Croatia
#11 Croatia – Split – July 2023 – Age: 29
I’d never been on a trip with Just my brother before, so this was a bit of an experiment. We have very different interests and very different temperaments. I tend to be calm but up for a party. He is a little more manic and likes to spend hours and hours musing over classical antiquities and deliberating over the finer points of philosophical literature; I tend to be about 4 spliffs deep before engaging but I love it when I do.
I have barely scratched the surface with Croatia. It seems to be a popular destination currently; every man and his dog seems to have hit one of Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik or Hvar. We just hit split for 5 days and the surrounding areas. The trip was a great success.
The city itself is very picturesque with a beautiful old town and reasonably good food, bars and nightlife.
It wouldn’t be a trip with my brother without exploring various museums or taking a cultural walk around the city.
We took a boat out on one of the days which took us around some of the beautiful islands and island settlements, including going for a snorkel near Trogir where a famous shipwreck is visible. This was a nice novelty and the speed boat was nice and exhilarating from the front, although it felt a little rushed in my opinion; perhaps business was booming. Worth a go if you like a boat trip though.
My favourite day was the day trip to Krka National Park. I’m sure you’ve seen the photos of this collection of waterfalls – they’re magnificent. It’s a shame you can’t swim in the waters anymore; apparently it’s the result of pollution through many many years of sun creamed bodies. Sounds unlikely to me but what do I know? Not much. You can definitely spend 3-4 hours here, roaming around, having a couple of beers, capturing some great snaps for your Insta if you’re so inclined, or simply breathing in the spectacular nature. It’s a large complex with plenty of great picnic spots and plenty of off piste spots to explore. Going here with a barrel of weed or a gummy or two would be dreamy.
In summary, I would thoroughly recommend, although, I suspect given the wealth of beauty this country has to offer, if I go back soon, it will be to a new spot like Dubrovnik.
