The ride to Split was super hectic. I was supposed to take the 10 a.m. bus and since my first bus ride was so amazing I had no concerns. Why should I? I had a seat reserved after all... WELL. The bus pulled up and there were like a million people waiting to get on and you can imagine the mad rush that existed. Well, no one got on because the bus came already full. Crazy. Anyway, luckily there was another bus that came eventually and I got on that one and all was fine, but it was stressful and annoying. The bus ride was long and hot, but all was forgotten when I arrived in magical Split.
Split is a city that sits right on the Adriatic Sea. Its Old Town is the hot tourist destination and its fantastic and historical... it sits right inside of Diocletian's Palace (a Roman emperor). The whole city is inside the old palace - shops, restaurants, life, tourism, all within amazing architecture. Its very cool. I could've walked within the small winding streets forever... The first day there I took a tour of the basements of the Old Palace. Apparently Diocletian was a bit paranoid and towards the end of his life he lived out his days in the Palace and moved into the basement where he felt the most protected.
Day 2 in Split I took a day trip out to the Cetina River with 2 Swedes and 2 French and went Canyoning. Now this was super fun and SUPER HARD on the knee. A bit of a mistake now looking back, but what can I do there is a side of me that always craves adventure!? It was beautiful. We walked and climbed in and out of rivers and waterfalls and floated down parts of the river. I even swam next to a snake at one point! The water was so cold and so nice because it was about 97 degrees outside. The only downside was that I couldn't really move for about 4 days after.
Day 3 in Split I took a day trip out to the islands. I did it with a speed boat for 8 people which was quite awesome. We got to see so much because we were capable of going so fast. The day started with a stop at what is known as the Blue Cave. Between 11 and 12 everyday the water hits at a certain angle and lights up the entire inside of the cave with the blue water. And because the water is so clear you can see so far deep inside. As kitschy as it sounds its actually quite stunning. From there we headed to the Green Cave, which is somewhat similar but you are actually allowed to swim inside of it! It was awesome. From there we headed to the island of Vis and docked at a GORGEOUS turquoise pebble cove. We spent 4 hours swimming in the crystal clear water and spending time in the sun, it was so relaxing and fun. From there we headed to Hvar Town on the island of Hvar and got to see where all the fancy schmancy people play. Just the yachts in the port were amazing.
Leaving Split was hard because I could barely walk down stairs (my quads were so so achey from the canyoning still!) much less walk with my pack on my back, but I made it to Dubrovnik...
...only to find that I did not book a night in the hostel as I thought! Luckily they had a private room and I took it even though it was pricey! One night of privacy and space and air conditioning, who could complain?
Dubrovnik's main touristy area is also an Old City. Its fortified and sits as a peninsula on the water. Its a breathtaking city. You can get lost in its little streets which at night turns into restaurants with tables/chairs outside full of people! There is a lot of excitement and chaos everywhere you look. In late July, unfortunately, it has way too many people... I would recommend for you to go in October.
My second day in Dubrovnik I kicked more into gear and actually did some sightseeing. I started the day visiting the Synagogue which is quite small and is located on the street where the Jewish Ghetto used to be. Today the synagogue is still used but only on high holidays. The Rabbi lives in Zagreb and apparently rotates through different cities in Croatia. Interesting. From there I went to a photography exhibit Museum which was fascinating. They had three exhibits: 1) On the war in Bosnia in the 90's (I was especially interested in seeing this because I was planning on going to Mostar a few days later and this exhibit gave me a glimpse into the history that I would see). 2) On Sudan and 3) On Serbia. A great museum, highly recommended! Afterwards I went swimming at one of the small beaches by the hostel. The water was FREEZING. Like colder than Lake Michigan. I later found out that apparently there was a cold front that had come in for just a few days, lucky me! Seriously. It was ridiculously cold, completely shocking to the body! That evening I took the cable car up and saw Dubrovnik from above (which was magnificent!) and watched the sun set.
Day 3- I went to the Island of Lokrum, which is just a 20 minute ferry ride away. Its a UNESCO protected island with peacocks roaming wild and pretty greenery, an old monastery, a Dead Sea (uhm, doesn't even compare to the real one), and slabs and slabs of rocks that you can lay on and sunbathe by the water. It was so relaxing and fun. In the evening I walked the City Walls around Dubrovnik and ate the best dinner ever, Bosnian food, delicious meat.
Day 4- I took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia and Hercegovina. We had several stops including ancient Roman ruins, a town where some kids had a sighting of the Madonna so its super religious, an old Turkish town, and Mostar which is really the highlight. As we entered the city and were driving closer to the Old Town it was interesting to see how many buildings were still standing from the period of war. They were dilapidated and full of bullet holes and just left untouched, preserving a period of history that is so deeply engraved within the hearts of its people. I was fascinated to learn more about it. While I remember the war itself, I was only in jr. high/early high school and I didn't really remember all the details of why and what, etc... The old town of Mostar itself was absolutely stunning. Built during the Turkish period with that kind of architecture, sitting over a river the color of green-blue with a special arched Turkish style bridge separating the two sides. Apparently people jump off the bridge for money. I saw it happen twice while I was eating my lunch. Its a looooooong way down to the river. I think some tourists have attempted it before and the results have not been so good. The one downside to Mostar is that it was 100 degrees outside and in that weather you can't really do much at all. Its pretty miserable.
Day 5- I took a day trip to Korcula, a beautiful island about 1.5 hours from Dubrovnik. Also a walled city. Apparently its the birthplace of Marco Polo (Korcula was once in Italian hands). I met some Spaniards that day and went swimming with them, had a delicious lunch, etc. We stopped at a vineyard on the way back and sampled all kinds of Croatian wine and cherry brandy (which I ended up buying a bottle of because its DELICIOUS!) It was such a fun day. My last night I spent going out with my Brazilian buddies from the hostel and actually ended up only sleeping an hour before getting ready to go to the airport. I shouldn't have slept at all... ;)
I don't really know how to sum up the adventure in a few words... it was fun, glamorous, peaceful, fulfilling, cultural, spiritual, and entertaining. I had so much time to think through things, see beautiful sites, meet awesome people, have some good laughs, get lost in different cities (and found), and prepare myself for all the craziness that this year will bring. Oh, and I had like 6 different times where butterflies literally landed on me or were just flying in circles around me. That was pretty awesome. Who could complain?
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| Sunset over Dubrovnik (Northern Islands) |
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| Lokrum Island |
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| Mostar, Bosnia and Hercegovina |
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| Korcula |
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| Sunflowers at the vineyards |
