Croatia: It's For the Looking

We were up at 3:50 AM to catch a taxi for our flight to Croatia. Why Croatia you ask? Well, after some reading we found that Croatia is home to many untouched ancient ruins and some great beaches and swimming. In fact, it neighbors the infamous Adriatic sea, confirmed by NASA as the bluest water on Earth. So yes, we were up at 3:50 AM.

Our first stop was the city of Dubrovnik. Located at the southern tip of Croatia, Dubrovnik is famous for having a perfectly-preserved city wall around the old city (including a port), built around the 12th century. Pretty cool.

After our plane touched down, we caught a bus into town and consulted the map concerning our hotel: the Begovic Boarding House. Being on the cheap we decided to avoid public transportation and just walk. The climate of Croatia is not unlike southern California and other than the ancient ruins lining the mountain tops and the gorgeous blue/green water it looks almost the same. So we walked up hills and down hills. We dodged cars and scooters and as we neared our hotel we had the sudden realization that things in Croatia felt a bit like Taiwan. Scooters and cars driving on sidewalks, random inflatable bouncy toys strewn about and quite funny English signs every so often.

We arrived at the hotel and we were greeted by our host (actually, we accidentally walked into her house, but don't tell) and she abruptly told us to sit down and wait. After briefing some other guests, she brought out a map and informed us that "I am no internet. My son, yes internet. Dubrovnik have beach, is for the looking. Have old city, is yes for the looking. Lopud island for the beach and the looking." All in all, we found her descriptions correct: it was all for the looking.

We stayed in a very nice corner apartment, complete with a kitchen and refridgerator. We spent the rest of the day buying groceries and enjoying the Adriatic Sea. It was unlike any other body of water we had seen: deep clear blue/green water lined with jagged rocks and a barren landscape. The contrast of the white stones and the water was stunning.


Our picnic spot for the first afternoon.
Going for a swim after the picnic.
We spent the next few days enjoying the beach, walking around the walls of the old city and learning to take it all in. The city was by far the most unique place we have ever been. The walls looked like a fortress and felt very dramatic and huge when you were on them. When we wandered the city, we did feel like we were in a different time.
These are from the walk on the city walls.



After Dubrovnik we took a bus up to the city of Split where we spent two days. Split is famous for having been the ancient summer palace of the Caesar Diocletian. Split was a much larger city than Dubrovnik and we enjoyed lower prices and a less touristy feel.

The palace's substructure is one of the the best preserved of all Roman ruins in the world. Here are some pictures of the basement of the palace:


See a resemblance??

Apparently the Romans had their own sewage system. These are pipes from that system. In the Middle Ages, people just drilled holes in the floor and dumped their sewage down there. Go figure.
Here are some pictures of the old city built around the palace:

This church was on a hill overlooking the city and was built in 1219.
We spent most of the time resting and relaxing in Split as the major thing we wanted to see was very close to where we were staying. After two days of sun and ruins, we hopped on a "ferry boat" to Ancona Italy.

We were set to board two hours before sailing and found that our "overnight ferry" was much more a cruise ship than a ferry. The boat had several levels, including some restaurants, bars and even a casino. The outdoor decks were very nice and we even managed to get our own cabin!
Italy, here we come.