From a 9 hour plane ride, to Oktoberfest, to the Bavarian Alps, to Dubrovnik, to getting stuck in an alley way, to walking 7 miles a day, to driving to an island, our adventures continue to our next destination, Split, Croatia. We spent the next few days here before going to our last big stop, Plitvice Lakes National Park.
In our original itinerary, we had another tightly packed schedule with things to see and do each day while in Split. Because we were already exhausted from our trip so far, we decided to chill out while in Split and simply skip some of the activities we had planned. Being flexible while traveling is a must, we decided that slowing down was best for us.
Our airbnb was located inside what is considered Diocletian’s Palace. Diocletian was a Roman Emperor whom had the palace built for his retirement in the 4th century AD. It’s called a palace but the structure is massive and more like a large fortress that covers most of the old city of Split.
Since our bnb was inside of the palace, the night we arrived, our host, Vlado met us outside to help us get in and find the apartment. He also gave us a quick walking tour of the old city, giving us food recommendations. Then, he helped us to find a free parking space in which we could leave our car for the next few days. We greatly appreciated his help!
We also explored Park Šuma Marjan and climbed to the top of the Bell Tower:
The next day, we hung out at Bačvice beach, the first sandy beach we had seen so far on the trip. The Croatian game of picigin originated here at this beach and we watched people play throughout the day. It’s played only at Bačvice beach because the shore is shallow around knee deep. A group of 5 men standing in a pentagon shape hit around a bald tennis ball and the point is to never let the ball hit the water. I guess you could say it was similar to volleyball but with no net, a smaller ball, in water, and speedos instead of spandex. It was entertaining to watch them run and dive for the ball, saving it from hitting the water. I wish I got a video of it!
Later that day, we got dinner then gelato and ate it on the square where they were playing live music.
The next day we began our road trip to Plitvice and made a quick stop in the coastal city of Trogir, mainly because my cousin recommended a breakfast place there.
From Trogir, we had a 3 hour drive through the countryside to our bnb for the night in Plitvice. Our bnb host gave us a recommendation for dinner at a local restaurant:
Our last day of our trip was spent exploring Plitvice Lake National Park. It’s known for it’s 16 turquoise colored lakes, all connected by waterfalls in all different shapes and sizes. If it’s not already included in the ever changing 7 natural wonders of the world, we highly think it should be.
For many reasons, we discovered that Plitvice Lakes may be one of the most beautiful places we’ve been to. The pictures don’t do it justice.
After a full day of exploring, we drove to Zagreb where we would fly home the next day. We were nervous to drop the rental off, as we thought we’d never see our deposit again. (Details given as to why in my previous blog.) Somehow, we lucked out, and they did not inspect every crevice like they did in Dubrovnik when we picked the car up. In fact, they never checked the bumper, we signed the contract, and the ordeal was done! We should be getting our deposit back, hallelujah!
From the beaches, to the mountains, to the historical cities, to the beautiful landscapes, Croatia quickly landed a special place in my heart. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to travel and execute the itinerary I made just 10 days before our flight to Germany. It’s not always as beautiful as the pictures display, but the experiences always lead to lessons and stories to tell.
There comes a point in every vacation where you’re ready for your own bed and some chipotle. You may feel a little homesick but more importantly, you start to find more appreciation for things that you have back home that are taken for granted on the daily.
To list a few, from minor to major, some of the things we learned that we easily take for granted are ice in drinks, free tap water, free bathrooms, quick service at restaurants, familiarity of our environment, our own bed, and even work and routine. Now I’m not saying that traveling across the world is what it takes for me to be grateful for what I have, but through travel, I learn many things, and at the top of the list is gratitude.
Thanks for following along our adventures, I’ve missed writing about my travel experiences and using this platform to share my stories. I’ll forever cherish these stories and being able to look back on this trip with my best friend!
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
-Anthony Bourdain
The Aud Blog 