Oh me oh my, how young we were. 😊
This was the summer of 2005 and we had decided to go to Croatia on a shorter week-long trip.
Fariba had been in Croatia before but it was the first time in the Balkans for me. (Except for a not-so-touristic stay in Kosovo some years earlier.)
Split
We flew to Split, which is the second largest city in Croatia with a population of about 220,000.
Split is situated next to the Adriatic Sea and thanks to its relatively small size it makes it easy to discover the city on foot.
The main reason that we flew to Split was not because we wanted to visit the town itself, although it is a very beautiful city. It was because Split works as a boat hub and offers year-round connections to the nearby islands.
The weather was nice and sunny, and the tourist season had just begun so the streets were still not too crowded with outside visitors.
As we had an extra day before our boat left we took the opportunity to have an evening stroll around the historic Old Town of Split. We passed the famous Diocletian´s Palace and continued through the medieval streets and houses all the way down to the sea promenade where we stopped for dinner.
Sit and observe
To sit on a bench, enjoying an ice-cream, while watching people walking by is not just a time-killer. It also gives you some perspective of the destination you are visiting.
Observing others might sound a bit creepy but it is interesting to study how different nationalities live their ordinary lives. Croatia felt a lot more relaxed than Sweden.
There were some elderly men sitting around a table under the shadow of a big tree, having a lively conversation while playing cards.
An even older woman, all dressed in black, slowly walked passed us, towards the other side of the square where vendors were selling fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Relaxed lifestyle
Southern Europe, and its people, has a certain relaxed lifestyle.
It might be frustrating to some and not always very effective. (Just look at the economies of Spain, Italy and Greece for example.)
But I seriously think that the stressful, job focused, somewhat introvert life many people have in other parts of the world would need some of that Southern European vibe.
More of that mañana mañana attitude and an overall relaxed lifestyle with family and friends out in the sun cannot possibly be wrong.
It is all about priorities and how you want to live your life. Even so, easy to say, harder to do.
Island hopping
As mentioned, our main goal was actually not Split itself. Instead we wanted to go explore the islands of Hvar and Vis, just off the Dalmatian coast.
You get there by taking one of several boats that operates between Split and the islands.
We took the Jadrolinija ferry to Hvar, a short one-hour trip.
We had no hotel reservation but as soon as we got of the boat there were people standing on the pier holding signs with photos of private rooms to rent.
One friendly man showed us a nice-looking room that was located just up the hill, a short walk from the pier.
It turned out that the old lady who leased the room was too old to walk down to the pier herself, so he helped her out.
Even though it first sounded a bit sketchy we went to take a look as we had plenty of time. It turned out to be a great place, even if the room was a bit small.
Speak without speaking
The lady was real and the price reasonable compared to other accommodations in Hvar. We said yes to the room right away.
Outside the house there was a tree full of kiwis that we were free to pick if we wanted to. And each morning our sweet old landlord brought us fresh figs.
She did not speak a word of English, and our Croatian was no better. But as we all mastered the art of global gestures I think we understood each other perfectly fine anyway.
Hvar
Hvar is a spectacular island.
Surrounded by the clear turquoise Adriatic Sea and with 2,800 hours of sun each year it is understandable why this place is so popular.
The owner of Chelsea, (he does alright I think) visited Dubrovnik with his little yacht last year. He had to refuel, and needed 750 tons of fuel to fill up – half a tank…
Hvar can be expensive, but as always it depends a lot on where you choose to eat and sleep.
We found some reasonably priced, super cozy restaurants, hidden away in the alleys just a couple of blocks from the harbour.
I think the final tab was about 100 Croatian Kuna each, for a dinner that included a bottle of wine. Not bad at all, considering the quality of the food and where we were.
Driving around the island
The next day wanted to go and see some of the vineyards on the island.
Even though Croatia is not the most famous wine producer in the world, they have an old wine tradition. Dating back all the way to the Ancient Greece.
The roads on Hvar were better than expected, even though they are both narrow and windy from time to time.
And the views of the coast line and the towns beneath when you get higher up the mountains are spectacular, especially at sunset.
Just make sure to respect the speed limits and pay extra attention in the curves (no rails to speak of) and you will most likely be perfectly fine.
Minor theft
There were rows of vines growing just next to the main road where we were driving.
We stopped for a short brake and of course we had to try some of the tasty looking grapes. The taste was quite sour so a qualified guess was that it would still take a month or two before it was harvest time.
We decided that it was time to end the thievery and get on the road again.
There were better ways of supporting the local community than stealing grapes so instead we stopped for some lunch in Stari Grad. It is the oldest town in Croatia, built in 384 B.C.
Stari Grad
Stari Grad means “Old town” in English and was nominated for Best European Destination in 2017.
Very understandable as it is wonderful to walk around through the narrow streets while admiring the old stone houses and numerous small picturesque squares that can be found across town.
Stari Grad alone could have been a reason to visit Croatia, it is that beautiful.
But we had other plans and soon had to get going again. It was getting late in the afternoon and we did not want to drive all the way back in the dark.
Calculated risks are good and driving in low visibility conditions on unknown roads felt just stupid when we did not have to.
Vis
The ferry to Vis from Hvar takes less than an hour and the waters here were just as crystal clear as they were on Hvar.
Vis harbour was like just like in Hvar surrounded by fancy boats, palm trees and the old typical stone buildings with orange tiles.
Urchins
Vaccationing by the ocean meant that I had brought my snorkel and mask. As soon as we had checked in at our guesthouse we went down to the ocean and found a nice secluded place where we could take a swim straight from the cliffs.
The snorkeling conditions looked very promising from above. As soon as I got underwater though, it was clear that the sandy bottom beneath was not ideal as the bottom sediments reduced the visibility considerably.
Maybe the conditions could have been better on another day, but at least I managed to see some smaller fish and sea urchins.
Urchins are those black/dark, spiky balls that lie on the bottom. The ones that you definitely do want to avoid as their spines will easily break if stepped on. And by the looks of it, it might be a rather unpleasant experience.
Different fishing dress codes
On the way back to town we passed a gentleman who was fishing by the shore.
Nothing extraordinary really, besides from the fact that he was doing so completely nude.
Those Croatians know how to enjoy life to the fullest…
On the road again
As renting a scooter had been such a success on Hvar we just had to do it again.
It was another sunny day. Helmets and shades on, and off we went.
The road conditions on Vis was similar to those on Hvar and the views were no less stunning. We would absolutely recommend renting a scooter instead of a car when you visit Vis.
With a scooter you can explore almost any small road on the island. Even the ones that are out of bounds for cars.
And you do not have to worry about parking space and the rental and fuel costs are very cheap.
Even if a scooter is a bit more unsafe than a car, a car can never beat the feeling of freedom that you get when driving a motorbike.
Island vibe
One of the first things we noticed about Vis was that it had a certain laid back, relaxed vibe to it.
We liked it a lot.
It probably has something to do with the fact that Vis does not get the same number of tourists as the more popular islands of Hvar, Brac and Korčula.
Therefore it makes it possible for the island to keep its authentic, genuine touch.
Did you know that Vis was completely closed to visitors until 1989?
The whole island of Vis was actually “off limits” for tourists for a long time. The reason for this was because it used to be an army base in former Yugoslavia.
Tito and Abba
Marshal Tito, the famous Yugoslavian Partisan leader, had his headquarters on Vis during World War II.
Thankfully the army is by now long gone. Nowadays anyone can come and visit and enjoy the beauties of the island.
So far the number of visitors have not affected the island in a too negative way. Sadly, that might change, fast.
Mamma Mia!
The second Mamma Mia-movie, “Here we go again”, was also shot on Vis. Putting it on the map of future tourists.
One might think that this should be a positive thing. That that was free advertising for an island that would have only positive effects on its inhabitants.
I doubt it though.
With the benefit of hindsight. Making a destination too famous has ruined the genuineness of many destinations in the past.
So something tells me that it might be a good idea to go soon, before the untouched gets too touched.
Eat pray love
Look at Bali. It will never be the same after the Hollywood blockbuster movie “Eat, Pray, Love”.
Hordes of spiritual tourists invaded the island and the number of tourists visiting Bali have more than doubled in only ten years.
For some people it is a goldmine. For a destinations authenticity, it can be devastating.
With that being said – Even though the island nowadays is filled with middle-aged women having midlife crisis, while looking for spiritual guidance, we still love Bali immensely.
Let us just hope that the local Croatian expression “Pomalo” (meaning “take it slowly) will still be synonymous with Vis in ten years time.
