“As long as there is heart, there will be Croatia”

Croatia has been on my short list for a while. But, to be fair, my short list is quite long and the past three years of COVID-19 have been very difficult for travel. They say for everything there is a season and now is the time for a trip to Croatia! Two of my sons and I left Norfolk (ORF) mid-afternoon on a Monday and flew to Newark NJ then embarked on an 8-hour flight, direct from Newark to Dubrovnik (DBK). We arrived in Dubrovnik at 10:00 AM the next morning. Surprisingly, there were no forms, no customs, and nothing to do upon entrance. We showed our U.S. passports and were granted 90-day visas without further ado. (An American passport holds a lot of privileges.) A ticket for the shuttle bus to Old Town paid for with a credit card purchased at the terminal was inexpensive and convenient. About 40-minutes later we arrived at the Pile Gate to Old Town Dubrovnik. We had lunch reservations and the afternoon free to explore before meeting the transport for the boat.

Our trip was divided in half. The first 5 days we toured islands on a small cruise ship that accommodates up to 32 guests. The next 5 days we traveled by rental car. Our goal was to enjoy Croatia while balancing exploration with relaxation.

Day Two — We awoke to the movement of the ship leaving the port of Dubrovnik. Each day was basically the same — cruising began about 7:00 AM, breakfast at 8:00 AM, briefing at 9:30 AM, swim break at 11:00 AM, lunch at 1:00 PM, arrive at our destination mid-afternoon, disembark for the afternoon and evening then return at bedtime.

On this day we visited the island of Mljet (pronounced Miyet as one syllable) and Mljet National Park with two salt lakes and a 12th Century Benedictine Monastery. Bicycles and e-bikes were available for rent but we opted to walk. At the far end we found a small cafe that was the perfect spot to spend an hour.

Day Three — There are 718 islands, 389 islets and 78 reefs off Croatia making it second largest after the Greek archipelago in the Adriatic Sea. Most islands are uninhabited. This day we cruised to Hvar, probably the best known of the Croatian islands made famous by visits from celebrities like Beyonce and Michael Jordan. This was our only rainy day and the weather didn’t really bother us. The limestone pavers that form the walkways of all of the old towns are already smooth and slippery from centuries of wear but much more slippery when wet. That made for some close calls and giggles but, thankfully, we never actually fell. Walking through the alleys we recognized one the restaurants that had been recommended and were fortunate to get a table for three. I can’t overstate how delicious the food was and how perfect the ambiance and service were. Keep in mind that it’s the mediterranean so expect a lot of seafood, fruits, vegetables, olive oils, and wine which is perfect for me.

Day Four — After another relaxing day on the boat, we pulled in to the dock at Split, the second largest city in Croatia, next only to the capitol, Zagreb. The guys and I disembarked and walked to a CrossFit gym. The owner was an olympic weightlifter. Everyone was warm and friendly while they pushed us to our limits, just as I would expect of any gym in the CrossFit family.

Split is beautiful by day and beautiful at night. The population is about 175,000.

The historic area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as are most of the places we visited. The city was founded in the 3rd or 2nd century BC and became the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The Dalmatian capitol, Split is simultaneously ancient and contemporary. The multi-million yachts at the port dock in the shadow of the walls of the Old Town. Somehow, the dichotomy of the ancient and modern harmonize for an amazing and very unique vibe.

Day Five — After breakfast on the boat we walked the short distance to Hotel Paristil which is built by the side of the old wall of the Palace of Diocletian very near the cathedral.

After a short wait, we managed to get into our first choice cafe for a delicious breakfast including warm, almond croissants and cappuccino. So worth the wait!

We visited a couple of museums that were really good. One focused on Croatian artists and other was part of the cathedral displays of ancient art and crypt. Climbing to the top of the bell tower is not to be missed!

We had to wait for two weddings to end before we could enter the cathedral itself. Actually, we saw weddings almost every day of the trip which is understandable given the beauty, in both the architecture and nature. In spite of the massive exterior of the cathedral, the inside had very little seating capacity but was striking in its gold ornamentation. I suspect there are huge underground rooms and tunnels that aren’t open to tourists.

Although impossible to rate, dinner was again wonderful. The servers are always so professional and no tip is expected. There’s no way to add a gratuity to the credit card statement so, if a person chooses to tip, cash could be left. Inevitably, the price of dinner was substantially less than I’d expect at home. It’s hard to compare but perhaps the cost was about half.

Day Six — After breakfast we picked up a Hertz rental car at the Split airport and drove about 90 minutes to Krka National Park. (The rental vehicle, 2022 Hybrid Kia Stonic, 4-door, was great. Parking spaces and streets are small so a bigger car would not have been desirable. We only used 3/4 tank of gas the whole time, had unlimited mileage, and the charge was quite cheap but there was a $500 drop-off fee since we returned it to different location from the pick-up.)

A shuttle bus and a tour boat were available to transport people to the falls but we opted to take the approximate 2-mile hike. It’s hilly and rocky but not difficult. Glad I ran back to the car to switch out my flip flops for tennis shoes. Some people warned us it’s difficult to get tickets to the park so we might need to join a tour but we had no problem at all.

After 3 or 4 hours the park, we drove back to the coast to spend the night in Sibenik. Patrick found us rooms at a beautiful resort called Hotel Niko which is part of a sprawling, resort complex. The concierge/greeter was a beautiful, young woman with a college degree. Like most of the young people we met, she was gracious and helpful. It seems most people we met have a dream of someday going to the United States.

The official currency is the Croatian kuna (7.5 kuna = 1 U.S. dollar) but will change to the Euro in 2023. (Croatia was admitted to the EU in July 2022, effective 2023.) Credit cards are widely accepted. Whenever we wanted to pay in U.S. dollars, a reasonable exchange rate was applied on the spot. Having kunas available was good for small purchases and tips. There are a lot of ATMs and exchange booths.

The old city of Sibenik is just a few miles from the resort beaches so we went there for meals and walking the stone streets. Driving, in general, was good. The streets were well maintained and well marked. Google maps was fine for both driving and walking. Warning: If you miss an exit on the highway you may have a circuitous side-track to get back in the right direction. Our missed exit turned into an interesting and very fun drive up the side of a mountain and through a tiny village just to avoid making a U-turn on a street that had no other cars for miles.

Day Seven — Right after breakfast, the guys met an instructor and tried their skills at e-foil boards. It looked difficult but they were upright jetting around in no time!

Walking to lunch in Sibenik Old Town was an adventure, as always. In the town square sits the beautiful St. James Cathedral which was begun in 1431. Built of white stone from the Dalmatian islands, it’s considered the largest church made of only stone with no wood or brick reinforcements. There are dozens of sculptures on the exterior including a giant Adam and Eve by the front entrance and 71 heads about 7 feet up from the base.

We drove south along the coast and stopped for the night at Baska Voda, just north of Makarska. Except for the first night in Split, we had no reservations which gave us great flexibility to go where we wanted and stay as long as we liked. Patrick did a great job of finding us rooms one day in advance of each stop.

This beautiful hotel right across from the beach has stylish and comfortable suites for about $160 per night that includes a buffet breakfast. Our rooms each had two balconies with gorgeous views. This was the southward view from my bedroom balcony but, truly, it was equally beautiful in all directions.

Baska Voda is part of the coastal development and doesn’t have an old town or fort. We walked a long ways on the concrete boardwalk with many cafes, bars, and music venues. We heard live music almost everyday of the trip but an extra amount this night. Some of the music was in Croatian but the majority was English. There’s no question — American music is one of our best exports. It’s a universal language of happiness.

Day Eight — Continuing our drive south along the coast, we stopped for an occasional roadside stand selling fruit, vegetables, juices and honey.

Next stop was the family-owned Madirazza Winery and vineyard.

We bought two bottles that are special to this area. They get their unique flavors from the grapes that grow on the steep hills with sun reflecting off the water and white stones. There aren’t enough grapes to export so the wines are only sold in this region. The white wine we bought is “GRK”. (It’s funny but not unusual to see a word with no vowels.) We also bought a bottle of “Dingac Nobile,” a dry red that was my favorite.

Next stop was Ston, known for its long, defense wall, one of the longest in Europe, and for delicious oysters. We enjoyed another excellent lunch at a first-class restaurant sitting on a patio with beautiful views. American-style fast food is definitely not what you’ll find in Croatia so plan to take at least an hour and a half for any meal.

Our last drive of the trip was from Ston to Dubrovnik. Driving and parking in the Old Town is impossible; pedestrian only with a few exceptions of small, delivery vehicles. Our AirBnB was near Assumption Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik. This was a great location but, honestly, I don’t know there are any bad parts of Old Town.

Most every day and evening we stayed outside. This evening we enjoyed another perfect night strolling the paved streets, stopping for pizza, wine, music and candy.

Day Nine — We ended the trip on a high note. Cave diving then dinner at a Michelin-rated restaurant. Like the country music song says, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” This was my first time diving into caves and it absolutely exceeded my expectations.

The guide went first; no scuba or snorkles, just free-diving under the rocks, popping up in a cave lit up by rays of sunlight through the cracks to give the entire cave a beautiful green aura.

I don’t have an underwater camera so you’ll have to take my word for it or go see it for yourself but it was truly magical. Next, we went to one of the few beaches with sand. Most beaches have small pebbles like the French Riviera. It was fairly shallow far out where we were anchored so people jumped off the boats with their drinks and waded in to the beach.

Saving the best for last, the final stop of the day was for rock/cliff jumping and the famous blue cave. Patrick did back flips off the rocks while I enjoyed the show but I was not about to miss the blue cave. If you go at low tide it’s a grotto and at high tide it’s a cave. I swam to the far end of the cave then turned and looked back to see it lit up in an iridescent, mystical blue. The blue color was more than the water; it was the air, the walls and ceiling of the cave and I felt like it was also me.

While driving, we listened to a podcast about “ethnic cleansing” in this area, commonly known as the Bosnian War (1992-1995), when 200,000 people were killed and thrown into mass graves and an estimated 2.2 million Muslims were forcibly relocated, tortured and put in rape camps (U.N. statistics). Our guides on this boat trip were both well-educated men in their 20’s. One graduated from a college in Chicago and is part of a graduate study on post-war Croatia. They welcomed our questions and discussion. They freely discussed the PTSD, suicides and orphans who still feel the impact of the war deeply. Most often, they say people who lived through it, both the victims and the aggressors, refuse to talk about it. They told us the younger generation doesn’t feel hatred for any people regardless of their country of origin or religion. It’s so hard to understand how such atrocities could have happened in my lifetime. But looking back at history in the past few generations I am reminded of the Holocaust, 1941 – 1945 (6 million Europeans Jews were systematically killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators) and the Rwandan genocide, 1994 (600,000 Tutsi minority group members were killed by the Hutu militias). Don’t think it can’t happen again. It may be happening right now in Ukraine or other places that don’t get media attention. While it may begin as a noble sentiment, it seems it’s never really about patriotism or religion. Those are just tools used to unite and divide for the benefit of people in power. Sadly, what I consider basic humanity is paper thin.

As usual, travel teaches me more about history, geography, language, religion and sociology than I could ever learn from books. The impact of walking the streets where snipers shot innocent citizens, including little children, will linger and somehow be integrated with memories of crystal blue water, moonlight dining, and ancient architecture. Future thoughts of Croatia will always be multi-dimensional.

Our last dinner was at 360, a Michelin-rated restaurant perched on the side of a cliff overlooking the Adriatic Sea. While the food was spectacular in presentation, preparation and flavor, it was matched by the magic of the night. Swallows circled in formation at sunset, cathedral bells chimed, and the sky turned dark while the boats returned for the night.

During the 10 days we were in Croatia we traveled through Dalmatia, one of the four historic regions of Croatia. We covered quite a lot but there’s so much more to see in Croatia and the region — Slovenia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia – Herzegovina, Turkey and beyond. We talked about how fun it would be to drive the coastline on motorcycles! So many possible adventures. I don’t want to ever forget that the world is big and I occupy just a tiny part.

Nothing significant went wrong the entire trip. All flights were on time and reservations were honored; everyone we met was accommodating and courteous. As you might imagine, my favorite part of the trip was spending quality time and sharing new experiences with my sons. We had countless discussions and shared experiences that I will cherish forever. There’s nothing like getting away from routine and the distractions of home to bring focus to what’s important.

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“As long as there is heart, there will be Croatia.” Antun Gustav Matos, Croatian poet (1873 – 1914)

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384 – 322 BC)

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” Anthony Bourdain, chef & travel celebrity (1956 – 2018)