Bok! (a form of hello in Croatian)
Our first city in Croatia was Split. The second-largest city in Croatia is still growing and becoming a popular place for tourists. Coming off the ferry from Ancona, we were greeted by a large harbor leading up to a wide sidewalk complete with benches and leading further up to a strip of restaurants and shops. We were there early in the morning and already people were sipping on coffees on restaurant patio's, walking with grocery bags full of fresh produce from the Green Market, or having a cigarette while opening up their shop for the day. It was a busy chaos that makes you feel at ease. In Italy, we felt that waiters and people serving you in general were very "huffy". Always rushing, running around, throwing dishes down, sliding your cappuccino down the counter to you. In Croatia, everyone seemed a little more relaxed.
We spent three nights at an awesome hostel called CroParadise. Tough to find, but once we got our bearings straight, the hidden streets(not on a map) began to make sense. It was like staying in a little apartment. 3 separate bedrooms, a bathroom, and a good sized kitchen and common area. Add in the huge plasma tv's and fast internet and we felt like kings! The tv's, equipped with thousands of free movies, seemed unnecessary, but on a rainy day we would have been pretty comfortable. The hostel also made up little guidebooks for Split. Listing places to see, things to do, and even a food guide. We highly recommend this place to anyone heading to Croatia in the future.
Mornings, we were up early and walking through the local Pazar, or Green Market. This giant farmers market brings locals from all around Split together to sell their homemade honey(from sage to lavender) cheese, fresh breads and pastries, meats, nuts and dried figs, and of course garden vegetables and fruits. As per usual with any market, you can find clothes, souvenirs etc as well. I loved walking through and watching the men and women wheel and deal for their days worth of food.
After we made ourselves some tea and fruit and muesli for breakfast we usually walked around Split some more. Starting with the Riva, or waterfront. This is the urbanized, open, and accessible wide sidewalk I mentioned above. With the harbor on one side, and Diocletian's Palace on the other, this strip is known as Split's living room. Our last day in Split, the city was getting ready for a yearly festival, so the living room was packed. Vendors selling everything you can think of made out of wood (lots of toys)), cotton candy and popcorn stands, bulk candy, locals selling homemade goods, and huge balloons waiting to be bought. It was a great atmosphere, and fun to be apart of such a local activity.
Another popular street is Marmontova Ulica, where the fish market is held, along with many other boutiques and shops. This street runs right along Old Town.
We also walked up to Marjan Hill, which is a popular look-out point that gives you an amazing view of the city in is entirety. We continued on through Marjan Park, found ourselves in a small zoo(quite pitiful, but it was interesting none-the-less)and then emerged onto a busy pedestrian street. Locals biking, rollerblading, walking, running. It was a strip of activity! We had lunch at Bene beach, and then stopped for a nice nap on Kasjuni beach. The other beach we stopped at the night before, Bačvice, also known as party beach, is a busy, sandy strip backed with restaurants, bars, and clubs. We stopped at a small bar with four Aussie girls we met and had a drink. The owner even came out with shots of their local liqueur on the house! The shot tasted like warm honey..mmm could be dangerous...
The food in Croatia is great too. One of our favorites, also a local favorite, is called Dalmatinska Pastacada. It's a fine boneless beef steak stuffed with garlic and cloves, and sometimes bacon. The beef is marinated for 12-24 hours, quickly fried, and then cooked with vegetables and wine. Usually served with gnocchi or macaroni (we had gnocchi). The gravy is thick and dark brown. SO GOOD. We went for dinner with the same Aussie girls and all ordered this notorious dish. The waiter brought out pots of aromatic, simmering beef, and platters of yummy gnocchi. Add a couple pitchers of wine and we were all feeling quite satisfied by the end of that dinner.
Another tasty Croatian treat is gibanica od sira, a savoury cheese-filled pastry.
Our next stop in Croatia was Dubrovnik. We took a five hour bus ride there, and were picked up by our hostel owner. He brought us to his family-run hostel where we were welcomed with a shot and some homemade gibanic od sira (remember, cheese-filled pastry). His wife, Milke, is a motherly, friendly, and always happy woman with an extraordinary skill for cooking. They have 6 kids, 4 of which work with them at the hostel. Milke told us a story about a woman asking her how she could have six chldren and love them all equally, and have enough time to spend with each one equally. Milke shook her head, and thought, "what a stupid question. I have never-ending love. I have so much love, enough for a million children. That is why I love this work, I want to share with everyone." My heart melted. This was the first hostel that really made us feel like part of the family. Four months into being away from our homes, this was exactly what we needed. Milke welcomed everyone by name and with a smile every morning. She cooked French toast, homemade pastries, and eggs for every single guest. All this food along with honeys and jams(all homemade and organic) tea, coffee and juices. One especially interesting juice was elder flower juice. I had no idea you could even make juice out of a flower. It was delicious. The kitchen was the most beautiful of organized messes I've ever encountered. Milke was always cooking or baking something.
We spent one full evening walking around Dubrovnik, checking out the old city, which is built inside the old fortress that saved Dubrovnik years ago while at war. On our way back we walked along the coast and watched the sunset.
The next day we had a big, delicious, and noisy breakfast with the rest of the hostel. After breaky we decided to go with four others on a tour for the day. We took a ferry to an island called Otok Mijet. We spent the day relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and having a picnic lunch. Later we went to this huge cave with cliffs all around that locals have set up for cliff jumping. The safe jumping spots are all marked out on the rocks. It was so much fun, and extremely exhilarating to take the plunge. On our way back we stopped at a restaurant holding the title for best oysters. Everyone shared a platter, along with some black risotto with cattlefish, and regular risotto with mussels.
Ps did you know that they use the ink from squid to make the risotto black..strange, but still tasty. We ended back at the hostel around 10pm. We were sun-kissed and covered in salt, with full bellies and tired eyes. A great way to experience Dubrovnik.
Now, sitting in yet an even MORE homey and comfortable hostel, we are pinching ourselves to be sure this is all real. We arrived in Mostar, Bosnia not thinking we could find a better hostel than the one we had just left. A pick-up, with homemade soup and tea on arrival, we've found ourselves another family to blend into for a couple of days. Majda is another gem of a woman and we are feeling very blessed to have met her and her family at Majda's hostel.
We are off with her brother, Bata, for his famous tour of Bosnia today. Very excited as we have only heard great things.
I'll update you all on our Bosnian adventures soon :)
Thanks for reading,
"Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" --Helen Keller
A&C
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