5. Split, and Senj, Croatia, and travelling to Zagreb, Croatia
Thursday, June 22, 2023 Split, Croatia
Split is an amazing city. It has some of the oldest relics in Europe and one of the coolest high-tech presentations we have ever seen. It sits below some beautiful mountains and adjacent to the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the cleanest cities we have ever visited but is one of the most difficult to get around. This is one place I am not willing to drive. We parked our car in the hotel parking lot and used Uber while we were here.
Today was so hot that even the locals were complaining about it. It started to cool down about 5 pm and we went to the port to have a beverage. Also to watch all the people from the five visiting cruise ships scurry around checking out beaches, merchant markets, bus tours and, of course, a source of good beverages. I guess we will be two of those people in a few weeks because the cruise we are taking ports in Split.
Jim went on a guided walking tour early this afternoon. He saw most historic buildings in the centre of Split but it was almost too hot to enjoy the walk. He was beet red and very glad to get back into our air conditioned room.
We went on a Hop On Hop Off bus ride this afternoon. It was quite pleasant but not as informative as others we have been on. We did see much of the old part of town as well as a good distance along the coast. The beaches were packed with people and today, unlike earlier days at beaches, many, people were in the water. We also went through a very long tunnel that crossed the city below ground. We actually went through it twice. Both times the commentary for the tour continued, totally blocked out by the tunnel noise.
Nonetheless, we enjoyed seeing several refurbished old buildings, some modern buildings, several beautiful public parks and amazing flowers and greenery in every direction. An Uber driver told us that Split likes to think of itself as a 'green' city with trees and gardens planted wherever possible.
Once our tour had ended, we did what every other person seemed to do. We found a pub along the waterfront, enjoyed a cool beverage and watched the crowds come back from the beach and head back to their cruise ships. What a commercial bonanza for this city!
Our final activity of the day was to experience a Virtual Reality 360 3D presentation. The focus was on Diocletian, who was the emperor in Rome from 284 - 305 AD.
An Uber shepherded us back to our hotel. A quick stop at a neighbouring cafe was refreshing. Then we came back to our room to prepare for our departure tomorrow morning. Off toward Zagreb, our next major stop.
Friday, June 23, 2023 Split to Senj, Croatia
It was another gloriously bright and sunny day. Our goal was to drive from Split to Senj, Croatia; from there we would have an easy drive to Zagreb. We quickly moved from the foothills into the rugged Dinaric Humps. What a great name for a mountain range. And they do not fail to impress. Soon, we were away from the beautiful seacoast and heading inland. We were surrounded by the Humps. We went up, across, down ... we wave around; we went through passes. We had magnificent vistas and passed through long tunnels. Once more hairpin turns were frequent with long drops just across the guardrail. It was rugged countryside and there were magnificent views in every direction. The freeway would have been faster but this road was a great choice.
I am always impressed by Jim's ability to navigate. Just when I think we are totally in the wrong place or travelling in the wrong direction, Jim pulls out his trusty phone and determines where we should be heading. A couple of times, I will admit, I had to go around a roundabout twice while Jim figured out which direction we needed. But his directional determinations were always accurate.
We passed through many rural communities. Some of them have little shops, occasionally a restaurant, rarely a gas station (aka washrooms ... never pass those by). What every one of them had was a church with a distinctive steeple. And we stopped at many and took pictures. So if you think we have a lot of church photos ... you are correct; we do.
Another point of beauty along the way was the abundance of wild and domestic flowers. We could not name the varieties in many instances but the colours took our breath away. Purples, pinks, fuchsia, reds, blues and yellows created rainbows along the roadside and in gardens. We never got tired of saying, "Look!"
Old rock fences and walls were common in this area. Newer ones were precise and geometrically attractive but it was the old walls that really called my name. What hard work to construct them; whose hands had touched them; why was the wall built in that location; why did that wall remain standing when others all around it had fallen?
About noon, we arrived at Krka National Park. We had read about it as a new national park, recently under development. We also knew that there was a boat tour that took us out on the lake that is central to the park. So that was our main focus while at the park. When we arrived we were amazed to learn that because I have a disabled permit in our car, we were both granted free admission. Croatia has made it a priority to provide facilities and opportunities for disabled people and often includes a companion in the plan. So Jim and I parked the car and walked into the park ... well, really Jim pushed me in my chair. Sadly, the park headquarters has not been set up yet with displays and other programs so we continued along the route to the boat dock. There was a boat running about every half hour and we arrived just at the time the next cruise was leaving. Jim had been assured that the crew would be very helpful getting the wheelchair on board. They were wonderful, supporting me, adding equipment to allow the chair to easily make the transition from land to sea. We were very impressed.
The boat ride itself was also impressive, a slow leisurely journey across the lake, with lots of time to observe the vegetation and the wildlife. Mainly, what we saw were several families of swans at their nests along the way. At each nest, mom and dad proudly displayed their cygnets, just learning to swim and to feed themselves.
At the end of the cruise was a beautiful waterfall that fed the lake. It cascaded down a slope and broke into several streams so that the waterfall was wide and beautiful.
It was possible to walk from the boat dock to the bottom of the falls to see the falls even closer but we decided not to do that, partly because we did not know what the trail was like and partly to avoid excessive pushing on Jim's part. It was then that we also realized the lineup for the return boat ride appeared to be at least an hour's wait. So we remained on the boat and gently returned to the main dock.
We had a bit of lunch, returned to our car and headed up the highway again.
After the Park, we headed for the seacoast again, toward a town called Senj. In this area, the mountains swallowed the sea and we were treated yet again to a wonderful drive overlooking the Adriatic Sea, at times climbing high above it and at times swooping down to the shore.
I wish I could say that this driving is easy but it is not. Invariably I was travelling more slowly than the local drivers would have preferred. Some of the locals were very patient while others just wanted past. It is common in this country to use your horn to indicate your displeasure about something. Needless to say, I have heard more than a couple of horns honk. Oh well!!
As we found further south, the drive along the seacoast is spectacular. Sparkling seas as far as the eye can see. Deep blue. Stunning. Further north there is a long peninsula that separates the inlet from the larger ocean. It was close enough to our road that we could identify villages and agriculture on the peninsula coast.
We also discovered a seaside activity which happens late in the afternoon. Families along the coast made their way to the water for what appeared to be a regular outing. Equipped with towels, beach toys, lawn chairs and an occasional picnic basket, moms and dads, hand in hand with children made their way to the water. Older adults also made their way to the beach. In some cases, access to the beach was quite a rocky descent; in other cases, although still rocky, the water was much closer to the road. It was heartwarming to see such widespread family-oriented activity.
Finally, after what had become a fairly lengthy drive, we arrived at our destination, Senj, very happy to be off the road. Senj was so lovely that we decided to stay an extra day just to inhale the sea air and to enjoy the atmosphere of this lovely town. It is a true seaside resort town with many, many restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and ice cream stands.
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Saturday, June 24 Senj, Croatia
So we had a great day in Senj. It was punctuated with two naps, a lovely lunch in a seaside cafe, a delicious yogurt cone, a wander through the many alleyways filled with little shops,
cafes and restaurants, and a lovely evening relaxing on our own balcony. We watched the sun set over the water that night from the balcony of our room.
The town grew quiet as people settled in for dinner and families retired to their accommodation with very tired children.
Sunday, June 25, 2023 Senj to Zagreb, Croatia
We enjoyed our last breakfast at our hotel, loaded the car and set off on our next adventure. We had two choices of routes to Zagreb and, of course, we chose the route that did not involve the freeway, It would take a bit longer but take us through far more interesting and picturesque countryside.
We said farewell to the Adriatic Sea and turned the car inland . It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were primed for a lovely, if longish, country drive. The first part of the trip once again involved steep mountain ups and downs, described on the signs as serpentine. We pulled over several times to let the collection of vehicles following us go past and get on their way. I admit I am slow on the high mountain turns and switchbacks.
Soon enough, the road levelled out (sort of) and we were able to relax and enjoy the scenery.
We went from dense forest to rolling farmland. Crops of hay, cut and baled; fields of potatoes blossoming for this year's crop; fields of corn, barely knee high - they have much more growing to do; and personal gardens planted with a wide array of vegetables.
It was interesting that we noticed far fewer wildflowers on this leg of our journey, in contrast to then myriads of colour and variety we had seen along the coast. As we were considerably higher in altitude, we speculated that crops and other plants grow differently here. The corn was still low to the ground and the potatoes were just beginning to blossom. Household gardens, though, were a real highlight. Plenty of colour and variety, especially roses.
Along the way, predictably by now, there were many honey stands. Oddly, we have not seen any beehives but clearly they are doing their work. We also saw small numbers of cattle, horses, chickens and geese.
One of the local industries that drew our attention was logging and lumbering. Piles of various kinds were seen in many yards - full logs of trees pulled from the forest; piles of shorter but broad logs; wood that has been used to make planks; and short logs split in two to be used for firewood. Every household had a huge pile of wood, prepared for next winter.
We passed through many tiny villages; one village had only one home but still had welcome and farewell signs along the road. Some of the villages had small churches but not nearly as many as we have seen on previous days. As it was Sunday morning, I have to ask, "Where were the people?" Every church appeared to be empty.
Many of the villages had houses that were in various types of repair and disrepair. As this is an old country, it is not surprising to find several homes that have been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Other homes have been fully renovated and are very attractive. Red blocks are widely used for construction but the completed homes are fully painted in bright colours - pink, green, yellow, red, blue ... with no red blocks visible anywhere
A third set of homes are those that are under construction, either in renovation, or totally new builds. It appears that both situations are slow processes and sometimes appear to be stalled along the way. Our impression is that materials and workers are quite expensive and thus the construction is slow.
In general the roads were in very good condition and where repairs had been made, the transitions from old to new road were very smooth. Once we passed by the freeway entrance nearest Senj, the traffic thinned out and the trip was much more relaxing.
We passed through a larger town called Karlovac, a town well known for its beer production. Jim and I have both indulged in their beers a few times and enjoyed them thoroughly. No beer today though. He opted for a coffee to go from McDonalds of all places. It was the first McDonalds we have seen in Croatia. Many places in Croatia only serve coffee in china cups and coffee "to go" is not an option.
And then we arrived in Zagreb. At first glance it is a beautiful city with many historic and elegant buildings. We are looking forward to exploring more tomorrow.
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