After Zagreb, we spent the rest of our time in Croatia along the Dalmatian Coast. We flew to Dubrovnik for a few days, spent a week in Split with Carl and Jim, and ended with a quick stop in Zadar.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is BEAUTIFUL. Its Old Town dates back to the sixteenth century and is very well preserved. For all you Game of Thrones fans out there: Old Town is where many King’s Landing scenes were filmed. While we enjoyed wandering the small and winding streets, it can get crowded when a cruise ship full of other tourists join in so we escaped by walking around the city’s elevated walls. Outside of the Old City we spent the rest of our time exploring the various beaches and enjoying the scenic vistas.
Split
After Dubrovnik, we bussed a few hours north to meet our friends Carl and Jim in Split. Although not as iconic as Dubrovnik, we liked Split more: it felt more relaxed, had more things to do, and was beautiful in its own right. Split’s Old Town was made of beautiful white stones and offered panoramic views of the Adriatic. We went hiking and swimming, ate delicious meals, and explored the nearby island of Šolta. We ended up hiking across the entire island where we stumbled upon a secluded beach cove that we shared with about five other people. It was glorious.
Zadar
Per the ongoing theme in Croatia, Zadar also had a pretty Old Town area - but we really came for the sea organ. The sea organ is an architectural installation designed by Nikola Bašić. As the name implies, it is an instrument that is played by the sea. Underneath the marble steps are inlet tubes and sounding chambers. When waves push in and draw out, sound emanates from beneath in a sort of eerie melody that is supposed to resemble the typical Croatian male quartet. It was a great place to do some swimming in the Adriatic and pack in with hundreds of other people to watch the sunset.
Our two weeks in Croatia were a blast! It was awesome to explore as much as we did and great to see so many friends. Živjeli!