Barely back from NY and we were right back at the European "to see" list. If you have to spend the 4th of July away from American soil, there's no place better to enjoy freedom and relaxation than Croatia (now that their war for independence is over of course). Brian had an extra day off from work so we figured it was wise not to waste it. Time to head to the beach for a 3 day weekend. Thanks to German Wings we ended up on the Adriatic Coast in Split, Croatia.
What a blast! The first day we arrived before our room was ready so we hiked up to an awe inspiring overlook that pictures do not do justice. The contrast of crystal clear blue water, to white marble, to green trees and rugged mountains made for incredible views.
As we continued up into the park on our hike we came across this old church, built in the 1400's.
To accommodate all this travel, we make sure to book cheap airfare and cheap lodging. Since Croatia is not yet on the Euro (they're on their local Kuna) we managed a nice budget friendly "bungalow" just a couple blocks from the beach. It was not beach time yet though! It was time to explore the town, enjoy the Riva (waterfront promenade) and people/boat watch.
Next it was on to explore the ruins of the old city palace and find some food! And food we found!
After a few drinks we stumbled upon a traditional Croatian wedding celebration. It was quite cute! The bride and groom were the last to exit the church into the street where they were greeted by their guests. Out on the street their guests awaited them with singing and prompted the couple to break out in full dance while the crowd sang and clapped around them! Adding to the celebration were sparklers, flares and accordions...making this quite the scene!
In the middle of the city palace was this amazing cathedral, surrounded by old "remnants" (they were very much intact) of the Roman Empire. There were columns, arches, and large squares around every corner. The night brought even more enchantment with these features lit up, and live acoustic bands playing tunes. It was the place to be, and couples were dancing the night away in the square. Oh, and we're not talking about club dancing, we're talking about moves! We saw the Tango, the Meringue, the Two Step, some Swing, you name it. What a night!
The next day it was time for some sun on the beach. Split has both rocky beaches and sandy beaches as our hotel manager had told us, in his thick Russian sounding accent. We made for the rock ledges and clear blue water.
In the shallow water of the sandy beach you could see groups of men playing handball! Between 3 and 6 men stood in a circle about 20 feet apart, using their hand to slap a racket ball sized ball up into the air, passing it back and forth. They seem to get the most enjoyment out of running for a pass and diving through the air to bat the ball back up into play, making quite the splash on the way down!
After we soaked up some sun it was time to explore the depths of Split's Dalmatian Palace!
Who can be that close to the ocean without getting on boat? NOT CATHY! Don't worry we found a champagne sunset cruise and floated along the Croatian coast in the deep blue Adriatic Sea.
Back to shore for some delicious dinner, and of course a lot of wandered around the narrow pedestrian only streets, taking some pretty cool pictures.
On our last morning in Split we spent more time at the beach for one last swim, and then it was back to the airport for our flight home to Deutschland. However, we made a promise to ourselves that we will be back to Croatia for more!
