Split Croatia

 Hello Janine's readers! My name is Jessica and I am from Singapore, I am Janine's travel buddy for the following 2 weeks and we are covering Croatia and Italy together! I have been tasked by Janine to tell the story of our adventures in Split! Our journey to Split started with an amazingly scenic bus ride from Dubrovnik to Split, we zoomed past majestic mountain ranges and beautiful coasts, but most of the 4 hour bus ride was spent by Janine reading an overly dramatic story about a girl named Emma and me sleeping (which you will come to realize is a talent of mine). 

Arriving in Split, we made our way to the apartment that we had booked online. Funny story here, Janine chose the place because the host had put on her profile: "We have a cat!" Through the small alleyways of Split and the searing heat and humidity, we finally found our way to the apartment (yay!) Immediately after we opened the door, we were greeted by two of the cutest kittens. The host's boyfriend who had fetched us from downstairs told us that he and Kristina (the host) had found them abandoned in a box in the forest. So, they decided to save the kittens and find homes for them because there are no animal shelters within a 200km radius of Split (whaat?!) In addition to the 2 kittens, they also have a cuddly orange tabby and a very chill but sweet white kitty with black patches around its eyes. 

 We fell in love instantly with all of them, even though the kittens have claimed my butt as a place to nap and the orange tabby has taken a liking to stomping on Janine's tummy. After lounging around in the apartment for a few hours, reconnecting ourselves with the online world and playing with the kitties, we finally managed to drag our butts out of the door and explore the old city of Split. We walked along the harbour and explored the historic centre of the city.

However, we were not able to really enjoy ourselves because the weather was simply too hot. Janine bought a pair of shades (which were not "quality fake ray-bans") and we proceeded to sit in the shade to rest. As we were walking along the harbour, we met a man who was promoting a day-excursion to some islands around Split, mainly Hvar island, Vis island and the Blue and Green caves. He told us that these islands were really far away (2 hour speed boat) and the trip would last the entire day 

 

 We were a little hesitant at first because it was rather pricy (about 100 euros per person), however, we were blown away by the photos and we read Tripadvisor reviews online that it is an unmissable experience when in Split. We calculated that with some moving around of money management, we can afford that experience even with our student backpacking budget! We decided that the food in the restaurants here was not worth the hefty 80 Kuna price tag (about 11 Euros), so we decided to buy groceries from the local supermarket instead. We bought groceries for all our meals in Split and did not spend more than 150 kuna for the both of us. 

 

And the next day, we found the same man and bought tickets for the day trip! The man had told us that the weather on our second day here (8 July) would not be fantastic, he said it was predicted to rain and as such there would be choppy waves in the sea. Thus, we decided that we would go for the day trip on our third day. Hence, we spent our second day preserving our energy resources for the activity-filled day that was to come. This translates to more of Janine reading her kindle by the harbour and me dozing away next to her. I have slept on at least 4 different park benches since arriving in Split. It must be the sun!! I have a theory that the sun is actually a soul-sucking vampire that leaves you in a puddle of goo if you bask in its presence for too long. After that relaxing day, we went back to the apartment, into the loving paws of our newfound furry friends. (Update: scratchy paws) 

 

We woke up bright and early on our third day in Split, having been instructed to be at the harbour by 8:15am. Poor Janine could not sleep the whole night and to top it off, she somehow got herself locked inside the bathroom at 6:45 in the morning and our grumpy-in-the-morning landlord had to help her get out of the bathroom. She was worried that it would be "one of those days" where luck is not in her favour. I told her to not jinx it. She packed ham and cheese sandwiches for our lunch and we took off for our day of nautical adventure! 

Our ship mates included one ship captain, a married couple from New York travelling with their Aunt and a French couple. The first part of the two hour journey to Hvar island started out very comfortable. We were both enjoying the salty sea air and the splash of sea water on our faces.....until the boat started slamming itself into the water. Slowly, the people on the boat started becoming silent as we all tried our best to fight the seasickness that was to come. I went to my safe place in my head "ahh cosy bed...on flat ground.." The results were very limited and I barfed shortly after landing on Hvar Island. . Janine and the woman from New York asked the captain if he ever got seasick (no doubt trying to get a reassuring "it happens to me too" answer). He told the story of how he only ever got seasick once in his life. He was on a sail boat, with broken sails, eleven people, for eleven hours, with waves that were 6 metres high (for the convenience of North American readers, thats over 19 feet). So, we must seem like total weaklings to him. 

 After barfing in Hvar, and a squeezed in nap on a park bench (again), I felt immensely better and was ready to take on the sea again. We arrived at another island and stopped there for another 2 hours. There was a lovely cafe overlooking the beach and both me and Janine had crepes with nutella. We were joined by the family from New York and had a lovely chat, sharing travel experiences and the ridiculous way people in North America call swimming costumes, "bathing suits" and slippers, "flip flops". They all ganged up on me and told me that I was wrong, but I am right. I know I am. Catch up with the rest of the world N.America! After that tea break, we decided to take a swim. Well, I swam around but Janine didn't want to get her SWIMMING COSTUME too wet and waded only to knee-dip and read her kindle there. 

There is no other way to describe the Croatian water other than it is spotless and emerald-like. Especially, with the sun being as merciless as it is, the cool water offered a refreshing escape from the heat! The boat brought us to one more swimming spot where I snorkelled a bit (but only saw seaweed) and swallowed a few gulps of seawater and we floated around the waveless water on our backs. We then went inside a cave on the boat and took some pictures. 

 The highlight of the excursion was, however, when the captain gave us lifejackets and instructed us to swim into a dark cave. The currents were pretty strong and it seemed like no amount of waddling and kicking could get us into the cave. However, somehow we managed to float into the cave. What seemed like complete darkness at first, slowly illuminated into the most gorgeous blue glow-y water surrounding us. It was exactly like it was in the photos but so much more beautiful in real life. It was a surreal experience being inside the cave that was illuminated by sun light from underneath. I am still wondering how it works. But it was a magical experience and it was at that moment that I decided that this trip was definitely worth the money and the seasickness. 

The blue cave experience marked the end of our day trip, filled with swimming, lounging around but mostly being tossed around in a speedboat. I will always remember today as the first and last day of my love affair with speedboats. I've decided I kind of prefer solid ground. But other than that, it was a great experience and another chapter in our Europe travels!

I hope you enjoyed my guest post and do look out for the next few posts which will cover Italy! We will be reunited with our dear friends Andrea and Laura in Venice! So excited!!