Croatia from the Kvarner region to northern Dalmatia

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Fortunate for me I made the train at Ljubljana bound for Rijeka in time. And strangely the toilets at the station, like ,many others so far, did not cost 1 euro to use!
The train trip was through lovely lush sub tropical forest, and with 2 rather efficient border checks taking 15 mins, entering Croatia from Slovenia (population 2 million) was a joy. Except for the different currency! Having met and chatted with a medical student on board that spoke good English, I determined the best stop would be Opatija, the station being 5km from town but 200m to the "blink and miss it" Bus Station (Autobusna Kolovdor).......which I later found out. So it was a quick step down to the town for an ATM, some early tea, and grocery shopping at the local Konzum shop until the bus arrived at 6,45pm. At present it is 7.3 kunas to the Euro, so easy to do maths on NZD conversion and the bus trip took 10 mins when it did arrive.

I made for the nearest Travel Agency, plentiful that they are, and arrange a tidy if old room at Granny Stankovics place in the upper town and 5mins from the Plaza (beach) for 25 euros (they wanted 30 euros but I said 25 was my upper limit per night, and they bent!) .Now "beach" is a stretch of the imagination as it is a sea wall surrounded by clear blue water on the Adriatic sea. I was in my element again being near water, and enjoyed an evening of free opera and people watching (promenade in the evenings as they do so well, with pooping dogs and European and North African exotic sounding accents) sitting down by the water. Nice!

The next day was another spontaneous decision to head for Rab or Pag after determining the Eurail was not the easiest way to reach Zadar. Croatia is best done by single tickets and buses I have found, and the Hungary Croatia Slovenia pass only just makes 75% of the trips I have done in cost if that. I arrived in Novalja, north of Pag, in the early evening and as promised by the LP guide, many pensions or sobe at the Croats say greeted me. I wandered for no more than 5 mins, and after enquiring at agencies (whom did not deal in sobe) I negotiated a room with ensuite and balcony less than 5mins to the city beach at 15 euros, under budget. The city beach which I had to grace was not as clean as imagined, and although warm, the water was better quality in nearby Straska? beach by the camping ground (I swam there the next day before check out time at 10am). After brekkie on the promenade, where every beautiful person of Novalja came to walk the night before, and some picture taking in the small old town, I headed to the bus depot 10 mins walk away towards Zrve beach. Having checked 2x for bus times, and being assured of an 11,50am by the tourist information office departure for Zadar, I spent 2 hrs waiting for the 1335 bus as there was no 11,50am bus. This trip is bringing out some obbessive tendencies for bus or ferry timetable checking perhaps! (there is more...)

So I got to Zadar and through some very arid scenery it was. Upon arival I was accosted by these ladies and their vaguely English speaking friends, urged to take a room. In my trust, which I have since lost, I accepted what seemed an apartment with ensuite and kitchen. Great, I could cook some meat......promises promises, so she was quite prone to exaggeration of time frames and facilities (dirty, 6 people to one combined toilet and bathroom where like many places something is always broken!!) and after walking 15 mins to the beach and 30 mins to town, I decided I had been fleeced. That put a damper on Zadar, although the old town was lovely the water quality was poor at the local beach and I left Kvarner the next day thinking it was not so worth it.

Then the best was to come, southern Dalmatia! After determining I could get to Split from Zadar without wasting my Eurail pass, I took the 10am train to Knin, where for 3hrs I lay about in the park, wandered the quaint main street amongst the cafes (being Sunday, no shops open but of course the cafe for smoking and latte"ing!) and took photos, as you do, and chatted in my limited yet improving Croat dialect...OPROSTITE, I AM FROM NOVA ZEELANDY NOT ELSEWHERE.... I too am prone to exaggeration, so 3 hrs quickly passed and it was onto train to Split via a small town beginning with P which I forget, near to Sibenik. Split was raging with activity at 6,30pm when I arrived at the train station, right next to the ferries, and surprised me with so much tourist infrastructure that I had not yet experienced (apart from a minor exception in Opatija, the oldest tourist centre in Croatia, since 1841!). I chanced on some Spanish tourist who helped me find a hostel for my future plans to return...but it did not exist and so I wanderd back through the markets and bartered with some marketers for fresh tomatoes and grapes to compliment my dockside and maritime picnic tea. Departure at 8,30pm was prompt and I had no problems getting a place to stay when I got to Stari Grad. This time the assurances of the lady that aproached me were correct, and an apartment for 100kn (about 33NZD) was very accurate and clean, in Hvar (18km from ferry port which was black and free of life when I arrived, so no choice really!)

After hearing the beaches and scenery of Hvar was equally impressive I spent the day swimming and sightseeing in Hvar, inclduing a trip to the castle for 20kn, and nice chat to a Singaporean lady that sold me lavender soaps made by hand. We discussed local racism and the lack of customer service ethic, but agreed this town was beautiful and well worth a stay of 1 or 2 days. I had a great swim near the hotel Amfora, and felt I really did the place justice in 1 day. On to Korcula that evening I have been here 2 nights and feel this is certainly on par with Hvar for scenery and water quality. On my morning dip I saw a sunken kayak, several bottles, and abpve water, a monestery with immaculately clothed nuns who took care of my beach possessions while I swam my heart out. Delightful! The old town is amazing, and I visited the Marco Polo tower for an excellent view of the Peljesac Canal across the strip to Orebic, a smaller town. Accommodation here was arranged through an agency, and although sounding noisy, I have a room with ensuite above the bar of the owners husband, so the balcony looks over towards the marina and Orebic town. Double glazed windows to the balcony helped a lot but a low pitched hum did annoy me a bit at night (a generator perhaps?).

ONwards plans seem to be Dubrovnik tomorrow and then Bosnia, back to Split and Budapest by Sunday for the Intrepid trip. I have met so many folk now, but the change to group assisted travel will be very much welcomed!!

Till then.....

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