Dalmatian life, tourism, beaches, steeped in history  – Split, Croatia.

It is hot, sunny and 42 degrees.  We are once again on the road following our frustrating stay in Sveti Petar (read about it).  Rather than taking the highway, we have opted for the scenic coastal drive to Split. Everywhere you look the shoreline is filled with people bathing in the Mediterranean Sea, trying to escape the heatwave that is plundering South Eastern Europe. Side streets showcase topless men with women in bathing suits, towels thrown over the shoulder, beach bag in hand, often tugging children along, making their way to a beach.

We drive into Sibenic, Krka and take a walk around St. Michaels Fortress where there are great views of the sea.  It is a nice town to stop for a break and wander around.  We took the time to refuel with a cold drink and some civapcici with fries. The quality of the food is decidedly much lower here on the busy waterfront – possibly frozen food.?

Unfortunately, we somehow missed the Krka National Park.??. Huge disappointment, especially since I really wanted to see the waterfalls and the small island with the big castle called Visovac.

Later, we pass through Zaboric which looks like an upscale vacation town, and slowly we wind our way into a breathtaking, impressive Split.

By 4:30 pm we arrive at our room, Studio Apartment Tomi (read my review) and SURPRISE – no one is here.?. This Croatia hotel mentality is starting to go extreme on the nerves – high prices and huge disappointments time after time.  We phone and are told to meet him at 6:30 pm.

So we leave and go to Restaurant Papalina Konoba, in the Kastel Novi district where we first took a waterfront stroll before dinner.  Very romantic ?! Read my review of our restaurant experience.

Following our dinner, we had no choice but to drive back to our accomodation to get keys.  Once there, we were too exhausted to head back to the city, so we called it a night.

The next morning, we debated whether we should backtrack and go to the Krka National Park to see the waterfalls, but
decided it is too hot to hike and opted instead to take a walk around Old Town Split.

Wonderful historical buildings greeted our eyes as well as the eyes of hundreds (thousands?) of people in town due to the docked MSC Sinfonia cruise ship.  We slowly meandered our way through the streets of old town, enjoying the wonderful architecture of Roman times, looking at the ships, checking out the excursions being offered and walking through the market.

Alas, all good things come to an end and we made our way back to our car, ready to drive into our next adventure!

Next Destination: Dubrovnik, Croatia via Bosnia, Sarajevo.

Location: Europe  >  Croatia  >  Dalmatia  >  Split-Dalmatia County  >  Split