The drive from Senj to Split was along a twisty road with a rugged and unusual landscape. The rocks were huge and looked like they should be on the moon, from a distance the mountains actually looked like they were snowcapped.

The Adriatic Sea was crystal clear and aqua blue with several barren islands dotting the coastline. The road took us through several fishing villages and over high mountain passes with steep cliff drops. It's a great drive if you ever get the chance!

The drive took about four hours. We were all happy to be done with the car for a few days. My parents had already been traveling by car around Germany for the past three weeks, so a break from driving was needed.

Our apartment hotel was perfect! It was 10 KM outside of the main city of Split, directly across the street from the beach. It was a new, modern apartment that had two separate rooms, a kitchen, a patio overlooking the sea, free WiFi and included a typical European breakfast every morning. Quite comfortable for our foursome.

Our four days in Split were spent hanging at the beach, drinking beer and wine on our patio, exploring Split and the neighboring town of Omis, and dining on the waterfront. Hard times!

Split is the largest Croatian city on the Adriatic coast with a beautiful promenade along the harbor. One morning we caught the local bus into town where we meandered through the Old Town. It's a vast open-air museum with shops and cafe's at every turn. Guess what we did? Yup… we shopped, ate Gelato along the promenade and stopped for a beer and fries on a rooftop patio.

The neighboring town of Omis, 30KM south of Split, was a pleasant surprise. The town is nestled between towering rocky cliffs and calm, sandy beaches. It's known for being a rock climber's haven.

We walked up and down the café lined streets admiring the stunning views. It's a Croatian gem. Had we known about it beforehand we probably would have stayed there… maybe next time?

Regrettably our four days flew by and soon we were back on the open road. Our next destination was to be the illustrious capital of Austria, Wein (Vienna). We got an early start to the day to try to make the trip in one day.

We only had another two days with my parents so we wanted to spend it exploring vibrant Vienna!

October 8th, 2009