8/5/2016 0 Comments On to MontenegroI honestly don't think I'd ever heard of Montenegro before meeting my best friend, Stefan, who is half Montenegrin.
My knowledge of this country was built purely of his stories of it, so I went in basically blind. The knowledge and hospitality of locals when travelling to an unfamiliar place is an invaluable thing: it was what made this stretch of my trip one that I will never forget. We were greeted by Stefan's father, who picked us up from the Bus Station and bought me my very first Burek, and the hospitality did not stop from that moment on. We drove from Kotor on the coast, into the capital city of Montenegro, Podgorica, where we met with more of Stefan's family and were given cakes and coffee to combat the incredible heat of the city. The kindness was almost overwhelming, and it had only just begun. Our final stretch of travel for the day was into the hills, to a serene town called Ubli. Ubli is the kind of place where the rest of the world seems to fall away, and days could easily turn into weeks. No sounds of traffic or street noise. No wifi. No light pollution. The definition of untouched. But what really made my time there so magical was the family I was staying with, the hospitality I was showed, and the complete comfort and pride they so effortlessly displayed towards their country. Ubli was peaceful, and the sort of landscape that demanded awe. It was humbling, and eye opening, and I would repeat my time there in a heartbeat.
0 Comments
8/1/2016 0 Comments Krka National ParkI had seen that many photos of Krka that there was no way I was leaving split without going there myself. You basically can't walk around Split without either being offered various tours or seeing a million ads for them, but you really shouldn't pay more than 200kn for one so make sure you shop around.
Our tour left the old town at 7am and was pretty much a full day (most of them are basically variations on the theme) although you can catch a public bus and entry into the park is 150kn ($30) That is the cheaper option, however the tour included a guide who gave a great history lesson on the way there, a bus that takes you direct, and a stop over at Sibenk - another Unesco listed town that feels much like Split but without the crowds. Krka is actually stunning, it's one of those places that photos don't do justice to, but I tried my best. I won't bother explaining much more, so prepare for photo overload. My only advice is: prepare for crowds, take a waterproof camera, some underwater shoes (they are available readily in Split and they might not be the trendiest but youll seriously love yourself for it) and wear sunscreen, the shade is deceptive. 7/18/2016 0 Comments Cliff Jumping and Exploring SplitWe arrived in Split at lunch time after a 4 or 5 hour bus journey and a 6am start in Zagreb. Stepping off the bus was instantly hot and as we walked along the jetty attempting to understand our hosts directions to our apartment all we could think of was how inviting the water looked. The walk felt like an eternity but turns out, when we retraced our steps later, our apartment was actually really close to the port where all transport into Split arrives. An old friend of mine from back home was already waiting for us at the apartment when we finally found it, and he wasted no time in saying 'I feel like jumping off a cliff' - so that's what we did. The water was choppy and waves were crashing against the rocks that were the only way back out of the water. I never pretended to be brave enough to jump from the top, but the boys made the wise decision to climb to a lower jumping point before plunging into the water below. I made the equally wise choice of watching from the top and recording the excitement with Oscars camera. There is one sandy beach near the old town of Split (in which we were staying) which the locals proudly dub the 'Copacabana of Croatia'. Coming from Australia though, sand doesn't really impress me. I have enough of that back home. What I find much more charming are the endless concrete jetties and rocky out crops that people sunbake on and jump off and once the boys had managed to claw their way out of the water we walked a way along the waters edge before settling at the beach side bar for a beer. The tourist population of Split was exponentially larger than that of Zagreb, and I'd forgotten what beach side tourist destinations came with. This destination it seemed was the King of Pub Crawls and as a young tourist in Split there's not many street corners you can find without getting offered a flyer for some special drink deal at pub-this or bar-that. It seemed we were not getting out of split without at least one night of too much beer. And we just happened to have arrived on a Saturday afternoon with everyone gearing up for a big one. We spent a few hours in the afternoon walking around the old town with our cameras. I find that when looking at a place with the aim of framing a good photograph, it causes you to notice things that you otherwise wouldn't. I think this is why you never see me without my camera handy when I'm exploring, my eyes are constantly composing photos. Split is very photogenic if you wait for the right time of day and can be patient enough to work around the tourists. I could have spent many more hours, but as the sun began to set, we settled ourselves in for a few drinks and watched the sky change colour over the water. Up Next: Krka National Park
7/16/2016 0 Comments Zagreb: Round 2Jet lag is the strangest thing. We were awake by 5. And there was no going back to sleep, so we started our day early. It seems breakfast isn't as big a deal here and there are a lot of coffee bars come real bars in the city that don't serve food at all. Back home I'm thinking about breakfast before I've even woken up, but by 7.30am walking around the city there is coffee every way you look but no sign of food. There are bakeries, of course, and I'm not one to complain when I'm forced to eat all of the bread and pastries and cakes. Mornings in Zagreb are peaceful, and the weather is warm enough that you don't need a jacket but the day's heat has not yet set in. For someone like me, who will stand in the same spot for minutes on end until people have gotten out of my way if I see something I want a photograph of, mornings are ideal. The pace is slower, the streets are emptier, and I'm less likely to be getting sunburnt (which is a real consideration if your skin is as afraid of the sun as mine is) Museum of Broken RelationshipsI'd heard of this back home from friends who had travelled to Zagreb and it came highly recommended. It just so happened we were staying only a few streets away and when we stumbled across it in our wandering of the streets I knew we had to go. The concept behind the exhibition is to give those with break up stories that they never got to share a way of venting, a means of expression and in a lot of cases, a feeling of closure. The exhibits are sent in from around the world, some funny, some spiteful, and some down right heart breaking. But I managed to leave with a smile on my face, I suppose to see we all feel the same pain of heartbreak all around the world makes the thought of it all a little less daunting. You can find out more, or perhaps even send in your own token of heartbreak at their website: https://brokenships.com or give them a follow on Instagram to see what it's all about: http://instagram.com/brokenships Our apartmentWe stayed in what felt to be an apartment designed just for me, all exposed brick and open living. The street we were on was undergoing major road works but the noise didn't make it inside and and even in the heat of the day it stayed nice and cool. It was a short walk to the Main Street of Zagreb and access to trams to take you to any part you needed to be, a view from our front door of the amazing cathedral and central square of the old town and a cafe literally outside the windows You can find the listing here:
https://airbnb.com/rooms/6298223?s=8&user_id=35383067&ref_device_id=de1ba2a432c5ff258f2cc040970f5e875aed8588 The host was helpful and lovely and I can recommend it highly. 7/15/2016 3 Comments Arriving in Zagreb.Zagreb was a big surprise to me. Mostly, I guess, because I didn't bother to do any research before coming. But sometimes that's the best way to arrive at a new place: you can't be let down by something if you have no expectations of it. And Zagreb definitely wasn't a disappointment. For a capital city it was surprisingly small, and not yet a tourist hot spot so, for the high season, the crowds were minimal. We stayed in a gorgeous apartment right in the heart of everything, and fought our jet lag the first day by walking around the old town for hours. By the end of that day the city felt familiar, much more so than our short stay should have allowed. Perhaps that's part of its charm, it seems to accept you in right away and I can imagine a short stay turning into a long one. It's a habit of mine when arriving in a new city, to find the highest point of it that I can, just to take in the view. It's the best way to get to know a place, orientate yourself (although if you have my sense of direction, turn around on the spot you stand and you'll be lost again) and for a short stay it gives you a sense of having seen the whole city. Luckily for us, we were staying at the top of a hill, so this time around the view seemed to find me. And looking over the old town of Zagreb, you can almost imagine yourself thrown back in time a few hundred years. The view is almost completely unspoilt by the usual telephone towers and antennas that have a habit of ruining these sorts of things, and the city has done an amazing job of preserving the old charm of the place. Anyone who's known me for any length of time will know that second only to finding a view, is my obsession with windows and doors. This town was a dream for architecture, every corner you come around there was not a single building out of place. I suppose this is why we managed to walk around for so many hours without even feeling the time pass at all.
Zagreb is a town to explore slowly and by foot. I lost count of how many times we traced the same streets but each time you will spot something new that makes it worth it. |