Day 1 – Split, Croatia – August 25
EasyJet delivered us smoothly over the water between Italy and Croatia right into Split. We collected our bags and made it through immigration quickly. We are still in the European Union but in a country not in the free travel group, so we had to get stamped out. After a long wait for our rental car we were rolling and happy to be road tripping again. The roads were easy to manage until we got to the inner city. We drove down the one-way narrow alley with cars parked on either side to get to the office of the tour company we’d be rock climbing with the next day. We prepaid for our tour, then like a professional, Ryan reversed us out of the narrow alley surrounded by cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians to get to the main road.
Our Airbnb was a woman’s, Masha, spare room in her apartment. We met her and got settled in. She had a great balcony off our bedroom with wonderful views of the water and boats. We are having to be better budgeters after the pizza in Italy took all our money so we went to a grocery store down the street to get some wine and granola and yogurt and fruit. It was intended for breakfast but we decided to also eat if for dinner. After relaxing for a bit, we decided to wander around and explore at dusk. We first walked 10 minutes to get to the “beach”, which again, were rocks and steep cliffs. We watched a few kids cliff jump into the sparkling blue water and looked out over a beach club. The beach club had a cement soccer field with six old men taking a game very seriously. We watched for a while laughing that there was a long step in the middle of their field, making one half higher than the other.
Next, we walked along the marina and gawked at the catamarans, deck boats, and fishing vessels. We tried to think up get rich quick schemes (or even a get rich moderately quickly scheme) so we could find ourselves sailing around on anyone of these luxurious yachts. We then reached the old town and wandered through the narrow streets. Apparently, this is where a significant amount of filming for Game of Thrones was done. Eventually we stumbled upon a small bar with $3 pints so we couldn’t resist. We found a table outside in the alley and sipped our beers and people watched until we were tired enough to return home.
Day 2 – Split, Croatia – August 26
Elizabeth got up early and decided to go for a long run along the edge of the peninsula. At the edge there is a big public park called Marjan. She jogged along the road keeping the sea to her left. She came across some gorgeous limestone cliffs, not knowing those would be the cliffs we climb later that evening. Eventually at the tip the road is closed to cars and she jogged along with hikers, bikers, and families headed to the beach enjoying the smells of a pinewood forest. She made it back and ate some more yogurt and granola before heading back into the city.
Split is a very old town and the history of Croatia is very long and complicated, being conquered by several different nations over the last 2000 years. We walked past all the fancy boats again and found our way back into the narrow streets to see the old cathedral. Saint Domnius Cathedral was consecrated in the 7th century and is the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world that remains in use in its original structure, which was completed in 305 AD. We wandered around the actual church a surprisingly small structure then down to the Crypt (unfortunately there were no bodies, just a strange wishing well in the center filled with coins). We didn’t feel like paying or standing in line for the bell tower.
We also wandered through Diocletian’s Palace right outside of the cathedral which served as a fortress and residence for the emperor Diocletian in the 4th century. We wandered a little further north to the Gregory of Nin statue, an artist whose statue looks like a wizard, then lounged for a spell in Park Josipa Jurja Strossmayera.
We headed back to the apartment to get all of our things for rock climbing and returned to town to grab a bite to eat, then meet our instructor. We decided to try Cevapi, Croatian fast food, which in this case was a sandwich with beef and pork sausage links covered in butter, onions and a red siracha-like sauce called ajvar. It was shockingly delicious. We next waited outside St. Francis church to be collected for our first ever outdoor rock climbing adventure. We didn’t know much, besides bringing comfortable shoes, clothes, and lots of water. A woman pulled up in a beat-up car and signaled for us to hop in.
Gorana is born and raised in Split and loves outdoor climbing. We didn’t realize how great of a spot Split was for Croatia, but she told us about all the limestone outcrops that are within the city and the multitude of climbing options within a quick 2-hour drive. Ryan’s eyes lit up, and Elizabeth thinks we will be returning in the future. We parked along the side of the road and put on our harness, and clipped helmets and shoes to them. Then we had a 15-minute hike up towards the outcrop. There were several bolts already installed into the limestone and she told us that this is a very popular climbing area. We were fortunate to have the whole cliff to ourselves and no one else on the tour. To secure the top rope in place she would lead climb up and Ryan would belay her as she hooked into the anchor points. Once she got to the top, she’d run the rope through, then rappel back down, undoing her anchor points as she lowered. Then we were able to tie into one end of the rope secured at the top and she was able to belay us, or keep us from falling to the ground by holding the other end of the rope.
We have both never climbed outside and were excited. Ryan went first. Our first route was an easy class 5b and he conquered with no problem. The rocks were very sharp since they were limestone and it was challenging not having obvious places to put your hands and feet. Ryan rappelled down and Elizabeth had a go, also making it to the top, but relying more on suggestions from Gorana about where to put her hands and feet. She and Elizabeth were roughly the same height so she was very helpful in teaching Elizabeth how to do extra maneuvers to get to where Ryan could easily reach up and grab.
We next moved to a harder climb (rated 5c) and followed the same procedure to get the rope to the top. Ryan made it all the way up and Elizabeth ¾ of the way. We did 4 climbs in total, Ryan making it to the top of all 4 and Elizabeth making it to the top of 3. The whole experience was incredible. The sun setting behind the cliff, the ocean and beach and passing boats right below us. We worked up quiet the sweat. When it was time to leave, we passed a few other female climbers working on the routes we’d already completed. They were swearing away in Croatian trying to reach the top and we stopped to watch for a while Gorana gave them some helpful suggestions. We made it back to the car and she drove us back towards the city. The whole experience was 3 hours and we’d highly recommend it to everyone, she says she takes beginners up there all the time as well!
Once back in the city we wandered around for far longer than we had intended looking for a cheap beer and maybe a snack. The town was abuzz with people drinking the night away. Eventually we found a bar overlooking the marina and enjoyed two large beers and the omnipresent assault of cigarette smoke. Tired and feet sore we made it back to the Airbnb and promptly fell asleep.
Day 3 – Slano, Croatia – August 27
We hit the road around 10:30 the next morning leaving Split and ultimately heading towards Slano, a small town in a bay just north of Dubrovnik. Our first stop was Vranjaca Cave roughly 45 minutes outside of Split. We followed Google and once we got about 15 minutes away from the cave, it started suggesting only narrow single-lane gravel roads. We are obviously very cautious with our rental cars and didn’t feel like getting stuck or blowing a tire in the middle of nowhere. We’d entered several small mountain ‘villages’ and Google kept rerouting us onto these gravel roads, adjacent to the paved ones. Ryan did some excellent navigation and map reading and got us there on asphalt, though it was a tumultuous path. The caves are a small family-run business and we parked the car and were greeted by one brother at the entrance. He told us to head inside and pay after. We walked down the steep and damp stairs of the first cave and enjoyed the switch to cooler weather. The cave is 15 degrees Celsius year-round, or 59 degrees Fahrenheit. We found the second brother inside waiting to give information about the cave.
Here is what we learned: the outer, larger cave had been known for some time but his grandfather discovered the inner cave by digging in the early 1900’s. Since then his family has spent their time and money adding stairs, railings, and lights so people can visit. He showed us several formations that he named the Buddha, the family, and the monkey, where the stalactites resembled these things. He told us the cave was made of seven minerals and you could see the stripping patterns between the dark and light layers. We wandered through the second cave, it was absolutely beautiful and finally a comfortable temperature. We made our way out and back towards the car.
Our drive to Slano was 2-3 hours depending on the route and tolls. We decided to drive the longer coastal route and avoid the tolls. About an hour into our drive we realized Google had rerouted us and we’d been driving parallel to the coast but along the interior mountain side. Still a beautiful drive. Ryan was upset because he wanted to drive along the coast. Eventually the road came to a close, apparently construction down the way and we were forced to turn around and get onto the toll nonetheless. We came down out of the mountains and onto the coast and were to the Bosnia and Herzegovina border. A small portion of that country juts out onto the coast and divides Croatia. We had our passports ready but the border control didn’t seem to care gesturing us through after seeing the American cover. We drove through Bosnia and Herzegovina for about 20 minutes before crossing back into Croatia. Their border control was a little more intensive, being in the European Union, and we got our passports checked at two stations.
Finally we arrived in the sleepy coastal bay town of Slano. Our AirBnB host was very welcoming and we had a private room and bath within her large apartment style house. This house had been in her family for generations and she showed us the olive and palm trees her grandfather had planted. We were hungry, so we walked for 10 minutes along the bay towards a beach and three restaurants. Again, the beach was rocky and there were a ton of sea urchins along the stony shore; we’d have to be careful later since we didn’t have water shoes. We settled for the restaurant our hostess recommended and got a couple of large beers, a margherita pizza (see: American cheese pizza with a single olive), and cevapi. The pizza was nowhere near as good as Italy but reminded us of a Papa Johns so it felt like home. While we were chatting and enjoying our food, we could hear the couple behind us arguing. They were having the most awkward and inappropriate conversation at times and were not quiet about it.
Eventually they noticed us listening and offered to buy us some drinks. Our new friends were Oliver and Christine; Oliver is from London and Christine was born in Canada, but lived in Arizona most of her life. They now live in Vancouver and are seriously on the verge of very rich. They were not shy to tell us all about the money they’d earned and lost on drugs and partying. Oliver claims to have met Prince Harry, Posh Spice, and became best friends with Colin Ferrell while they were at Betty Ford together. They had been day drinking themselves and insisted on buying us drink after drink. They offered to take us out on his father’s boat the next day, but they seemed pretty hammered we don’t think they remembered much of what was happening. Their home was just a block from our AirBnB, so we walked back to theirs and drank their wine and swam in their pool. Eventually they started arguing again, so we took it as our cue to leave. It was an interesting lesson for us to see firsthand that money can’t buy you happiness or good relationships, even if she did have a 9 karat ring.
Day 4 – Dubrovnik, Croatia – August 28
We woke up late and wandered down the street to a small breakfast café called the Bite Shop. We ordered the French breakfast, chocolate croissants, and cappuccinos. The croissants were all homemade and fresh baked – absolutely delicious.
We spent the late morning and afternoon alternating between lounging under the olive tree and swimming in the bay. The area right outside of our AirBnB was sea urchin free. We could walk until about hip depth then swim over a patch of seaweed to be in the deep sparkling blue water. We never heard again from our drunk friends the night before, hopefully they’re still married. We’d bought a few bottles of wine from the grocery store in Split, but we didn’t have cups, so we were sitting in the shade passing the bottle back and forth enjoying the hot weather.
Around 3 PM we showered and got ready to drive to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is one of the most famous towns in Croatia and located just 45 minutes south of Slano. It’s a lot more expensive to stay near Dubrovnik proper, hence why we were staying in Slano. We’d also heard from many people that the cruise ships dump out each day in Dubrovnik and if you wait until the evening, they all hustle back to their ship for their prepaid dinner and the town is less crowded. Ryan found a place that claimed to have some free street parking and we were off. The drive was pretty, weaving along the coast with the mountains to the other side.
We actually managed to find a spot on the street that was free and walked the 20 minutes to the old town. Old town Dubrovnik is surrounded by walls and was used as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. We entered the old city and it felt unreal, like if Disney had made a park for Game of Throne. Everything was smooth stone, not a single tree or grass patch to be seen. There are a ton of restaurants and shops inside. They all had at least 40 tables, all empty, we can’t imagine what this place looked like at lunch with all the cruise ship people.
After walking around in circles checking out the menus, we found a restaurant that wasn’t too overpriced and drank beer and shared some French fries and black risotto. The black risotto is a famous regional dish prepared with cuttlefish, they use the very ink from the squid to stain it black during cooking, delicious.
Afterwards we spent about an hour or so wandering around the old town seeing the cathedrals and clocktowers. Elizabeth was brave enough to take the stairs up the hill to get an overlook of the town and all of the orange brick buildings. Ryan was lazy and waited at the base of the steps as he’d already hit his step goal.
It was getting late and we were out of money for the day so we wandered back to the car, which luckily hadn’t been towed. We made it back to our AirBnB and sat back under the olive trees under the stars finishing our wine and listening to the Karaoke from either a bar across the bay or one of the ships anchored nearby carry over the water.
Day 5 – Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina – August 29
We rolled out of bed at a reasonable hour and went for a long walk around the bay checking out the marina and the other public beaches. We got breakfast at the same place, sharing regular and chocolate filled croissants. Finally, it was time to hit the road and go back to Bosnia and Herzegovina, this time to spend the night. Ryan drove up a steep, single-lane, winding road over the mountain to the border crossing. They inspected our passport and this time gave us a stamp. From here it was another hour drive to the city of Mostar. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that we haven’t learned anything about the complicated history of former Yugoslavia and the relationship between these new countries. The civil war ended in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 and we passed a lot of cemeteries that looked depressingly new and full. Ryan read online that they are still identifying bodies from mass graves.
We arrived in Mostar and began the most stressful driving experience of Elizabeth’s life, and she wasn’t even driving. Mostar has become a pretty popular tourist destination being only a few hours from some of Croatia’s major cities, but does not yet have the road infrastructure to cope. We’ve grown pretty reliant on Google Maps and it was leading us where there weren’t roads and the wrong way down one-way roads. There were several narrow streets with cars coming in every direction, but Ryan took it like a champ. After a few loops around the town and a short drive though the town bazaars, we found our AirBnB. We are staying in a super nice, modern, two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Mostar for $25 a night. We spent a few hours trying to figure out ways to stay longer in this cheap country, but we’d set some hard deadlines for ourselves with future commitments.
It was time to find some food and we went to a place called Ristorante Mio Pasto, where we sat outside overlooking the vibrant blue river and the newly rebuilt old bridge. Ryan ordered ćevapi and Elizabeth tried a dish we can’t remember the name of, which is ground beef that has been spiced, grilled, and folded over with cheese between. Everything was delicious and we drank beer that had the bridge on the label.
After lunch it was time to explore and we went through the markets and across the bridge. You can take a “class” and dive for yourself off the 24-meter high bridge. There were men there who hung over the rail and asked people for money, then they would jump in.
We wandered through shops and intent on finding the cheapest beer; mind you we were debating struggling between a $2.20 and $2.40 a half-liter pint. Instead we settled on a bar called Black Dog Pub and had some local craft beer. We sat outside along a different portion of the river and enjoyed cooling off in their mist machines.
The bar hopping continued, as you might expect, and we found another spot on the river to drink more beer and eat baklava. As the sun was setting we found a grocery store across the street from our Airbnb and bought 1.5 liters of beer for $1.50 along with snacks so we can lounge around our fancy apartment until bed time.
Day 6 – Kravica Waterfall, Bosnia and Herzegovina – August 30
Leaving Mostar was about as stressful as getting there. Google continued taking us up one-way roads in the wrong direction, but we made it out alive. Our last stop in Bosnia and Herzegovina before going back into Croatia was Kravica Waterfalls. They are located pretty close to the border and the pictures looked amazing. We’d got a decently early start that morning and arrived at the falls just before 10 AM and literally minutes before all the tour buses. We paid our 5-euro entrance fee and walked down the slick limestone to the water.
The falls were absolutely beautiful, consisting of a series of waterfalls cascading over a lush cliff. We hung our belongings on a tree and got in the water. The water was surprisingly cold, compared to the ocean temperatures we’d been swimming in. It didn’t take long to get used to and it was easy to see why this was such a popular attraction on a hot summer day. There were a lot of little fish in the water too that would nibble on our legs, tickling us.
Eventually we got out and wandered around the rest of the river and falls. There were a bunch of little bars with tables all around the waters edge. We still had a long 4-hour drive ahead of us towards Starigrad in Croatia so we couldn’t stick around for too long (or for a beer) but it was definitely worth the stop.
We headed back out to our car, thinking it’d be a quick 30 minutes over the border. How wrong we were. Google first led us to a closed border crossing, then a local EU only, until we finally found a way out. Croatia has to be stricter about border control since they are in the EU, but not in the Schengen Area. And Bosnia and Herzegovina isn’t in either. Once we were across, we had an uneventful drive up north. We say uneventful, but there were plenty of gorgeous mountains and a thunderstorm followed us all the way up north to Starigrad.
We arrived in this small coastal town around 4 pm and were greeted by an old German man. We’re not sure if he spoke and Croatian, but he certainly didn’t speak any English. He gestured for us to sit before he checked us in and gave us each a shot of his homemade liquor, which tasted like Jagermeister along with some sort of fig treat. Ryan loved it and Elizabeth choked it down. We are staying in a small hotel for one night, in what we now know to be a very German town. Ryan studied German in high school, but you wouldn’t know it with the way he was trying to communicate. It’s amazing what not practicing a language for 10 years will do to you. After settling in, we were obviously hungry and the storm that was following us was blowing in fast.
We found a bar along the waters’ edge and grabbed the last table under the awning then spent a few hours drinking beer and sharing pizza and a hamburger. The storm brought intense wind and lighting and we were able to see it all out over the water. After a few hours the rain let up and we were able to scamper home. We went out a few hours later to enjoy the town on a Saturday night. The place was alive with German families eating ice cream and some people swimming in the dark, hopefully they didn’t step on any urchins.
Day 7 – Starigrad, Croatia – August 31
This is our last big driving day before returning the car in Ljubljana, Slovenia tomorrow. Right outside of town, literally 6 minutes from where we are staying, is one of Croatia’s best national parks. We packed up our car and got our hiking clothes on before setting out to Paklenica National Park. We paid our 5 euro each to get in then parked with the other German vacationers. Ryan knew this was a big rock climbing area, but he didn’t realize how big. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a guide here and climb ourselves, and it was like watching a person being tortured as he walked through the different climbing areas.
These walls were high and people were climbing everywhere. We watched for a while before finally beginning our 7-mile hike on a trail called Jurasova Glavica. This loop trailed had us gain 2,300 feet in elevation over just 1.5 miles and we were exhausted after. It isn’t as popular as other trails in the park so we were utterly alone the entire 4 hours. We hiked the loop counterclockwise to get the elevation gain out of the way early but boy were we tired going up switchback, after switchback on loose and slick limestone.
Eventually we made it to the crest and had incredible views of other mountains and the sea. The walk down was a little trickier being all loose gravel and still pretty steep, but we made it out alive. This park has so much more to offer that we could even appreciate in a few hours. We left the park, again walking past the rock climbers and vowing to return one day and climb ourselves.
We piled, stinky and tired, back in the car and found a restaurant on the coast called Pension Tota. We drank well deserved beers and ate shrimp pasta and wiener schnitzel with fries. It was finally time to begin our last big drive and we headed north towards Slovenia. We had zero issue crossing the border. We arrived at our Airbnb around 7:30 pm, which was described online as an Earth House. We had our own bedroom with a small patio that led to the mosquito infested outside. We didn’t have air conditioning but luckily the temperature is beginning to drop and we slept comfortably as it dropped into the 60s outside.
Day 8 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – September 1
It was time to return the car so we drove to the airport located about 25 minutes outside of the city. Of course, city buses don’t run out this far on Sundays, which we didn’t find out until getting there, so we had to pay for the airport shuttle to take us back into the downtown area. We made it back just in time to attend the 12:30 Sunday mass at the cathedral. At the entrance door we had to convince the man we were going to mass and not just getting in for free to take a picture and leave. We finally made it in and enjoyed a service in Slovenian in very old, and very uncomfortable pews. After we wandered around the inside of the church where they had many bronze statues of Pope Francis.
Hungry and sick of second-rate pasta and pizza we found that Slovenian love hamburgers. We settled for a restaurant called Pop’s Place and split the Mac Burger, which was full of sauce and vegetables. Obviously, we also needed more beers. We got to sit outside right on the river and enjoyed the shade. Downtown Ljubljana has a river that runs through the center and a several beautiful bridges that cross over it. The downtown is also cut off to cars so only pedestrians and cyclists share the old stone streets.
Next we did a little window-shopping wandering into a few clothing stores but not finding anything reasonably priced. It was enough to get our ice cream appetite invigorated so we stopped by a shop called Cacoa to split a cone of Nutella peanut cream and stracciatella. We took our ice cream and wandered to the lock bridge where people hang padlocks and toss the key in the river. Our next stop was the dragon bridge. As you can imagine it’s decorated with many dragon statues. The town experienced a horrible earthquake in 1895 and Jože Plečnik lead the design in rebuilding the city.
We decided we needed a Sunday funday so we did a little bar hopping. Our first stop was a small pub with 2-euro draft beers. We sat outside as long as we could but the nearby tobacco smoke drove us in to finish our beers. Next we wandered across the river to a wine bar called Šuklje. We each had a flight, Elizabeth getting all Slovenian wine and Ryan a flight comparing Slovenian wine to other wine in the world. Two red and two white each. They brought us olives as a tapas, and Ryan has slowly become a huge olive fan. We had great weather and sat outside along the river listening to two little girls busking on their violins and cellos.
Next door was an Indian restaurant and we weren’t strong enough to resist. We drank more Union beer, Elizabeth getting the Radlar with grapefruit. We shared bread, rice, vegetable korma and matter paneer. After stuffing our faces, we had a 35-minute walk home along a beautiful river and through quaint neighborhoods with children and parents out biking and playing in the streets. So picturesque.
Day 9 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – September 2
Elizabeth woke up to take a jog through Trevi park about a mile from our Airbnb. The morning was foggy and cool in the low 60s but it felt so good to not be sweating. After a shower and getting packed up we made the 30-minute walk back into town. The first thing we noticed was a ton of high school age kids packing the streets, around noon, and a lot of them covered in marker bearing the letter “F.” Our conclusion is that it was the first day of school and freshman were hazed, or marked by their friends. The kids seemed to be enjoying the tradition, snapping pictures, etc.
We headed to a teenage hot spot called Hoodburger to get more delicious greasy food. Elizabeth got the burger and Ryan got a version of a Philly Cheesesteak. Both were super filling. Next it was time to find the rock climbing gym. The forecast called for heavy storms in the middle to late afternoon so we were trying to time wandering around town with hours in the gym. Ljubljana has a fantastic bike system. For 1 euro a week you can rent all the bikes you want from over 32 locations around the city. The bikes aren’t nice though: no gears and the back pedal is a break like when we were 5, but you can’t beat a euro in endless transportation. Ryan led the charge and we rode along the river towards the Plezalni Center arriving after just 15 minutes. We made it in just before it started pouring.
When we first arrived, the gym was pretty empty and we had about 6 different top ropes to choose from. As the hours passed the center filed with more and more hippies and kids and when we were tired, we were able to watch them climb and wait out the rest of the storm. The highest wall in the gym was 56 feet, but we now wish we could skip the indoor gyms and just climb outside.
We biked back towards the city center and enjoyed some beers before eating dinner at a restaurant called Marely and Me. Elizabeth got an asparagus ravioli with mushroom sauce and Ryan got traditional Slovenian dumplings. Their house wine was less than $2 a glass so we downed a couple before ending our meal with a fresh tiramisu. By now the sun had set and we had one last bike ride to get us close to home. Elizabeth’s bike didn’t have working lights so she followed Ryan’s brilliant lead avoiding cars and pedestrians. We are happy to report no one fell off a bike. We made one last pit stop at the bar near our Airbnb before turning in for the night. A lot of calories burned and a lot of calories consumed, what a great day.
Day 10 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – September 3
Our final morning in Slovenia was spent packing and preparing for our transportation to Vienna, Austria. We bought cheap Flixbus tickets, less than $60 total to take us the 5 hours to get to our destination. We took a taxi to the bus station and looked around for a café, but we didn’t really have any options. So we ate McDonalds, Ryan getting a Big Mac at 9:30 am and Elizabeth trying a “toast” (thin bread with melted ham and cheese between) and French fries covered in fake cheese sauce. The bus arrived just 15 minutes late and we were off towards Vienna. We made two stops along the way for bathrooms and snacks, all in all it was great for the cost and got us there 15 minutes early.
Things we’ve learned road tripping through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia:
- Don’t trust Google Maps in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Staying in small towns outside of the big cities in Croatia saves money and feels like a German vacation.
- If visiting Dubrovnik, wait until the evening for the cruise ship evacuation.
- Just pay for the tolls.
Ryan and Elizabeth Goss 