My first week in Croatia has been nothing short of amazing, largely due to the arrival of two friends and travel buddies, Laura and Neka! We overlapped for a brief day in Berlin, but the party really started when they showed up in Split.
We started with a couple nights in my home base for the next month - Split. One day was spent exploring the Old City, complete with ruins at every turn. The most interesting thing about it though is how commercialized they’ve made everything within the ruins - personally, it ruined the history and magic of it a bit, but it was still damn cool to be walking through alleys that are centuries old.
Touching the famous toe for good luck after many beers. (Can you tell?)
The next day was spent lazing about at a nearby beach, where we had our first dip into the crystal clear Adriatic Sea. It is the most stunning blue, and the fact that you can see everything so clearly underneath is absurd. Also, it is SO SALTY and makes you super buoyant, which is the greatest feeling in the world.
A nearby Split beach, complete with a congregation of Euros in Speedos
After a couple nights running around Split and seeing just how strong the ancient walls are, we headed to the party island of Hvar. An unanticipated hike around the island took us to Robinson’s Beach, a tiny beach that had no more than 30 people on it. We drank beer, ate the best calamari I’ve ever had (freshly caught that day and grilled in their open fire oven), and promptly took a well deserved swim and nap. We did partake in the nightlife, albeit tamely, but we were pretty proud of our 2 am bed time after the day we had had.
When on the party island of Hvar, one parties.
We left Hvar and then sailed on to Korcula, a tiny island and the home of Marco Polo. I confirmed that biking is not my thing, but did meet Laura and Neka for our winery tour through the island. They are famous for their GRK wine, a cool 16% wine that is quite tasty as well. We even visited a “winery” that was essentially an old man’s garage project. Long story short, the views are amazing, the wine flows aplenty, and it is worth a one night stay for sure.
I survived my 1 km of biking in Korcula.
Finally, we ended up in Dubrovnik, the Jewel of the Adriatic. It was by far the most crowded and touristy, and dodging cruise ship tourists became a sport. The first day was spent wandering around the city and climbing up endless amounts of steps in search of shade and any semblance of a cool breeze. We went to a bar that is literally through a hole in the Walls of Dubrovnik to catch the sunset, then headed to the city for dinner. By far, the best discovery of the night was a women-run charcuterie restaurant. The meats and cheeses were incredible, and the house wine from tap was one of the best I’ve had.
Our summer girl band was pretty awesome.
Our final day together included a beach morning, with plenty of swimming and floating in the sea. Our afternoon was sweaty and filled with a GOT tour and walk around the walls, followed by a ride up to the highest view of Dubrovnik for some incredible panoramic and sunset views.
Old Dubrovnik looks so small from up top!
Thanks to Laura and Neka for reminding me what regular social contact feels like and for being incredible travel partners. Despite endless amounts of sweating, I wouldn’t have changed a minute of it. Split feels a little lonely now, but I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to discover this country with such fabulous friends.
I’ll miss our motley crew!
The next few weeks will be a lot of work, but I’ll be doing my fair share of exploring in Croatia, which I am super excited for. Stay tuned!!