Tag: Croatia

Lokrum Island & Dubrovnik old town 🇭🇷

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Today is our last full day, and a free day for us to do whatever we fancy. As the majority of the town was cut off this morning due to the city walls run, we decided to take a boat trip to Lokrum Island. As much as we have enjoyed exploring the hustle and bustle of old towns this week, it was nice to go back to nature and calm.

For those or you who are Game of Thrones fans, it’s an absolute must as you get to sit on the iron throne – which was gifted to them from the production team! Time on the island can be spent doing absolutely nothing apart from enjoying a cocktail and the views, or wandering around the whole place. We decided to do both! One thing to bear in mind is the only way to get around is to walk. There are no cars on the island as it is an uninhabited UNESCO protected nature reserve, although the majority is easily assessable on the well maintained paths. We decided to head to the top of the island to get views from the Fort, however this is a very steep hill and the ticker definitely knew about it! Sensible footwear really is a must for this part of the walk as the paths are rocky and uneaven, but the views are worth it. Other things to see are the botanical gardens, monastery, the ‘dead sea’ and of course, the hundreds of peacocks which roam the island.

This afternoon we headed back to the old town for our last explore around the streets. We found a lovely restaurant which served tapas, so we settled in for food and people watching. After eating we went for a walk around the outside of the walls, and spotted a dead eel in the water being gobbled up by all the other fish. I didn’t realise they were so big! We finished the day with an ice cream before heading back to the hotel to pack ready to leave tomorrow. Although tiring, it has been another incredible trip with 3 more counties ticked off the list (according to my app I’ve now done 57% Europe!) The scenery and landscapes have been beautiful and the old towns full of character and charm. Croatia is only around 2hrs away from England, so why not add it to your list of potential destinations!

Krka National Park 🇭🇷

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Today was somewhere we have been looking forward to going to, and it absolutely didn’t disappoint! Krka National Park is one of Croatia’s best known attractions, and it’s easy to see why. The naturally colourful pools provide a spectacular backdrop as you take a gentle stroll along the boardwalk that takes you through the park. There are plenty of viewpoints where you can take in the falls and admire the beauty happening below. It was an incredibly tranquil place and I would recommend this to anyone visiting Croatia. One thing to bear in mind is swimming is now prohibited to protect the biodiversity within the park. That does however mean views and photos that are free of people!

Viewpoint of the falls

Once we had finished the walk around the park, we boarded a boat to Skradin, a small town along the Krka River. As we love a viewpoint, we headed to the fortress on the hill. As with most heights so far this trip, the steps on the way up were a tad uneaven, but it’s all part of the fun! It was time for lunch so we stopped at one of the restaurants that lined the colourful street. As I wasn’t that hungry, I decided to order a cucumber salad. The waiter must have been howling to himself as he presented me with a plate with an entire cucumber cut up 🥒 whilst I was expecting cucumber to be the main ingredient.. I wasn’t expecting it to be the only ingredient! However a bit of salt and pepper and emergency chips managed to save the meal.

Delicious cucumber 🥒

It’s our last night in our Drvenik pad as we head over to Dubrovnik tomorrow via Mostar. So I couldn’t resist having a glass of Croatian wine with dinner tonight. It was delicious! Look out Tesco’s Croatian wine section.. I’m coming for you 🍷

Drvenik

Split & Trogir 🇭🇷

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As always with a coach holiday, it was a super early get up ready for a long day ahead. Although the drive to Split was 2 hours, it was incredibly scenic. You just can’t beat a coastal drive!

We arrived in Split armed with our headphones and audio ready for the guided tour. Unfortunately, so did a very large cruise ship full of Americans, and they all quickly headed to the centre like flies to shite 💩 This however didn’t ruin the day as there is so much to see in Split. We were treated to a Cathedral, a Palace and a beautiful waterfront. We went up the bell tower for wonderful views of Split’s old town, and although the steps up to the top give you super twitchy arse, it is definitely worth it. I just wish people would learn the etiquette of waiting rather than barging past you on an already incredibly narrow and steep staircase.

As I watched Joe Lycett on Travel Man before I came, I made it my mission to find the ice cream that he enjoyed. Luckily we came across a Spar, and there waiting for me was a pot of Slag. An incredibly creamy vanilla ice cream! Unfortunately it didn’t come with a spoon, so we ate it like a Frube instead. There are also other Slaggy treats.. like squirty slag cream!

After Split we set off for another UNESCO treat – Trogir. Not a place I’d heard of before, but definitely a gem worth visiting. There are so many narrow streets full of character (and pants on the washing lines!) and a fabulous mix of Renaissance, baroque and Romanesque architecture, as well as cafes on every corner. We certainly could have spent a lot longer here, and we ended our trip with a traditional rafioli – fine thin dough which is filled with ground almonds.

Croatia 🇭🇷 – Arrival day

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We are finally here! This trip was originally planned for June 2020 which Rona cancelled and re-booked for July 2021. As that was also cancelled we decided to try for a different part of Croatia, however a month ago we found out that due to drop outs, that had also been cancelled! So.. we’re back to where we started and will be spending the next week exploring Dubrovnik, Split, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina and the Dalmation Coast.

Due to the recent dramas at Manchester airport we decided to give ourselves plenty of time.. and that meant a 0230 alarm 😭 however they were incredibly organised and we flew through security! This meant plenty of time to sniff out somewhere suitable for breakfast. However as we are creatures of habit, we went to Pret 👍 This was our first time flying Jet2, and we somehow ended up with a whole row to ourselves!

As you know by now, we love an escorted tour holiday. We met our guide Ivan and headed for the wanker bus which will be our ride for the next week. As this was a 3 hour journey, there won’t be much more to this blog for today. However we have already started sussing out our group and there is definitely a mature friends with benefits couple on here.

We are staying in a hotel in Drvenik for the next 3 nights and were able to have a little explore this evening. The water is crystal clear and the views are beautiful. We managed to find a viewpoint up rather steep and windy road, but it was worth the sweaty walk. As its not quite the start of the season, the majority of the cafes and bars are closed (obvs) however we spotted a cute looking bar by the waterfront so we will definitely be checking that out over the next few nights.

I know many of you are wondering… where is Santa? Fear not… he’s taking his sleigh (better known as the Eurostar) to Bruges for a lads lads lads sesh.