The Balkans - Croatia

Finally, the holiday came! I actually hadn’t been waiting for too long since I only booked my flights like three weeks before I left.. But the last two weeks went so slow. This summer it was time for a trip to the Balkans for 4,5 weeks! Woop woop!

I left on 8^th of June at 5.35 to Split, Croatia. My dad picked me up around 4 am to give me a ride to the airport. First, I flew to Riga for 40 minutes, waited there for an hour and then flew to Split. At the airport I found a shuttle bus to the center and it cost 30 kn. It took around 45-60 minutes.

I was starving so I went straight to some place to get something to eat. Then I headed to my hostel called Al’s Place right at the center. They only had two rooms, one for 7 people and the other for 6. After changing my shorts on I headed to wander around the streets and to walk to the view point place with my flipflops on. It was around 30 degrees but cloudy and the whole day it looked like it was gonna rain soon. After my wanders I sat down for an ice coffee down at the main boulevard by the water called Riva.

I wasn’t too eager or excited about the place so I was wondering for a long time what to do. It didn’t help that the shit cloudy / stormy weather was going to continue. Next, I left to wander towards the Bavice beach where the waves were quite big. It was nice and I can imagine it being packed with people on a good day. I went to eat some thai food there and stared at the couple of people who were playing some water games.

On my way to nap I walked passed the bus station and decided to by a one-way ticket to Makarska the next day at 10.45 am setting me back only 52 kn. At first, I thought only to make a day trip there but then my next stop would have been Mostar in Bosnia and the same bus would have gone pass Makasrska anyway… So I ended up making a decision to leave one day early even tho I hade booked the hostel for two nights.

I slept around an hour even tho people were talking in the hostel room. After I showered I headed to wander the packed streets. I didn’t like that it was SO packed. Way too many people in my taste especially when you alone.  I went to eat at this sports bar place to watch some friendly games in football. Then I went to my hostel street for one glass of wine only to notice that it was the only proper party street in Split. OF course.

At night I woke up to MASSIVE thunder storm and raining and people on the streets shouting Wohoo every time the thunder hit. I was sure that the roof was gonna collapse. I woke up many times that night and way before my alarm wanted me to. I was first one up in the room and tried to be really really quiet. I was outside in the tiny lobby a bit past nine to wait for someone but no one showed up. (The reception was supposed to open at 9 am). So I left a note and left my key there.

I went to eat breakfast and then hang around by the harbor and waited for my bus to leave. It cost me 5 kn to put my luggage in the down space of the bus. It was packed the whole way and took probably closer to 90 minutes than an hour. At Makarska bus station I immediately went to queue to ask for a bus ticket to Mostar at 17.15 which I had checked online. I managed to buy one at the price of 117 kn. They also had baggage storage available for 5kn the first hour and then 1,5 kn for the next hours.

Left my stuff there and head to wander towards the town. 

Sun was shining after it had been raining there in the morning since the streets were still wet. I wandered around to the other end of the town and then sat down for an ice coffee. The same kind of ice coffee cost me 47 kn in Split and this one was 20.. :D I sunbathe there for a while until I went to wander again since I wanted to climb to this little hill. I ended up taking another turn and found myself at the beach and went to walk around the whole little forest that there was and accidentally came to my view point place. I walked back to the quieter part of the beach and went for a swim! Loved it. As I was waiting for my bikini to dry I was watching water polo game in the ocean. The had proper beer drafts on the rocks and people there watching, enjoying the sun and drinking beer.

Since I had only eaten in the morning around 9.30 so by the time it was 15.15 I was starving. I ate at this place by the beach and then just left for the bus station after that. The bus was late for 20 minutes and left 18.35, I was supposed to arrive in Mostar, Bosnia at 20.20. At first the bus was really packed but not long since people got of the bus little by little and I got my own seats. 

To be continued...