Split It

A different day a different adventure. Today I slept in little later than yesterday. Today we headed to the bus station after packing up my backpack. It took about 20 minutes to walk there. The good part was that it was mostly downhill. At the bus station we grabbed a coffee and croissant for breakfast. That seems to be a typical food available here in the morning.

Onto the bus we went. For the first part of the ride I was alone in my row. It was nice. There were plenty of other people around but I had my spot to myself. Then someone else joined later in the trip and I no longer had my space to myself. These seats are not any more roomier than those on an airplane.

One of the benefits of taking the bus is getting to see more of the country side. I am continually amazed by the mountains here. Villages are scattered between large mountains. It is very beautiful. We have a little rain today but even with the rain it is very nice. The way the clouds roll over the large mountains is stunning. I wish my camera could truly capture the beauty here. Often there is not enough time during the drive to catch the photos so instead I am watching out the windows at all the various scenery.

One thing about these villages is that many have new parts to them and others have dozens of abandoned buildings. It is weird to think that this country is younger than me. They are not even the youngest countries in the world but they are young. Much of the last war is still very evident as we drive along. You can see bombed out buildings and other destruction. Other part of the country are newly built, especially road infrastructure. As I learned the other day when on another bus trip when Croatia joined the EU they were given money to help with this. While their roads may not be as nice as those in the US they are still well done.

Traveling by bus gives me time to reflect. I have been thinking about the trip and other travels I had and time to plan ahead. It also allows me to reflect on how fortunate I am and all the opportunities and benefits living in the US affords. Even here in Europe people are relatively lucky with opportunities available. Croatia may not have the train system that much of the rest of Europe has but they have a good bus system that connects people are parts of the country and connects them with outside countries and regions. 

We arrived in Split. It is much more city-like than Dubrovnik. There is graffiti and garbage like most cities. After dropping my bag off in the hostel we decided to grab lunch. I had pasta Bolognese, much better than my pasta dish yesterday. Lunch was good and relaxing.

At 1:30 we met Ana, the free walking tour guide. It was a group of about 25 people. Ana was fantastic! She walked us through old city Split and explained the palace that is there. It was built in the Forth Century AD. It has had a lot of evolution over the years. The old stonework is amazing. So much history in one space. I was very much intrigued. The walking tour was fantastic!

After the walking tour it was time for me to do more photography. I spent a lot of time taking photos of the old city and the palace. We went into a few stores as well. And snacked on very tasty gelato. It was hazelnut. Such a relaxing and good afternoon.

In Europe many things in Europe close on Sunday, especially early in the day. Today was no different. Between the rain and clouds and it being Sunday it is going to be an early night. We got food from the grocery store so we could cook and avoid eating out tonight and tomorrow morning. Grocery stores are so much different here, much smaller and limited than those in the US. I also picked up a pear from the farmer's market and it was wonderful!

Today was more of a down day but it is good. I am very relaxed and Split is nice. After making myself dinner I needed a walk. I went back down to the old city which is only a few blocks away. There was a musician in the main square so I listened to him. After that there was more walking and more relaxing.