PSA: Cobblestones Will Ruin Suitcase Wheels
Where did I leave off...Oh right, Zagreb. So from there we caught a flight to Split, which was just meant to be a stop over because the ferry to Vis only left on certain days during the week. When we were booking the trip, no city annoyed Prash quite as much as Split. I can't remember why at this point, but I remember finding it funny because this was his favorite city in the end. People on the airport shuttle were obnoxious, again, but that really doesn't surprise me anymore. But! The airline gave us more green olive paste, so suffice it to say, I was content.
Our first day in Split was a never-ending adventure. That resulted with my wanting to cry and Prash feeding me ice cream...but we'll get to that. First of all, our flight sat on the tarmac for a while instead of leaving when it was supposed to. This was really only an issue because we had to catch a bus from the airport to the city, and the bus left only every 3 hours. By the time we landed, and got our bags, we were able to make it to the bus just in time. Crisis averted. That (-->) was the first thing we saw after getting off of the bus, needless to say, Split is lovely. From there, we intended to get a taxi to the hotel. However, after showing the driver our address, and he showed it to several other drivers, he said he couldn't drive us there but gave us the following instructions: "You see that big clock, it is right behind that in the palace. Go up, make a left, and you will find it. 5 minutes maximum." Sounds easy, right? Wrong. The hotel was in the ruins of Diocletian's Palace, a structure that can be described as "a fortified labyrinth". Well, we didn't know that at the time, so we take our (my) luggage and lug it up the huge hill trying to hunt down the address with the help of Siri.
Side Note: Siri does not work well in a fortified labyrinth.
So when it had been 10 minutes and we still couldn't find it, we asked someone for directions. He told us, after staring at the address for a while, to go back the way we came make two rights, walk for a while, and then make another right. After doing that, we had walked in a circle. So, we asked someone else. Who told us the same thing. This was right about at the 30 minute mark. So, up and down the cobblestone market streets we walked. With our wheeled-luggage, in the blazing hot afternoon sun. I'm pretty sure I ran over the feet of at least two people, but to be fair, I said excuse me and they didn't move an inch. After talking to many more people, we finally found one who took our map, took out his phone and called the hotel, who then gave us directions on how to get there.
Finally, we found it! Over an hour later. It was literally less than 5 minutes from where we started, and I was very hungry and very grouchy, and very much regretting all of the luggage I decided to bring. For anyone planning a trip like this, pack light. You will be happier, as will your wonderful boyfriend who is very nice and carries your heavy bags. Because it was an apartment, they had to meet us there 20 minutes later. But for some reason, Prash went looking for the lobby, and knocked on a door and walked in, instead of waiting. And that, my friends, is when my boyfriend saw a strange woman naked.
Turns out, she was just a tourist as well, but at least he made friends with the neighbors. It was at this point that I parked it on a bench and he went in search of ice cream because the world is not complete without a proper dosage of ice cream at all times. By the time the lady met us and we got checked in, our time from dock to door was over an hour and a half. But for a minute, I just needed to sit in the air conditioning and recover...and notice the strange hunk of plastic on the floor. Ladies and Gentleman, that is when I discovered that cobblestones destroy suitcase wheels.
Ok, so we ventured out and learned some things about Split. One of the best parts is the old palace. It has been converted into shops, bars, restaurants, pretty much everything. Of these locations, there is an ice cream shop about every 10 steps...delicious ice cream shops. We went through the street market and picked up souvenirs and other Croatian stuff, then had dinner and got more ice cream. Then we watched the sunset. I can honestly say that I have never seen better sunsets than anywhere along the coast of Croatia. They just get better the further South you go, just so you know. After that, we got some juice and sat on the dock and stared at the city. We did a lot of staring that day, but after walking around with as much luggage as we did for as long, it was warranted.
Split is great at night. While we were sitting on the dock with juice, we could hear live music, but not the kind of live music that made you really want to get up and go find it. We had to catch an early ferry to Vis the next morning, so we decided to call it a night. We walked back through the Palace to get to our hotel. You can literally go back a different way every time. However, while we were walking back, I heard a live band playing "Sweet Home Alabama". In the South, I would think nothing of it, but how often do you hear Croatians singing songs like that. I kept hoping they would sing Johnny Cash, but no such luck. Regardless, we were watching a live open-air concert in an old palace. I can honestly say it was one of those perfect moments. I can't think of anything that could have made it better. We stayed there for a while watching them play, and then went home to get ready for Vis!
P.S. I was going to post a video of it, but I'm technologically challenged and/or the site wouldn't work...so, sorry. Here's a picture instead.
Our first day in Split was a never-ending adventure. That resulted with my wanting to cry and Prash feeding me ice cream...but we'll get to that. First of all, our flight sat on the tarmac for a while instead of leaving when it was supposed to. This was really only an issue because we had to catch a bus from the airport to the city, and the bus left only every 3 hours. By the time we landed, and got our bags, we were able to make it to the bus just in time. Crisis averted. That (-->) was the first thing we saw after getting off of the bus, needless to say, Split is lovely. From there, we intended to get a taxi to the hotel. However, after showing the driver our address, and he showed it to several other drivers, he said he couldn't drive us there but gave us the following instructions: "You see that big clock, it is right behind that in the palace. Go up, make a left, and you will find it. 5 minutes maximum." Sounds easy, right? Wrong. The hotel was in the ruins of Diocletian's Palace, a structure that can be described as "a fortified labyrinth". Well, we didn't know that at the time, so we take our (my) luggage and lug it up the huge hill trying to hunt down the address with the help of Siri. Side Note: Siri does not work well in a fortified labyrinth.
So when it had been 10 minutes and we still couldn't find it, we asked someone for directions. He told us, after staring at the address for a while, to go back the way we came make two rights, walk for a while, and then make another right. After doing that, we had walked in a circle. So, we asked someone else. Who told us the same thing. This was right about at the 30 minute mark. So, up and down the cobblestone market streets we walked. With our wheeled-luggage, in the blazing hot afternoon sun. I'm pretty sure I ran over the feet of at least two people, but to be fair, I said excuse me and they didn't move an inch. After talking to many more people, we finally found one who took our map, took out his phone and called the hotel, who then gave us directions on how to get there.
Turns out, she was just a tourist as well, but at least he made friends with the neighbors. It was at this point that I parked it on a bench and he went in search of ice cream because the world is not complete without a proper dosage of ice cream at all times. By the time the lady met us and we got checked in, our time from dock to door was over an hour and a half. But for a minute, I just needed to sit in the air conditioning and recover...and notice the strange hunk of plastic on the floor. Ladies and Gentleman, that is when I discovered that cobblestones destroy suitcase wheels.
Ok, so we ventured out and learned some things about Split. One of the best parts is the old palace. It has been converted into shops, bars, restaurants, pretty much everything. Of these locations, there is an ice cream shop about every 10 steps...delicious ice cream shops. We went through the street market and picked up souvenirs and other Croatian stuff, then had dinner and got more ice cream. Then we watched the sunset. I can honestly say that I have never seen better sunsets than anywhere along the coast of Croatia. They just get better the further South you go, just so you know. After that, we got some juice and sat on the dock and stared at the city. We did a lot of staring that day, but after walking around with as much luggage as we did for as long, it was warranted. 
Split is great at night. While we were sitting on the dock with juice, we could hear live music, but not the kind of live music that made you really want to get up and go find it. We had to catch an early ferry to Vis the next morning, so we decided to call it a night. We walked back through the Palace to get to our hotel. You can literally go back a different way every time. However, while we were walking back, I heard a live band playing "Sweet Home Alabama". In the South, I would think nothing of it, but how often do you hear Croatians singing songs like that. I kept hoping they would sing Johnny Cash, but no such luck. Regardless, we were watching a live open-air concert in an old palace. I can honestly say it was one of those perfect moments. I can't think of anything that could have made it better. We stayed there for a while watching them play, and then went home to get ready for Vis!
P.S. I was going to post a video of it, but I'm technologically challenged and/or the site wouldn't work...so, sorry. Here's a picture instead.
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