Split, Croatia

We returned the rental car to Split with relatively little drama except a little traffic jam. Again we are happy we purchased the insurance because they are very chill about the car return – they only want to remove it from the paid lot we have parked before they get charged for the time there. We give them the list of things that need fixed on the car but they don’t really make any notes or anything. It isn’t cheap for the rental but at least we aren’t stressed about extra charges and getting transport to and from the airport from old town.

We grab our luggage and the grocery bag of snacks and head to our apartment right in the middle of old town Split. There is some confusion but we eventually see the keys on top of a box at the building door. As the first door unlocks we start our two day locking and unlocking three levels of doors adventure. We are on the third floor and every floor has a locked door. The apartment has two bedrooms again. We are both pretty chill about sharing a room but its nice to spread out in your own space for a night or two. I see a washing machine so excited I don’t have to waste a few hours at a laundromat when my friend leaves. I proceed to do a load of laundry. It has to air dry so I want to get this done asap. After the load is finished some items don’t smell clean enough for me. I take some of the cleaner items out and do the load again with more soap and very hot water this time. Granted I have washed these clothes together before, some multiple times since 2019 when I did a long term trip like this before. Never have I had any of my travel clothes bleed onto any of my items. Well this time I guess the water was so hot that it caused my old pink travel underwear to change my white tank to this lilac color. It is almost comical. At least it matches exactly to one of the colors on one of the shirts I wear it under. I might just keep wearing my lilac tank or at some point buy another white one.

We head out to wander around Split and get a proper meal. You still get the tour groups here and it does it get busy but it seems easier to hide from the groups here with all the winding pathways unlike the grid layout of Dubrovnik. I am already liking the vibe here more. We pick a nicer restaurant to eat and I splurge for the leg of lamb. It is very good. We watch people line up outside an ice cream shop outside. We make plans to visit that later.

We thought about doing a sunset pirate cruise but decide to put that off until tomorrow night (mistake since it is cancelled the next night). We instead get a drink by the water and people watch for a while. There are lots of groups of women and hen parties in town from other parts of Europe for the weekend. It must be nice to have this a quick flight away.

We get drinks for walking and do some shopping and end up in the main square of Diocletian’s palace where there is a musical group singing mostly covers in the square. Everyone sits around in steps in the perimeter and the waiters from the Luxor come around to take drink orders. An occasional party of drunk women and sometimes men will stop in the center of the square to have a dance party. Everyone is enjoying themselves tonight. We have an inquisitive Croatian kid and his grandma next to us. My friend initially gets in an uncomfortable staring match with him but we soon learn he is just curious about us and he speaks English very well. He shows us his shoes that light up when we jumps. We cheer him on and tell him to show others. Soon the whole courtyard is cheering him on as he jumps. His grandmother eventually takes him away, perhaps he is getting a little too much attention for her taste.

We attempt a couple late night bars as we wanted to try to stay out late for once but every place is already very loud and crowded. We decide to take back a couple of burgers and chill back at our apartment instead. We have some sightseeing to do tomorrow but plans may get rained out. We make tentative plans to get up very early to beat the crowds coming back to take a nap if needed in the afternoon.

Fortunately we wake up relatively early the next day and wander around. We stop at the green market and admire all the fresh produce. We do some shopping and I buy a cheesy Croatian hat. We also try to feed our not-so-great cheese to some local cats and only one cat is enjoying it; I’d say at least twenty other cats flat out refused to eat the questionable cheese. These cats must get some high class food to turn down free cheese.

We stop for some pizza and more cheese – for us of course.

After lunch we visit the Etnomuseum that has an exhibit of traditional dress, jewelry and other items of the region. The exhibit includes a climb up an observation tower. Down below I can hear singing in the cylinder. I guess it has good acoustics.

Not hungry for a meal we stop for olive oil sample and tapenade at a nearby restaurant. We try their homemade olive oil bread and associated oils. Soon after we visit that popular ice cream place where I try some pistachio combination. Loving the view from yesterday we go back to the bar along the water and this time sit on the balcony to people watch. We had hope that the sunset cruise would happen today but we stare at the boat below as it rains. We finally hear from the booking lady by WhatsApp that the cruise is not happening tonight. We are both disappointed and regretting not going the night before.

We grab a snack and head back to catch the finals of Eurovision. The musical acts are real crazy. We don’t stay awake for the results though since my friend has an early flight in the morning. I’m going to miss her when she’s gone.

Zadar and Parks

We arrive in Split and are walking to the car rental location. We have chosen this location at the ferry port because of convenience and also it had the least crappy reviews of all the local rental shops. We spurge for the full coverage even though technically the credit card covers this because the last thing I want to do is fight over car scratches at the end. We discover that along with our stress free rental we are given a car that’s seen better days. We aren’t picky so other than the GPS we rented being completed useless the car is fine. We laugh that it is the owner’s cousin’s car that he rents out on the side to make some money.

I start driving and all we want to do is get our butts out of the city. We head toward Zadar, our next overnight location. It is a little stressful dealing with traffic in a new country but we make it out of the city relatively easy.

We stop on the way at a small town named Trogir. We walk around the medieval town for a couple hours.

We get to Zadar, find car parking and check into our apartment just in time to run down and catch the sunset at the artwork called “Greeting to the Sun” which during the day looks like just a glass floor but at night lights up beautifully. We catch the show better a couple hours later. There is a sax guy playing while we admire the sunset.

We share a late dinner then head to bed as we are heading to Plitvice Lakes national Park tomorrow.

As we head to Plitvice we aren’t without drama on the way since it is a long drive with absolutely no bathrooms along the way.

It is a rainy day so I am sure it keeps the crowds down a bit but it still pretty busy in the park known for its numerous waterfalls. This UNESCO protected park is very beautiful. We follow one of the most popular paths around that is estimated to take about a half day. Part of the route includes taking a ferry inside the park to another set of falls. We at some point lose the route we are supposed to be on but luckily we find our way back to the car park.

Despite the rain the park is very enjoyable.

On our way back we stop to buy some local cheese at one of the road side cheese stands. It is a weird texture and has very little flavor but what it does have is weird and disappointing. We try to eat it but it isn’t that great. We even try to feed it to street cats later and they wont eat it. I can’t believe there are cheeses out there I don’t like.

We get back into town wander to find a place to eat dinner. I decide tonight I need all the vegetables since my diet has been poor lately. I order a carpaccio salad and side of grilled vegetables.

The next day we head to the town of Nin, Croatia known for it’s salt harvest. Nin is also known for its beaches and its royal history in the 7th to 13th centuries. We visit the salt museum in this sleepy town and buy lots of salt including the flower of salt, a special salt that is harvested.

Back to town where we sit and listen to sea organ, an amazing art installation that sounds like an organ making music when the waves come in. We also shop, buy ice cream, eat dinner and make bad drink decisions. Afterwards we have Eurovision night in since it is on the next two nights.

Watching Eurovision

The next morning we visit the market in town because I love a good market.

We start driving toward Split but first we want to stop at Krka National Park, another waterfall park. Google gives us directions but we ignore them to follow the signs. For a while it seems like a dumb decision that has us driving out of the way but it ends up being the smart one. We find the park entrance and we park conveniently close to the free bathroom because of course we both have to go. On the way we stop by this cool looking abandoned building.

We buy our ticket and wait for the bus to take us down to the park. When we get off the bus there is a commotion. Someone may have died at the entrance to the park. Someone is giving CPR to a man on the ground while they wait for emergency medical help. Not wanting to contribute to the chaos we leave and start our waterfall visit, wondering if he is ok.

Today it is raining again. We see lots of water between the rain and waterfalls. Some parts around the trail become flooded. Thank goodness again for my poncho.

After our visit to Krka we drive to split and return rental car. More on that later.

Hvar and the cave tour

Our ferry takes us 3 hours to get to the charming Mediterranean town of Hvar. It is the beginning of season and we are the only guests except one other small group at our B&B. This town is pricey so we close this B&B with great reviews because there is a family member that will frequently be able to take you to and from town. Otherwise it is a 2 km walk uphill, which we have yet to attempt. It is still a little chilly in town and they have just refilled the pool for season; not sure if we will have enough time to swim since our time here is short but the pool and the view is nice. They also have a pretty nice breakfast spread but it is 15 Euros, expensive but seems to be on par with this island. This is not a discount vacation location. We are sad that we are too early to enjoy the lavender fields but we do have an all day cave boat tour scheduled tomorrow.

Our ferry arrives in the afternoon so we stop to eat before we have our driver pick us up. We both enjoy a very rich truffle cheese gnocchi. It is so rich that even I, the human equivalent of a cheese-like Cookie Monster, have to scrape a layer of cheeese off. It is rich and very good. Before we try to settle the bill the waiter offers us glasses of free local wine that we enjoy. We glance around town a bit but can’t do much on account of our bags and call our driver. We note that this is a party town and some late night places don’t even open until 2 am. I am not sure I would have even been able to handle that during my “club” days. When I was younger I could extend the fun to the early morning but only if the early evening had started the activities.

In the morning we eat breakfast and we head down to town early before our boat ride.

We meet with the coordinator of the tour and they give us the disappointing news that the blue cave part of the tour is canceled for the day. It is disappointing but not at all surprising. The conditions have to be right to visit the blue cave and this past month alone it had only been reached 50% of the time. Us and many of the passengers decide to carry on with the boat tour anyway due to there being enough other stops to make it worthwhile (besides I already had an amazing blue cave experience many years ago in Capri in Italy).

They split the passengers into two boats and while I am initially sad we are to go in the small red boat, but I quickly realize I am with the fun group and it makes the tour much more enjoyable. First its about a thirty minute ride out and then we ride along and admire the coast of another island. Due to it being a choppy day, no one is manning and collecting money for the green cave so our adept captain takes our entire boat inside to enjoy. Due to the seas being rough we are unable to swim inside today though.

Our next stop is a small secluded beach only accessed by boat or by a steep trail. It was used in the second Mamma Mia movie. Our guide tells us we can swim out to the beach but only one is brave enough for a swim since the water is cold and it is early. We all resolve to watch the beach from the distance until the solo bartender on the beach waves us down and comes out with a small boat to taxi us over. Luckily we all get a better view from inside the beach. We are sure to purchase some beers from him for his kindness.

Supporting the local private beach business man

We are off to our next stop which are some arches in a cave that look pretty cool. Again if the sea wasn’t rough we could have been swimming in there but it is too dangerous today. We do stop in another little enclave that some of us do brave the cold water and jump in.

We next stop for lunch at another island. Mine is not memorable.

Finally we stop at a Cold War submarine cave at Vis. We get off the boat and walk through a tunnel.

We meet up with some of the groups of girls on the boat ride afterwards at an outdoor cafe. About 5 of us are from the US and the rest are from the UK. We talk about various things. It is nice getting to know people while I am traveling and seeing the world through other’s perspective.

I have a not so exiting dinner and then we have the driver from our hotel come pick us up. We have an afternoon ferry tomorrow so we mull over things to do in the morning. Our driver insists we should visit the castle on the hill and he will drop us off in the morning.

The next morning we pack up our bags and the driver says he will bring them to us down by the bus station later so we’ll have them for our ferry. This eliminates the stress of wondering what to do with our heavy bags while we sightsee.

There is a nice view of town from the fortress. We take the walk down to down afterwards watching people walk uphill from town. We definitely have the easier way of doing things by having our driver drop us at the top. There are some lovely gardens of the way down. We learn that it is designed this way by one influential person.

We get to the bottom, pick up our bags and catch our short ferry to split where we will pick up our rental car and drive to Zadar for a couple days in that region.

Afternoon on the water Dubrovnik

I wake up early and take a short walk and get a coffee. Finally I am able to find coffee to-go, rare in the Balkans. It’s not great coffee, but at least I am not required to sit at a cafe. I also get a cheese and spinach burek and make kitty friends as I sit on the steps to eat.

M wakes up and we decide to walk and get some snacks while we wait for our kayaking tour to start.

It’s finally time for our kayaking tour so we head out. We are both are experienced kayakers but I’ve only been ocean kayaking a little. We decide its for the best that she’s in the back of our tandem kayak since she the more experienced out of the two of us. Initially the tour is nice and easy. The guides decide to split the group into two: one for a shorter route and one for a longer route of about 8km. We decide on the longer route that takes us around the island of Lokrum. As we paddle toward the island we look back to admire the walls of the city.

We paddle around the island and reach a cave. Right outside the cave there is a ledge where we are to attempt a cliff dive. I plan on skipping the cliff dive but it seems the rest of the group is doing it so I guess I must too. The only problem is climbing up on the rock initially; between the sharp edges and the slippery parts I am a mess but with help I get up. There are two jumps to do, the high jump and the lower jump. The lower jump is high enough for me. I eventually do my jump into the very cold water and hang around on the lower rocks while I wait for everyone to finish their jumps – there is no way I am going to attempt to climb back up. The girls with wetsuits have it much better since they easily climb the rocks. I could have shimmied my way up if I had something protecting my body from the sharpness of the rocks.

The guide loads us back into our kayaks 2 by two and we head out a bit to wait and a quick look to the left gives us the vision of at least 3 naked men sunning on the rocks. Yes we were warned about this but it is no less jolting than seeing it for yourself. We giggle and make jokes about wieners and balls because we have the sense of humor of ten year old boys. Now it is time to paddle to the next cave for a little rest and swim.

Our views of the city from here are a little obscured from here due to the haze and the lowered sun. The cave is nice and cold. We do a quick swim and head back towards the starting point.

Our arms and shoulders are already pretty tired at this point but the paddle back uses all our energy reserves. We curse the kayak and waves a little bit but in time we make it to the calmer cove to exit our kayak. Despite the workout, it is a lovely tour. We will most likely be in pain tomorrow.

Our day isn’t over yet since we still plan to walk the city walls this afternoon. At close to 40 euros the cost is pricey but the money is used to maintain the walls that are pretty impressive. We have two hours to get around before they close. We make it all the way around and even stop at two of the bars up top for a drink along the way.

We stop for dinner to end the evening. My stomach gets upset from dinner or the physical effort or the alcohol so that night and the next day are a little rough for me.

We take the ferry to Lokrum island mid-day the next day. The island is nice and calm and big enough to escape the crowds. We see the place on the island where game of thrones is filmed and the associated throne. We also see some peacocks that are residents on the island. And we take a hike uphill to get a nice view of the city.

We try Buza bar once again. It is open this time but the Buza bar we find is the one that does not have full view of the sunset. It is nice regardless.

Our final morning in Dubrovnik we do some store browsing, visit an old pharmacy, eat ice cream, and seek out a naughty looking statue. We are catching a ferry to Hvar this afternoon but we do a visit to Cave Bar More and Love Bar. Both are lovely bars to stop at for a drink but I suggested not ordering food at the Cave Bar since it is disappointing. Come to think about it, most of the food in Dubrovnik has been disappointing. Hopefully things will get better in other parts of Croatia.

One of the few non disappointing meals I had Taj Mahal (Eastern European)

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today I am taking a bus from Kotor (Montenegro) over the border to Dubrovnik Croatia. I crossed borders by vehicle a couple days ago, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro, and it was pretty easy . But now we are actually crossing into the EURO zone and I guess it gets more complicated. Our bus is 30 minutes late already. No big deal because its supposed to be only a two hour ride; but that was before I found out what crossing the borders actually meant.

Pretty rough street cat at the bus station. My heart hurts watching him.

Seems like an uneventful bus ride, at the beginning

Things seem simple enough leaving Montenegro. They don’t even stamp us on the way out. I have to go to the bathroom but afraid the bus will leave without me i decide to wait. We get to the Croatian border and the line is pretty long. We wait at least 45 minutes until they have us exit the bus to go through passport control. Everything seems fine as persons cross the border line one by one. Then they have us get back of the bus to claim our things and get in another line to get searched. Everyone is thoroughly searched. I am towards the end of the line so I don’t really know what is going on until the end. I just assumed they would X-ray our suitcases like they do at the airports. Instead they search each bag and it becomes obvious they are looking for drugs; not only illegal substance but also prescription drugs that are not accompanied by a prescription. I am even asked if I have marijuana multiple times. I have never been searched like this before, especially at the border of the EU. Two ladies from our bus are taken aside and have to paid fines for their antidepressants they can’t provide prescriptions for. One guy is taken in a private room and made to strip down. Another guy never returns to the bus. One can only assumed he is being detained at the border. After a very long wait we finally resume our journey.

The bus station in Dubrovnik is about 20 minutes from the old town by public bus which costs two euros. It looks like the bus station and ferry port are either the same or very close. The bus drops me at the main gate in town and I waddle myself in between the tour groups entering the city at the same time. This is supposed to be the shoulder season of traveling here but the crowds are so thick during the day I can’t see how it can be worse. It would be downright unbearable during season combined with the heat of the summer. The temperatures are just about right for me right now. Very warm during the day in the sun, chilly at night. Not great swimming weather but great for wandering around town.

Luckily my apartment is available for early check in because there are no guests before and after our reservation. I haven’t had a chance to eat lunch because of out extended bus ride. There are a plate of taffy like candies that I end up devouring. I don’t even really tend to crave sweets and I cannot stop eating these things. I must go out and get some food.

My big plans were to get laundry done but the only nearby laundry closes in 30 minutes and is not self-service. Luckily they have a quick turn around so I plan to drop off first thing tomorrow.

Wandering the back alleys you get a feel for how it was in the past walking the stone streets, especially the streets not packed with tour groups.

As expected I reward my long stressful bus ride with a wine and a cheese plate.

I meet up with some new friends I had met in Mostar a couple days ago and they introduce me to Bar Dodo. We enjoy a drink, good conversation and a good view.

My new friends need to leave early because they are flying home tomorrow so I head to dinner. I din’t plan well and pick a pricey restaurant for my first meal. I try the local black risotto and fresh oysters. The risotto is good but I am disappointed with the oysters. Ive had much better oysters outside of Croatia. For being on the water I’ve had disappointing seafood during my travels thus far.

The next morning is laundry and breakfast. I wander around town while I wait for my friend to arrive. I also light a candle for my mom at a local church as a gesture to remembering her during my travels. I am not a christian but it gives me a moment of peace to do this for her.

I notice a statue of a local Marin Drzic’. There are only a few statues erected in town and this is one of them. People rub the nose for luck or such but there is no official lore related to that. We learn more about him later during a walking tour.

Our apartment overlooks the famous stairs featured in game of thrones – a show I have not watched. The one scene in question has a character walking down the stairs while people chant “shame shame shame”.

I will periodically hear people chanting “shame, shame, shame” outside.

My friend arrives and we decide to eat. She’s had a long flight and she is hungry. I drag her to a restaurant that I see on a travel program Barba. I want to try their octopus burger. The bread isn’t exciting but the burger itself is good. My friend’s shrimp burger not good. It looks like the octopus burger is the best choice there.

We check out some stores and an outdoor market. There are some fun dresses I am tempted to buy. There seems to be a specific style of Dubrovnik tourist fashion.

We try to visit the “must-see” bar buzz bar but it is not open for service yet. I decide to take my friend down to the bar I had visited the night before.

We sign up for a free walking tour to get a feel for the city. We learn a little more about the history and get some advice on places to eat and visit. We learn about the orphanages in town and a story the sounds almost like the original “kids to get off my lawn” from a priest yelling at boys playing football.

We go to one of the restaurants suggested by the guide and it turns out disappointing. I guess we are a month too early for mussel season. They are small, gritty and not very tasty. Bad luck agin.

We take our wine bottle back to our room (yeah fridge) and finally notice the bottle of unmarked brandy in the room. The host left some local treats and this bottle that we can only assume to sample. I taste the wormwood right away. It’s a bit rough to get it down but when in Rome (or Croatia). Hopefully it helps me get to sleep quicker!

We think it’s Pelinkovac, a bitter liqueur

Tomorrow we plan to kayak and walk the walls. Nite nite.