Hey hey.
Am currently living my most glamorous life: sat on an easy jet plane, middle seat, trying not to itch my mozzie-bite-covered legs and having dreams of a brie and pickle toastie. Don’t say I don’t treat ya with these little insights into my daily life.
We’re heading home! And I’m kinda okay with it. As good a time as I just had, I swear the mosquito bites and sweat-induced blisters were pushing me towards a mild tantrum. My ankle is swollen. My feet are truly battered. My legs look like I’m suffering from chicken pox. And don’t even get me started on what suncream does to my acne; jesus. I do not scream ‘week in the sun’ although I swear I was just in 30c heat for the past 7 days.
So yes, Croatia.
We based ourselves in Split, a coastal city surrounded by mountains; we settled on it because it was the most convenient for visiting a cheeky national park or two which was at the top of my to-do list whilst in Croatia.
On our first night – after arriving at 8 in the evening and immediately wanting food – we headed to the water front, drawn in like moths to a flame. It was heaving. There was a gag-inducing sulphur smell. There were bars with thumping music. We had an over-priced, underwhelming meal and yes, I felt a hint of mild panic that Split was way off what I’d imagined.
We were woefully unprepared for the expense (we literally spent double our food budget) and the level of tourists. Fuck me there were a lot of em. There were cruise ships piling in, and walking tours in abundance and so many freakin’ selfie sticks. Yes, yes I know; I was one of the tourists but I am not a cruise ship/walking tour/selfie stick kinda girl and there were aspects of Split (see: waterfront) that were there exactly for that kinda gal, hence why I wondered if I was in the wrong place.
I wasn’t. But it did take me a couple of days to start to get a grasp on Split, to decide if I liked it. It felt like a city that was still deciding what it wanted to be and I had to see both sides before making my mind up. Spoiler: big thumbs up from me. Yes, I was disappointed by the thumping bars, the crowds, the fast food places; but if you can put that aside (unless thumping bars are your bag, in which case, do your thang), Split has so much to offer and was a great base for us to get a little taste of Croatia.
We also visited Krka National Park which demonstrated the surreal beauty of Croatia and we swam amongst the emerald waters at the bottom of the waterfalls with big grins on our faces.
As for the city itself, we stayed in a lovely little Airbnb up the hill – about ten minutes out of town – with spectacular sea views and lovely hosts. They brought freshly-made crepes to our door on our final morning! I fell hard and fast in love with Diocletian’s Palace; the living heart of Split. For those not in the know, it’s an ancient Roman structure; not an actual palace or museum though. It’s enormous! An entire town packed full of atmosphere, quaint bars & fairy-lit restaurants. You enter a different world in the palace and it’s where we spent the majority of our time when we were in the centre. There was always something to stumble across; usually people dancing in some shape or form – both organised and spontaneous. We got lost amongst those labyrinthine streets countless times and would find yet another new undiscovered area, just waiting for us to set up camp, drink local wine and nibble on dalmatian cheese. I loved the terracotta rooftops and the narrow streets, the local buskers and the stray cats, the breadth of history and the gorgeous, ancient architecture.
Split was a slow-burner; I wish I could have stayed longer and I can’t wait to explore more of Croatia one day.
These photos are absolutely gorgeous, Croatia looks like such a beautiful country!
ReplyDeleteLucy | Forever September
Aw thank you :) It was, the sea was so clear!
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