Croatia

It was finally here. The trip that had been planned before we even arrived in the UK. We were so busy at the time that we never really quite knew what was happening but we knew we were off to Croatia to sail. So we rose early in the morning (or more correctly the middle of the night...3:30am and cold) and made our way to Gatwick Airport. Public transport in London really is good. We were able to jump on a bus from just near our house and then jump on the train which took as straight to the airport. We met up with Tom and Gini at the airport and before long we were off on our first Easyjet flight. We didn't see much as it was lights out for everyone the second we sat down in our seats but we managed to wake up just as we were coming in to Split. From out of the window the sea looked like glass and it was flecked with islands everywhere, islands that we would hopefully be visiting. After a very casual trip through customs we were out into the warm sun and our first trip to Eastern Europe. After a taxi ride that cost twice what we expected (although still not too expensive) with a driver who smoked like a chimney and was on the phone the rest of the time. Our hostel was somewhere near a fish market apparently and by the time we found the market an old lady had invited us to stay at her house and we had been invited to be special guests at a restaurant that night. They clearly like tourists. We found our hostel only to discover that it was just rooms. There was no reception...After phoning the number a lady came and saw us and we discovered we weren't even all staying in the same building. Seems like hostel is a loose term. By the time we did get to our room we were pretty sure we were staying in the spare room in someone's house. Never saw them though....It was then off to explore Split. It didn't take all that long. Split is only a small place with quaint little alleyways and old buildings all built around the Diocletian Palace. We explored the palace foundations, which was a market, climbed up the Bell tower, where health and safety was a loose term and ventured up to see the statue of Gregorius of Nin. It was pretty impressive, looking more like Gandalf the Grey in battle than a Catholic Priest, but apparently his claim to fame was convincing them to do mass in Croatian rather than just Roman. Rubbing his big toe brings good luck so we wished for smooth travelling weather. We also made a short trip to the ancient Roman temple of Jupiter and that was basically Split complete...By this stage it was pretty darn warm so we ventured down to the waterfront to have a few drinks...And there we stayed sitting in the comfy seats in the shade getting our beers delivered to us and relaxing the afternoon away. Out of the blue Ben and Tanya appeared. They checked their bags and then joined us for a few more drinks. As it was getting dark we decided we definitely needed to get ourselves some dinner. Tom and Gini had heard of a place around the point that served great food, so off we went. It ended up being quite a trek and we never actually found the restaurant but the place we found had a great view out over the Adriatic. We had to find an alternative way back as the beach we had crossed on the way there had turned into a rave and there were people dancing the night away in the sea. Those nutty Croatians. We ended up back at the waterfront, found a place to sit and proceeded to order more beers. In due course Kate and Josh arrived and our sailing party was nearly complete. We eventually made it back to our beds for a well deserved sleep.

The next day we awoke to rain pouring from the sky. Not a good sign when we were supposed to be sailing...but by the time we got to breakfast it had all but cleared. After breakfast we showed the newcomers around the sights of Split and then we decided to go for a walk around the harbour to the marina to find our boat. Kate never managed to speak to the company as they were busy dealing with other people but at least we knew where to find them later on. We ventured back to the waterfront and decided to find a spot for a few drinks and some lunch. They saw us coming and laid out a huge table with calamari, bread and salami. This was just in time for the arrival of Andy and Nicky and our group was complete. We finished our lunch and proceeded to pick up our luggage we cleverly used the water taxi to transport across the harbour and went to check in for our boat and meet our skipper. Jericho seemed like a good guy but unfortunately the company had not finished getting our boat ready so it was a few hours before we could actually go and see it. By this time it was getting dark and Jericho said the weather was a bit rough and recommended we stay the night in port. He also said that the plan the company gave us of sailing to Dubrovnik and back was mad (Mine Got!) and that although it could be done we would be sailing 8 hours a day which would not be fun. We weren't happy but decided to go along with Captain's orders. We managed to get a short trip when the boat was moved from one berth to the next. We had a few drinks and then turned in to our various cabins aboard.

The next day we were off. No stopping us this time, into the deep blue. At this point we discovered that the choice to stay in port last night was probably a good one. The water was calm but as we journeyed out people's stomach's were not. Everyone was looking pretty green around the gills for the first part of our trip with a few unhappy sailors not managing to keep their breakfast down. After a couple of hours we stopped in a sheltered cove and everyone jumped into the water for a swim. The water was pretty cold but salty and buoyant. We then continued our way past island's and ships aplenty to reach our first port of call, Starigrad on Hvar island. Starigrad was a quaint little town at the end of a long harbour. We went for a walk around (some hired scooters to zoom but we were happy being leisurely) picked up some groceries and made our way back to the boat before heading out to dinner at one of the local restaurants which Jericho had organised for us. They brought out the fresh fish which had been caught that day and we chose which ones we wanted cooked up. They then proceeded to bring it out cooked and whole to the table and use their expertise to serve it up. It was all a good show before back to the boat for another night rocking to sleep.

The next morning it was back on the boat again and around to the other side of the island. Only a few hours and plenty of traffic along the way and we we came around the corner and were very impressed by our next destination, Hvar town. This time we were buoyed in the middle of the harbour instead of up against the pier so the only way to shore was by dinghy (or swimming, but nobody was game enough for that...). We journeyed over to shore and then up through the steep streets of the town and up the hill to the fortress overlooking the harbour. The fortress itself wasn't particularly exciting but the view was just fantastic. We could see for miles in all directions. Just beautiful and luckily there was water up there too because it was HOT. So hot that when we came back down again we jumped into the water for a bit of shore swimming. Bit rocky but at least you could touch the bottom...That night we went out for nice basic local cuisine. Seafood again and some tasty Croatian lamb. We went off for a drink and some made their way back to the boat, but some of us decided to join all the sail Croatia travellers for a bit of nightclub action. After GIGANTIC cocktails there was a bit of a boogie and then back on the dinghy to the boat. A few doughnuts along the way had us worried we weren't going to make it but we made it all in one piece, if somewhat damper. Hvar was a definite highlight of the trip.

The following day we were off to the town of Viz (pronounced wees) on the island of Viz. Along the way we stopped for some swimming outside a couple of cliffs that had a gap between them. Those game enough to swim between the cliffs discovered that there was a beach behind them with a cafe and all. Luckily someone brought some money so we had some coffees and then swum back to the boat. Viz was a quaint little village at the end of another long harbour. After the mandatory walk around town and some local Pizza (very good) we went off the beach for a bit of sunbathing and then a swim. One thing that is cool about swimming in Croatia is everywhere you go swimming there are fish. Even if you don't think there are any there are in fact little ones around your feet. Dinner was a quiet one that night. The wind had picked up and it was all a bit cold outside but we still managed to enjoy a tasty meal.

Next day and away we went again. Special treat for us, we visited the Blue Cave on the island of Bisevo. This is a natural cave you can go into that has an underwater bridge and an opening to the water outside so the light comes through and makes the water a fantastic blue colour. The entrance is small so you have to paddle in their with your dinghy and look around before coming out. That is easier said than done as you are competing with big long tourist boats that take up half the cave and have no problems bashing you against the wall. We eventually got ourselves out safely and back to the boat for the next crew to have a look through too. Then it was back to the island of Viz where we stayed at the town of Komiza. Another quaint Croatian Island Village. We spent the afternoon in the stinking heat down at the beach, just relaxing. This one had sand which was a bit of a novelty, as stone had tended to the beach of choice around Croatia. There was plenty of time for lazing, playing and snorkeling. Didn't get a photo, but all the way along the beach in the water people had written things in stones. That evening we all piled in to a random van which whisked us off to a farm in the middle of the island for dinner. We weren't sure what we were in for but it turned out to be the best dinner we had in Croatia. There were big long outdoor tables and they brought out two dishes for us. One was roast lamb cooked in the oven with tasty vegetables. The second was a bit more interesting....octopus...a whole octopus...cooked in the oven again till all the juices came out and then rice was added in to make a tasty risotto. We have to say it was fantastic! You imagine octopus would be tough and rubbery, but this was so tender and tasty, even if it was a bit freaky to see all the tentacles splayed in the dish. We finished off the evening with home made Grapa from the farm. The complimentary bottles probably wasn't the best idea but we all enjoyed ourselves that night, even if our heads didn't the next day...

That next day we made the journey back to the mainland where we stopped at our skipper's home town of Trogir. This was back to big town again rather than little village. It all started a bit dramatically with some German amateur sailors make a right mess of exiting the marina and crashing into our boat. Only egos were hurt luckily but it took all of our strength to push their ship off so that it didn't crash into us again. Trogir was nice enough but didn't have the small town charm of the other places we had been visiting. It was much more touristy, with people and tour groups everywhere. We wandered around the town and climbed up the rickety looking castle tower where we got a good view up and down the coast as well as some worrying storm clouds in the distance.

The following day was our last day of sailing as we journeyed up the coast back to Split. All this time on the water and with a fisherman as our skipper and we hadn't done any fishing! So we purchased some basic line and stopped along the way to see what we could find. Funnily enough this was the first time that the water wasn't teeming with fish. Nonetheless we pulled up a few small fishies and threw them back again and everyone felt that we had made at least a token effort. We were also lucky enough to be treated to some cooking by our skipper. He did us up a tasty tomato pasta with basil pesto dish. It went down a treat. After much waiting around in Split Harbour we finally managed to get a berth. We had been put in between two GIANT luxury cruisers. Unfortunately the port was so full that they had to put us on the outside of the marina. Normally this would have been fine, but the storm we had seen the day before was bearing down and it ended up being a rough night with the ship bouncing up and down a lot. Funnily enough we had been on the ship so long now we actually preferred it to being on the land. Everyone was suffering from some serious land sickness. It is hard to explain, but basically if you spend too much time on dry land your vision starts to sway and you can't stand up straight. You need the safety of the rocking boat. We had our last dinner together as a group at the surprisingly tasty Marina Restaurant and then had a few last drinks before heading off to bed.

We awoke next morning, cleaned and emptied the boat and bid farewell to Josh and Kate and Ben and Tanya. They were off to continue their travels, but we still had one more day in Split. We slowly made our swaying way back to Split town and dropped our bags at the hostel. Andy and Nicky decided to stay in Split but we and Tom and Gini had done all of Split we needed to, so with the help of Lonely Planet Gini suggested we go visit some local Castles just out of town. After a few wrong turns we found the bus and eventually got off at what we thought was the right stop. It wasn't, but we still made our way down to the waterfront. It was pretty quiet as the cloud and cool wind were still around but you could see it must be teeming with locals in summer, with nice beaches and plenty of restaurants. We walked around some more and eventually found what was supposed to be the most impressive of the Castles, Kastel Sucarac. Apparently there is some Romeo and Juliet type story that goes with it, but we never quite got to the bottom of the whole thing. We slowly made our way back to the bus stop and then into Split where we met up with Andy and Nicky, found a place for dinner and made our way back to our beds for a reasonable night's sleep. The next morning it was back on the bus to the Airport with our plane whisking us back to reality again. We bid farewell to Andy and Nicky at the airport who were about to jump on another plane to get back to New Zealand and an excellent holiday came to an end.

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