 |
| Trogir Island |
Epilogue Croatia
Leap of Faith Travel
Review
What
can I say about the absolute brilliance with the country of Croatia?
It
was full of adventure and discovery as I went into Croatia not knowing what to expect.
I found it hard to love at first but once I expanded my exploration, it turned
out to be a place of tranquil beauty with the feeling of freedom being out at
sea. The sunrise and sunset were just phenomenal too with the most perfect
setting of Croatian hills and sea. I thought that Croatia
didn’t have something to live up for as Italy
with there Ferraris, food and culture; it felt as though Croatia was
just laid back and chilled which I absolutely loved. The food and drink were
exquisite loving everything that was put down to me. My favourite though were
the octopus dishes and tuna steaks. Bosnia was a real gem too with so
much history unravelled on a single trip. The best way I could think of Croatia’s Dalmatia
coast would be that it was the Caribbean of Europe; a truly fascinating place
which is why I named the title after my thoughts.
 |
| Hvar |
Out
of all the places I have been too Croatia is definitely one of the
best.
The
Places I visited throughout my trip were:
·
Trogir
·
Split
·
Orkrug
·
Krka National
Park and Waterfalls (organised excursion)
·
Skradin
(organised excursion)
·
Sibenik
(organised excursion)
·
Primosten
(organised excursion)
·
Mostar
and Medugorje – Bosnia and Herzegovina (organised excursion)
·
Komiza
(organised excursion)
·
Blue
caves of Vis Island (organised excursion)
·
Hvar
(organised excursion)
Trogir
is a most beautiful little place which has everything on its very small island
which I thought was a great central point to start exploring outwards. Trogir
can be explored within half a day but if you take your time through the maze
like marble streets, you will begin to find little treasures hiding around each
corner you make. The south harbour
of Trogir is truly
special as it has everything you need such as ferries, restaurants, information
centres, entertainment at night, excursion stalls and market stalls selling
novelty and art items. To the north of the island and across the bridge there
is the majority of market stalls selling a lot of bakes, fruit, vegetables,
novelty items, artwork and lavender products. There is also a small fish market
just across the road too along with a supermarket. I was so happy I picked this
little island to spend my week on as again everything was there if I needed it;
plus the fact it was only 3 mile away from Split airport.
 |
| Trogir |
 |
| Narrow Streets of Trogir |
 |
| Trogir Harbour |
The
only trouble I had with Trogir was its bus service and station. I found it very
confusing as I tried to get to different areas of Dalmatia
district and it caused frustration on that day; although I did spend the day
relaxing on a beach with not a care in the world.
 |
| Sunrise at T |
My
accommodation was at a place called Villa Ruzica situated within the maze
streets of Trogir
Island. It was also a
room only basis which is perfect if you are on a budget; the food was extremely
cheap. As for my room it did feel as though I was in a hotel room with the
comforts of home. They have twin rooms and double rooms; I was in a twin room
by myself on the top floor room. The view from my room I thought was good as I
was level with the orange rooftops with a view of run down buildings around me
feeling as though I stepped back in time. What I loved the most was the shear
peace in the morning as I opened the wooden shutters with the odd person
showing now and again along the maze like streets.
7
nights at Villa Ruzica in a twin room for single use on a room only basis only
cost £264.
 |
| Villa Ruzica |
 |
| View from my Room |
There
were many options to get to Split
from Trogir but none of them I thought would best the Bura-line Ferry. Though
it seemed like a long time to arrive in Split,
going along the sea to a destination felt like a discovery and I loved every
moment on these ferries. The ferry runs all day from 8am until 6pm and for a
one way ticket it costs 24 Kuna (£2.40)
 |
| Bura-Line Ferry |
Excursions
were brilliant and very easy to organise as like mentioned before, Trogir had a
row of excursion stalls with plenty to offer to give you a Croatian experience.
The excursions are very good for their price too as nothing I did was deemed
expensive. You can either pay in full at the stalls receiving a fully paid
ticket or you can pay a deposit and pay the rest to the driver that works for
the company; I put my trust in the stalls and paid in full. Remember, don’t
lose your ticket.
I
urge you to visit the places I did as it was truly an adventure and discovery
especially when you don’t know much about a place. Park your car at the small
town of Skradin
and take the ferry to the majestic national park. The nature was incredible in Krka National
park and waterfalls and the feeling of recharge I
had felt when I swam in the river was outstanding.
 |
| Krka National Park and Waterfalls |
Take
a trip to the beautiful Mostar and discover the heart breaking story of its
past and understand what it took to rebuild from such a tragedy. I loved this
place very much especially knowing that different cultures and religions
coincide with each other. Of course there is the famous and beautiful Mostar Bridge
to which divers will jump for the 22 metre drop into the river. This is a must
see place along with a quick trip to Medugorje which I thought was a very
religious place.
 |
| Mostar |
 |
| Medugorje |
The
best excursion for me had to be the island hopping on my last full day in Croatia. I
booked it through a company called ‘Providenca Charter and travel’ and it was
absolutely fascinating; there was never a time I was disappointed. The people
who steered the boat were incredible and down to earth providing everyone with
a great day. We set off from Trogir and Split to the island of Vis
where the Blue caves are located. A trip to a picturesque fishing village
called Komiza along with a trip to a couple of secret coves and bays that we
could swim around or relax in. what was great about this was that we were
provided with very good snorkelling equipment providing us with a greater
experience of life under the Croatian Sea. A trip to the Blue Lagoon area with
beautiful clear water and hot sun and a final trip to the breathtaking place of
Hvar with its fortress set on the hill and its party life within the old town.
Another great thing that happened on this trip was the opportunity I had to
steer the speedboat. What an incredible feeling I had racing along the sea
hitting waves along the way and enjoying life. A most perfect sunset ended the
day as we raced along back to Trogir with the warm wind blowing in my face. I
had never felt more free and happy than that moment and I urge you to have that
feeling with this experience.
 |
| Sunset on Boat |
 |
| Providenca Charter and Travel |
The
flights I thought were quite cheap too as a return trip with Easyjet from Newcastle
to Split with
1x luggage with single supplement cost me £313. As Trogir was only 3 mile from
the airport I did not need to worry about prepaid transfers or looking for my
name in a crowd; I simply walked up to a taxi and paid a very cheap journey to
my home for the week.
Again
I urge you to join in with many people discovering this beautiful place so full
of wonderful treasures and wonders with so much to offer you. If you can’t
afford that expensive Caribbean cruise then head to Croatia’s
Dalmatia coast and finally witness the
breathtaking Caribbean of Europe.
 |
| Sunset in Croatia |
Live life to the
fullest
It’s the best way
Live every moment
intensely
Because life is too
short
And the moment comes
when we are going to die
And we’d have wished to
do so many things we didn’t
That is why we have to
enjoy every moment
One must enjoy life
Try not to acquire so
many things
But instead have
experiences
Accomplish everything
you want to do
No matter the effort it
deserves
Life is too short and
one must relish it
 |
| Author: Shaun Davison |
No comments:
Post a Comment