Happy weekend everyone! 

Took a bus from Zadar to Trogir and it was an easy but very hot 3.5 hours ride. The bus made stops along the way from the main station in Zadar and costs about 10 euros, 75kunas 
Upon arrival in Trogir. My trusty apartment owner met me at the bus terminal and I was off to his apartment. Old town Trogir is joined by 1 bridge and it gets very very jammed up. They are now trying to build the second bridge to link old town with the residential area of Trogir. It is also well connected by boats and sailboats and may Europeans stop by at the marina to spend a few days. 

Trogir is a Unesco site and it’s easy to see why. The old buildings are built in a very Romanesque style, read: narrow and cobblestone makes it very fun to just wander around and get lost. You won’t really get lost because it’s a really small town. 

I visited the cathedral on the first day, which I always try to do when I arrive to pray for safety. The inside of the church was simple but do not miss the tower. You have to climb the tower for the panorama of this small Unesco town. The steps are not easy but it’s gonna be worth it. It is beautiful. I climbed in the evening and upon reaching the top, was greeted with wonderful cool wind. I stayed there for quite a while just to take in the sights. 

In the evening, the whole town comes alive with smells of food all around. You will smell roasted seafood, meats and of course, everyone will be having ice cream or gelato in the very hot summer. It is the hottest summer so far in the last 10 years – 42 degrees! So warm that nearby split caught fire 10 days before I arrived but no one was injured, thankfully. As it got closer to sunset, I went to the fortress to see the sunset. Although the sunset was behind the hill, it was still beautiful to watch. You get a different panoramic view from the fortress. Nearby, walk around the Marina for a market selling souvenirs and street food like pancakes and steamed corn. 

I had dinner at Konoba TRS  and had the very delicious grilled Seabass with Dalmatian Chard. Service was good and food was good too. I went early about 630pm before I headed to the fortress so they had a table for me. By 730pm, they’re all booked out and you can see people coming on for dinner. The sun sets at 830 in summer so I had plenty of time for dinner before catching the sunset. My host also recommended Restaurant Don Dino which was very crowded and food smells really good too as I walked past it. 

The next day, I headed to Krka National park. A Unesco site home to the bigger waterfalls and this one you can swim, dip in. It is a much bigger park and the day trip bus that I took let us spent 2 hours in the lower part before we drove 1 hour to see the monastery and the upper part of the falls. The upper part of the falls was less crowded and very pleasant to dip into the river/lake. We had lunch which was Croatian salami, prosciutto, cheese, wine, juice and Croatian Grappa. Lunch only costed $10 euros at the recommendation of Ernest, our guide from Portal travel agency where you can find near the bridge in Trogir. The tavern also had a ‘jacuzzi’ made from an old washing machine for sheep skin. It’s delightful to sit in it as it was 42 degrees.  I almost didn’t want to get out of the water. 

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The day trip also included a stop at Sibenik whose church is also Unesco recognized. Ernest gave very funny commentary on the church and you should visit the church as the inside is beautiful and it’s amazing to see how they could build something like that which survived the wars and earthquakes in the old times. You can still see bullet holes on the doors as a reminder of the violent past Croatia had. 

 

After I was dropped off, I had dinner at Big mama fast food. They had the biggest big mama burger I have seen. It was bigger than my head. I didn’t order that of course. I ordered the more humble Cervapci with mixed salad and it was very tasty and affordable. 

The day, I booked the blue cave and Hvar trip ( the 5 island trip) with Mayer Charters. Our skipper Ivan was very knowledgeable about the seas and managed to get us to Blue caves without having to wait long. The blue caves was amazing and that’s why everyone wants to see it. It’s a natural phenomenon caused by sunlight being reflected into the caves by the sandy bottom. The result is a blue luminescence that engulfs the cave as your small boat goes in. You can only do so with the tour and it costs 110 euros at the point I booked in summer 2017. 

After the short stop at blue cave, we hung out at Bisevo beach which is the only sandy beach I’ve seen so far in Croatia. There was a small hut and you can order drinks and snacks. Every other beach I’ve seen so far in Croatia was pebbles or stones, so it was quite rare to see a sandy one. Next up, we spotted dolphins so we raced with them a bit. Then after, we went snorkeling at a bay off Vis which was beautiful clear waters with fish and some corals. Before we headed to Hvar, we managed to save a turtle from a plastic bag. Ivan the skipper had great eyes and we managed to do a good deed. 
I plead all of you reading this not to throw any rubbish into the sea or anywhere for that matter because the wind blows them to the sea. Poor sea creatures get stuck in them or eat them and die. Please don’t litter. Put litter in the right places and recycle. Every bit counts. Save our seas please! 

We headed to Hvar and had some lunch. Hvar was also a very small town with a majestic castle at the top. I didn’t climb it as it was still about 40 degrees and there wasn’t shelter at the top. Nonetheless, the streets are very nice to walk around in and it had enough steps to work off the lunch that I had. It has souvenirs and small cafes along the marina so you never run out of things to do in the 1.5 hour stop at Hvar. 
After that, it was time to head back to Trogir after being on the waters for 11 hours and it was a wonderful day indeed. 
I stayed at Rooms Carija where the family was very kind and the rooms spacious and clean. You can also cook there if you wish and the air con and wifi works very well. The aircon was very powerful which is very important in the hot hot summer and to keep mosquitoes out. They also grew olives, lavendar and the gardens smell great when you head back. Nearby the apartment, the oldest bakery where every Croat buys their bread from, a few restaurants and a super market just around the corner. I also walked downhill towards the ferry terminal to head to split and Korcula where I’ll see more of the south western Croatian cost! 
Stay tuned to my blog and follow me on Instagram for more photos of Croatia.