A day in: Trogir, Croatia

Trogir was a day trip for me. It was just a 30min bus ride from Split and is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, so I figured it would be worth the day.

I took an early bus up to explore. It was so nice. I allowed myself to get lost in the streets. Dipping in and out of private residences (I'm a rebel) to get shots of the beautiful staircases and gardens.

I explored an old fort. It was neat. I was the only one there. It's actually used as a movie theatre now. I think that it was a little over-priced, but it did have nice views!

I did the obligatory visits to the Church, and the Bell Tower, of course. I was able to get a lemonade by the waterside and do some writing. The lemonade was not very good. Too tart for this ginger. But the people watching was prime.

At this point, It had only been a couple of hours. I grabbed an icecream (when in doubt, eat ice cream!) and found myself inside a little shelter in the main square. As I was about to leave, the cutest couple came in- a bride and groom!! They were taking wedding photos. I gave the bride a congratulatory smile. She was stunning and had a beautiful dress. I stayed to watch their photographer take some photos.

After this, I took a stroll through the market, but found myself with nothing left to do. I had planned on taking the 4pm bus back and it was just past 1:30pm. I found myself a private little beach to relax on, before heading back.

As I was walking back to the bus station, I saw this sign:

Homemade wine and olive oil. I want to come back and buy it all.

While Trogir was beautiful, I would only recommend you go for 2-3 hours. It is tiny and you can do EVERYTHING and take your time wandering in that time, easily.

Trogir on Dwellable

A day in: Split, Croatia

8am: Rise and Shine

Walk to the Palace for a little morning stroll. Trust me on this one. It may be busy, but it will be a great way to start. Just get situated. This is how I like to start every trip: get lost. Follow some small alleys (avoid dark creepy ones with questionable men lurking).

By the time you get lost and find yourself again, you will have familiarized yourself with the city and its beauty. The Palace is small enough that you can lose yourself, buy some postcards, have a coffee and be back for the free walking tour at 10am.

10am: Walking Tour
The walking tours meet in the centre of the Palace. There is also a tourist centre nearby. I dipped into the centre to pick up some brochures and maps before my tour. The tour is literally 1 kuna (a penny). Now, this doesn't mean it's completely free. As a former guide, I would say: tip your guide. From what I understood, that's how the guides are paid. If your guide is good, tip well.
My guide was Danko, a history student at the university in Zagreb. He was FABULOUS. He was able to give so many stories and recommendations.

11:30am: Ice Cream
You have, no doubt, saturated your mind with information at this point. You deserve a cone of ice cream. The Croatian ice cream was DELICIOUS. Most spots are 7 kuna for a scoop (1 Euro). Ice cream is always a good idea. Eat it by the water.

Noon: Lunch?
I never ate lunch in Croatia. It's a meal that I replace with ice cream or granola bars.

A better use of your time? Head back to the Palace and wipe that ice cream off of your face! Dip into the Cathedral and buy the 'all-inclusive' ticket. The ticket allowed me access to the Cathedral of St. Dominus, the Crypt, the Baptistery, and the bell tower. All were beautiful and well worth the money. I also visited the Temple of Jupiter.

2pm: Market
The green market is located just outside of the Palace and is well worth a look. You can buy some scarves, lavender, lace, or yummy food!

4pm: Ice-cream!
Grab another ice-cream. You deserve it. Don't worry, you will work it off soon enough.
Make your way to Marjan's Hill. You're going to hike up to watch the sunset over the city. There are so many stairs. It's worth it:

6pm: Dinner!
There are many nice restaurants in Split. I didn't visit them. I was on a tight budget. For dinner I would always head back to the Hostel and head with some other packers. We went to Fyffe (everytime) because it was cheap. The service was meh and the food was okay. But the price and location were nice. We enjoyed ourselves.
We always wanted to eat 'traditional' Croatian food, so we got suggestions from the owner of our Hostel, Filip. We ate Pasticada on our first night!

Every night at 8pm, the restaurant in the centre of the Palace has live music. Go.

Order a wine or hot chocolate and just sit on the steps of an ancient palace and enjoy it.

Split was a great place to spend the first days of my trip. I spent more than a day there. If I were you, I would budget 2 days to really get a feel for the place. This is just one way to see it all, quickly. But in my humble opinion, you should slow down while travelling.

Write, read, people watch.

Enjoy the details.

Traveling shouldn't be about how many places you've been, but about what you learned when you were there.

I learned more in Split than I could have ever imagined.

Croatia/Croatie

Let's just take a moment and appreciate how STUNNING Croatia is. I mean 110% beautiful and cultural and Mediterranean (even though it's on the Adriatic...).

I spent my first couple of days in Split, and then I was off to Trogir, Zadar, and Bol.

This week (and even some of next) will see posts on all of Croatia. The history, art, and natural beauty.

I remember the first time that I heard about Croatia.

I remember seeing a letter addressed to Croatia when I worked at the Post Office (013196 for life!). A man dropped it off. I wish I could remember who he was so that I could thank him for peaking my interest in Croatia.

Then, last year, while cruising with the Rossiter family, I met a lad from Croatia (Croatie in French). He was one of our waiters and his name was Damir.

Damir is the blonde lad on the far right, behind Tammy!

When I was in Croatia, I was able to challenge myself in new ways. I was able to look back on my life and decisions thus far and just think about it. I had time to sit on a beach or on a bench or in an ancient Palace and just write. I began to remember why I used to love to write.

Croatia was a time of soul searching and reflecting for me. It was the loveliest week and I am beyond excited to share it with all of you.

Let's hope that as I begin to type out my love for this new country and my travels, that you will be able to really feel like you are there. Or at least wish that you were with me.

I'll let you in on a little secret- I'm a fun travel buddy ;)

1 year

1 year ago today, I was supposed to be in Fredericton in class.

1 year ago today, I was in Moncton.

1 year ago today, we were so hopeful for your safe delivery.

1 year ago today, you were born and you were perfect.

1 year ago today, I fell in love with the most beautiful little girl.

Happy Birthday Kierah! I miss you and love you.

I am so sad that I am missing such a big moment in your life, your first birthday. I hope that this day is perfect. You are such an intelligent and beautiful little girl. You've overcome the hurdles that have been thrown your way. I cannot wait to see how much more you grow in the next 1, 2, 5, and 10 years.

You've grown from your 5lbs 9.5oz to a walking and talking little girl with loads of spunk. I remember how worried we were when the Doctor told us you may have TAR, but you proved them wrong. You have just continued to grow and become the most precious niece I could have every asked for. I wish I could be there to give you the biggest hug in the world!

All my love to my precious baby girl. The most beautiful niece I could ever ask for, Miss Kierah Isabel Arlene Blakely.

Happy Birthday Sunshine!