Croatia

Great ideas gone bad...we’ve all had them right?  9 hour overnight ferry from Bari Italy to Dubrovnik Croatia, as usual I opt for no cabin to save some euro’s and figure I’d just sleep on the floor somewhere similar to what I did on the ferry between Helsinki and Stockholm.  I figure I’d drift off to sleep with the warm breeze of the Adriatic Sea gently flowing over me as I stare up at the stars....wrong.  Oh the stars were out in full force, but gentle breeze probably doesn’t describe the wind conditions accurately on that evening.  The sea was angry that night people....she was angry.  Strong winds and choppy seas are a nasty cocktail that is not conducive to a good night’s sleep.  Never the less I persevered (with the help of my good friend Heineken) and somehow managed to get a few hours of shut eye before the hoards of people came out at 530am to snap pictures of the sunrise.  So after blasting through a few cappuccino’s I arrived in one of my favourite cities I’ve been to thus far, Dubrovnik.  There is so much character in this city, especially in Old Town where I stayed with a few friends from back home.  Old Town is completely walled off and is tucked away between the sea and a mountain range.  It’s filled with tight alleyways, and stairs that seem to go on forever (especially following a pub crawl).  Cafe’s of all varieties and unique shops also compliment this already amazing city.

So many stairs....

Ya I don't know what I'm doing here

Ah the randomness of traveling abroad....water polo match in the middle of Dubrovnik harbour!

One of the gates leading to Old Town

Such a lively city at night, a solid mix of locals and tourists!

View from the cable car leading up to the mountain range

Old town and Lokrum Island 

The good squad from back home, minus Colleen the photographer

The views from atop the mountain were amazing

"I wonder how the Leafs will do this season"

We took a boat cruise that visited 3 of the Eliphite islands around Dubrovnik that included an amazing lunch

Fresh sarag caught that day!  So good

a young shy vendor sells her wares

The Adriatic Sea is just amazing, so clear and fresh

a great sea-side bar that was just outside the city walls

Our next stop in Croatia was Split which was a 6 hour bus ride north along the coast.

The harbour area of Split, much more modern and built-up then Dubrovnik

Entrance to Diocletian’s Palace which dominates the downtown area.  There’s not much left from it however and what’s left is overrun by tourism

A massive farmer’s market ...awesome fresh produce

Those peaches were game changing

We stayed at a very interesting ‘boutique’ hostel in Split called Goli&Bossi which was a fun experience

Sleeping pods and curtains for privacy as well as plugs to charge your cameras, phones etc - great concept

Hope you like yellow....the entire hostel is this colour!

We also took a day trip out of town for some awesome white water rafting.  Although it wasn’t as intense as I’d like it (hanging on for dear life), the views were amazing.  Jagged slate grey cliffs dominated the skyline coupled with lush green vegetation that hung lazily over the water.  I chose not to bring my camera as I figured it would get thrashed around so mental pictures only. 

Short and sweet, I wish I had another week for this awesome country but alas the Greek Islands await!

I’m still a few countries behind on my blog, I’ll get caught up once I hit Portugal as I’ll have a few weeks of downtime with my parents that I’m eagerly looking forward to.  Hostel life is amazing don’t get me wrong, but after 4 months and upwards of 50 hostels a break sounds pretty good (my liver would agree).

I’m learning that one of the downsides to meeting so many amazing people on this trip is saying goodbye to them.  Cities that you classify as amazing are often this way because they’re shaped by the people you met there, coupled with the experiences you have together.  It could be an epic pub crawl, an amazing meal or a stunning view of a city at sunset.  Some of them I’ll meet again in my travels and some I won’t, but I’m grateful to have met them regardless!  I’m just glad we have Facebook and what not which makes keeping in touch so easy.