Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik (July 26-30)

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So I finally left Slovenia and headed south towards the Croatian coast just in time for a severe heat wave. Croatia has very rugged terrain and beautiful cities but overall it was a bit of a disappointment for me. I think it was mainly two things: the heat and the hordes of tourists. So if you go there, make sure it's not in July-August because the cities and beaches are just swarming. There's not too many hostels in Croatia so every time I got off a bus, train, or boat, I got swarmed by people trying to rent out a room. In Dubrovnik I stayed with a nice couple who didn't speak any English so everytime we needed to communicate, she'd call her daughter and pass me the phone. The lady made me a fabulous supper of mashed potatoes, veggies, and cooked pepper stuffed with meat.

So my unintended route through Croatia was Split-Makarska-Split-Hvar-Split-Dubrovnik. I just couldn't get away from Split. I took a bus to Makarska and couldn't find a place to stay so I went back to Split, but while in Makarska I went to the beach for a few hours. It was unbelievable...I could barely find one square meter of open sand along 500 m of beach. I also came back to Split to see if I could recover my camera which I had left on my table at an outdoor cafe, which I did get back amazingly enough. Then I took a ferry to the island of Hvar but couldn't get a ferry to Dubrovnik so I came back to Split yet again, and then took a bus to Dubrovnik to see what all the hype was about. The bus ride was treacherous but quite fun, we had a crazy bus driver who honked at everything and sang along with the traditional music on the radio. I had very high expectations for Dubrovnik and the old city is pretty magnificent but again because of the heat, I concentrated more on staying cool in the shade, water, or air-conditioned rooms.

It's funny how I've run into a number of people in several different places. In Hvar I rented a room with a fellow Canadian (Patrick) who I had met in Slovenia. We ran into each other again at a bus stop in Bosnia which was pretty funny.

I seem to be having a really hard time with losing stuff. I already mentioned that I lost my passport for a day in Prague. I've managed to discard a number of other items as well. Here's the list off the top of my head:
- passport (recovered 24 hours later)
- digital camera (recovered from honest waiter in Split)
- fleece jacket
- sweater
- my beautiful Salomon shoes
- sandals
- bank card
- padlock
I think that's it so far. I'll update the list as it gets bigger.

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Photos

Split - marble streets
Marble and flip-flips don't make for good traction.

Patrick, my roommate in Hvar
I've met him in 3 different places.

Dubrovnik - a little bitter
These posters are at every entrance to the old city

He sells sea shells
These kids convinced me to buy one of their sea shells.

Comments

[Leigh-Anne]

Bus ride to Dubrovnik
Can you tell me how long the bus ride was, what time etc. did it leave etc from Split to Dubrovnik?

[Nada G.]

Split Dubrovnik for Anne
Dear Anne why not try a ferry ride Split, Hvar- Dubrovnik, it will cost you the same and I am sure you'll enjoy it much more. If you opt for bus however it will take you some 5 hrs depends on a day (weekend or not)or a time(try to avoid midday).Have fun!

[anonymous]

Is that really a dog?

[veta]

it's a goat
don't be alarmed, it's a goat, but I had to do a double take when I saw it too.

[GLENN]

WHAT MORE
GEE YOU LOST A LOT ON TOUR - IN A SHORT TIME

[Maria]

dog-goat-lamb
It's a lamb.