Nancy and I met up in Split, Croatia on Sat. morning, August 15th. We sat at a cafe by the azure Adriatic Sea and started catching up on the past 6 years over lunch, watching the boats bob in the harbor and countless backpackers and tourists roam the glistening marble streets.
We got a kick out of this "dummy" tourist set up to guard several bags. We ended up talking for hours before heading to our hostel through the crypt of Diocletian's Palace (the heart of the city) and tucked away through some winding alleys. That night we indulged in a fantastic meal of squid and fish that we got to select from a variety platter of whole fish.
On Sunday, we took a ferry to the island, Vis, which is the least inhabited and farthest away of all the islands off the coast of Croatia. I had perma-grin as we rode scooters around the little island....along the cliffs by the sea, through little towns, and by vineyards.
We stopped in one of the towns to roam the streets a bit and take in some local flavor.
Local flavor in the form of a common Croatian sandwich. The flaky, pastry like bread was stuffed with a Ricotta like cheese.
We honked our little scooter horns, raced each other, and snapped pictures as we took on the hairpin turns along the coast and windy country roads.
Reluctantly, we turned the scooters in and walked the town of Vis, taking some time to take a dip in the sea.
We were treated to a fantastic sunset across the water as the ferry made it's way back to Split.
That night after a dinner of white asparagus pizza (much of Croatian food is inspired by Italian cuisine), we walked throughout Diocletian's Palace, the heart of the city, home to many restaurants, cafes, bars, and merchants. While exploring we ran into the owner of the hostel where we were staying. He took us to a laid back, discreet little bar overlooking the sea where we tried local cocktails.
The next morning we shopped a bit in the market. There were tons of produce stands where the sellers were the growers of the food. The lace making business is a dying art, so we did our best to support these adorable little ladies who spent hours handcrafting intricate designs.
Day 3: Nancy and I took a bus to a nearby coastal town, Brela. Beach day! The beaches were very rocky which forced us to keep shoes on. The water was extremely salty but cool and refreshing. Floating was made very easy because of the density of the salt. Men were selling corn on the cob on the beach, there were many people para sailing, and paddle boats with slides for rent.
As we were watching these Italian men harvest sea urchins, they cut open some and offered the roe to us. It was yellowish and kind of sweet. It seemed like a great deal of work for such a small quantity of eggs.
The catch was not getting poked by the prickly exterior as you licked them out with your tongue. Usually, the roe is scooped out with pane (bread)..jpg)
We enjoyed more fresh seafood, caprese salad, and local vino at a cafe along the water before catching a ride on scooters to the bus stop. Nancy got part of her nickname that night when the two Croatian guys that offered us rides asked which of us was more "extreme". Nancy quickly volunteered to ride the racing motorbike instead of the scooter since I was wearing a dress. Hence..."Extreme Nancy" which developed into Extreme Nancy Drew later after exercising some of her sleuth-like, exploratory skills. The Croatian that I rode with sang "Georgia On My Mind" when I told him I'm from Ga....unexpected but amusing!
After a couple nights in the mixed dorm hostel (7 people in our room), we moved to another hostel where we had our own room. It was an interior designer's nightmare between the peachy colored bands alternating with popcorn like textured bands and an illuminated photo for wall decor. To top it off, we had dirty white faux leather padded door with brass tack accents. However, we got some privacy, it was cheap, and we were directly beside the palace and in the midst of the fresh market.
Day #4 we headed to Trogir for the day, by ferry. On this island we climbed the bell tower, toured the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. As we reached the top of the tower, the bells started ringing, almost scaring me off the platform.
The cathedral was intricately detailed.
On either side of the entrance statues of ashamed Adam and Eve stood, covering themselves.
Walking along this little harbor, we asked some guys where the closest beach was after trying to find it ourselves with no luck. The Swedish college kids invited us on a boat ride out to some ruins where we jumped off the boat and swam.
Day 5: Extreme Canyoning. We spent the day with gorgeous Croatian guides and a group of Spanish vacationers wading through the river water in a canyon, hopping rocks, jumping off boulders into the water, and drifting down rapids. I soon found that unless you maintain the pencil like form when lunging from a boulder it doesn't feel so good when ya hit the water.
The guides were not a bad view, neither was the canyon. Nancy fell madly in love with Igor, the guy to my right but decided she must "wash that man right outa my hair".
That night, in Diocletian's Palace (back in Split) there were some flame throwers that danced to a musician singing some classic American rock, with an accent.
Down by the sea there was a free Croatian concert. The lead singer mastered the air guitar and it was amusing to see the locals singing and dancing along to the mystery lyrics.
Day 6: We stopped on our way to Krka National Park in Sibenik to tour a cathedral "Katedrala Sv Jakova".
One thing this cathedral are for it's 70 something heads of "ordinary" people.
We took a little walk in Sibenik before getting on a local, stinky bus with fresh fish, ripe locals, and ripped fabric seats. We were dropped off in a little town, where we had a little picnic and enjoyed the views then hopped on the river ferry to head to the infamous waterfalls.
We swam in the cool water below the falls and sat on the cascading travertine, limestone deposited on moss and algae that creates various forms.
For days 7 and 8 and part of day 9 we took a bus, 4 hours south to the city Dubrovnik. It is also a coastal town and was severly bombed by neighboring countries in the early 90's. They've rebuilt a great bit and they pride themselves in their medieval walls surrounding the old town.
During our stay, we definitly got a workout, stairmaster style. Our hostel sat on the side of a mountain that lead down to the old city. Multiple times daily we'd walk about 30 minutes of stairs/ hill one way.
This is the entrance to the old town. There use to be a moat surrounding the city walls and the drawbridge was lifted every night.
Right outside the city walls were a couple of cafes that had spectacular views of the city. On the second day we came to this area to swim and cool off after hiking along the walls in the extreme heat.
Water break, inside the city walls.
Our last day we decided on another beach day. We hung out with some travelers the night before, dancing, and listening to music by the harbor into the morning and had been on the go all week so we were in need of a "lounging" day.
That night was the best meal I had....fantastic, fresh seafood and a spectacular view of the harbor.
Tuna pate and herb butter for our fresh bread.
We split the shrimp risotto to start off.
A tuna, about 3' long, was caught that afternoon...we chose to split a center fillet.
We made short work of the tuna and veggies and finished by the traditional espresso. Then we met up with an Irish couple that we met the night before to hang out the rest of the evening.
This is one of the several cathedrals within the city walls. A summer festival was going on the entire month of August with street performers, etc., many people out and about. It was interesting just wondering the streets at night, coming across old buildings and people watching.
Before heading back to Split to catch our 12 hour ferry back to Italy, we squeezed in a walk along the city walls.
This image from atop the walls shows the contrast in the old rooves with the new rooves as a result of the bombing in the early 90's.
On our way out of the city we came upon some incredibly passionate musicians. The "bottle" player stole the show. He was very expressive!
After a couple nights in the mixed dorm hostel (7 people in our room), we moved to another hostel where we had our own room. It was an interior designer's nightmare between the peachy colored bands alternating with popcorn like textured bands and an illuminated photo for wall decor. To top it off, we had dirty white faux leather padded door with brass tack accents. However, we got some privacy, it was cheap, and we were directly beside the palace and in the midst of the fresh market.
Day #4 we headed to Trogir for the day, by ferry. On this island we climbed the bell tower, toured the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. As we reached the top of the tower, the bells started ringing, almost scaring me off the platform.
The cathedral was intricately detailed.
On either side of the entrance statues of ashamed Adam and Eve stood, covering themselves.
Walking along this little harbor, we asked some guys where the closest beach was after trying to find it ourselves with no luck. The Swedish college kids invited us on a boat ride out to some ruins where we jumped off the boat and swam.
Day 5: Extreme Canyoning. We spent the day with gorgeous Croatian guides and a group of Spanish vacationers wading through the river water in a canyon, hopping rocks, jumping off boulders into the water, and drifting down rapids. I soon found that unless you maintain the pencil like form when lunging from a boulder it doesn't feel so good when ya hit the water. The "extreme" aspect was the rappelling down a cliff, about 175 feet, by a waterfall. My heart was beating out of my chest, then about stopped as the guide told me to lean back in my harness, suspended by a pulley. I've never been a fan of heights but thought this might help break my fear. In actuality, it about gave me a heart attack. As I made my way down the cliff, I couldn't bear to look down much so I ended up straddling a sapling along the way..haha! The second time we rappelled that day, I was able to loosen my death grip on the rope some and actually push off the cliff like I was suppose to.
Nancy gave me the nickname "Kimmy Jo Go" at some point during all this.
The guides were not a bad view, neither was the canyon. Nancy fell madly in love with Igor, the guy to my right but decided she must "wash that man right outa my hair".
That night, in Diocletian's Palace (back in Split) there were some flame throwers that danced to a musician singing some classic American rock, with an accent.
Down by the sea there was a free Croatian concert. The lead singer mastered the air guitar and it was amusing to see the locals singing and dancing along to the mystery lyrics.
Day 6: We stopped on our way to Krka National Park in Sibenik to tour a cathedral "Katedrala Sv Jakova".
One thing this cathedral are for it's 70 something heads of "ordinary" people.
We took a little walk in Sibenik before getting on a local, stinky bus with fresh fish, ripe locals, and ripped fabric seats. We were dropped off in a little town, where we had a little picnic and enjoyed the views then hopped on the river ferry to head to the infamous waterfalls.
We swam in the cool water below the falls and sat on the cascading travertine, limestone deposited on moss and algae that creates various forms.
For days 7 and 8 and part of day 9 we took a bus, 4 hours south to the city Dubrovnik. It is also a coastal town and was severly bombed by neighboring countries in the early 90's. They've rebuilt a great bit and they pride themselves in their medieval walls surrounding the old town.
During our stay, we definitly got a workout, stairmaster style. Our hostel sat on the side of a mountain that lead down to the old city. Multiple times daily we'd walk about 30 minutes of stairs/ hill one way.
This is the entrance to the old town. There use to be a moat surrounding the city walls and the drawbridge was lifted every night.
Right outside the city walls were a couple of cafes that had spectacular views of the city. On the second day we came to this area to swim and cool off after hiking along the walls in the extreme heat.
Water break, inside the city walls.
Our last day we decided on another beach day. We hung out with some travelers the night before, dancing, and listening to music by the harbor into the morning and had been on the go all week so we were in need of a "lounging" day.
That night was the best meal I had....fantastic, fresh seafood and a spectacular view of the harbor.
Tuna pate and herb butter for our fresh bread.
We split the shrimp risotto to start off.
A tuna, about 3' long, was caught that afternoon...we chose to split a center fillet.
We made short work of the tuna and veggies and finished by the traditional espresso. Then we met up with an Irish couple that we met the night before to hang out the rest of the evening.
This is one of the several cathedrals within the city walls. A summer festival was going on the entire month of August with street performers, etc., many people out and about. It was interesting just wondering the streets at night, coming across old buildings and people watching.
Before heading back to Split to catch our 12 hour ferry back to Italy, we squeezed in a walk along the city walls.
This image from atop the walls shows the contrast in the old rooves with the new rooves as a result of the bombing in the early 90's.
On our way out of the city we came upon some incredibly passionate musicians. The "bottle" player stole the show. He was very expressive!Nancy and I had a blast getting to know eachother better and embarking on this adventure together. Many jokes and great memories were created along the way. I hope to visit her in Florence soon!
awesome kimmy jo go-- looking at your pictures from this great adventure makes me happy and makes me even more happy for you! so much fun. take care and keep on posting. its so good to see what's happening in your world... XOXO
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