After my full year abroad, I'm still slowly adjusting to my new school curriculum, finding the time to endeavour on new projects, and struggling to be a good, attentive, hardworking student in class.
But after looking through a set of notes/slides, I'm here to pump this post out as my break, re-living my time in the lovely Split, Croatia.
This is undoubtedly my favourite part about blogging - getting to relive my adventures, and share them with other people! Mostly because I like to talk way too much (oops!)
Croatia is probably one of my favourite countries among all the countries i've visited. Yes, Asian countries included. I love how blue the skies are, how clear the water is, and the entire vibe of the country.
After an enjoyable 10 days of sun and one too many beaches in Greece, my friend and I flew ourselves bright and early in the morning out to Split - one of the 2 most visited cities in Croatia.
Whenever one types "Split Croatia" in google, they get the typical, iconic pictures of Split. The beautiful palm trees all lined up by the promenade, boats docked at the corner bobbing up and down, a lot of sunshine, and an overall happy happy vibe.
I've never been to L.A. but, I reckon, Split could pass off as the L.A. of Central/Eastern Europe!
EAT
After settling into our Airbnb in Split, my friend and I set off to grab some late lunch.
We ate at Restaurant Fife, which had such large delicious portions, the 2 of us struggled to even finish half of it. We didn't expect their portions to be THAT huge because of how affordable the price was.
We had goulash, gnocchi, fish soup, fried calamari, and fries, and then we were too full to walk.
Fife is great for people who want an authentic, no frills food experience. The restaurant ambience isn't exceptionally beautiful, but the food is great and SUPER affordable!
Another place my friend and I ate at during our time in Split was called Bokeria. Unlike restaurant fife, it's a more upscale, fancier place. The interior deco of the restaurant is SUPER cool. They had long chandeliers with chains, cool wallpaper with a ton of food puns, lovely candles and table set, and great food presentation.
For dinner at Bokeria, we had scallops for appetiser - so good!! - For mains, I had pan seared fish (I really love fish!) and my friends and beef and risotto. The food was delightful we were all so happy with our dinner. No doubt Bokeria is slightly pricer, but for that sort of dining experience, it was worth it!
SEE
Other than eating (which, to be honest, constituted the bulk of my travel) there is also places to explore in Split.
Most of the time, people spend a day or 2 in Split, and go on day trips to visit other islands along the Dalmatian Coast. Since that was what we did as well, we only managed to explore the Diocletian Palace in Split.
The cool part about the Palace was getting to go underground and see the different rooms in the basement and whatever remained of the Palace left from the past. At times, when there was no one around, and all we could hear were the trickling water sounds, it got slightly terrifying. Felt like I could be part of a horror film.
Plus, since we were underground, the air there was a lot cooler than it was outside adding to the eerie factor.
Other than visiting the basement of the Diocletian Palace, you could also walk around what used to be the Palace territories. It is now considered part of the Old town of Split. They have cafés around the main square area, shops, music playing, multiple tour groups, and just a whole lot of people.
Instead of visiting the church and the tower, my friend and I decided to explore the Markets in the old quarter.
They had art markets selling different kinds of art deco items, some pretty cool sand shifting frames.
There were also vintage markets, where store owners sold all sorts of knick knacks that were used by people from years ago. From dolls, to vintage accessories, mirrors, and weird moving structure that I have no idea what to call them.
Art and vintage markets are really where you find the most unusual items!
Sometimes people find it odd to visit a city and not go into their main attractions, I get the whole checklist mentality sometimes; where its just go go go, we have to see as much as we can. But what I discovered over the time of my travel was that, these attractions are not what I distinctively remember after my entire trip. I don't remember how many rooms there were in a palace, or which princess/price/king/queen lived. So instead of insisting on covering every single attraction, I realised I much rather spend my time walking through the market and seeing what people make and sell to have a living.
I rather sail out on the open sea and visit another island to see the way those people live.
I rather watch a sunset (or a few sunsets - posts here and here).
And I much rather have awesome food!
I think it's up to the individual to discover what kind of travel balance we want because there is so much to see, and it's impossible to do it all.
The reason why I loved the time I had in Croatia was because of the vibe the cities I visited. It is quite hard to explain how walking around a city feels like. Sometimes I wish I could bottle up the emotions there and then, and then share them on my blog - come on technology, advance at the speed of light an make this possible! - which is why I always think images are SO important. I mean if I could explain it incredibly in words, i'd be a famous travel author by now, am I right?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short Split Travelogue, and that this city is now on your to visit list! Croatia should be on everyone's "Places to visit list" in my opinion. Not because of the city life, but because of how beautiful the whole region is - you'll get what I mean in my next few posts of my excursions around Croatia.
Stay tuned! x
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