Stepping off the ferry (Aurelia operated by SNAV), I ask Kristin what day it is. Days of the week mean less when you don’t have a job. I float through the week not paying attention to whether it is a Tuesday or a Saturday. The 5-day work-week is still a bit ingrained in me and my body still yearns to take full advantage of Fridays and Saturdays. I learn today is a Tuesday, which changes nothing about how I’m going to go about my day. Don’t get me wrong, when looking up museums and other activities, we need to know the day, but if someone asks me what day it is, this takes me a while to answer. I didn’t even know we were in Croatia for two weeks until I wrote “Day 48-61!”

We are in Split for all of 30 minutes before jumping on another 2-hour ferry to the Island of Hvar. We reach Stari Grad port, hop on a bus, and arrive in the center of town. Stari Grad, which translates to “Old Town,” is one of the oldest cities in Europe and is also a UNESCO protected World Heritage Site. A few thousand people live in and around Stari Grad.

With time to kill before we check into our flat, we find a place for brunch and sit down. We are now in Croatia, where they speak Croatian… we don’t know a single word or phrase in Croatian at this point. Looking for something healthy and fresh we decide on veggie omelettes, and I attempt to order in Croatian. “Dva omlet sa povrcem.” I get a little chuckle out of the waitress, and she corrects my pronunciation. Let’s stop here for a second.

In our experience, we always have more worthwhile and memorable interactions when we try and communicate using the native language. People are patient. They smile and help when we make mistakes. Even the server in a busy restaurant appreciates that extra effort, that attempt.  Sometimes, it’s an utter mess. You try and order a coffee and they think you want a beer. I ordered whiskey on the rocks in Italy and the server thought I wanted ice for our wine. We always figure it out eventually. We can usually, but not always, fall back on English if things get extra messy.

We meet Zana, who shows us our place and we unpack. This may be the first time on the trip I take every single item out of my bag because we’re staying in one place for seven days this time. I an inventory of items I brought, but have not used. A tea-strainer is really the only thing in my bag I see myself getting rid of. The harmonica hasn’t had much use, but it’s not going anywhere. Zana shows us around the place and points us to the (much needed) laundry room. It’s funny what things you get excited about when traveling. After hand washing a bunch of clothes in Italy, we get to use a machine that does it for us!

Tommy is another person we meet in Stari Grad. He is a about 100 meters from our place. We see him everyday and sometimes twice a day. A nice guy, but extremely busy between the hours of 18:00 – 20:00.

Stari Grad is riddled with secret swimming holes. We buy a snorkel (worth every penny/kuna) and explore multiple secluded spots. To get to the best areas, you have to walk past the public beaches on a gravel trail before you get to the dirt path that leads you through the woods. Walking along the dirt trail you never know what to expect. I think the island of Hvar has a very relaxed, naturist feel. This means you may stumble across a nude family frolicking in the water or an 80 year-old laid out on a boulder in his birthday suit. I’m no expert on the etiquette of nude sunbathing, but I figure they don’t want two snorkelers with a GoPro raining on their stark-naked parade. Normally when we found a nude sunbather, we just travel a little further on down the path.

The Adriatic Sea is very pleasing on the eyes. Beautiful blues cascade up and down the rocky shore. The snorkel brought to life a whole new world under the sea. We spend multiple days and many hours following fish up and down the coast, as the occasional boat or ferry passes by. With only one snorkel, we trade off from sunbathing to swimming.

We get a little exercise in Stari Grad running through the trails and also hiking up to the cross on Glavica Hill. On top of the hill is a small church and an extraodinary view of the city. It’s a prime spot for a Croatian sunset.

We are in town while there is a Jazz & Wine festival going on. We pay for a couple wine glasses that come with a wine glass holder that goes around your neck and try some Hvar wine. We buy some vouchers which you use to get glasses of wine from the vendors. My tactic is always to go up to the vendors who are clearly intoxicated. They seem to give me a better deal and a better pour.

I haven’t mentioned food much in Stari Grad. To get that daily budget back on track, home cooked meals have been the norm. We fall back on a salad with couscous, tomatoes, olive oil, cucumbers, peppers, feta, and chicken. Make it in bulk and its a glorious snack or even meal. Props to Tommy for always stocking the right ingredients. Don’t worry, we do venture out for a good meal and also some amazing desserts.

Our spacious terrace overlooks the town and its the perfect spot for us to relax and get a little writing done.

Split is our next Croatian home. We hop on another Ferry, make our way up to the top deck and enjoy views on our 2-hour ride. Ferry-life is really the way to go. Way better than a bus, less constricting than a plane, and you can drink a beer, so also better than a car. Quick side note, this area also has Uber boats and I fully regret not taking advantage of that.

As usual, we have some time to kill before checking in to our next place so we stop by a food joint called Sexy Cow and grab some lunch. When it’s time to check into the Airbnb we are walking up to the address and see a man standing there. Without a word, he nods to us and opens the door and starts walking downstairs. We assume this is our guy and follow along. He opens up the door gives a sweeping arm gesture showing the lay of the land. Kristin and I try and make a bit of small talk, but he stays silent. We thank him and he waves goodbye. I take this opportunity to land a solid high-five in his hand and he chuckles as he shuts the door. Mission accomplished.

Our place is next to a forested park called Park Šuma Marjan. I strap on my Merrell Trail Glove 4 shoes and start my run. I bought these shoes specifically for our adventure. They have a combined weight of 1 pound (.45 kg). This is important when we run into weight restrictions on our pack and also helps me keep the weight down when we lug our bags around. They are also durable shoes that are good for multiple types of terrain.

Running is a stress reliever for me. Running keeps me active, healthy, and happy. Running is also one of the best ways to scout and explore a city. Winding through the park I discover many beaches and lookout points. I end up running the perimeter of the park and clocking in 7 miles before I make it back to our Split home.

On Wednesday we wake up and saunter toward the city center. We are meeting our good friend Lada for brunch! Lada grew up in Croatia and is originally from Zagreb (the next stop on our trip). Lada is with her parents and two boys who explore the city while we sit and eat brunch. I met Lada while working at Ericsson and the conversation turns to what’s happening at work these days. We bring the conversation back to some of our funny travel stories. She also tells us to go to Marjan Hill which provides a spectacular view of the city and also the ancient ruins of Diocletian’s Palace that was built around the 4th century.

Wandering around Split we pass a place called “Froggyland.” The sign boasts, “DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!!! It is here in Split VERIFIED only one in the world… Froggyland over 100 years old unique collection of 507 stuffed frogs displayed in human positions.” I don’t know how, but we somehow move our legs and continue to walk past this historic establishment, leaving it in the dust. A couple hours later, sitting in our apartment, I have frogs on the brain. I know an amazing experience has been missed. What were we thinking?! We throw our shoes on, head out the door, and 10 minutes later we are back in front of Froggyland.

Froggyland consists of multiple aquariums filled with stuffed frogs in different “human-like” poses and scenarios. A man named Ferenc Mere is responsible for these displays that have survived the test of time. Ferenc grew up in Yugoslavia, which has since split up into many countries with one being Croatia. He lived around some big ponds that were full of frogs. His taxidermy technique is a secret and apparently it’s really hard to stuff a frog, Who knew? Rather than describe the strange seetings and poses of the frogs, I’ll let the below pictures speak for themselves. SIDENOTE: Pictures are not allowed. Please don’t get mad at me Froggyland.

With visions of stuffed froggies dancing in our head we board a bus for the capital of Croatia. Zagreb is refreshingly charming. Unlike Paris, Rome, or Lisbon, it is not swarming with tourists. We drop our bags off at our 3rd story apartment and stroll through the city. We walk through Ribnjak park and see some clouds rolling in. We are able to duck into a cafe for some drinks right before a torrential downpour starts.

Back in August 2017 we had a front row seat for the solar eclipse in Liberty, MO. Now in Zagreb, we get to experience a magnificent lunar eclipse as well. Our crappy phone pictures don’t compare at all to the real thing. The earth blacks out the sun and the moon is transformed in an orangeish reddish sphere. Space is pretty cool.

 

Plitvice Lakes National Park is a great day trip when in Croatia if waterfalls and crystal clear water is your thing. Fun fact, the Croatian word for waterfall is “slap.” It boasts 16 interconnected cascading lakes and multiple hiking trails through the park. We choose trail C which is 8000 meters long and takes around 4-6 hours to complete. For the more adventurous there, trail K takes 6-8 hours and is 18300 meters long (over 11 miles).

This time of year, the park can get quite crowded so you should either get there early, or come later in the day when tickets are cheaper. On very busy days, they will close the park from 10am to 2pm, not allowing any additional visitors to enter.

Kristin mentioned the Shengen Zone in our last post. Going in and out of this area is tracked on a person’s passport. Leaving Italy, we got a stamp stating we were leaving Ancona by boat. Once in Croatia, we received an entrance stamp saying we arrived by boat, with the date. The same goes for leaving Croatia.

The bus stops at the border, everyone gets off, and passports are checked. This is where we get our stamp that notes we are leaving Croatia by car/bus. Once all passengers file through the line, we get back on the bus, drive for one more minute and arrive at the passport control for the entrance into Slovenia. We all get off the bus one more time and stand in line with our passports. The agent asked me if I am here for tourism and I reply, “Yes” and walk out into the Slovenian sun. New country time!

I’ll let Kristin tell you if she is allowed in the country on our next post. 😉