Split, Croatia

 

 

The bus ride from Dubrovnik to Split is 4 hours of sight seeing bliss.  My original plan was to take the 8 hour ferry between the 2 Dalmatian towns but that is not offered in the "off season".   But I forget all about that with my face pressed against the window, unable to take my eyes off the scenery.  Small village homes dot the cliffs and I can't help but wonder who lives there. 

 

There is a French family sitting in front of me.  I like listening to their small children speaking in French.  One of the little boys spills his entire bag of peanut M & M's.  For the rest of the trip we can hear the candies roll the entire length of the bus floor back and forth.  The father hangs his head in frustration.  I am silently giggling.

There is a small portion of the Adriatic coastline that belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina.  If you are driving from Dubrovnik heading north you must drive through the Bosnian town of Neum. This is Bosnia's only access to the Adriatic.  The bus stops at the border and Croatian border guards board the bus to check passports.  I had already been told by friends that this was going to happen so I am prepared.  Most of the other tourists have their passports at the ready.   The French family, however,  is stunned and seems to be completely confused as to why they have to show their passports.

The Croatian guards send us on our way.  Ten minutes later we reach the border to re-enter Croatia.  This time the bus is boarded by Bosnian border guards.   The process seems backwards to me.  Why do they care who is leaving their country?  Shouldn't the Bosnian guards check passports as we ENTER Bosnia and Croatian guards check as we re-enter Croatia?  I don't think the US cares who is LEAVING only who is entering. The French family seems completely annoyed and confused to show their passports again.  If I spoke French I would try to explain it to them.

When we get close to Split the pristine coastline starts to fill with groupings of hotels and resorts.  Each community has the iconic steeple of a hilltop Croatian church, usually painted pale yellow.

Our bus ride ends unceremoniously at the main bus terminal in Split.  As nice as the ride is, my body is very happy to stand up.  The terminal faces the bay shared with ships and ferries of all sizes.  This area of Split is very commercialized with billboards, one after another, advertising McDonald's, banks and shopping malls.  Initially, it is a little disappointing but that changes quickly.  As I get close to the famous Riva Promenade,  billboards are replaced with palm trees and an endless row of coffee shops, one after another.  Each are filled with coffee drinkers dressed to impress.

The Riva Promenade

My apartment, Villa Olivia, is just on the edge of "Old Town", apparently in the seafood restaurant section.  The smell of seafood cooking in butter and garlic permeates the alleys and I wonder why anyone would eat McDonald's here.  The property owner, Ema, meets me at the building.  She is a sweet and friendly Croatian who brings me into the most charming property.  My room, a converted attic space on the top floor, is absolutely adorable. It's been completely remodeled and has brand new everything. It's painted mint green and has great views of the city.  I can't believe how lucky I've been choosing accommodation so far.  We sit for a while and she tells me all I need to know about her beloved city. Then she leaves me for my adventure.

View from the room.

 My sightseeing begins at the Diocletian Palace which makes up most of Old Town. At the turn of the fourth century AD, the Roman emperor Diocletian built a grand palace to spend his retirement.  Originally, the Adriatic lapped up against the fortress walls of the Palace.  Today, the Promenade separates the two.  Today businesses and residences make their home inside the Palace walls. Orchestras, operas and concerts take place in the square. I guess you could say the Palace is less of a museum and more of a city center.

Diocletian Palace

Outside of the Palace are markets where vendors sell everything from jewelry and clothing to fresh seafood, literally right off the boat. There is a seemingly endless selection of haute couture boutiques and of course, coffee bars.  Then there are the ice cream shops!  Every group of tourist can be seen enjoying a scoop.  As in Dubrovnik, there seems to be a "set" price for the frozen treat.  But unlike Dubrovnik is it 3 Kuna cheaper.  This gives me hope that my stay in Split will be a little kinder on my pocket book.

Kanoba Marjan employees

After a day of sight seeing, I find one of the seafood restaurants Ema recommended, Kanoba Marjan.  It's a tiny place, only about 4 tables.  It's fairly early still so there are just 2 other tables of customers.  I am pleasantly surprised that the prices are significantly cheaper than Dubrovnik.  I order black risotto with prawns and a mixed salad.  In Europe your meals don't come with side dishes.  Each item must be ordered separately.  Salads usually come dry and the waiter brings you oil and vinegar. It is just a lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad with fresh feta but tastes like each item was hand picked from the garden that day.  My seafood dish is so good I eat the entire huge portion not leaving a single grain of risotto on the plate.  I stay and chit chat with the waiter and bartender for a bit who are extremely friendly and want to know if they can be in my book.

When I get back to the apartment I am thoroughly exhausted but want to work on my photos.  I lie down on the bed with my laptop on my chest.  Bad idea.  I fall asleep immediately.  At some point in the night, the sounds of torrential rain and thunder wake me.  Every shutter of the building is slapping against the stone walls. I jump out of bed and open the windows trying to grab the shutters and close them.  The strong wind works against me for several minutes while icy cold wind and rain pelt my face.  Finally, I get all the shutters and windows closed.  I turn back to the bed and see my laptop on the floor.  I pick it up, there is  no power and it has an electrical burning smell.  When I jumped up to close the windows the laptop must have gone flying off my chest on to the floor.  I get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking that the laptop is toast.  Later my fears will be confirmed.

The next morning I run into Ema and tell her of my mishap.  She offers to bring me over an extra laptop of hers to use during my stay.  This kind gesture literally saves my trip. Thanks, Ema!!

On day 2, I decide to take the ferry to the famous island of Brač.  I show up to the harbor with no idea what I'm doing.  Eventually I find the ticket office and purchase my fare.  In a very thick accent she tells me where to go.  Not fully understanding, I show up to a boat that turns out to actually be a fishing boat.  I think the captain laughs at me when he sends me off  in the right direction.  The correct boat was one of those huge ferries that transport vehicles in the belly.  You have to take an escalator to get to the top.  I can't understand why almost every passenger is in the enclosed section downstairs.   I want to be on the top deck so I can swoon at the views.  It only takes 1 minute to figure out why I was practically alone upstairs.  The previous night's storm signicanlty dropped temperatures and left in its wake strong winds called Bora.  I have to wrap my scarf around my head to keep  my hair from flying around like it was being blown with a 100,000 watt hair dryer.

View of Split from the ferry

The harbor at Supetar on the island of Bol

Admittedly, I didn't know much about Brač.  After we land in the harbor city of Supetar, I immediately take off to the city center and start taking photos.  Very quickly I notice I am completely alone.  What happened to the hundreds of other people that got off the ferry.  I walk back to the port and see a bus station with buses loaded full.  I approach the ticket office and ask the lady, "Where should I go?"  "Bol, of course," is her response.  So, I buy a ticket to Bol.

I am the last to board and then we drive off into the mountains.  The hour long bus ride takes us straight up into the mountains and eventually to the complete other side.  The roads are winding and I can look out of my window and see straight down the side of the mountain.   Oddly for me, I am never scared. 

  Again, within minutes I found myself totally alone.  Either I am not paying attention or these people are disappearing into thin air.

Our destination, as it turns out, is a famous beach with an iconic peninsula shape.  I've seen it in books.  The bus, however, drops us off at the city center and the beach is still quite a trek.  During the peak season the town is hopping with tourists, many of them on bikes.  But this is the off season and everything is closed, including bike rental shops.  My goal is to get to the point of that peninsula, but it is so damn cold.   I zip up my jacket and wrap my scarf around my neck and start walking at practically a 45 degree angle into the wind.  Must...get...to...the...point. 

I finally make it and all I can say is what a view!  Imagine clear blue water lapping up to a pebble beach backdroped by mountains on all sides. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it.  Standing on the tip of the point I kept walking around in circles thinking this has to be the most peaceful and amazing place on Earth.  And I had the entire beach practically to myself.  Seriously...where do all of the people disappear to?

It hardly seems fair one country has so many amazing landscapes.  Islands, mountains, clear blue sea, lush green country sides, giant waterfalls. I wonder if the neighboring countries are jealous?

When my lips and fingernails turn a lovely shade of blue I head back to the bus stop.   We make the winding mountain trip again in reverse.  When I board the ferry I go below deck this time.  I'd seen it.

By the time I get back to Split it is 7pm.  I'd been thinking of that dinner at Konoba Marjan all day and couldn't wait to go back.  When I finally get there the dining room is full except for 1 table.  The same guys I made friends with one day earlier were now turning me away because I was a party of one.  I couldn't believe it!  I try a few other restaurants and the same thing kept happening.  If maximizing occupancy at tables is that important then they should turn the 4 & 6 tops into 2 tops to accommodate smaller parties.

Feeling defeated, I walk back towards my apartment.  At the last minute I see an Italian restaurant  that doesn't look too busy.  When I get to the door there are a group of waiters talking.   I ask if I can grab a table and they say, "Of course".  Most of the tables are full but I find an open 4 top and plop down.  I was hell bent on seafood so I choose the shrimp and salmon pasta. My waiter is not very attentive so I practically have to tackle him to get him to pay attention to me. (Waiters are paid a salary in Croatia and do not expect tips.)

The table next to me is a group of British women and I hear them order the Amerikanka Pizza.  American pizza? I flipped throught the menu and found the list of pizzas.  The American has bacon and corn.  Hmm. In all my years I've never seen any pizza offered with corn in the US.  Maybe in Nebraska? And not one single time have I ever seen pepperoni pizza anywhere in Europe.  As a matter of fact, I heard small peppers called pepperoni one time.

As I am enjoying my delicious dinner, I look up and notice that the restaurant has not only filled up they are turning people away at the door.  The manager walks by and gives me and my 3 empty seats the stink eye. I ignore it.

On day 3, I take the city bus to the historical town of Trogir.  It's about a 15 minute ride west of Split.  Trogir, is located on the coast and has history dating back to the 3rd Century BC. The town is very charming in the typical Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque mixtures of architecture.  It looks like a little Venice.  The weather is still cold and windy and the narrow pathways between the old buildings create a wind tunnel that make my teeth chatter.  When I finally  can take no more I find a café to hole up in.  I make friends with the waitress and bartender as I am the only patron. The bartender entertains himself by watching the Ellen DeGeneres show on his iPhone. 

Trogir

When I get back to Split I go exploring up the coastline.  I head north and walk for a couple of hours without ever seeing another soul.  (Well, except for the sleeping grandpa)  Every so often I stop to admire the peaceful Adriatic.  There is something so soothing about this sea. And it's really  not as calm as people say.  But still, it seems to repair the rough edges of the soul when you drink in its greatness.  When I feel I've gone as far as I can go without needing transportation back I turn around.  As I walk, I realize my Dalmatian adventure is coming to a close.  Sadly, I start to prepare for the trip home.

Dubrovnik Day 2 & 3

Throughout the night my mind dreams of gliding over calm clear blue water and visiting the tranquil and remote  islands of Elaphite.  I wake up and realize I am high in the hills overlooking Dubrovnik.   I jump out of bed, excited to get started on my boat tour.  I should say I tried to jump out of bed.  When I stand up my feet hurt so badly I have to immediately sit back down.  Apparently, an entire day of walking on stone paths of Old Town was more than my poor feet could handle.  I tiptoe to the kitchen and am grateful that I am going to spend most of the day on a boat to minimize further injury to my feet. I inhale my breakfast of sliced cheese, a tangerine and 2 cups of coffee and tear out the front door. 

After practically running down the 340 steps from my apartment to the  Ploče  Gate, I show up to the dock only to be told that I am 2 hours too early.  "Sit and have a coffee" is the employee's recommendation.  It is Croatia, for goodness sake.  Do you really need a reason to have more coffee?  So, I do  as I am told tapping my foot impatiently the whole time.

When it was time to set sail, our captain and assistant who speak no English, take a head count of passengers.   We must be all here because without any introductions, instructions or a howdy-do we push off.  We leave the Dubrovnik harbor on course for the Elaphite Islands.  The calm sea I had fantasized about turns out in reality to be very choppy causing the boat to pitch sharply.  I begin to appreciate just how small our boat is.  As we get away from the mainland the waters clam down and I can now sit back and enjoy the beauty of the Adriatic.

The first of the islands we stop at is Koločep.  Again, our boat's crew say not a word to us.  They just write on a black board the name of the island and "35 min".  I take this to mean this is how long we have on this island.   April is still considered the off season and as a result not one single thing on the island is open.  Not a shop, restaurant, restroom or anything.  There appear to be homes in the hills but I'm not sure how any people can survive without supplies? The only hotel on the island is under construction, obviously getting ready for the real season.  So I spend my time sitting on  the edge of the harbor.  My view is of pretty clear blue water decorated with anchored boats and mountains for a backdrop.  I look up at the houses in the hills and think how lucky those people are to live in such a peaceful place.  Why did I think I needed shops and a restaurant?

Koločep

I stumbled on this very old chapel hidden behind some brush.

When we get back on the boat we are fed fresh grilled fish, veggies and drinks.  I don't know how they cooked it on that tiny boat but it was delicious.

We finish eating just as our boat pulls into the next island of Šipan. We  have a full 45 minutes to walk around.  There is one tiny café serving coffee and sodas and the rest of the town is made up of residences. The area around the harbor is adorable lined with white stone buildings and docked fishing boats.  Children sit along the pathways and sell their sea shells to tourists.  I'm not sure how well they are doing since this is the "off" season.  Another woman sells her crochet as she sits there and tats in front of you.  As I am walking down a path in front of a home, an old lady pokes her head out of a window.  I am dying to take her picture so I ask her if I can.  "Me?" she exclaims.  The only word I can come up with is "bellissimo". (My Croatian still stinks) She waves me off with an embarrassed hand but lets me take her photo anyway.  She has no idea how beautiful she is.



Šipan

  

We finally arrive at our third and my favorite island, Lopud.  We have a whopping 2 1/2 hours to explore. It is a  more inhabited port with nice shops and restaurants.  I start up the paths and, as usual, find myself completely alone within minutes.  I think it's so funny that no one is ever interested in the same things I am.  Citrus trees line the path with oranges and the biggest lemons you have ever seen.  I really want to pick one but I show some self control.  At one point I see a sign for a church so I continue up the path in that direction up hill.  (Let me emphasize UP HILL).  I walk and walk and I can hear my heart pounding in my ears like a drum.  Each time I am ready to stop, I think I've come this far, surely it can't be much further.  When I get to the point I think I am going to collapse I give up. When I turn around I see the most fantastic view.  I may not have ever found the church but I was definitely closer to God.

I practically fly down the mountain (it's so steep it's hard not to) and find a café to rest in.  I sip coffee mere inches from the sea and the let the sun warm my face. As I stare out at the hypnotizing water, I feel so at peace in this very profound moment.

Sadly, our 2 1/2 hours come to a close and I drag my feet back to the boat.  I am the last one to return, as usual.



The view from where I was climbing...looking for a church that apparently didn't exist.

Citrus trees grow everywhere.

When we port back at Dubrovnik I realize I am starving.  I stumble into a seafood restaurant, Moby Dick.  When I ask them if they take credit cards they say yes but they would rather not.  I just want to take the waiter by the shoulders and shake him.  I tell him it is the only way I can pay so he reluctantly agrees to accept it.

My dinner was baked fish, mussels and black seafood risotto.  I start with a mixed salad and my choice of salad dressing is oil and vinegar or oil and vinegar.  Every bite melts in my mouth and I would lick the plate if I was sure no one was looking.

The owner, a chain smoker,  sits next to me and tries to chit chat.  He says HE is Moby Dick.  I leave that one alone.

When the bill comes it is 266 Kuna. By Croatian standards, this is a small fortune  for a dinner.  And because I am paid in the local currency it is a small fortune for me as well.  However, to justify it I tell myself,  "But that's only $48."  I do a lot of that kind of justification on this trip.

My last day in Dubrovnik is on Palm Sunday.  I had seen local street vendors selling braided palms for 2 days now.  It strikes me as odd since today they would be handed out at Mass. So why buy them?  It's because in this country you bring your own palms to Mass.  I am sure glad I figured this out before I went to Mass and started asking around where to get in line for the palms.  By the time I  try to buy one, most of the street vendors have sold out.  So I had to buy a very sad one that had been picked over by everyone before me.  It was the Easter version of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.


Local church parishioners with their palms.
  I bet they are discussing a football game!

After Mass, I take the quick 15 minute ferry to the green and lush island of Lokrum. This is a peaceful and lazy island known for its Benedictine monastery and botanical garden.  Families of peacocks are the only residents.  After a couple of hours walking the island I have a relaxing lunch at the one restaurant on the island.  Peacocks hover at my elbow waiting for scraps of bread.  Recently, Lokrum has become well known for being the location where Qarth scenes of Game of Thrones was filmed.

My picture.



Scene from Game of Thrones

Early the next morning, I say my goodbyes to Dijana and Marko.  I get a big hug from Dijana and Marko gives me a sweet grin as he peeks out from behind his mother's legs. She tells me which bus to take to get to the main bus station. 

While I am excited to leave for my next adventure I am sad to leave such a fantastic city.  My words in this blog can never adequately describe the impact the city had on me.  The history, the architecture, the sea, the food, the people...all rolled up in one perfect package.  If you plan to visit Dubrovnik, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to see everything it has to offer.  Trust me, this is one gem not to be missed.