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| Trogir Island |
Trogir Croatia
Sunday 23rd
August 2015
I
woke up by the sound of the church bells ringing at about 6am; it didn’t bother
me as I was an early riser anyway. It was daylight and I was eager to open the
curtains and shutter to see what the view looked like. I opened the window and
slowly opened the wooden shutters for dramatic effect and I was amazed with the
bright orange glow of the tightly packed rooftops. The buildings looked old
fashioned with old stonework and old worn out shutters which felt as though I
stepped back in time. However the aerials on the rooftops reminded me that I
was in the present. Truly beautiful I thought wondering what the rest of the
town looked like so at this point I decided to get ready to explore.
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| My Room View |
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| My Room View |
It
was 7:30am so I packed my small rucksack with essentials and headed out of the
apartment. I headed towards the main gateway of the town and as I knew the way
from last night there was no problem getting to it. I had seen across the
bridge a very large market area so I headed towards it and as I got onto the
bridge, on my left I could see hundreds of small boats moored up along the
narrow quayside. It looked fantastic as the boats were gently swaying with the slight
waves. To my right were a few more small boats and at the distance was a large
area of sea which was gleaming from the suns embrace. I got to the other side of
the bridge on the mainland and had immediately realised I had arrived in the market
area.
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| Over the North Bridge of Trogir |
A
section of it was all fruit stalls and olive oil too which all looked amazing.
They were selling fruit from apples, watermelons and plums as well as blackberries
and oranges. The market place was full of vibrant colours and smells and
everything looked a lot larger too especially the grapes and watermelons. I was
tempted to buy some but I continued on across the road to the fish market and I
could smell the place before I had even arrived; the closer I got, the stronger
the smell became. I entered into the market area and stumbled on a lot of
different fish big and small also coming across a large eel which I had never
seen before. I didn’t stay long at the fish market so I headed out and back
into the main market area. I still had no breakfast at this point and I was
searching the area for a restaurant or something to have a good bite to eat.
However, I walked by a small bakery and behind the glass cabinet was pastries of
croissants, rolls and strudels. They looked quite filling and delicious so I
thought I would buy a strudel. It was everything I expected it would be and it
definitely filled me up. I followed the market up to the west as it stretched
out about 200 metres long and half the stalls were already open whilst other
sellers were just arriving to open theirs. I walked along the market immediately
realising the familiar situation where each market stall were selling the same
items. I continued heading west until I passed the last stall.
Right
next to me was another bridge so I climbed up the steps and admired the nice
views from the bridge. I noticed further west an old castle tower on the corner
of the island so that was where I headed next. I took a slow stroll along the moored
up boats looking at each one as I passed by them. Time had passed as I came up
to the tower and it was called St Marks tower; this used to be part of the
towns defence during the Napoleonic war so I was amazed at how much was still
intact. I then walked along towards the ‘Kamerlengo’ fortress which was the
other part of the towns defence. However, this was a lot larger than the tower
and looked like it was still intact.
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| St Marks Tower |
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| Kamerlengo Fortress |
The
next part I walked along looked familiar as most of Trogir’s pictures on the
internet showed this area. It was called the ‘Obala bana berislavica’ which was
basically the harbour front for the ferries and yachts coming in which had a
huge pathway and rows of palm trees on the south side of the island. I could
feel the warm temperature and it wasn’t even 9am yet as the sun was beaming on
my face. Along the way were huge private yachts moored up; they were monstrous
vessels and the pirate side in me thought about commandeering one and sailing
the Mediterranean Sea. I suddenly snapped back
into reality and approached the bridge at the south of the island which connected
onto another larger island called Ciovo.
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| Obala Bana Berislavica |
So
I crossed the bridge and I decided to follow the quayside to the west where
there were hundreds of sailing boats moored up. I took my time yet again admiring
the boats trying to keep the pirate in me locked in my head. I had walked down
a mile or so before I decided to turn back around and head to the bridge again.
However, as I neared the bridge, I passed a poster of a birds-eye view of
Trogir and part of Ciovo
Island. I could see there
was a bay not far from where I was so I decided to head for that bay. I turned into
a street way heading south and as I got further in, the street became narrow
and full of cobbles. The surrounding buildings looked quite picturesque too but
further on in my walk, the cobbles turned to tarmac and I could see in front of
me a steep hill. Great I thought as I climbed the hill already beginning to
sweat with the heat and incline. I kept on climbing though admiring the walk up
to the top which I could see up ahead. Half way up the pathway there was a
clearing in the trees and as I turned around to see how far I had walked, I
could see quarter of Trogir
Island. It looked
beautiful seeing all the orange rooftops and the bell towers chiming.
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| Trogir Island |
I
finally reached the top and I could see the beautiful bay in front of me. However,
I had to walk back down the opposing side to get to it. The area seemed a lot
more peaceful until halfway down I could here a noise I couldn’t quite make
out. It was either chirping from tiny birds or the sound of large crickets. I
couldn’t see any birds in the trees or crickets from where the deafening sound
came from; it had me quite confused as to what it was. I continued downhill
until I was walking alongside the bay. It looked better closer up too as I could
see groups of people at the pebbled beach area in the distance relaxing and having
fun. It didn’t take me long to arrive and as I walked onto the beach, I could
see the clear sea water which looked truly remarkable. It wasn’t as blue as I
thought but it was still blue enough to be a thing of pure beauty. I sat for a
long time staring out at the bay watching the little boats and ferries in the distance
as well as watching planes coming in to land. It felt great and peaceful but I
couldn’t sit there forever as I wanted to see more sights. I wanted to head back
to Trogir so I had to climb the hill again.
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| On Ciovo Island |
It
was easier climbing back up this side of the hill and I soon arrived at the top
again only to head back down. Time had passed still wondering what the noise
was from the trees before arriving at the southern bridge into Trogir. Along
the way I could see a well designed bell tower of St Lawrence
cathedral. Yet again it was ringing away so I headed towards it. I turned a
couple of narrow corners and arrived at the open St Johns square with the huge cathedral in
front of me. It wasn’t a large square but big enough to house a cathedral,
clock tower and a couple of restaurants which all fitted in well. Speaking of
the clock tower it was right behind me and it looked very pretty with its
round/square dome with a sky blue coloured clock face. At this point I decided
to head into the cathedral and as I got to the main doors of the cathedral, I had
a quick glimpse inside. I immediately realised that I wasn’t meant to be in
there yet as it was prayer time and there was a sign which said no visitors
during mass; so I high tailed it out of there. I ended up walking across the
northern bridge to the mainland again wandering around the market again.
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| St Johns Square |
As
Trogir was a very small island town it didn’t really take long for me to see
the highlights of the place and surrounding area. I then back tracked and decided
to head east on the mainland as I knew there were large pebble beaches not too
far from where I was standing. By this point the temperature was rising and I could
definitely feel the suns embrace. It wasn’t long before I arrived at the beach and
had noticed that there weren’t many people here meaning there were a lot of sun
loungers available. I picked a random lounger and placed my bag on it claiming
it as mine. I then sat down with the large umbrella open keeping me shaded from
the hot sun. I was watching on at the people swimming in the sea but I couldn’t
go in as much as I wanted too; I wasn’t dressed in the clothes for swimming. So
I just relaxed for a good long while catching some sun enjoying life.
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| St Lawrence Cathedral |
It
was coming up 12pm and my belly began to slightly rumble with hunger as all I
had in the morning was a strudel; so I left my seat and headed back to Trogir.
I noticed at this point the beach was starting to fill up with people so there
was no chance I would get my seat back upon my return. I reluctantly found a
café along the way so I stopped there for a quick cappuccino. Whilst I was
looking at the menu, I had to keep reminding myself about the price difference.
So when the bill came at the end it said 11 Kuna which was £1.10 and not £11
for a cappuccino. After my quick drink I got back on my feet and onto the
island again heading west along the rows of restaurants. I didn’t want anything
big so I avoided the large restaurants. I took a left turn heading south on Augustina
Kazotica which was one straight street from the north of the island to the
south.
Halfway
down I came across a pasta restaurant which caught my eye. This was the place
for something good and quick to eat so I entered into the seating area through
the building and back outside. I sat in the corner by myself and then the
waitress came over asking what language I was wanting on the menu. I said English
mainly because I was English and then she passed me it looking on at what they
had to offer. I had a quick glance at the menu and decided to have pasta and
tuna with yet another cappuccino. I was expecting my food to take a long time
to arrive as though they had to go out and catch a tuna for me but in no time
at all, the waitress returned with a plateful of pasta and tuna. It looked fantastic
so I dug in straight away enjoying every bite tasting the flavours for once instead
of wolfing it down; it tasted amazing as did my drink. By the time I had finished,
the place began to fill up which no doubt kept the staff busy; this meant it
took them a very long while to see everybody. While I was waiting to be seen
too, I was busy playing around with the plastic stirring stick for my drink
bending and flexing it. I accidently snapped it and part of it went flying over
to another groups table and hit one of them. I immediately apologised and they
started to laugh. Eventually the waitress came over and took my plate away
whilst I asked for the bill. In short time she returned with the bill which
said 98 Kuna which was £9.80 not £98; I paid and took my leave heading south.
I
headed towards the fortress admiring its beauty and then took a walk into all
the narrow streets of Trogir. I didn’t care if I got lost as I knew my bearings
so all I did was admire the tightly packed streets and old fashioned buildings
until I stumbled on my apartment. I definitely thought at this point that there
was nothing new to see in Trogir so what I did next was go up to my room and
get changed into something I could swim in. I entered my room and realised it
was already tidied up by housekeeping. I quickly got ready, placed a few things
in my small rucksack as well as leaving things behind and headed out eager to
swim. I was soon away from Trogir
Island heading straight for
the beach area and soon arriving to the crowds of people at the beach sun
bathing or swimming; this made me wonder whether I could actually get a seat at
the beach. Suddenly I found an empty one to my surprise and immediately sat on
it.
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| Narrow Streets of Trogir |
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| Narrow Streets of Trogir |
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| Villa Ruzica - My Apartment |
A
short time passed and then I took my sandals and top off heading for the water;
I must have been the whitest man on the beach as my body never saw sunlight for
years. As I knew it wasn’t cold I stepped in and it was quite warm which was a
relief. The further in I got, the colder it seemed to be but nothing was
stopping me so I got right in swimming around; it was a real energy charge swimming
around. I tried to keep the salty water out of my mouth but I couldn’t help it
and forgot about how strong the taste was. I was spitting it out straight away
as I began to swim further out. I kept glancing back at my seat making sure my
bag was still there which it was so I continued outwards until I came across a rope
barrier with little buoys on them. As my feet weren’t touching the ground anymore,
I grabbed onto one of the buoys which kept me upright, floating and without
having to do much paddling. I spent quite a bit of time at that spot watching
on as the planes were taking off towards me and right above my head. I headed
back towards the rocky bank area close to the shoreline and once I got close, I
noticed a lot of tiny legs moving sideways. I realised they were small crabs
and I spent about 5 minutes trying to amuse myself catching them without hurting
them or hurting myself with their snapping claws. I couldn’t catch them as they
were too quick scurrying into the rock crevices; Im sure if I was in a survival
situation I would have put more effort into catching them. I looked over at my
seat with my bag still there so I decided to go out to the far end again
without stopping with forward breaststrokes. This was a bad move because along
the way, water was getting in my mouth again and into my eyes which slowed my
pace right down. I just managed to make it in one piece as another plane flew
over me. There was slight pain in my eyes but nothing too drastic. I tried to
blow on my eyes to try and dry them off which made me laugh at what I was doing.
Throughout
my time in the sea I felt as though I was getting weird sensations of stinging
in my feet and arms as though something under the water was doing it. It didn’t
bother me much so I continued back towards the shallow area. There was part of
me wanting to get out but the other half wanted me to stay in and so I pretty
much doggy paddling around the area where as everyone else was swimming the right
way. I could tell I was in the water for a very long time because my fingers
looked wrinkly; so I decided to get out and rest on my seat. I tried to do the
whole leaving the water like James Bond but I don’t think I got out as smoothly
as I wanted too. Anyway I got to my seat dripping wet with wrinkly hands and a
towel draped over me; definitely don’t see that on James Bond films. I dried up
pretty quickly due to the heat and wind but my shorts were still soaked. Not to
worry though as I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon as I just wanted to relax.
I slapped on some sun cream and went into the lounge position. I did spend a
long time relaxing for a few hours either sitting up or lying down enjoying the
sun and the sound of the waves hitting the shore.
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| Beach |
Time
had passed and as I looked at my watch and thought it would be a good time to
take my leave. I grabbed my things and left heading back to Trogir and straight
to my room. By this point it was easier to find my way around the town and to
find my hotel too in the narrow cobbled streets. I eventually entered my room
and changed back into my original clothing. Then I spent another 2 hours in my
room relaxing and unfortunately I had missed out on the sunset in Trogir. So by
the time I was up and leaving, it was quite dark outside. Not to worry though
as I still had a lot of days to see the sunset plus the fact I thought Trogir
would look amazing and different in the dark. I headed downstairs and out of
the hotel turning left and heading west. I then passed a few restaurants but I
kept going to see if there was anywhere better. All along the way there were
nice smells of cooked fish making me hungry and made me wonder what type of
fish they were cooking too. I had a feeling the better restaurants would be on the
harbour to the south of the island so I headed in that direction. I was right,
a large row of restaurants were ahead of me so I walked over to them. Not
before admiring the monstrous yachts which were all moored up twinkling like
Christmas lights along the waters edge; I was just wondering how rich someone
had to be to own one of them. I wouldn’t have thought I could get a yacht with
my wage at work but possibly afford a little wooden row boat without the oars.
Anyway,
I finally found a restaurant called ‘Riva’ where I was greeted and escorted to
a table. I grabbed the menu and scanned it already deciding on what to have. I
decided to have bruschetta with octopus and tomato which was a first for me, a
meat feast dinner and the local beer called ‘Karlovacko’. My beer came first as
usual and I had the same size beer glass as I did in Austria which was a surprise. I
took a drink and out of all the beers I have ever drunk this had to be my
favourite; it was just right and tasted heart warming. About 5 or 10 minutes
went by and then my starter arrived. It looked lovely but I was mainly concerned
about what the octopus tasted like so I held my nerve and without hesitation I
put it in my mouth. I was amazed and surprised at how delicious it tasted. I
thought it was going to be squidgy or slimy but it was the total opposite. I closed
my eyes and tried to figure out what it tasted like. I came to the conclusion that
it tasted a bit like lamb but on the fishy side so it was a fishy lamb. Once
that was eaten and out of the way, the waiter came over with my main. It had some
sort of sausage on large skewer sticks also with pork, chicken and beef steak; it
was a dish to die for and everything was cooked to perfection. I thought I was
finding it hard to finish off my plate because I was getting full and lacking hunger
at this point. It was brilliant and as I received the bill and paid up, I was
soon on my way waddling down the harbour like a penguin with a full belly of
food.
I
admired the yachts with the luminous glows of turquoise and greens coming from
the back of each yacht and there was one specific one which was attracting a
very small group of fish. I walked to the east of the island and walked half
way across the southern bridge to look on at the beautiful row of yachts with
Trogir town in the background whilst street lights would glow the area up. I
then took a walk around St Johns
square where I could see hundreds of people at restaurants, sitting along the
cathedral walls or disappearing into the narrow streets. I also took a stroll
through the narrow streets of Trogir and everything was all lit up with large
amounts of people admiring the shop windows as was I.
I thought it would be quieter at night time but it was a hell of a lot busier
but to be honest it felt great mingling with the crowds of people losing myself.
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| Trogie Waters at Night |
I
headed back into St Johns
square where I would rest my legs from all the walking. It was when I sat down
that I took a lot more notice at the architecture of the surrounding buildings
and floors. It was extremely old fashioned which kind of looked like the
Italian architecture but still maintaining a Croatian style to it. I then
noticed the whole square was marble as were the cobble pathways around the town
too. It truly looked amazing and different I thought but then it was getting
late; so I picked myself up and headed for my apartment. It was a lot easier
finding it and I kind of underestimated my potential of finding things with
ease. It felt great getting back into my room almost ready to drop and fall
asleep. Just before I closed the shutters I gazed up at the stars and moon and
because there wasn’t much light in the area, I could see quite a lot and I was
in a trance like a wolf. I eventually closed everything and rested for the
night.
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| Trogir at Night |
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