Croatia: A Magical Walk Through History
The boosting timeless beauties of Dalmatian towns to the spectacular rugged coastlines and the scenic views from the Walls of Dubrovnik Walls are some of the reasons why Croatia draws millions of tourist all over the world.
Visiting Croatia has been a long-standing plan that I have been working on for over a decade. And I am not surprise why Fiona, my traveling buddy, wanted to visit this country once again. Thanks to Croatia Travel Specialists for providing me an overview of what to expect during this visit and also for exceeding my expectations of what to see in this country. C roatia Travel Specialists definitely has the local know-how and expertise of packaging a tour that will please their customers. For over 10 years, the specialist management team headed by Paul and Mary Martin has obviously assimilated the local life. During those years, they have swam the country’s 1000 stunning islands, driven 1000 kms of it’s spectacular coastlines, savored thousand of servings of Dalmatian cuisine and drank hundreds of bottles of local wines. For more information about Croatia Travel Specialists product and offerings, go to www.croatiatravel.net.au
On Wednesday, 11 May, at 9:30 am we landed in Split, the largest Dalmatian city. We were fortunate to negotiate, with the Last Minute Car Rental staff for a transfer service to our hotel, Luxe Boutique Hotel, at a reasonable cost. Painted in white and purple, Luxe Boutique Hotel is situated in a prime location and is close to good restaurants’ Old town and port. The hotel has a crew of great, attentive, and kind staff. Fiona was right – Croatians are nice and friendly. The hotel is relatively new and one of the recommended hotels by Croatia Travel Specialists. The hotel use of white and shades of purple give you that contemporary feel as you walk into the lobby. They have a good breakfast selection: the smoothie shots being my favourite one.
I spent the following day exploring Split during the broad daylight. I must admit that I love the night ambience of the city than during daytime. There are so many activities during nighttime. These include the vibrant and live music played outside Katedrala Svetog Duje (Cathedral of St. Duje), which entice people either to dance or just simply enjoy and listen. I also had the chance to stroll through the hidden corners and narrow streets, and alleys of shops, restaurants, markets and bars. In one of the night strolls we had, we discovered our favorite pizzeria, Konoba Pizzeria by chance as we went through a little alley. The pizza was that great that we couldn’t leave the city not going back to the place during our last night.
Islands that are easily accessibly by ferry surround Split. Jadrolinija, Croatia’s biggest ferry company, operates daily services to these islands. Make sure to check the schedules when planning to do island visits.
The first island we visited was Brac. It is also the most accessible islands in the Croatian Adriatic. It’s a 50-minute ferry ride to get to the Supetar Port of Brac. And if you plan to go to the Bol Beach, it will be another 45-minute bus ride. From Bol Beach, you can get to the most visited beach, Zlatni Rat Beach (Golden Horn), via a 45-minute nice and easy stroll. Rat Beach is known to change its shape depending on the water current. We had lunch in one of the restaurants at Rat Beach as we enjoyed watching the stunning sea view. We spent the whole afternoon at Rat Beach and took the last bus back to Supetar in time to have dinner at Brac. There are a number of restaurants and charming bars where you can eat and enjoy a drink by the port. After dinner, we finally made it on time to catch the last ferry back to Split.
On Saturday, May 14, we visited another island. This time we went to Hvar and decided to stay in the island for 2 nights. Hvar is definitely an eye catching and charming island. It’s a popular summer destination to many international visitors. We did not arrange for a hotel accommodation. It’s not peak season and anticipated that looking for a place is not a difficult task to do. Home-stay lodging was our choice. We have figured out that this sort of accommodation can easily be booked and relatively cheap. To no surprise, right at the port, there were hundreds of house owners advertising their house to rent out to tourists. An uphill apartment would be an ideal choice to take advantage of the scenic view of the city. And if you have the time, it’s always best to check the location and the room first. Fiona and I opted to stay in a house nearby the station. Though it wasn’t located uphill, it was close enough to enjoy the walk to/from the town.
It was a glorious Saturday at Hvar. The sky was blue and the town was not too busy. We grabbed some pizza for lunch in one of the many restaurants, located opposite the church. By mid- afternoon, we had our first cocktail at Riva, located at the waterfront. I definitely enjoyed gazing the boats pulling into the port. Unfortunately, the next 2 days was unpleasantly cold because of the rain. It must be one of our unlucky days. One of the locals told us that they only get 10 days rain in a year. We took advantage of the weather to just chill and relax. After all, we deserve this treat after the busy conference.
When we returned to Split, I found out that my bank had to close my debit card due to fraudulent activities and irregularities of transactions discovered. These explain why my past 3 transactions were declined. Credit card fraud is any traveler’s nightmare. Which was a lesson learned for me to be extra careful and never lose sight of your card specially when traveling abroad. After speaking with the bank, they have informed me that the fraudulent activities will be dealt with accordingly, and funds will be refunded into my account. Thank goodness for that great news! As an added security check, I still think banks these days should send a phone message for each transaction you make.
Tuesday, 17 May, was our last day in Split and by 9 am Fiona and I arranged our bus tickets, her airport transfer and mine to Dubrovnik. By 11 am, I sadly had to say adieu to my traveling buddy, as I had to catch an earlier trip to Dubrovnik. Prior to going to Dubvronik, it was a choice of skipping Dubvronik at all and go to Athens via ferry through Ancona or a pricey airfare. I realized that a 5-hour scenic bus drive to Dubvronik along the endless and stunning winding coastlines, crossing through Neum, which is part of the Bosnian territory, would not kill me. And besides, Paul from Croatia Travel Specialists reminded me that excluding Dubrovnik in my itinerary is akin to not going to Croatia at all.
At 5 pm I made it to Dubrovnik. At the station, Sylvana, sister of the owner of the private house that I stayed, welcomed me. The house was well located to the Old Town. My room was on the 3rd floor (double level stairs) and has a spectacular view of the bay, which compromised my morning and afternoon workout. Upon arrival at the house, Edi, my host, met me. He showed me the town map and recommended places to eat and must-see.
I am glad that I took Paul’s advice. The historical and small town of Dubrovnikhas lots of things to offer. Undeniably, the main attraction is the Walls of Dubrovnik. Behind it is another charming city, rich in history. And it is without doubt after a walk along the Stradun Street that I recognized the internal beauty of this timeless town. Soon I found Taj Mahal without traveling to India. Taj Mahal is a restaurant frequented by many tourists, offering a typical Bosnian cuisine with a lovely Indian ambience and décor. Service was superb and food was great and affordable. They serve the traditional Bosnian coffee, which I had two cups in one sitting, and I am not even a coffee drinker. And to go with it, you should try the traditional ‘baklava’ dessert. Although this was my personal food choice, there are so many great restaurants like Proto, Nautica, where all serving superb Croatian and International cuisine but unfortunately I was not in Dubrovnik long enough to check these places out.
Wednesday, 18 May, was a typical tourist day for me. In the morning, I joined a tour for a magical walk through history with amazing views of the old city for 90 KN. The city has fascinated me with magnificent historical monuments and treasures. The quick introduction of the main sights by the guide gave me an opportunity to further explore and understand the history behind these world famous walls. After the tour, I took a ferry across to Lokrum, a national park accessible via a 10-minutes ferry. The park is also popular for being one of the nudist beaches in the country. Most visitors are easily lost before finding the nude beach, due to lack of signage along the tracks.
I don’t think a visit to this beautiful city would be complete without walking the walls. And the best time to start the one-hour walk is just before the sunset. To save time and money, I highly recommend purchasing a ‘Dubrovnik Card,’ daily or weekly. As I was walking along the Walls of Dubrovnik, I found out that American actress ‘Ashley Judd’ was filming her new TV series‘Missing’ and one of the scenes was being filmed in one of the towers. I had plenty of photo opportunities from the walls and the towers, as well as the coastline and the islands. I continued to discover the brilliance of the walls, distinguished by its fortresses and towers.
The rich culture and heritage, the spectacular coastal and inland offerings, the hospitable touch were definitely the key attractions of this country. In the last 10 years, airfare was pricey from Dubrovnik via Vienna or Munich to Athens. But now I have something to be grateful for discovering a cheaper way to get from Dubrovnik to Athens, my next destination stop. This route is definitely both a time and fare saver. Given the chance, I will definitely visit this place again if I could, and see other sights I’ve missed.
© 2012 by Michelle Riel, retains sole copyright to her contributions to all the contents of this site.
