An Eventful Trip (Part 6): Split, Croatia

Day 12: Hvar

Yes, two more days to write..... this trip's blog posts are tiring me out and I'm getting a little bit bored......

We got on a Jetfoil ferry to the Island of Hvar, about an hour away from Split. Before I get into what we did on Hvar, I'll write about how difficult it was to find any info about booking ferry tickets and also finding out info about the ferries.

You'll read on many blogs that you need to take a ferry to Hvar or any of the other islands off the coast of Split. They just tell you there are ferries, but no websites from the actual ferry company and no info about sailing times and ticket prices. Or even if there is, it's all very confusing.

When we were there, there are 2 companies that sail to Hvar (and they also have other routes to other islands as well). One starts with J, and the other doesn't really have a name..... on my credit card bill it came up as Kaptan (with a K).

Ferry J (the one in the background in the photo above) is a boat that can carry cars as well, and takes longer to get to Hvar, and it will probably drop you off at Stari Grad port on Hvar. Whereas Ferry Kaptan is a Jetfoil (like the boats that you take between Hong Kong and Macau, if you've visited either of those places), it only carries people. Ferry J and Kaptan have websites, but they are not very helpful. There are different sailing times in the summer and winter. It's best to go to the port and check the sailing times at the ticket booth - then you can buy your ticket as well.

Ferry J actually cost more than Ferry Kaptan, and Kaptan also had better/more frequent sailing times, so we went with that.

And just like waiting for the bus in Dubrovnik, you don't know where to line up to board your ferry. We stood in a line while waiting for passengers to disembark from a ferry, and when they were nearly all off, we were told that the ferry behind it was the one for 10:00am (our ferry). And just like trains, the ferries are very popular and they were full when we traveled. Luckily we got on early and got seats.

After an hour, we arrived in Hvar and the sun was out and the day was already hot! We made a stop at the visitor's centre to pick up a map, and then sat at one of the many alley restaurants under the shade with a drink to cool down.

Then we made our way to hike up to the fortress. In every city/town there's a fortress, and well, this one gives you a great view of the bay around Hvar. We even got some photos while standing/sitting on the fortress walls!

On our way down from the fortress, we stopped at the only Lavender shop within the fortress grounds, and chatted with the lady who runs the shop. She's from Singapore originally but now lives in Croatia, and she stitches and prepares all the items she sells by hand.

Due to the heat, and the fact that Hvar really is just a small town, we decided to leave earlier and head back to Split. Our ferry ticket originally was for 7pm, but we were done with the town by 1pm...... so in case you want to go for an island trip, just know that there's not much to do on those islands. We could have had a meal, but that was it. When we walked around it just looked like any other Croatian town. Although Hvar does have a reputation to be a party island, but that's not what I want either.

We tried to get on the 2pm ticket, but that day was a holiday (which we didn't know about), and we were turned away at first as they said they were fully booked. There was another group of young men traveling and one of them had lost his ticket, he said he accidentally threw it out thinking it was garbage.... and they wouldn't let him on either.

They made him run back to the ticket sales office to try to get another ticket, and of course the ticket office said they are sold out. We waited till nearly all the passengers had boarded and decided to try another ticket employee and see if he would let us on - he did, after a bit of "please, we need to get back for ........" (I have forgotten what excuse we came up with). As we were one of the last ones on the boat, it was really hard to find a seat. And the guy who lost his ticket also got on as well.

After we got back to Split, I think we went back to our airbnb, relaxed and took a nap. I also started packing.

Later in the afternoon, we went out for a walk and walked around the Diocletian's Palace. not a very big space, and there is one of the big squares in the middle, and all the alleys inside the "palace" are quite narrow and have lots of shops now. I put quotation marks around "palace" because all the alleys, shops and homes you see are part of the Diocletian's Palace. So it's not the typical tourist attraction palace that you visit where each room is nicely kept with gilded ceilings, walls and furniture.

Day 13: Last day in Split

Fortunately we did our city tour of Split yesterday afternoon, so that left us with time on our last day for packing and shopping for souvenirs. We also had to leave around 1pm to make our way to the airport to catch our flight to London.

One of the many souvenirs you can get is a t-shirt, and in Split (and maybe in Croatia in general), they will press the image you want onto a t-shirt of your choice right away, so you can in a way customize your t-shirt. There are quite a few stalls who do this. You pick the image you want from their menu booklet, then you select the size and colour of your t-shirt and they will press/iron on the image right then and there!

We thought we would have enough time to have a meal before going to the airport, but in the end didn't, so we got lunch at the one restaurant in the airport. The food WAS HORRIBLE!!! If you ever visit Split, don't leave the city without eating first. We ordered pasta - which is supposed to be "safe" in Croatia, but the pasta that we got was really bad.

We had an alfredo tortellini and a spaghetti in a sauce (I can't remember what sauce it was).... but the tortellini wasn't cooked well.... the sauce was like flour and water...... and the spaghetti dish was a little better but still pretty bad - for airport food where they charge you more!

And then I had 13 Kunas left and there had coffee for 13 Kunas, but I thought maybe I'll wait till after I pass security and get a coffee there. Don't do that. Get your coffee before going through security, because it's more expensive inside! So I couldn't buy anything..... and now I still have 13 Kunas left! LOL.....

Our flight landed in Gatwick and we had to take a coach to Heathrow as we will be flying out the next morning. When we arrived at Heathrow, we had to take a bus to our hotel, one of the many that are just around the perimeter of the airport. We didn't know this, but apparently all the bus that drop off passengers to hotels around the airport are free. Other people have to pay, but if you're a hotel guest then you can take the bus for free!

We kept our oyster cards thinking we may need it for the bus, but we could have returned it and got our  £5 back! Oh well, I'll just keep it for the next time I travel to the UK.

The next day we checked in at Heathrow, and was shopping at duty free, then my cousin messages me to say they are boarding and for me to get my butt there asap! The gate unfortunately was really far - like 15mins walk.... I had to run most of the way there, and when I got to the gate, it said CLOSED!

I thought they had just closed it so I asked the employees if I can get on the flight, and they said no. I thought, no way! Phebe would have done anything to prevent them from closing the gate! But I saw other people walking towards the gate too..... and eventually the employees asked which flight I'm on, and then they told me that it's at the OTHER END! So I ran across the the hall all the way to the other end. Phebe was there talking to the staff (I'm guessing she was trying to tell them to wait) and I was able to board the plane after a bit of exercise! :)

And that, I think kind of concludes the trip..... we got back safe and sound, and went back to work the next day!

***** SPECIAL THANKS TO PHEBE for use of some of her photos *****

above: a pair of love birds on Dubrovnik's City Wall, awwww...

... unfortunately I somehow scared them and they flew away!

below right: someone decided to make holes in rocks and hang them on a tree

above left: my mom asked for lace and I saw this in Dubrovnik -

an idea for her to make something with the French lace I bought her!

below left: I like this garbage can that doesn't require you to use your hand to open a door,

they should have more of these around in cities all over the world!

One of the many stores in Le Marais, Paris - What a unique (and long) store name

above left: one of the many breakfasts we had on the trip - this one is in London.

British strawberries are smaller than the ones we get here, but they ARE SOOOOO SWEET! miss them!

An Eventful Trip (Part 5): Split, Croatia

Day 10: Cetina Canyoning experience

We got up early to meet our group for our EXTREME CANYONING adventure. We joined a group and they provided us with free transfer to and from Cetina Canyon. This is about 45 mins to an hour's drive outside of Split.

When I was researching what there is to do in Split, there were lots of options for getting out of the city and doing a fun activity - such as rafting, zipling, hiking, canyoning, beaches, ruins, island hopping, wine tasting etc. I decided to do canyoning because it's something I've never done before and also I saw a video of someone repelling down waterfalls in New Caledonia and it looked so fun. So I kind of went into this with only that expectation.......

We arrived at the activity centre, they had us read "waivers", didn't even have to sign anything about how the centre is not responsible for any injuries, accidents or deaths. :S

They suited us up with neoprene suits, life jackets, helmets and hiking boots. Then we took another car ride for about 20 mins to the place where we hiked down into the canyon. Just hiking down was difficult because it was really climbing down the side of the canyon to get to the bottom... at times I couldn't see where to put my feet, and my field of depth was quite bad - I had forgotten to wear contacts for this activity and had to take off my glasses because the rapids would definitely wash them away.

We were really hot and sweaty in our neoprene suits by the time we reached the bottom - I think it's the heat and also a bit of adrenalin pumping through my body. It was so nice to enter the waters of the Cetina River and cool off, but they didn't give us much time to sit around. We quickly starting going down the river. Our guide told us that the course we would do today is about 2km long and Canyoning involves jumping from rocks, going through rapids and also repelling. Doesn't sound so bad does it?

When you're there and you see the rapids it can scare you, I was definitely scared. I'm a strong swimmer, but rapids are areas where rocks are close together and water speed is a lot faster. Also I'll be lying down with my feet first and my head is supposed to be raised a little so that I can see where I'm going. My hands should be by my side and help to manoeuvre..... but let me tell you, when you're in the rapids, there's no time to think!

Your feet might crash into a rock that you can't see, your bum might have sunk a bit lower causing you to get caught on a rock, your hands can't really do anything to change direction as the water is pushing you so quickly. And your head.... well you might be trying to see where you're going, but the rapids might rush over your head.....

Not at all how they describe it on the website where I signed up for this! :D

The whole adventure was a bit too "extreme" for me... but I decided to stick with it since I was already there, but I think my fear, adrenalin and the fact that I am not as physically fit as I want to be made it a very exhausting activity. After the first rapid I was having trouble breathing because the life jacket had been tightened so much that I had no room to expand my chest and diaphragm areas.

Then my neck felt like jelly because I think I might have pulled a muscle while I was holding my head up in the rapids (the next day it was so painful on one side of my neck). My legs and arms felt like lead as I was climbing boulders to move along the river. It was also non-stop: get in water, walk/climb boulders, go through rapid, walk/climb boulder, go through rapid, walk/climb, repel down, float through river, go through rapid ...... etc.... couldn't stop to catch my breath.

The course was 2km long only, but it felt like I had traveled 20km or more! And we started at like 10:30 or maybe a bit earlier, and got back to our base camp around 3:30pm!!! we took 4 hours to travel 2km!

Although this was both physically and mentally exhausting, we did see some beautiful views in the canyon. These views can't be seen from the same perspective if you were hiking or ziplining. We saw a 50ft waterfall as we repelled down the canyon walls and the blue blue sky with the canyon walls rising up as we floated on our backs down the river (photo at the top of this post, and the one below are from website). We're both glad we did this and came out of it all in one piece, but probably won't be taking it up as a hobby.

Unfortunately, we didn't take any photos and our tour guide didn't help to take any photos of the scenery. He did take a photo of our group.... but he totally disregarded the scenery behind us!

When we got back to our airbnb, we rested for a bit and then I went out for a walk around the old town area of Split. I checked out the ferry ticket prices and times for our island trip the day after, I checked out what souvenirs I want to buy and compared prices, then I went over to the place where we were to pick up our rental car to confirm that they have an automatic car ready etc.

Lastly I stopped at Toto's for a hamburger and salad..... for some reason I was craving that. Maybe because of our exhausting adventure earlier that day, or maybe because I wanted something familiar. The hamburger was really yummy - had a thick, juicy patty; and the salad was surprisingly large. Felt full and healthy (with the salad..... haha)!

above left & right: we were in Croatia during the World Cup, and Croatia did amazing

One of the matches must have been an important one, there were SO MANY police officers on the streets

and a bunch of Korean Ahjumma tourists started asking the officers for photos

Day 11: Road Trip

We, or well I, had it all planned out before we left Canada. Our plan was to wake up early, pick up our rental car drive to a little town called Primosten, then go to a winery, then go to Krka National Park for a swim, then go for dinner before heading back home. Waaaaaay too much to do in a day.

We ended up picking up our car a bit later in the morning, then we had to navigate the narrow roads back to our home to pick up all our stuff for the day.

Then we got on the road and headed north towards Primosten. This is a little penninsula town about 50 mins north of Split near Sibenik. I found this town by accident as I thought it would be nice to have a place for a coffee on the way...... it's such a pretty little place that we ended up staying for much longer than a coffee.

We walked around the whole coast of the town, there were so many places where you could just walk down rocks/stairs and jump into the sea - which quite a few residents did, and there were also quite a few people fishing. There weren't many people along the coastal walk that we took, so we got many photos without throngs of tourists as part of the scene.

In the end we decided to have our lunch there because we happened to see a menu with a photo of a pot of seafood that looked like a fish stew. We still haven't had a single dish of the Croatian Fish Soup that I had read so much about during my research.

So we chose a restaurant and ordered a fish soup/stew, a squid ink risotto and a plate of grilled veggies. It tasted great, especially the fish soup. The fish they used was so soft and the soup/broth was really yummy! I just think the amount of soup wasn't enough - wish there had been twice as much soup.

Then we made our way to Vina Rak - this is a winery owned by the Rak family. When we arrived, they were quite busy with the celebration of a baby's christening. There were lots of people, loud laughter, music and dancing.

The owner's son came out and he welcomed us even though he couldn't really give us the whole winery tour because of the big party, he still gave us 6 wines to taste and we also got some charcuterie platters to accompany the wine.

I can't drink a lot, but I did enjoy some of the wine.... but can't remember now.... Supposedly the Rose at Vina Rak is an award winning one in Croatia. And the Pruiscetto that they have in Croatia is really yummy, that we finished all of, but we left most of the cheese untouched as it's a bit too strong for us. I prefer a light soft cheese (like the one I had in Paris). There were also these little Sardine or Anchovy like fishes, which I thought tasted great if you ate them little by little and used it as a spread on bread/crackers.

After the wine tasting - which lasted very long because we had to wait for them to serve us each wine..... and they left us to taste and eat in between, so by the time we were done, I think it was already around 4pm or so..... we had to drive to Krka National Park, which isn't far, but that didn't leave us much time till sun down.

We arrived at Krka National Park, and unlike what I thought, we couldn't drive right down to the waterfalls, park and swim. We had to take a shuttle or hike down 2km. We waited for the shuttle and when it finally left the parking lot (which was a while, the driver took a coffee break) and the ride down was very steep and windy. I'm glad we didn't try to walk. And the 2km ride on the shuttle still felt very long...... maybe 2km is a very long distance.....

Once we got off the shuttle, we walked along some paths trying to find the waterfall and swimming area..... but we never reached there. We had to hurry back to Split to return our car before 8pm, as we had to leave early the next day for a ferry to the island of Hvar.

We drove back to Split as fast as we could, we definitely went over the speed limit. In Croatia, or at least the part where we drove outside of Split, the people who drive here are very funny. They either drive super fast and follow you REALLY close behind if you're slow to get you to give way, or they drive suuuuuper slow taking in the view and talking with their passenger.......

After I saw how fast Croatians drove, I wasn't too worried about us speeding.  :P

******let me digress briefly......******
Unlike... ahem.... Melbourne, Australia..... here's a warning for all those planning to travel to Melbourne! or the State of Victoria in Australia. They are a stickler for staying within the speed limit. We drove quite a bit there and most of the time we just drove along with everyone else on the highways, we weren't weaving in an out between cars and were, for the most part, not in a rush to get anywhere.

Three months after the trip.... I receive this letter in the mail with a stamp from Australia, I thought my friends must have sent me something. I open it up and it's a fine for speeding!!!! The speed limit was 100km/h, and we were (supposedly) going at 110km/h but they gave us a bit of leeway and said we were going at 107km/h and fined us AUD$ 198!!!!!! I don't think we were speeding the whole way on the highway... but just for those few seconds..... urgh!

And then three weeks later I receive 2 more letters from Australia.... I thought they were reminder notices about the first letter.... but when I opened them I got 2 more fines!!!! both for speeding and one of them was over 110km/h so even higher fine!!!!!

Australia really knows how to rub salt into your wounds..... I ended up with, just shy of, AUD$ 800 in fines!

I immediately messaged my friends in Australia and asked them why they didn't tell us about this, because it's happened to many tourists apparently..... my friend just answered "you have to pick your spots".......

They have a "keep left" sign at nearly every road intersection, no matter how small, they should make more visible signs to warn people of speeding cameras and speed limits.

.......... *crying in my heart.....* the $800 could have been used for something that brings me joy!!! like a new Dyson cordless vacuum!!!!!

******end of digression******

An Eventful Trip (Part 4): Dubrovnik, Croatia

Day 8: One day in Dubrovnik

The night before we landed in Dubrovnik at around 10pm and took the airport shuttle into the city. Our Airbnb host agreed to meet us at the Main Bus Terminal (which is different from the bus terminal outside of the Old Town Pile Gate). When we arrived at her home she quickly showed us around - it was a tiny space, they rent out a "studio" where the beds are in the main area, and there's a little kitchenette and a washroom with a shower and washing machine.

We again had trouble with the hot water tank even though we tried to "conserve" hot water and shut off the tap in between rinsing shampoo, conditioner and washing; it still went cold for the second person showering.

After a night of sleep, I got up and went outside to the terrace with a cup of tea and some fruits. It was really nice and warm as the sun rose, we had a great view.

This view reminds me of Repulse Bay in Hong Kong

Once we were both up, we walked to Old Town, which seemed far when I heard it would take 20 mins, but actually the walk was very easy, all gentle downhill and I was taking in the area around us so didn't even really notice how long it took us. Our first stop was at a restaurant to have brunch. We ordered quite a lot and most of it was good.

The food reminds us of Italian and Mediterranean foods. Lots of pasta, pizza choices, and dishes are mostly seafood based.

Dubravka (Dubrovnik in Croatian) - name of our brunch restaurant

After filling our stomachs we picked up our pre-purchased 1-day Dubrovnik Pass. This gives you access to the City Wall walk, and a large number of museums  as well as access to use the public bus (which came in handy that night when we went back to our airbnb).

The weather in Dubrovnik is very sunny and just a little bit hot and sticky, but not that bad. We decided to leave the City Wall walk till the end of the day so that the sun is not right over our heads, and also we'll get a nice sunset glow over the city.

So we went off wondering around the city and climbed lots of stairs and walked through alleys. There were so many great spots for photos.

above left: Entering Old Town through Pile Gate (one of three city gates)

The main street you arrive at after passing through the gate is known as Stradun or Placa

We made our way to the Rector's Palace, this is the place where the governor of the town lived, but the interesting thing is that the person who was the Rector (head of the government) was changed every 30 days! In fact, to prevent corruption, he was not allowed to leave at all during those 30 days.Dubrovnik was known as the Republic of Ragusa until the 19th century, and it was one of the most successful democratic states in history.

The palace is not that big, but I guess it suits the size of the town. It even has some rooms that are used for special exhibitions. There was one that showed photos from the Balkan war when Dubrovnik was under attack.

Rector's Palace on the right with all the arches

above right: this building faces the arches of the Rector's Palace,

on the right is a street, if you walk down this street you will see

a little, crowded square with lots of fresh fruit vendors (like photo below)

If you walk down the street that leads directly from the front door of the palace, you will find a little market square. There are some fruit and vegetable vendors here if you come early in the day. We bought some prunes and grape to ease our thirst.

above left: this is the door knob/handle on the main front door of the Rector's Palace

below right: the stair banister decoration is a fist holding the wood

We then walked down the Stradun, which is the Main Street in the town. It's actually the main street you see when you enter from Pile Gate and there's a Bell tower at the end if you are standing near the Pile Gate entrance. There are some cafes and souvenir shops along this street but that's about it.

We picked a side street to sit down for an afternoon meal of mussels, octopus salad, and espressos.

above left: After you enter from Pile Gate, on your left there's a little alley, this is to the Pharmacy Museum -

still in operation today and the oldest pharmacy in Europe

above right: going up the stairs to the top of the City Walls

below: views during our City Wall walk

Then we started on the City Wall walk. It was starting to near sunset, but still hot. We had water but still made a stop at one of the many bars on the Wall.

Along the walk we saw people kayaking, ships returning to the harbour, a painter painting the view of the town with its orange tiled roofs, and heard people singing from the town square.

below: have you ever seen a guillotine in a garden?

After walking around the whole City Wall, which took us about 2 hours (I think?), we went to try a Korean Restaurant that I had found during my research. We thought we would be tired of having European food so decided to go give this a try.

The restaurant is situated in one of the alleys, and they have outdoor seating right on the steps! I think it's ingenious how they thought to saw the legs shorter on the back to make it possible for the chair to be even on steps (photo, above right).

The food menu, however, was limited and disappointed us a little. They didn't have any of the jige (soup stews) that we are used to seeing on a Korean menu. They mostly had fried chicken and some other simple dishes. I got the Fried Chicken and a cold cucumber soup. From my memory I think the fried chicken wasn't bad, but it wasn't something unique either. The cold cucumber soup is not very common in Korean restaurants and it's great to have on a hot day - it reminds me of Japanese Sunomono.

above: look at the beautiful blue hues in the night sky!

When we left the restaurant, we decided to also go try Lady Pipi's which was highly recommended by many different blogs and travel sites. But we were left disappointed again because we actually wanted to try a dish known as Fish Soup in Croatia - we had heard great things about it. But they don't serve that dish at Lady Pipi's. If you want grilled fish/seafood this might be a good place to try.

As we were leaving and walking down the stairs of the alleys, we looked up at the sky and it was a beautiful mix of blues.  Walking through Old Town at night is actually quite pleasant, there aren't any crowds, and the temperature is cooler. The lamps light up the town and the old walls of the houses. Although it may have been too bright at times - the main street, Stradun, was SOOOO brightly lit it felt like we were on a movie set.

Day 9: Making our way to Split, Croatia

Day 9 morning, we packed up and went to have breakfast near the Main Bus Terminal. Waiting for the large tour bus that would take us from Dubrovnik to Split was a little surprising, but I think from our experience of UK and Paris trains, we weren't too surprised at how unorganized it could all seem. We arrived and wanted to find out which bay to board our bus. But it's not listed anywhere. We just saw people standing around blocking the doors to the terminal office. When you ask the ticket agent, they just tell you to wait with all the other people.

It's been so long since the trip, I don't even recall exactly how we found the bus, but I think I just saw people lining up, so I got in a line. When I saw a bus driver I asked him if he is going to Split at 12:30pm and he said yes, so we lined up again to load our luggage into the belly of the bus. The funny thing is you have to pay 1 euro per piece of luggage (it's not included in your ticket) - almost like a tip for them to "tag" your luggage and load it for you.

We got on the bus and it was quite a nice comfy bus, there was air conditioning and it seemed VERY LONG - maybe because it's a bit dark. The journey took us about 4-5 hours because along the way they stop in little towns to pickup/drop off passengers. Also I knew we would have to cross the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina because part of the Croatia coast line cuts off, I thought there would be long waiting times like the Canadian/US border. Not at all!

The officers came on the bus and only selectively chose passports to take, it seemed like they took Croatian passports more than foreign passports. We didn't have to get off the bus at all.

Along the way we passed by many picturesque towns, it would be nice to drive and make stops along the way whenever you like. Originally, we had considered driving ourselves, but the cost of car rental versus bus ticket.... the bus ticket was a lot less expensive.

We got to Split in the late afternoon and had time to settle in to our airbnb and do a little bit of grocery shopping before settling in for the night to prepare for the next day's adventure!