Into Croatia

---

We left Budapest from the Zapadni Kolod train station, Budapest’s newer rail station. Not built in the classical style architecture of the older station we arrived at with its soaring ceilings and sculpted exterior detailing this new station is more contemporary poured concrete and although much newer it is not aging anywhere near as gracefully as its predecessor. It readily shows its age when you enter, but nonetheless it’s functional and although we were an hour early for our departure our train was already at the platform and available for boarding. We had purchased our rail tickets, Budapest to Zagreb, through a travel agency at the rail station and the agent showed us that we would have considerable savings buying a return 1^st Class ticket as opposed to a one-way ticket. So we had a 30 day open return ticket. Just in case, I suppose, but highly unlikely we would be returning in the next 30 days.

We boarded and found our reserved compartment noticing that the coach was a little older than what we had travelled in from Paris to Budapest but it did have air conditioning, even if it was WD-60 model air conditioning. ( Windows Down – 60 MPH ). Other than perhaps some recent damp mopping of the floor it seemed it may have been some time since the coach had experienced a true cleaning and despite having been at the station platform for over an hour before departing is seemed no one checked, noticed, or took action regarding the somewhat defective WC / Toilet. The defect became somewhat more noticeable over time as we got closer to Zagreb.

We left right on time at 1:11 PM and settled in for the 6 ½ hour ride to Zagreb. As we left Hungary we travelled across the Hungarian plains and began to climb into the hills of Croatia. Along the way the upgrading of the Croatian rail system was obvious. Besides the laying of an additional track alongside the existing double track the upgrading of the existing track to continuous rail welded technology could be noticed, and felt, in sections that had not yet been upgraded. Like any enterprise with scarce resources to allocate do you buy nice shiny new passenger rail coaches to pull along rough and rickety track, or do you first upgrade and increase the capacity of the track ? It seems to me that maybe the Croatian rail system is being upgraded for the implementation of high speed rail service sometime in the future. Four hours Budapest to Zagreb would sure beat six and a half ! It seemed we were continuously going up steep grades, then breaking out into forested meadows and small villages before going downhill, only to be winding our way back up yet another steep hill. Like a roller coaster ride we rolled though the Croatian countryside arriving on time in Zagreb just after dusk as night began to set in.

Our hotel in Zagreb, according to Google maps seemed to be maybe two or three blocks from the train station so we were pleasantly surprised as we walked out of the station and looking around to get our bearings saw the large “ Hotel Cental “ sign practically across the street. ( www.hotel-central.hr ) The map wasn’t wrong, there were three roadways between the station and the hotel, one serving the station, another for general traffic, and the third ‘roadway’ was the passenger tram track. Being closer to the station than expected, the concern upon checking in was will we have rooms directly facing the station with its constant rail traffic, compounded with the traffic on the city streets. Fortunately our clean, comfortable, and fairly spacious rooms were towards the rear of the hotel, and very quiet.

Zagreb is another busy, bustling, beautiful old City. Being the early riser of our group I was able to watch as the commuter trains pulled into the station about every ten minutes and the hundreds of people made their way to the tram stop in front of, and across the street from the train station. By 7:00AM every tram, running about every 3 minutes, was standing room only as it rumbled past the hotel. And it was not just the trams that were crowded. In no time it seemed, the sidewalks were just as crowded with people coming and going to work and all the students making their way to classes. Our hotel room, ($335 for three nights) also included a breakfast, substantially more than muffins, cereal, and beverages, so after a good breakfast it was off to explore.

Neither my vocabulary, nor pictures can adequately capture or describe this city. I have come to think that one just, doesn’t ‘ see ‘ Zagreb but instead it is a city you ‘ experience’ . We wandered into the “old Town” area with bustling markets and open air coffee shops and restaurants. The weather was continuing to be great and as we wandered a large square I noticed a big advertising display was showing the temperature to be 29C. At 11:00AM.

Just off the square was the Cathedral, built in the early 1200’s and pillaged, raped, and burned over the centuries since. In 1624, and again in 1645 the Cathedral was badly damaged by fires and reconstructed only to be shaken by a major earthquake in 1880. Reconstruction after the earthquake took place over the next 22 years to 1902. Today more restoration work is being done by masons removing deteriorating stones from the towers and replacing with new stonework. When we look at construction techniques and equipment of today, one has to be somewhat in awe gazing at this beautifully crafted 700 year old structure and just sort of wonder “ how did they do that ? “

The food experiences of this tour continued and we found our way one evening to a small basement restaurant with about 40 seats. It seemed like a mother and son operation with the son serving and mother cooking. Mom sure can cook ! The food was delicious, the setting very ‘local’ and unfortunately the ambience and atmosphere was disrupted by a group of loud, boisterous, and obnoxious English speaking tourists. (certainly not behavior to endear tourists to local folk) Despite these folks a couple young girls brightened things up. I had noticed them come in and take a small table in the entrance area. They had obviously been shopping and were pleased and excited with their purchases of new shoes. I caught their attention and it didn’t take much encouragement for them to come and show off their new shoes to the girls. Even I had to admit they were good looking shoes though !

The next morning, the day we had to leave Zagreb, the Mercedes Benz folk had taken over Tram Central as I was now calling the tram stop. They had a display of classy sports cars not commonly available in North America although one of the reps told me they had ‘some’ clients in North America. I’m pretty sure that if you had the money for these machines Mr. Benz would ship anywhere for you. Nice looking vehicles.

At 2:00PM it was to be on to Split, and closer to the villa. Before we left though we had these 1^st Class return to Budapest tickets that were of no use to us. Over breakfast we decided that we would dispose of the tickets at a nearby youth hostel. Surely someone there might have a need, or use, for a ticket to Budapest. Initially the hostel receptionist was somewhat skeptical, and I suppose who wouldn’t be, but eventually he came to have some sort of understanding of our “act of kindness”. Besides, the train station was only a couple of blocks away and the tickets could easily be confirmed as ‘good’.

The train from Zagreb was due to arrive just after 8:30PM and the reception hours at the apartment I had booked were open only until 8:00PM. I’d had some email communication with the apartment operators and they sent me directions on how to get from the train station to the apartment and assuring me someone would be waiting.

This rail journey was about the same length as the trip from Budapest to Zagreb but we had learned lessons and were prepared this time with sandwiches, chips, and water. Unreserved 2^nd Class seating in a more modern, clean, and comfortable air conditioned coach with fixed windows. Our journey continued roller coaster like rolling up and down the hills and twisting our way along past mountain meadows and small villages. Darkness fell as we continued downwards past more and more villages and small towns approaching Split. Our arrival into Split,, Wednesday nite, the 12^th was almost like an aircraft spiraling lower and lower in some sort of landing pattern as we wound our way down out of the hills and we seemingly suddenly broke into the Split railway station about 40 minutes late. A much more basic station, the platforms were not covered and we made our way across the tracks and into and through the small station and on to a main street opposite the ferry terminals and crowded with busses and taxis.

It seemed particularly dark, the winds were gusting, and there was the odd drop of rain being felt. Without much discussion we all agreed that a taxi to the apartment would be the best option. There were no taxis able to carry five passengers so we negotiated with a couple of drivers for a “group” price and with one driver knowing where we were going, it was a case of “follow that cab” for the second driver. As we went up hills, around corners, and down narrow dark streets our choice of taxi over walking was more and more evident as the right one.

With winds gusting about us we piled out of the taxis and found that yes, a young girl was waiting for us in reception, but she was anxious to go. Maybe a big date, so checking in simply consisted of her showing us the door to the apartment, handing us a key, and saying we could finish the registration process in the morning, and then she was gone ! What a great apartment. Modern, with lots of tile, finished only about two years ago. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living / dining area and a decent kitchen. Off the living room was a large balcony, and off two adjoining bedrooms was another large shared balcony. The layout of the apartment allowed the sleeping areas to be closed off from the living room so no one needed to be disturbed. When it was booked for this trip there was minimal information and only a couple of reviews. One neither pro nor con, the other, not very positive, but it seemed that person may have stayed in the apartment while the complex was still mostly under construction. ( http://www.adriaticqueen.net/ )

About 5:00AM we were treated to a fantastic light and sound show that crashed about until nearly 7:00AM. It was a great storm with brilliant flashes and deafening boomers. A little later we also discovered there was a nearby hospital and opposite the apartment parking lot was a heliport for air ambulance services. At least one arrived every morning.

Our first day in Split was somewhat gusty with intermittent showers for the most part. After completing our check-in and getting some orientation and direction we were off on foot back to the Old Town area which is actually a UNESCO heritage site, the Diocletian’s Palace, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian's_Palace ) This is a fairly large site with a maze of narrow passageways lined with all sorts of shops, restaurants, and residences. It’s pretty obvious by the size of some of the doorways that people must have been much shorter a couple thousand years ago than most of us are now. We wandered about, toured the cathedral remnants, (mostly intact) complete with a tall bell tower, and eventually found our way to a larger, more central square where a restaurant, Konoba Favola, still served breakfast although it was almost lunchtime.

After a late breakfast we continued our explorations and those intermittent showers, well suddenly the taps were opened and it just poured for about half an hour. Everyone scurried under whatever crowded awnings could be found or into the little shops that were instantly crowded. I ended up in a small jewelry store with some most interesting watches on display. Maybe I felt guilty taking advantage of the shopkeepers dry space but I left with a watch on Croation, and Central European Time. Later, at Konoba Nevera, we all dined on delicious local seafood and one of us had a bowl of beef soup with a most delicious broth and lots of chunks of beef. It turns out, we believe, that Konoba means wine bar. At least that’s what someone told us.

The next day was pretty much more of the same. Cloudy, gusty, intermittent showers, and more exploration of the “Old Town” area before making our way to Thrifty Rent a Car to see about arrangements for a vehicle that had been reserved. The owner of the villa had suggested that we get the smallest possible car that would carry 5 persons and luggage. We ended up arranging for something a little larger and more comfortable however it would not be available for two or three hours when it was expected to be returned from another rental.

Saturday the 15^th was a blue sky day as we packed up the car for our drive to Omis, and the villa, just a few kilometers south or Omis at the village of Stanici.

It seems my camera suffered some sort of strange behavioural damage earlier in this journey. Although pics from before and after Zagreb, for the most part, seem to have been captured, much of Zagreb was not. Sorry. But best experienced anyways !

---

Photos

Zagreb Railway Station
Classic old style railroad station

Zagreb
tower at the top of the funicular track

The Mercedes Show
a few $$ of sportines

Zabreb
simple street scene - best experienced in person

Split
another shopping opportunity

Air Ambulance
Military craft fulfilling the role and landing at least once daily

Diocletian's Palace
"Old Town" Split

Omis
the beach in downtown Omis

Omis
with a backdrop of solid rock going straight up

Castle Mirabella
built at the beginning of the 12th century with a history of piracy

Omis
as seen from the castle on the mountain behind town

Canyon entrance
a canyon that starts just behind the castle

Omis
seen from a little higher into the castle

Castle Mirabella
looking up from a square in the Old Town