Croatia-Must Visits

Hi! I’m back. Sorry for the delay. I’ve been writing all of my blog posts out in my notes app before copying them onto WordPress and a couple of days ago, when I went to copy the post that I had all ready and edited, I pressed delete by accident! Gaaaaaaaah! It’s the second time it’s happened and it’s so fucking annoying! It’s okay though. It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve realised that I can just write up a draft on WordPress and it will automatically save. Duh! So, let’s start over.

Hi. I’m back and this post is about the best parts of our trip. Croatia- the highlights! By highlights I mean the things we did that you might want to do too if you’re ever over that way.

Trogir

Lets begin with lovely Trogir which is a small town to one side of Kastela. It takes about 10 minutes in car and maybe 15 on the bus. It consists of a tiny old town which is on a small island accessible by bridges, and when I say small I mean small. The little town is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets and beautiful old buildings dotted with restaurants and small shops. Once out the other side there’s a beautiful water front lined with trees and bars and the fortress Kamerlengo.

We strolled through the streets stopping for Oranginas (why do I only drink these on holiday?) before making our way to the Green Market. There are some greats sights to visit in Trogir, like the St. Lawrence Cathedral, but we had come for the markets.

It was full of stalls heaving with the weight of fresh fruit and veg. They were overflowing. Because Croatia has an abundance of figs and olives you’ll also find the locals selling homemade olive oils and fig wine as well as the actual figs picked from their trees. It’s a great place to eat, pick up ingredients and take photos.

After the Green Market we headed over the road to the covered fish market, which we were super excited about. It opens at 6am and close at 3pm but the first time we went we arrived at 1pm and almost everything was gone so get there early. Lesson learned we went again the next morning and oh what a joy! Tables laden with freshly caught fish, octopus, clams….This is what we were after! We chose carefully as I had a recipe in mind but I could have easily bought everything! I tend to get carried away around food.

Before we left we stopped for a very traditional Croatian snack, Cevapi. I’ll go into more detail in the food talk chapter but know this, it was very good. If you’re in Split make the time to visit Trogir. It can be done in half a day and it’s only 30 mins away. You won’t be disappointed.

Krka National Park

This was something I was really looking forward to. A little swimming, a little walking and being surrounded by trees. This is my idea of heaven, people!

It was about an hours drive from where we were staying and it’s huge. There are 5 entrances to choose from depending on where you want to explore. We were heading to Skradinski Buk, the park’s largerst waterfall. Once parked up you can jump on a boat to the waterfall or if you’re feeling fit you can walk the 5k walk. We weren’t feeling fit, we were feeling hot, so we took the boat but now I wish we had walked there and taken the boat back. Oh well. You live and you learn.

The short journey was dreamy. Rugged, tree lined hills and blue waters on a breezy open boat. What’s not to love? Once there you’re free to explore and this is were I was slightly disappointed. It’s full of people! Don’t get me wrong I love people, I’m a people person, but I thought this was going to be more serene and magical, which it would have been without all of the bloody people! We headed onto a trail towards the falls which is about an hour long. Little bridges connect the pathways and the clear water all around is full of fish. It’s the bluest water imaginable, almost turquoise. All along the walk there are views of the stunning falls and you can hear them all around you. It’s beautiful.

Once at the base of Skradinski Buk we chose a quiet spot to swim, away from the busy falls. As I’m not much of a swimmer I spent my time in the water hanging off Joe like a koala. It was pretty rocky and slippery underneath so I didn’t feel confident at all. I found a rock and perched myself on it to give Joe a break (I’m kind like that). Although there are a few food shacks we’d brought a picnic and we found a shady spot under a huge tree were we could chill out for a while. As lizards ran playfully around the trunk we ate cheese, ham and bread around and a big bag of salted Lays crisps. They didn’t do salt and vinegar anywhere throughout the whole of our trip, much to Joe’s dismay.

After lunch I decided I couldn’t leave without swimming by the waterfalls. There was more of a natural incline into the water so I felt a little more confident to go it alone and I’m so glad I did. There’s something about facing your fears that makes you feel invincible isn’t there? That feeling is the best ever!

A few pointers

In the summer months it’s super busy with tourists so arrive early or for a cheaper ticket, arrive late.
It’s very rocky and slippery on the surface of the lakes so bring flip flops or swimming shoes if you’re not a confident swimmer or if you just have sensitive soles.
The food is expensive and average, take a picnic.
This really goes without saying but sunscreen and water is a must!

Hvar

Melita told us to explore the islands and Hvar was on her list of places to visit. It’s accessible by catamaran from Split ferry port and we booked the tickets in advance. As soon as we stepped off the boat we could tell two things straight away. This was an island for people with money (so not us) and for people who like to paaaarrrttyyy! I think when women (and by women I mean girls in their late teens) stroll around in nothing more than bikinis accessorised with huge sunnies and jewellery, that’s a major giveaway. Another giveaway was the hoard of gleaming white, pristine super yachts in the harbour. Wow!

After eating what turned out to be an over priced but underwhelming breakfast by the harbour (free Prosecco though, so I was happy) we decided to take a walk to explore the island a little. Walking past the yachts Joe pointed out that the guy in front looked like Christian Horner (I know who this is from Sunday afternoons spent watching the Grand Prix, and by watching I mean scrolling through Insta while Joe watches). “Actually that also looks like Bernie Ecclestone. It is! It’s Christian Horner and Bernie Ecclestone!” As this realisation came about for Joe the penny was slowly dropping for me. Christian Horner, Mr Geri Halliwell! Oh my god! I’m about to meet a spice girl!!

I tried to discreetly look around. She had to be here, surely he’s brought her to this beautiful island. I hung around as long as I could before Joe reminded me we were only here until 6 and that Mrs Horner May never arrive. As I reluctantly walked away we walked by a selection of small boats and I saw a sign, “Rentaboat”. I suggested the idea to Joe and a quick boat lesson and market stop off later, we were out in the open waters! This was probably my favourite part of our time in Croatia. We drove all around the Pakleni islands sailing past party boats with huge inflatable flamingos and huge yachts. It was so cool! Then it was my turn. “Oh my god I’m driving a freakin’ boat!”. My hair was blowing wildly, cool mists of water were spraying over me and I felt completely free. It felt incredible.

After a while we decided to stop for food at one of the small islands. We arrived at this cool looking, shack-like bar and moored the boat (I’ll skim over the part where we got the anchor stuck in some rocks and Joe had to scuba in to get it out). Just wow! There was a small bar followed by an eating area and beyond that was a relaxing area with double beds and a masseuse! Eeeek! We ordered wine and seafood and looked out over the sea whilst chatting about how amazing it would be to own a yacht and stroking a dog that kept coming under our table. I didn’t get a massage as we had to get the boat back but there’s always next time. We finished the day by eating gelato by the harbour while we waited for the boat to take us back to Split. This was by far one of my favourite days and although I’d probably choose a different main island next time, I highly recommend renting a boat and doing a bit of exploring. It cost around £100 but was the best money we spent.