Oh Croatia. The most picturesque country I have been to. Driving down the coast you just look at each other in awe. In Croatia there is every type of vacation you would like. We started in Zagreb, which is the capital of Croatia. Zagreb was very busy, a lot of different restaurants, and very hot. Zagreb had a small town feel to it. We took a walk in the park and realized they were setting up for something. So we stuck around and watched. Lucky there was a little stand that was selling rosé and local beer. We watched the band play for hours. It was the best way to spend our first night.
Our next stop on our Croatia trip we rented a car and drove 3 hours down to Pula. Finally we were on the water. Pula is home to the Pula Arena which is the mini colosseum. We had been to Rome the year before and it was nice to be able to compare the two. Pula also has really fresh sea food. Almost every night for dinner we had a big platter of the local catch of the day. Our first night in Pula we decided to take a boat tour. We hopped on a boat and it took us in the middle of the Adriatic and we were in search for dolphins. This was the best way to start the new city. The sun was setting and a couple dolphins popped out of the water. The next morning we woke up bright and early to get on the same boat but this time we would be doing an all day boat tour. They took us to 2 different places: Rovinj and Red Island. We both wish we stayed in Rovinj rather than Pula just because how beautiful it was. But we got to spend 2 hours there so we were happy with that.
Into the car again and this time we were heading to Zadar. First Ian had looked up some cool placed on the way and took me to the Island of Krk. We went to a small town called Vrbnik. This was the most picturesque place in Croatia. We got closer to where we were going to park and there was so many vineyards. I live not too far from Napa and this place made it like nothing. The wind was so strong I was getting pushed over. The waves crashing into the sides of the Island made it seem like a scene from a movie. Once we grabbed lunch we headed another 2 hours to Zadar. We were lucky and our Airbnb was in the heart of the city. Zadar was also packed with a lot of tourist but it was one of our favorite places. When you walk towards the water you see a lot of people sitting on the steps near the water. At first we thought they were in line for something but than we heard the sea organs. They are an architectural sound art that plays music when the sea waves push the tubes located underneath the set of marble steps. At sunset we sat there for a bit just listening to them.
We were getting close to the end of our trip but we were now heading to Split. One of the most traveled to places in Croatia. Locals told us it would be busy. And man was it. We got the best Airbnb tucked away from all the craziness. The couple who owned the apartment gave us great recommendations. They told us about this one restaurant that if you ever find yourself in Split, make a reservation and go. Konoba Korta is the name of the restaurant. They are known for the stuffed prawn gnocchi. Ian got that and I got the lobster risotto. We were there for 3 hours. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table. Best dinner we had on our whole trip. In split were were able to relax a bit more and just go to some local beaches and a lot of rock jumps.
Sadly our last stop we dropped our car off and jumped on a 4 hour ferry to Dubrovnik. How of where they shot Game of Thrones. I have not watched one episode but if you are a big fan this is the place for you. Dubrovnik was so beautiful. We took the lift up to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset from up above. This was a cool lift and the perfect stop to watch the sunset. They have a restaurant up there as well but you have to make reservations well before you get there. We made that mistake. Another must in Dubrovnik is the Buzza Bar. You have to walk up a little hill and outside all it says is cold drinks. So you could miss it if you aren’t looking hard enough. When you walk through the stone doorway and walk down some steps and you are on at a bar on a cliff. There is even some spots to jump off some pretty bigs rocks.
Croatia was an amazing trip, the people were wonderful, and the views were spectacular. Thank you for the beautiful time.
Annalycia's Travel Blog 