Boats, Booze & Hangovers in Croatia | Part 1

Good morning world,

And what a lovely bright summers morning (if I can even call it that at 12°C) it is here in Cork!


I very rarely post at this time, but today I thought I'd be all organised and blogger-like. I've got the summer blues guys, and I'm yearning to be back in beautiful Hvar lounging on the rocky face of the Adriatic. You know, it's odd.. when one mentions they are travelling to Croatia on holidays many reply with, "Your going to Croatia? Sure whats there but only that pilgrimage place all the old ones go to!". 'Pilgrimage place' meaning Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is in fact a completely different country.

Dubrovnik from above (Part 2)

Croatia, in many peoples mind, is a boring country with nothing significantly striking going for it somewhere in eastern Europe. But that is certainly not the case. Croatia has a tonne of history, stunning scenery, lovely people and impressive heritage sites. I understand that Croatia is not as popular as many other tourist/holidaying locations so it tends to get dusted under the carpet. I think the first time I really noticed Croatia was only about two years ago. Ok obviously I knew there was a country with said name and I knew where it was on the map, but I really didn't know much about it. All I remember is that slowly but surely more and more people were beginning to travel there and the word began to spread among us college folk that it was a stunning, young & hip location worth visiting.

So last summer I decided that I would make Croatia a destination on my inter-railing adventure. We decided to make the 3rd last stop of our journey Pula (North of Croatia, Istria). When in Munich we met a guy in our hostel who recommended heading away from Pula and to a town called Rovinj a little further north of the city. So we trusted his advice and did so. You can read my post on Rovinj and the rest of my inter-railing antics here.

A close friend of mine also decided to travel there with her boyfriend last summer whilst I did the Inter-railing adventure across Europe. She travelled Croatia for two weeks. So when I heard all about her amazing trip and saw all her photos, I had to go back!

My best bud Robyn and I decided to go on this island hopping adventure together. Starting in Split, getting a catamaran to Hvar, visiting neighbouring islands and then getting another boat to Dubrovnik. All in a little under 14 days. And wasn't it one of the most amazing trips I've been on!

Old town Split

Split Riva

Split

Flying from different countries, I arrived in Split a day before Robyn as she couldn't get a flight from Greece the same day as I. So the first day and night by my self was very interesting. I stayed in a hostel named the Adriatic Hostel. It was such a lovely modern place full of young sociable adults. I shared my room with five other travellers. Two Kiwi girls, two Scottish lads and an Australia woman. My hostel was in such a great location, bang in the centre of the city right outside the old towns walls. I got an early night and woke early the next morning to head to the beach and explore. I left my bag in the hostel which I collected later on that day when heading to my new accommodation. 

Split is a lovely city. What I adored most was the Riva (waterfront promenade with palm trees) and the old town. The streets of the old town were narrow and unspoiled with lovely little shops and restaurants dotted around. The beach was a bit of a disappointment but for a city beach you couldn't complain. When Robyn arrived that night we got ready super fast and went on a pub crawl. I highly recommend doing the Tower Pubcrawl if you visit Split. It was the best night of my entire trip! We made a load of friends who we ended up going for dinner with the next night once the immense hangovers faded (we were bed bound up until 6PM the next day). 

Photo credit: Robyn McC

If your are interested in hearing about the rest of my Croatian adventure please stay tuned as I will post part two next week. The best way to keep up to date with my posts is by following me on Bloglovin'. You can do so by clicking the Bloglovin' link on the side bar and when I post it will appear on your feed.

I can't wait to fill you in on the rest of my Adriatic Adventure. 

Until next time,

Sinéad

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