Hvala Plitvice!

[Split]
We still had four days left of our Croatian adventure when we left Vis at 7am...arriving in Split at 8:15am, after a very rocky ferry ride. Apparently the Adriatic isn't always calm. We had a 6 hour layover in Split before our bus ride to Plitvice Lakes National Parks--and since it took both of us about an hour to get over our early morning sea sicknesses, we had 5 hours left.  It really is an amazing city and definitely worth at least an overnighter.

Split: here you can see the 60' walls of Diocletian's Palace and the Cathedral of St. Domnius

Rendition of Diocletian's Palace in 305AD (Wikipedia)

Split is the 2nd largest city in all of Croatia, one of the oldest cities in the area, and has some of the best-maintained Roman ruins in the world. Most famously, it is also home to Diocletian's Palace, built in the 4th Century.  The Roman Emperor Diocletian wished to retire from politics in luxury, and that he did. His palace took 12 years to build, finished just in time with his retirement in 305 AD. The palace consumes nearly 10 acres (4 hectares) of land with 50-65' walls (15-20m) on all sides and made from white stone brought over from a nearby island, marble from Greece and Italy, and columns from Egypt. It's made up of 220 buildings and still home to 3000 people! 

White stone from neighboring island of Brač; Roman bath ruins

One of the dramatic entrances to Diocletian's Palace; yummy pizza

After some delicious pizza/focaccia bread, we wandered the narrow alleys within the palace walls and completed the walking tour that the tourist office recommended. I loved the towering columns of Cathedral of St. Domnius, the surrounding Roman bath ruins, and the white stone square right in front of the cathedral. Aromas of espresso from neighboring cafés and lavender from the little old ladies selling satchels of the herb wafted all around us.

Can't get enough...

[Rab]

Getting to our next destination, Rab, after Lovran proved difficult and is a story in itself! First off, there's only ONE ferry per day to Rab and it left at 6pm. We were told that we could only purchase ferry tickets to Rab from where the ferry left, in Rijeka, which was a 45 minute bus ride from Lovran. We were also told we'd need to get there early, to reserve seats--one lady said noon would be "okay" (6 hours before a Tuesday departure!). Of course, we followed her advice, leaving our lovely hotel at 10:30am to catch a bus to Rijeka. In Rijeka, we thought to see about a bus to Rab just for kicks--turns out, the bus is twice the price and takes an hour longer than the ferry. Forget it. So we bought tickets for the 6pm ferry (they'd sold 2 tickets at that point!), and found the next bus to the closest beach. It was a beautiful day and we found a pure local's cove of crystal clear water and perfect sun. 

The 'beach' near the old town of Rab

By 8pm we found our "sobe" (room/small hotel) easy enough. After we got settled, we went into the old town to explore and find some dinner. We were shocked to see how crowded it was--it was like the entire population of southern Germany and all of Austria were in the old town of Rab. Actually it was like we were in this strange German island but with no worst --only Italian food! Seriously, the only food options were pizza, pasta, and fish...and more pizza, pasta, and fish. We really wanted to get away from the crowds so we snuck up an alley and found a cute pizzeria. We sat and ordered in the main room, which was kinda dark, and two minutes later the waiter said a spot on the roof terrace just opened-perfect! Great view, and nice and quiet.

Suha Punto, on the south side of the island

Our first full day we took a long walk to a beach the tourist office recommended, Suha Punto. We were thinking that this beach might off the beaten path, but a soon as we rounded the last corner we saw car after car marked with the ever preset 'D' for Deutschland. Yes, it was packed with Germans. But it was worth it! We sunbathed and snorkeled and snacked on bread and cheese. Wonderful afternoon! On the way back to Rab town we tried to arrange a water taxi but it didn't work out. So as we walked along the road we also tried to hitch hike, thinking one of the German BMW owners would be so kind, but also no-go. We definitely got our work out for the day! That evening we strolled the old town, had more pizza, and got to sleep early.

The old town

The next day we took a local bus to the other side of the island, called Lopar. Again, it was über crowded. We took a short hike around the area to scope out any vacant beaches...we didn't find any but we saw some spectacular landscapes. Eventually we came across a less crowded area, surrounded by barren island views, and a totally unique landscape. 

Dobre dan Zagreb!

Elliot and I just returned from 15 blissful days in Croatia. What a country! Because we explored several interesting, beautiful, and all very different places I have divided the trip into three blogs: first Zagreb and Lovran, then the islands of Rab, Pag, and Vis, and finally Split and Plitvice Lakes National Parks.

Our 15-day route

To give you a sense, Croatia is a small country of 4.5 million people in the Balkan region of Europe, shouldered up between Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia & Hercegovina, and Montenegro. The Adriatic Sea lines its coast and Italy is a boat ride away. The country's rich history, going back to the Illyrian population of 1000 BC and Roman rule during 11 BC was evident throughout our trip. More recently, in the early '90s, Croatia fought for its independence from the former Yugoslavia and Serbian forces. Serbian forces retreated in '95 and Croatian boarders were reestablished. Croats seem very proud of their country; we couldn't walk one block without seeing a Croatian flag. And considering its rocky recent past, its economy is doing quite well--especially tourism!

Croatian flags proudly hanging; Zagreb's manhole covers