I am sure it would not surprise you at this point to say these next two days were also action-packed and quite busy.

On Saturday, April 16 we packed up, left Dubrovnik, and caught a public bus to Split. Split is another coastal town but about 4 hours north of Dubrovnik. The most interesting thing about the ride to Split is that part of the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina crosses into Croatia en route. So we did actually have to leave the bus, go through border patrol at Bosnia and Herzegovina, get our passport stamped, get back on the bus, only to do the same thing 10 minutes later back at the Croatian border. So technically we were in Bosnia and Herzegovina for like 10 minutes, but of course doesn't count since we didn't even get off the bus other than to go through passport check. Luckily this process did not take long at either border.

Once we got into Split, we dropped off our stuff at our hostel. We still had our own rooms/bathrooms but it was still called a hostel. And other than one other guest, our group was the only ones staying at that location. It was up an alley way kind of tucked away, you would not even know it was an accomodation. But was pretty cute and central to all areas we needed to go in Split.

Ivance took us on a tour of Old Town Split, including a late lunch together, then we were left on our own to continue exploring until we all met up for dinner. The lunch we had was so delicious I had a truffle ravioli dish that was so good, we actually came back the next day so I could eat it again. Jaime had a beef dish with gnocci that he said was also really good. Dinner was also very good but that lunch was just awesome.

Split is a very high traffic tourist town and a port for cruise ships as well. Saturday was pretty packed with people all over, but Sunday was Easter and most things (and by most I mean almost everything) was closed. No cruise ships were there and most tours/activities were also closed or not operating.

Which brings me to Sunday. Sunday was scheduled to be a "free day" no activities or travel planned, just stay in Split. But as there was not much to do in the city since almost everything was closed for Easter, we tried to find a tour or acitvity we could do outside of the city. I had found online and at the travel show Jaime and I attended earlier this year that Krka waterfalls was a cool site to see. We were told you could go swimming in them, but the recently changed those regulations to keep it more clean. Which was fine, it was way too cold to go swimming anyways. But it did work out that we found a private transfer to Krka and whlie it was not something that was scheudled or required, the whole group wanted to go, so it worked out really well!

Here is what did not work out really well. I checked the weather before we left so I knew how to pack, and while the weather was pretty much what was predicted, it did not account for the wind, or the change in temperature going to this national park. So that day was quite cold and uncomfortable as far as getting to the main part of the park. We had to take a boat to the waterfalls and it was so windy and cold it was a little unberable at first, but it was all worth it when we got to the cascading waterfalls and saw the crystal clear water. It was also Emma's (from our group) birthday so we brought snacks and wine and had a little birthday celebratation for her by the waterfalls. She was super grateful.

Krka is beautiful and is a series of 7 cascading waterfalls with gorgeous scenery all around. We were so happy the park remained open even though it was a holiday, and was such a great activity to do since we really couldn't have done much back in Split. I hope you enjoy the pictures from Krka, it was so gorgeous and fun to be outside on such a beautiful day. There was a good amount of walking around the park to get the all of the views of the falls, and we definitely got a good amount of steps in this day too. I was taking pictures of people in our group and a family saw me taking photos and asked if I would take theirs as they said they could tell I knew what I was doing. So I directed the family how to sit and pose for a great shot of them with one of the waterfalls. It became an ongoing joke that I was the camera girl for the trip. There were a few other instances where strangers approached me to take their photos as well. I was happy to do so.

That is also because once we got back to Split, (after eating lunch at that awesome place with the truffle ravioli again) we decided to take a walk up the mountain as we were told there was an amazing view of the city. It was a paved path with oh so many more stairs, but when in Split....

Everybody but Emma went on the little hike up the mountain, and it was actually a straight path up from where our hostel was, so quite convenient. It was a bit of a trek, but the views were worth it. By the time we made our way back down, we were ready to go out for drinks and dinner, so we freshened up and headed back out.

We enjoyed a couple of drinks at another pub we found, but were pretty hungry and it was late, so we ventured out to find an open place for food. We actually found this little hole in the wall stand that was fast food and boasted they were the best burgers in Split. And lucky for me, they had veggie burger options. The line was very long, but we really had no choice as no other eateries were open. But let me tell you, it was worth the wait. I mean, to be fair we did not have any other burger places to compare it to, and it might have been because we were so darn hungry, but that was a delicious meal. We got burgers, fries, and mozzerella sticks. And all were delicious. Even the fast food in Croatia blew us away! I gotta say other than India, this might be the trip where we've had the best food all around. And here is a different thing I picked up in Europe: mayonaise with french fries. Say what you will, but they give it out like automatically with fries, so I tried it and I think I am hooked. I still prefer ranch, though.

So between a walk through a National Park, a hike up and down a mountain, and wandering around for food, it was an 18,000 step day. Not quite the level of our day in Dubrovnik, but we got a crazy amount of miles of walking in on this trip.

The following day, (Monday) we left Split to head up to Croatia's capital, Zagreb. And on the way we stopped at Plitvice National Park, which was the place I was most excited to see on this trip, and it did not disappoint. More on Plitvice and Zagreb in my next entry. But do not forget to check out the photos from Split and stunning Krka waterfalls in the photo album: "Split and Krka National Park, Croatia."