, all! I’m glad you are here. Welcome to my blog, “Wandering Off Somewhere.” My name is Cindy Gelpi and I’m a 56 year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana who has been traveling all over the world on and off for the last 20 years.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to China, Bulgaria, Canada, Singapore, Italy, Germany, Russia, Colombia and many other countries around the world. My husband Mike recently retired, and we have made it our mission to explore the beautiful continent of Europe for the next few years.

We moved to the beautiful and charming country of Croatia about two years ago in order to learn more about the Croatian way of life and to be close to the crystal clear Adriatic Sea.  We are living in Pula on the Istrian peninsula, and  I hope you will join us in our adventures in Croatia and the surrounding areas!  We have visited a wide variety of cities in Croatia and many different countries throughout Europe as well.  In addition, since my dear husband is a captain, we have sailed throughout the Adriatic to visit many of the islands.

Are you interested in retiring in Europe or in Croatia? Do you just need some motivation and help planning your adventures abroad? Sometimes changes are intimidating, but with a little planning and a little inspiration, you, too, can make your dreams come true. It’s surprisingly affordable to live in Croatia, so if money is an issue, remember that you can find ways to live within your budget here.

Please comment below on where your dream retirement destination would be. I would love to hear from you. Or just comment on a place that you would like to visit but that you are a little intimidated about making it happen. Or contact me directly at cagelpi12@gmail.com.

Maybe I can give you some motivation or some inspiration. It’s never too late to travel the world and make your dreams come true!

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Mike and I visiting a beautiful piazza in Rome October of 2017.
Mike and I exploring the beautiful island of Venice.

Our theme song for the next few years:

“They made up our minds, and they started packing.  They left before the sun came up that day.  Exit to eternal summer slacking.  Where were they going without ever knowing the way?”—- lyrics from the The Way by  Fastball.

40 thoughts on “Welcome to “Wandering Off Somewhere””

  1. Tina Neff

    I didn’t join, but looks like I can post! Enjoy reading all about your travels. So happy I can see places I’ll probably never see myself. Thanks so much! Miss seeing your smiling faces. Tell all hello! I’m hoping to make it back!

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  4. Kim Garrett-DeLuca

    I live vicariously through your pictures and blog and I love keeping up with my friends! So many places I want to visit. I’ll get there one day. I was able to subscribe and it appears that I can post too!

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    2. Hi Cindy! Our daughters know each other through work in San Francisco so Madelyn gave your information to Erin. How synchronistic since my husband and I spent 3 weeks in Croatia and loved the country and people! We especially loved the Istria area and the truffles in Motovun made the trip! We hope to get back some day and perhaps share a bottle of Dingac with you and Mike!🍷
      Julie Uritus

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      1. That’s wonderful! It’s so nice to meet you. ❤️Istria is truly a special place, and we really love living here! We originally meant to stay one year, but decided to extend it because we love the people, the food (and wine!😉) and enjoy the pace of life here so much. Please let us know if you are returning anytime in the near future. We would love to meet you!

  11. Anonymous

    Love reading your blog and seeing places through your eyes and your gift of writing. Where are we going next?

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    1. Thank you!! We are going to Trieste, Italy to pick up my daughter and her husband for a visit here in Croatia. We are going to show them around our favorite little towns in Istria, so I’ll be sure to share some of our favorite places!

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  12. Madelyn Gelpi

    I love reading about your adventures! Such a beautiful articulation of an incredible journey. I love you!

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  17. Hi Cindy, we have just been told about your blog, we are just about to visit and explore Croatia for 5 weeks so will read your blog for some tips. We also retired In December to travel the world but our first trip to South East Asia was cut short due to Covid-19 and we had to escape from Vietnam. Since then we have been waiting patiently in England for the first opportunity to travel so with the arrangement Croatia and England have for the so called airbridge, we immediately booked a flight to Split to kick start our travels. Croatia looks beautiful and we can’t wait to get there 😁

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    1. Welcome or Dobrodošli as the Croats say! I’m so sorry your plans were cut short, but I’m glad you are able to make it to Croatia. It’s an incredibly beautiful country and I think you’ll really enjoy your time here. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to reach out. I really hope you make it to Istria where we live. It’s not as well known as Dubrovnik or Split, but it’s a true treasure in the country. If you need any suggestions or help on visas if you decide to live here while you travel Europe, we can point you in the right direction as far as visas are concerned. There is a great expat community here as well. Cheers!

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  18. How lovely to live in Croatia. So many islands to explore. A dream life. We don’t do too badly in Perth WA, such a beautiful city. I do miss Europe though, maybe if we’re allowed out next year I’ll make it to Europe

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    1. It’s a wonderful place! I have a lovely expat friend from Perth who moved here to Croatia three years ago. I’d love to visit Australia at some point in the future. But Europe is an incredible place! So much history here! Please come and visit Croatia when you are able! 🇭🇷

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  19. Woo Hooo! I am so glad I’ve found your blog – thank you so much for stopping by on mine!
    You ask where do I want to retire to – the answer is EVERYWHERE! We have been on the road for five years of our three-year European road trip and our list is getting bigger, not smaller.
    We have certainly not explored the Balkans enough and have fallen in love with Slovenia and Romania. When the world returns to a post-Covid normal, we hope to spend some time in Georgia (not the US state!)
    We are windsurfers, not sailors, but the clear Adriatic certainly has a draw!

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    1. I really love your wonderful blog, so I’m thrilled to have you joining here! I’ve also been reading about Romania and hope to visit there one day. Your adventures with your pups and writing style are beautiful, interesting and hilarious as well! You should stop by Istria when you are in Slovenia, especially in Medulin, if you like kite surfing. I drive through Koper often when we make road trips to Italy and hope to see more of Slovenia this year.

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      1. Thank you so much for your kind words, you have really made my day! I am so pleased that you enjoy my ramblings. Istria and Medulin sound wonderful – it’s not an area we’ve explored, yet!
        As for Romania, I do hope you get there. I can’t wait to go back and couldn’t recommend it enough!
        Thanks for stopping by and for your lovely comment. 🙂

  20. Warren Engert

    I visited with your Mother today and she told me about the blog. I’m so happy to be able to follow you two. While I haven’t been many places, Croatia is my favorite. We will certainly return one day. Please tell Mike we said hello!

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I’d love to hear from you. What do you think?

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