Woke up this morning just as we were cruising in to Split, Croatia.  It was still dark, but from the balcony you could easily see the outline of the mountains across the early morning sky and groups of lights along the shore.  Had to get a cup of coffee and just sit on the balcony for a while to enjoy the morning (the room service thing worked out so well, I had to try it again).  The water here is an incredible cobalt blue that the camera doesn’t seem to capture.  So dark that you don’t even notice at first, but once the sun is high and bright, the color is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

The trip to shore included Split, Solin, and Trogir.  Due to the nature of the harbor, we had to use the ship’s tenders to get ashore.  The tenders each seat 120, so they still aren’t exactly small boats, but they can maneuver shallow waters. 

The only stop in Split was the Mestrovic Gallery.  The gallery is in Ivan Mestrovic’s summer house which he built in the 1930s.  Mestrovic was primarily known as a sculptor, but also painted a bit (but without much notice).  His work turned decidedly dark after the World Wars and he spent his final years in the U.S. teaching at Syracuse University.  Half of the cities water is still supplied by an ancient Roman aqueduct.  The structure, designed to supply water for the 3000 residents here at the time of it construction, now supplies the water needs of 100,000.

Solin is just 5 km northeast of Spilt.  It is known for the ruins of the ancient Salona.  Under the Romans, Salona was the political center of the Dalmatian region.  Huns and goths swept down in the middle of the 5^th century ending Roman rule.  Salona wound up in the Eastern Roman Empire, but in 614 the Slavs and Avars moved in and leveled the town to the ground.  Existing ruins consist of the remains of the city wall a church and burial ground. 

Trogir is the best-preserved Romanesque-Gothic complex not only in the Adriatic, but in all of Central Europe. Trogir's medieval core, surrounded by walls, comprises a preserved castle and tower and a series of dwellings and palaces from the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Trogir's grandest building is the church of St. Lawrence, whose main west portal is a masterpiece by Radovan, and the most significant work of the Romanesque-Gothic style in Croatia.  After being taken over by Napoleon, large sections of the city’s walls were destroyed and replaced with housing to enlarge the city.  The French also brought education to the masses of the city. 

Visiting the old town in Split

We woke up next morning by a soft knock on the door at 9am, outside the friendly girl from yesterday was happy to inform us that we didn't have to pack since we could stay an additional day.

After the hotel breakfast which included a great cup of coffee we walked down to the beach which was only 200 meters from the hotel. The beach was not nice but the water was very clear and looked really nice. We found an ok spot at a stone peer and stayed there for a couple of hours changing out white to something more red.

Later that day we wanted to see more of Split and we therefore drove towards the city; the surrounding city looked like a mix between the laidback of Greece and a Russian East block design from 1960. There were cute houses but they were all covered but large concrete high-rises which all had a horrible design and were colourless and there absolutely not attractive.

We followed the somewhat messy traffic and drove towards Klis a small city 10km outside Split inland where we had seen an old castle the day before. We reached after 20min drive.

The castle beautifully situated on a hill top overlooking the bay of Split. It costed 1,3 euro to get in and it was an excellent attraction. We walked up and down the hilly castle and really enjoyed the view.

We drove back towards the city centre of Split and parked the car at a parking close to the large city market. The market was full of Chinese copies from of well-known brands, and nice fruit and food as well. We arrived at the beautiful harbour promenade and enjoyed the view and the activity there.

Behind the promenade there is the fantastic historical city centre which displays a fantastic combination of all the different rulers of this coastline the last 2000 years. The narrow streets with the small classy tourist shops send reminders of ancient copy of the Barre Gotic in Barcelona. The ancient quarter is not big but it is damn beautiful and charming.

After a couple of hours walking and shopping in the area we left for the Amigos restaurant and yet another great meal there and there after headed for an quiet evening in our own company in the apartment.

We woke up early at our hotel due to some well-known Italian noise; lively discussions. Apparently every Thursday was market day in the centre of Vicenza or the quarter we stayed in and the market stands had to get up early.

I got up trying to get a glance at what was going on but only finding out that the trees along the road covered most of the view. We decided to take it easy this morning; it was holiday and we had no hurry.

The breakfast at the Hotel Campo Marzio was not bad but they were almost out of all things when we came but soon after the refill made up for it. We went up and packed and soon thereafter we left Vicenza with brief spin around the market. We headed for the motorway and Trieste near Slovenia.

When you enter Slovenia you enter a land of good and not crowded motorways, but since we were heading for Croatia we had to leave the motorway and follow the country road to the border. Along the road were hundreds of small BBQ’s with cosy green terraces and the smell of a summer party. We resisted though, and crossed into Croatia.

Croatia was new territory for both of us and I didn't know what to expect. Before we left Vicenza we had booked and apartment for one night in Podstrana near Split and almost 400km in to the Country. The first 25 kilometres of road was ok but when we entered Pula the traffic was totally blocked due to road construction. At the point I had no idea at what time we would be in Split; 400 km seemed so far away.

After Pula everything turned in to a transportation dream. The motorway was one the best I had ever driven in Europe and probably also the most beautiful as well. The road went though the mountain landscape like a designed ribbon gently placed. The number of tunnels were amazing and some of them quiet long; several were above 1km and e were around 6km and the longest more than 9km.

Were actually drove off the motorway in Split a lot faster than anticipated; the road toll was 21 euro which I found very fair for a trip like that. We rather quickly found Podstrana but we had some troubles identifying the road were our apartment was situated, but we had informed them that we would arrive late.

The apartment turned out to be very nice with a nice balcony to it as well. We were greeted by a young and friendly girl showing us around. We asked if we could stay an additional night because it looked so nice and she would check and come back to us. She could also recommend a restaurant 500m down the road were we could have a late dinner.

After having packed out we walked down to the restaurant which was named Amigos and had a wonderful dinner almost in the sea. The food was excellent and so was the girl sitting in front of me.

4 days in Split. Or should I say nights?    We have dog shows every night. I was going to sleep in Drnis after every show, so I didnt have time to explore the city. I've never been in Split before so after last show on sunday I went with my friend to see old town of Split (actually, not immediately after show, we was waiting for sunrise :)).

People we met here that made our trip better:

Sarah,Laura (Usa),Tasha,Jenna,Chrissy(Canada),Alison(Australia)

Acoomodation:

Split hostel

Finally the day had arrived that our eastern europe trip would begin.We(me and my girlfriend stacey) woke at 03.30am to leave for our flight to Split.We arrived in Split around 11 am and were settled in our hostel pretty quickly.So first thing we did was drop our bags and head off for a walk around the city.

  Firstly we were meant to meet two american girls,one of which had contacted me through Travbuddy(first meet ever).We decided to go and have some drinks somewhere and chat,but i had other things on my mind.It was the FA cup final so i dragged them to a sports bar to watch the game.We enjoyed a few Kaltenburgs(beer o choice) and got to know each other,as we would be spending alot of time together over the next few days.

  We left the girls and went off to have a look around Diocletians Palace.I found this place very strange because something like that in England would be roped off and you would have to pay to get near it and everything,but here people still lived in it and there were shops,restaraunts and markets.Whilst looking around we found a great underground market selling local meats and wine etc.

 We went back to the hostel where we met Chrissy,Jenna and Tasha,three canadian girls who were on a european trip and after chatting with them on the terrace outside we decided to head out to bar with them where we met sarah and laura again and three american guys aswell.I was chatting with one of the american guys about the forces because he was in the american army and i had just left the Royal Navy.I was astounded to find out the medals he had,in the british forces it is notoriously hard to get a medal even if you go to a warzone or not but he was telling me he had medals for passing out of basic training.I found that very hard to comprehend.Probably jealousy as i left with no medals.haha.Shortly after me and stacey headed back to the hostel as it had been a very long day for the both of us and we needed some sleep for the next day.

On our second day in Split we started early thanks to loudmouthed synchronised swimming team staying in our hostel shouting there mouths off at 7 am.So we were lying in bed awake when one of the canadian girls came in from her night out and duely made sure we were awake by screaming her head off.All i can say is she was lucky i was already awake.haha.

 We started our morning by heading to the morning produce in Split which was fantastic and bought easily the most amazing strawberries i have ever tasted in my life,so good that i vowed never to have strawberries again so that i dont ruin the memory of them.

We then decided to head up 'Marjan Hill' which overlooks Split and was a very pleasant walk even if it was steep at times.As we neared the top of the hill we decided to go to Split zoo,and for £1 per person whos complaining.............I was!!Firstly my batteries had ran out on my phone and secondly the zoo was an absolute disgrace.It took us about 15 minutes at a push to get around and the enclosures were a shambles.The animals at this zoo where clearly not very well looked after.I only hope it is shut down sooner rather than later.

We decided to carry on over 'Marjan Hill' where we found some running trails throught the woods where every 100 yards or so the were weights made from logs,very amusing.We finally ended up on the other side of the hill on Bene beach,which wasnt really a beach but was a very nice spot away from the city and next to the sea.We decided to walk back around the hill as we couldnt face the walk back up again.This turned out to be a very long walk and Stacey struggled in the heat big time,which i found quite amusing but having worked out we probably had walked around 10miles i let her off.haha.

Then we got back to the hostel a had a little kip in the afternoon then decided to go and sit on the terrace outside the hostel where we met Alison and australian girl who had just arrived from Zadar.We all decided to go down to the promenade for a few beers and after much deliberating we bought a box of croatian wine and went back to enjoy it on the terrace.The night finished abruptly when someone threatend to call the police beacause apparently you arent allowed to talk outside in split after 10pm.

    Picked up an Opel Automatic Station wagon in Zagreb and Traveled to Pliviča Jezera, which is Croatia national park with a whole pile of water falls and crystal clear lakes. Finding a place to stay was easy as almost everyone on the road between Zagreb and there have a room to rent out, cheap too. The lakes and falls were beautiful and quite busy. But what really makes it in this place is the people. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help. Most young people know how to speak english and the older generation try to help out in german if possible. Half a litre of beer here is 1,50$ Canadian so its quite easy to fill up for lunch.

Kind of got lost in Split, a costal city, Damn station wagons in tiny streets. Anyway things worked out thanks to a man on a scooter, who lent us his phone and our landlady who made sure we were able to bring back our car. Even calling all over the country to get us an agent to help us. And this reminded me of back home, we visited with her and she made sure we didnt leave without something to drink. Anyway, finally off cars now its back to travelling like hobos and hippes, busses and trains.

The morning in Zadar was very quiet – it wasn't worth trying to make our way in and out of the city before the bas later today. So we just chilled out in the room checking the internet and reading. Eventually time came and we grabbed our bags and walked the last time along the long road to the bus station. We made sure to arrive in plenty of time so we grabbed a bite to eat and some cooldrinks and then boarded the bus. The ride was quite long but the view of the coast made the trip almost enjoyable.

The apartment was a short walk from the main bus/ferry station so after we checked in we changed into our bathers and headed to the beach. The sand beach was very busy but we found a spot on the sand to spread out. We actually didn't go into the water, just laid out on towels and watched groups of people playing in the water.

We stayed there for a while enjoying the sunshine, but it started to cool down as the sun started to hide away so we decided to head back. On the way we stopped in at a little restaurant, originally just for a drink but as we were already there we had a nice dinner as well.

As soon as we walked off the ferry in Split, a woman came up and asked if we needed accomodation. Her english was good, and it was 100 kunas (about $20) each per night, so we went with her. The apartment was in a good location, very close to the ferry, but was basically a dump. It smelled badly of mold, had a scary bathroom (no sink, so we had to spit our toothpaste in the shower), and was really dirty. Luckily our room was a decent size, and we had our sleep sheets (do not touch the bedding!), so we dealt with it. We had a quick nap (overnight ferry = very tired), then went exploring. We immediately found an outdoor market a few blocks from our room, in the ruins of an old castle. It was amazing: there are the old castle walls and buildings (over 1000 years old), and there are shops, restaurants, hotels, and a market in the old buildings. So strange! We found a restaurant there with a patio and a $12 all-you-can-eat breakfast. Lots of good food, and the waiter treated us like queens (an amazing treat after Venice). We went back 3 times! Our waiter also gave us a map and directions to the main beach in Split. We went on a tour of the palace, then walked down to check out the beach. Split is such a pretty little town, right on the water. Lots of cute little houses with red clay roofs, and the water is an incredible blue color. We were incredibly jealous of all the sailboats out on the water, especially since it was quite hot and the breeze on the water would have felt great.
Around the boardwalk behind the beach there were a lot of bars and restaurants, so we decided to nap then come back for dinner and drinks. On the way home from the beach we walked through this park area, where I noticed a guy peeing on a tree (in full view). Trying not to stare, I looked away, then glanced back...and realized he wasnt peeing at all. He was masturbating IN FULL VIEW. He saw me and Vanessa looking at him, and didnt falter for a second. The most disturbing part though? He was righ across the street from a playground where 100 kids were playing. Was he looking at them? So creepy.
On a nicer note, dinner was very romanic (Vanessa is a great date), on a patio overlooking the cover (at sunset, even). The beach bars were still dead around 9:00 though, so we headed up to the main street by the palace where they had lots of patios playing the football game. We sat with some french guys who barely spoke english, then ditched them for a huge group of Aussies that were in town for a sailing tour with 30 of their friends. AFter some drinks and chatting we headed back to our moldy room for bed.
Day 2 Split: BEach Day. We headed to the beach for the whole day today. Here are some highlights:
- Ball Game World Championships: This morning at the beach they held the World Championships of a game played only in Split. The game is played in shallow water, with a group of about 6 people. They use the inside of a tennis ball (with the yellow taken off), and the goal is to keep the ball in the air and do tricks when you hit it with the palm of your hand (kind of a cross between hacky sack and badminton). The really good guys were doing flying dives, hitting it off their heads, doing running sprints for it. Very entertaining, as they were all in really good shape and wearing euroshorts or speedos!
- Brothers Douche: on the beach we met 2 brothers from Wyoming and 2 sisters from Canada. They all seemed cool, so we spent a few hours on the beach together and agreed to meet up there later with a few bottles of wine. The guys showed up first with chips and cheese, and seemed really cool. Rob was in residency to be an ER doc, and Mayo did marketing for nonprofit groups. They were fun...until they got drunk and we went to a club for an Axe deodorant party. They they became Dr.Douche and Douchennaise (Mayo, get it?), or the Douche Brothers. Not sure if it was because they were drinking, or because of their uptight upbringing (religious, Rob claimed to be a virgin), but they became super touchy and pushy, ass-humping on the dance floor, complete jackasses. I eventually told Dr.Douche to quit being a jerk, and he went home pouting. We ended up running into them several times after that in Croatia, which was a bit awkward...though they suddenly turned normal again when sober. Strange.
-Axe Party: was in a club down by the beach, and was absolutely packed. Tons of good looking guys! And decent music! We danced all night, but by the end of it there was about a 20:1 ratio of guys to girls, and we were getting groped from all sides. Time to go!

The next day we headed to the island of Hvar, supposedly one of the most beautiful islands in Croatia. The ferry was pretty interesting, as the water was pretty rough and about 75% of the people on board were hungover from the night before. It was a pretty miserable ride. Several people threw up, but thankfully not us! We arrived in Hvar a little green but no worse for wear.

Split zoo is located at the top of a very steep hill from the old town. It costs the equivalent of £1 to go in and is like stepping in to someones backgarden with a collection of animals. There is a small range of animals including bears, vultures, ostriches and monkeys however the animals look very poorly looked after and are crammed into tiny cages that do not appear very safe. There is also meant to be tigers in the zoo but all to be seen was an empty cage so whether they exist or not is unknown. Overall this place is really not worth the walk up (although the views of Split are worth the climb) and should be closed down for the animals sake.

Great location in central split. We went here as part of our honeymoon trip and had a great room for 70 euros in early May 2008. The room was small but very cosy and we were withing walking distance of everything to see in Split.

Under Construction....

Last night was our last night on the boat. We had to be off the boat by 9am and after a late night, it was really rough getting out of bed.

The six of us were pretty exhausted and Kiwi ladies had a hostel so Linda, Monika and I went to a park to have a nap in the shade. When we woke up, I realized I didn't have my purse. Before freaking out, we walked back to the hostel to see if I had left it there. Once we realized it was gone, we went back to the park and picked up Sarah along the way that was going to help in the search. We had almost left the park, after looking in bushes and garbage cans and then Linda saw a creepy man she had seen earlier. We walked over to them and noticed my purse on a garbage can. We walked over to the creepy, druggie guy and his (what we think is his girlfriend / a prostitute) and told them to give me my stuff back.

He had my sunglasses on his head, my memory stick in his hand, he was saying something in what sounded like gibberish. The girls started going into his pockets and found my wallet and passport and some Croatian money. Linda slapped him a few times too. Sarah pulled me away so I could go through my purse and see if I was missing anything else and I noticed my Gold Visa was missing. So the girls went back to try to get it.

Meanwhile, two Aussie guys we had met on one of the boats came over since they woke up to us screaming at this guy and the woman. Monika took off to try to find the police. The guy and girl stayed around and didn't go anywhere which I thought was weird. Finally, the police showed up and the Aussie guys had gone to get a girl they knew from their hostel to be our interpretor since she knew Croatian. We ended up going to the police station to give our statements and I got my Visa back. However, I had just cancelled it about 15 minutes beforehand.

In the end, I'm out about 70 euros and I no longer have that visa card but I have another one to use. I also realized I lost a momento Bekcy had given me in Cesky Krumlov and a ring I bought in Venice. It sucks when things that are worthless to someone else are stolen since I won't eb able to replace them! However, since I have my passpotr and my cards, I was pretty happy with how this all turned out since the closest embassy is about a 7 hour train ride away.

After it was all over with, we had quite a good laugh about the whole thing, especially thinking about the girls with their hands down this gross guy's pockets and Linda smacking him.

Tonight is my night ferry to Ancona and then I'm off to Switzerland. I had to say goodbye to the ladies after supper, which was hard since we had all hung out for the past week and have quite a few stories to tell.

I'm gonna miss you girls!

After a very unrestful night on the 'furnace train', I arrived in Split. The train station is right across from the harbour, so I quickly found the boat I'll be taking later in the day. Wandering around, I came across a huge fruit, flower and misc. market. I walked by a man who then handed me a cherry and I ended up buying a whole kilo of them without really wanting to. I'm glad I did though. I didn't think I was a fan of cherries until I had one of the fresh ones from that guy. mmmmmmmmmm

I figured I should check my email and found out that my payment through paypal to pay for the cruise today didn't go through. So now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to pay for this thing. Security for credit card payments is fine and all, but not when you need it to work and they have a hold on it. Apparently, for Paypal to release my account, I have to answer my home phone and type in a security code. That would be fine and all, unless I'm in Europe! Urgh

So after spending a couple hours hanging out by the boat, they're letting me on and then I'll pay once the company I ordered my ticket through lets them know how much it is (in Croatian kunas).

It's supposed to be in the high 20s for the next few days!! YAY!

It was something unexpectable. We had first realy hot day on yacht with only small wind. Few people was wandering why not to swim but the water was to cold.

We sunbathed and we tried to relax. That were unforgettable momens. You can see it on the pic.

At the evening we went to Split for some sightseeing. We climbed to the tower where dove left something on wojtek's trousers ;P

The view on the tower was magnificent.

We went to the cafe on the street where we drunk beers and we looked at the cute Croatian people. They are very pretty and fashionably dressed.

250 meters long and 55 meters wide.. "Riva" is place where whole city life is passing by; from political meetings to sports events to religious festivals a few month ago, there is a new face of same place :) someone like it, most of people do not after all, take a walk and judge by yourself