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Published: August 5th 2007
Diocletian's Palace
Taken from aboard the ferry to Ancona.Waking up the next day after my awesome night out in Split was bloody awful. Severely dehydrated, not having enough sleep and hungry but with absolutely no appetite, I still managed to drag myself out of bed for a wander around Split - in the 40 degree heat.
The hostel owner who was so grumpy the night before must've felt sympathy for my self-inflicted plight and told me that I could leave my bags at the hostel for as long as I wanted and even recommended where I should go before I caught the bus down to Dubrovnik.
Split's main attraction is Diocletian's Palace.
Built as a strong, rectangular fortress, the palace measures 215m by 181m.
I went up the landmark bell tower, which is a bit scary as there are places without railings on the way up. And to totally freak me out to the extent that I could've fallen down the stairwell and died, the bells which were less than a couple of metres away from me, suddenly decided to ring on my descent. Very loud. Still, I guess it was worth the view, as it was magnificent.
Most Croatian cities have fortresses such as these -
The Bell Tower
The bell tower inside Diocletian's Palace, Split. ancient city walls that were erected to protect the town from invaders. People still live and work in the buildings within.
The cathedral crypt, vestibule and an old hall now filled with markets were other sights of interest within the palace.
Running along the outside of the palace wall is Split's stylishly modern waterfront. Being well connected by sea and air, this place is filled with tourists.
Style and tourism were the last things on my mind though as I stumbled my way back to the hostel to collect my bags like a man lost in the desert.
Stopping at the McDonald's for lunch gave me a little reprieve, but it was still unbearably hot and I couldn't even finish my burger.
When the bus journey down to Dubrovnik finally started, I must say that it was definitely scenic.
Dramatic coastline and the bluest ocean you'll ever see meant for some spectacular views.
I couldn't really enjoy the view unfortunately, as the road was the windiest road ever, the bus stopped at just about every Croatian man and his dog's house, and I was on the hot side of the bus where the sun was coming in. Possibly the
Split Harbour
From the top of the bell tower. worst ever conditions to be in when you're severely hungover. There seemed to be a small town every 500m, and from the road you could see all these people enjoying the beach. I wanted more than anything to join them.
When the torture finally ended some 5 hours later in Dubrovnik, I took a taxi (paid for by the hostel) to my hostel - The Dubrovnik Backpacker's Club.
On arrival, I was greeted by a Julian Casablancas look-a-like, but I have forgotten his name, so I will refer to him in this blog as JC.
Things seemed pretty laid back here, and JC made me wait while he fetched his beer. He then took me upstairs where I was expecting to pay for my accomodation.
When we got there I was greeted by a posse of drunken Australians sitting on the balcony while JC's mum was cooking up a storm on the barbie.
"In Croatia, we do everything slowly," said JC.
"We say 'pomalo', which means 'take it easy'. If we see people on the street, we say 'pomalo'".
Which explained a lot as he never got round to giving me my keys to my room until a few
View From Viaduct From Hostel
Not only did you get a free meal and alcohol at the Dubrovnik Backpacker's Club. hours later.
I was then served a welcome shot of "sljivovica", a plum brandy very similar to rakija. Just what I needed after three consecutive nights on the piss (make that four now), suffering from a severe hangover which was exacerbated on the most tortuous bus ride I've ever taken. I'm not one to be impolite, as this brandy was made by his family of which dad and two brothers were with me at the table while I drank it. You see, this is another family-run, in-house hostel. Was sweating a bit after the shot though, I must say.
The family kindly put on dinner for us serving "manistra od bobica" (bean and fresh maize soup) followed by traditional Croatian vegetables in olive oil and barbecque meats. They even provided wine and beer for us. I must say that both myself and the other hostel guests I was dining with were very impressed and very happy.
Talking to the father, me and Mark, another New Zealander from Auckland who had arrived in Dubrovnik that day, discovered that the place is actually still under construction - which explained why there was a workman drilling away in my bathroom when I first
The City Walls
You can see people walking along the city walls in Dubrovnik - with the beautiful bay in the background. went to the toilet and why the locks were changed while I was out.
While the organisation may have been lacking at this hostel, they get full marks for fun, friendliness and effort.
The next day, me and Mark decided to hit Dubrovnik's famed beaches. My old Croatian workmate Tihomir has told me that the hottest women reside at these very beaches.
Well, I must've gone to the wrong one, cos there was nothing but old people and families at Lapad Bay. Nevertheless, it was a nice relaxing day apart from the sunburn that would fool people into thinking I was doing my very best Dr. Zoidberg impression.
I like the fact I could hire a sunbed for 20KN (3€) for the day. And the dude at the counter was so laid back and lazy that he didn't even bother to charge me for it at the end.
The beaches here are stony though, which meant I had multiple cuts on my feet - not cool.
In the evening, I went to the old town, where the city wall is pretty much still intact. For a small fee, you can actually walk the length of the walls Great-Wall-Of-China-style
and sample some breathtaking views of the city and the ocean. The town within the walls has no room for cars, which I like, and the buildings are built close together Venice-style - all of the stoned-walled towns are like this.
Inside the city walls, it is full of restaurants and shops and thus makes it the most touristy place in Croatia. It is nevertheless still probably the most beautiful of the stoned-walled cities that I have seen.
There are some private beaches and bars with outstanding views around the old town, and I did see a couple of beautiful women around here. Still, there weren't any more than you would find in other places - so I may have to disagree with Tihomir on his hottest-girls-are-in-Dubrovnik statement ;-)
In all the places in Croatia that I've been, you see bands performing in traditional Croatian attire and playing traditional Croatian music - and Dubrovnik is no exception - it's awesome to see the culture still going strong in Croatia.
Having still had no appetite from all the drinking that I've been doing, I bought a burek and ate it in my ancient surrounds. I hate looking for dinner when
Sunset In Dubrovnik
The picture says it all. I'm by myself, as there are often nothing but restaurants around, and I hate eating in restaurants by myself. And finding a takeaway place can be taxing and time-consuming, and often you don't quite know what you're buying and often it's not enough and I go hungry. Grrrr......
I would say that Dubrovnik is the most impressive place in Croatia that I have been, as it seems to have everything - beaches, beauty and nightlife. I didn't get to sample the famed nightlife that apparently starts at 2am, but I would say the place I would love to come back to the most (as I would love to come back to everywhere I have been here) in Croatia would be Dubrovnik.
They call Dubrovnik the "Pearl Of The Adriatic" - and I can't really argue.
The next day I was on the bus to Primosten - Tanja had invited me to stay with her, Tomo, and her friend Ivana at her grandfather's place in Loznice, a few kilometres outside of Primosten.
Grandfather Milisa (who of course is Luka's grandfather, and Sime's father) lives a simple life in Loznice, a village that comprises of only literally a few houses.
Grandfather Milisa's sister lives in the house next door.
Grandfather Milisa himself is a lovely man. He also, offered me a shot of rakija to welcome me into his home - which is 300 years old.
Eating traditional Croatian fare (prepared expertly by the lovely Tanja) in such a rustic setting felt authentic in every sense of the word. You couldn't buy this.
Not quite as authentic was our night out in Primosten. The bevanda was, however, served chilled and already mixed by an androgynous "grandmapa" wearing a dress at the local drinking hole, for about 30KN (4€) a litre. I love how cheap things are here - it means that a good night out won't set you back too much.
I also like Primosten - a laid back holiday town where Croatians and not foreigners come to holiday - it was nice mixing it up with the locals.
After a few litres of bevanda, it was off to "Aurora", a HUGE nightclub just outside of Primosten. This place was built for raves, and apparently it can hold up to 7000 people - the enitre size of Primosten. And it was flash too - marble stone and king-and-queen styled thrones
The View Atop Bau Bar
This is where I spent one lovely sunny afternoon in Primosten. on the inside was matched by palm trees and cabanas outside, all expertly lit by disco lights of various colours. And of course, the disco ball was king-size.
It was retro night, so some of the classics were getting belted out. I didn't recognise some of the songs, which Tanja couldn't believe, but then I just told her that we only play the good retro stuff back in New Zealand ;-)
Our night was capped off by burek and Karlovacko (another Croatian beer) on the pebbled Primosten beach.
Needless to say, no-one got up early the next day, and after a traditional lunch of fried fish and garlic with bread, cheese and salami, it was down to the beach.
In a beautiful bay next to a bar (Bau Bar), we sat on the rocks and soaked up the sun before hitting the water. It was windy though, so the water was a bit rough. Then it was to the bar, where Tomo caned me at chess before we ordered a pitcher of pina colada and watched the sun go down. It's a hard life, but someone's gotta do it ;-)
After the beach, we met up with Nenad and
Tanja, Tanja and Ivana's Serbian friends, for dinner. I ordered the local "scampi bouzzara", which was nice, but with scampi being like prawns, it took a bit of effort to eat. The scampi with the ragu-like sauce was just about worth the effort, but remind me never to order scampi on a date, as my hands, arms and face was totally covered in sauce. Mmmmm....sexy ;-)
After dinner, we headed back to the grandmapa's wine bar for some bevanda, before we decided to stumble over back to Bau Bar for some cocktails. Bau Bar was really laid back and were playing sing-a-longs like U2 and Bob Marley which was cool. The perfect day was ended by a drunken midnight swim - it wasn't until the next day when I realised that I had bruised my heel running over the rocks into the water - ouch.
The next day we had one final lunch at Grandpa Milisa's. It was here that he gave me my Croatian name - Janko - which I proudly accepted :-)
After bidding farewell to Grandpa Milisa, we had one final coffee in Primosten together before we dropped Tanja and Ivana in Sibenik for their bus
Tanja & Tomo
In Bau Bar, Primosten back to Zagreb, (they both actually live in Zagreb - Tomo lives in Split) and then Tomo drove me back to Split to catch my overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy.
It was sad leaving Croatia, as I had such a magnificent time - and it would not have been possible at all if it wasn't for everything that Tanja and Tomo did for me. The time in Primosten was especially relaxing and I enjoyed every minute of it. So a big shout out to Tanja, Tomo and Grandpa Milisa for an awesome time. I also did manage to catch up with Sime one more time before I left as he and Marina came down to Primosten just as I was leaving - really, if it wasn't for him and Luka, this would not have been possible at all! So I owe Luka many beers indeed when he comes to London ;-)
In fact, Ivana will actually be studying in Cambridge next semester, so when I visit my old flatmate Alex there, I'll make sure I catch up with her too.
Tanja and Tomo have already booked my as-yet-non-existent couch in London when they come over, so I very much
The Clear Water Of The Adriatic
The view from the rocks we were sitting on in Primosten. look forward to seeing them all again.
For now however, it is onwards to Italy and the next part of my journey.
Until next time,
Derek
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Luka
non-member comment
As we say in Croatia...
Jesi majstor! Vidimo se u Londonu :-)