#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Croatia 2016

## Neo

After three months in the sandpit I was starting to get restless, it's been an intense experience relocating here and with Ramadan in full swing and the temperature hitting over 40c every day I was ready to blow the joint if I didn't get some respite... so a short break at short notice, looked on the Fly Dubai site for destinations and came up with Croatia, spot on.., that'll do, I've always wanted to visit Croatia... so a little fact finding mission was underway as soon as you could say 'stick it on the Mastercard'.

It's a 5 hour flight into Zagreb and then a 3 hour drive down to the coast where I had booked an apartment for 4 nights at Split. Exchange rate is 9 Kuna to the £.. so make it 10 to the £ after several beers have gone down and the already very reasonable prices start to make the place seem remarkably cheap. 

So...

----------


## Neo

Dubai airport early morning and it's already too damn hot.. 



Watch out for the fun police.. 



They have a 100% take off record.. not worried at all  :Smile: 



it was worth the £20 and the extra legroom for a seat near the emergency exit.. bit of forward planning never did any harm   :Wink: 



One of those big bastard things loitering with intent



And I'm off.! Bye bye blast furnace.. hello freedom.!!



Stealth cloud.. possibly CIA



Weather was shaping up nicely as we came into land... 



Overcast with a chance of rain.. perfect  :Smile: 



Arrivals at Zagreb.. a rather chilled out locale.. 



Hire car, Seat Leon FR



FR stands for Fookin' Raaaaagh.!!   :Cool: 



And  here we go... you're probably thinking it looks a bit  grim and the weather is shite, but I can honestly say at this point  my eyeballs were  having an Ecky fueled orgasm at the greenery... seriously, I'd left Blighty before spring had  sprung and this was exactly what my brain was missing, green grass and grey skies..  just like back home 



From the airport very quickly on to the A1 autoroute that would take me  all the way to the coast.. and moutains already.!!



And tunnels..!  :Very Happy: 



This is about as busy as it got.. look at the weather.. it's perfect  :Smile: 



The  A1 is a toll road and well maintained.. cost me 160 Kuna all the way to  Split.. £17.60 .. bargain. I drove 1100 kms in 4 days and didn't get  beeped at, tailgated or cut up once, all of which happened within 5  minutes of getting back to Dubai. Continental style driving at 100-140kph all the way... I was loving it already. 



The  altimeter on my FR  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  told me I was at about 650m above see  level at this point and the range of mountains on my right, which had been constant  for about the last 50kms, had disappeared into the cloud... 



then under the mountains at Sveti Rok tunnel for 5 kms... 



and out the other side to blue skies and Mediterranean landscapes... 



Beautiful.. the vacation was shaping up nicely.. 



2 hours in and after a twisty decent time for a pitstop at the next service station at Jasenice



Very nice it was too... very clean and a tasty looking food. 



£4.50 for that...   I wasn't disappointed, tasted as good as it looked



You.. me.. and the open road.. yeah baby.! 



Onward we go.. and isn't it just beautiful.. mountains and sea, this is what Croatia is all about



Nearly there... you can almost hear the Cicada's chirping already... 



First impression of Split... 'meh' really... typically low rent, half finished Mediterranean living... but here I was anyway... 



 Not too classy on the outside... but very peaceful



and just perfect on the inside... WiFi and cable included.. 



100 Euros a night



There's a shower in there somewhere..



and enough crockery to fill up the sink before I leave ... 



lovely out on the balcony, nice view... beach and bars just over the road



Sun going down and still people enjoying a swim... a cool 30c and for a city beach a really nice spot.. 



And there it is... 500ml of the finest local brew £1.65... the first of many that evening... perfect  :Wink: 



to be continued...

----------


## khmen

Nice one Neo, me and the missus are thinking of going next year so look forward to this with interest.

----------


## Neo

Go for it... you'll love it. 4 nights was just enough to get a feel for it... but there's enough to keep you interested for much, much longer... beautiful, I shall return  :Wink:

----------


## blue

a  right posh place  that , keeping the toilet roll in a plant pot..

----------


## Neo

It's a motorway cafe you div and the plant pot is an ashtray.. I was sitting outside.

----------


## Dillinger

Looks nice mate, but did you empty your nuts? :Smile:

----------


## Luigi

That plant pot got a rodgering, I reckon.  :Smile:

----------


## terry57

Great pics mate, interesting stuff.

Having the wheels makes a huge difference to any trip.

----------


## Bettyboo

Just looks like a motorway toll road and a Med style Canvey Island (kind of reminds me of a holiday in Corfu back in the last 70s)... Very similar to coming out of Alicante airport, hiring a car and driving north on the Spanish tollway.

Nonetheless, keep the pics coming - everyone loves a photothread.  :Smile: 



Were you the only passenger?
(& wear some proper socks, Neo - those silly little baby sock things are so meh...).  :Smile: 




I hate that airport. In fact, the only airport I've ever been to which I disliked more (excluding Heathrow and Gatwick and Luton and Stanstead, obviously) was the big shithole in Qatar...  :Sad:

----------


## Neo

Jeez... so much negativity.. you guys are killing my post holiday buzz  :Smile: 



*yeah there were only about 30-40 people on the plane Betty, same on the way back

----------


## Bettyboo

It's good, most of us have never been there (I'm guessing), so it is interesting!

----------


## klong toey

> a right posh place that , keeping the toilet roll in a plant pot


Also nice to see that great English tradition of drinking tea out of the saucer and not the cup.
I noted the saucer placed on top of his cup in that picture. :Smile:

----------


## Luigi

> kind of reminds me of a holiday in Corfu back in the last 70s..


feckin 'ell, how old are you? Or are you talking Goat years?  :Smile:

----------


## Bettyboo

^ I was a kid at the time, born in 1970.  :Smile:

----------


## somtamslap

Top fucking thread man.

Doesn't sound like you're long for the sandpit, though, and for that I wouldn't blame you. 

There are snake-infested thickets in the Burmese jungle with more appeal than Saudi Arabia.

----------


## katie23

I had a lay-over in Abu Dhabi, the view from the plane was similar, just sand all around. I found it depressing. Made me appreciate the greens & blues of my country. 

Thanx for the pics. I hope there are some dude pics for patsy & me later on.  :Very Happy:

----------


## Neo

> Doesn't sound like you're long for the sandpit, though, and for that I wouldn't blame you.


It's a challenge that's for sure, with the needle on the love-hate meter swinging wildly... but isn't that part of many an expat posting..? I'm finding solace in flange and the philosophy of the sagacious and ever salacious Ms Crow.. It's not having what you want, but wanting what you've got.  

The break to Croatia really did the trick though... onward and upward.!  :Friday: 




> Thanx for the pics. I hope there are some dude pics for patsy & me later on.


I took some pics especially for you both as you will see... you like men in uniform right..?  :Razz:

----------


## Bettyboo

> I hope there are some dude pics for patsy & me later on.





> I took some





> men in uniform


Shifter!

----------


## Neo

Day two and after an early morning swim and some breakfast I went into Split for a walk about. Split is Croatia's second largest city, (it's really not that big at all) and important strategically throughout the centuries, and today the main port and gateway for the ferries servicing the Dalmatian islands. 



The town centers around the Diocletian's Palace, erected by the Roman emperor in the 4th century, (2,400 years ago) a large walled off enclosure that contains a maze of alleyways and buildings, full of restaurants and photo opportunities. I don't really know the history of most of what I was looking at.. so just pictures and few comments. There's more info on Split here if you want it. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split,_Croatia

I found Split to be a very clean and safe environment, even walking about at night I didn't feel at risk of getting mugged at any point... and the quality of food and level of service was excellent, as would be expected of a well oiled tourist destination. The same could be said of my entire stay, although one downside for me was that my visit was in the school holiday period and I felt like it was just way too crowded at times... the next time I visit I think it will be when the school holidays are over and the the centres a little less crowded to really enjoy the atmosphere and the history at a more leisurely pace.

----------


## Neo

> Originally Posted by katie23
> 
> I hope there are some dude pics for patsy & me later on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I looked high and low for some goats for you cos I didn't want you to feel left out... but I think the bears and the wolves must have eaten them all. Don't go wandering off into the Croatian mountains in search of your cloven footed friends there Betty... you may not come back  :Smile:

----------


## Neo

Split.







This is Gregory of Nin... if you touch his toe it means you will return to Split one day... so I'll certainly be going back.





The walls of the Diocletian's Palace





A pair of indolent young Legionaries masquerading as university students by the gate



They soon smartened up when I mentioned that the picture was for Katie and Pats



But got quite defensive when I asked them where they keep their goats



A handful of Kuna and promises that I was only asking on behalf of friend soon calmed their hostility though  :Wink: 









This is the cathedral of Saint Domnius 










a spot of lunch in one of the many cafe terraces







and a stroll to walk it off











on to the waterfront







then back through the town





and up the cathedral tower to take in the view















 :Wink:

----------


## Neo

Then back to Znjan beach over the road from the apartment for a few more beers in one of the bars before a siesta













 :Wink:

----------


## Bettyboo

This thread has now much improved. Nice pictures, Neo.

However, only you (and maybe KiwiNick) could go to Croatia and get more pics of men than women - shifter...  :Smile:  Looks like a nice place to visit.

----------


## Neo

before heading back into Split in the evening... 





















 :Wink:

----------


## Neo

> only you (and maybe KiwiNick) could go to Croatia and get more pics of men than goats


 :Sorry1:

----------


## Bettyboo



----------


## aging one

Neo, thanks so much. This is a dream of mine to go. My dad loved the Dalmation Coast and this is it.  I did not do much for the wife this year on our 25th  anniversary, now I am off to Croatia mid May. She has seen pictures and researched along with me, but your shots are better. Mid May seems to be like 15-26 degrees that sounds a lot better than a humid 40 which it is here.  :Smile:

----------


## Neo

There's more to come AO... by all accounts it gets better the further south you go, with Dubrovnik being the real gem. The coast north of Split up toward Trieste in Italy (another possible arrival point as the car from Sixt at Zagreb had all the necessary documentation to cross borders) is more sparsely populated but more exclusive, with Split and the coast south being more of a family destination. 

Unfortunately I didn't take the opportunity to take a ferry out to the islands, which are apparently incredibly beautiful with quiet beaches and historic little towns, because it was just so busy with tourists and the school holidays... the thought of disembarking on a small island town with a thousand other tourists doesn't appeal... before or after the high season would be perfect... which is something i plan to do. 

Having said that, even though it was busy the roads were relatively quiet and along the coast there were numerous resorts, guest houses, apartments, pensions and restaurants (and of course beaches, and mountains in the background always a constant) I've no doubt that out of season taking a car and stopping overnight wherever the fancy takes you would be no problem at all and in the high season with a little forward planning stopping overnight at a different location would be no problem at all.

----------


## patsycat

I would presume that Katie is smaller than me in height.

So, i'll take the one on the right.  Thanks Neo.

I shall now go back and read the rest of the thread.

I have heard alot of good things about Croatia, and i think your photos really show that it is a nice, clean and calm place for a holiday.  With a bit of history too.

Next time, fly to Geneva and pick me up on your way!!  You could drive me through Italy and i could map read!!  No, that is a bad idea.  We may end up in Spain.

Turn left, no right, i told you left...

----------


## katie23

Ooh... young & fit dude pics. Me likey.  :Very Happy:  another thnx frm me, neo! 

Patsy, you're right, I'm shorter, so I'll take the shorter, more muscular guy. I kinda like his facial hair. Lol

Looks like a very nice place for a holiday. Nice beach, a palace & medieval town! What's not to like?  :Smile:  but how was the sand? Looks like the sand had large particles. But then, i've been spoiled with white beaches and powder like sand in my part of the world, and not all places can have that. Cheers neo, keep the pics coming!

----------


## patsycat

Pebble beaches.  They are just not sandy.

Most of us Brits grew up with them.   I was lucky, in Scotland we have lovely sandy beaches.  the only problem is that it is about 15 degrees and windy when you go there.

----------


## terry57

A brilliant series of pics. A very nice Camera ya have there mate.

It's funny when one looks at these pics after living in Bangkok. 

Your pics are all warm and fuzzy displaying how a real city looks whilst BKK is covered in Shite.

Just an observation there.  :Smile:

----------


## Neo

Pics are all taken on my Samsung S7... the camera is outstanding especially at night.

----------


## Neo

Day three and after the beach decided to head up into the mountains, or more specifically to Klis, a fortress over looking the mountain pass that leads to Split. 

I was told that this is where the Croats stopped the Turks and given the history of Split no doubt it has been strategically important for millennia. Anyway, that's as much as I know, more info here if you need it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_of_Klis 

It was proper Game of Thrones I tell thee  :Wink: 





























































 :Wink:

----------


## Neo

Still have some pictures of my trip down the coast t o post, but I'm off to Egypt in the morning for work so I'll post them when I get back...  :Wink:

----------


## Neo

Down the coast to Makarska and back.. 



plenty of accommodation options all the way.. no need to pre book out of the peak season









Makarska... I wasn't that impressed, nice but too family orientated. 









The mountains behind were impressive.. 





Back up the coast and off the highway I found this nice little place... just one of many very scenic spots along the way

----------


## katie23

Thanks for the pix, neo. Very nice & scenic. 

But.... no more pics of hunky men in uniform?  :ourrules: 
Lol!

----------


## PeeCoffee

Great stuff Neo. Great pictures to help us feel and see what you saw.
Obviously not an overly crowded holiday and open highways...which is a wonderful thing.
(I take it from your pictures that the Muslim population in Croatia is quite minimal particularly compared to your desert oasis.)

----------

