We caught an overnight train from Ljubljana to Split. We decided not to stop and have a look around Zagreb (the capital of Croatia) as we knew that days were limited and we had plenty we wanted to see ahead of us. The train was an uneventful trip if you ignored the sensational lightning display that we were caught in at about 11pm. The train was stationary for about 15 minutes waiting for the worst of the hurricane winds and rain to pass, and when it did we were left with a lightning display out the windows that was enough to wow even the most couragous weather chasers.

SPLIT

We were greeted in Split, even at 6am, with 'touts' trying to sell us their apartment for a night or two. Em and I were glad to find a reasonable 'homestay' at a reasonable price near the centre of town. We had a quick snooze to lift our spirits after a long journey and headed out to see Split.

We really hadn't heard much of Split, other that it was a nice enough place that was a useful stop as it was the point of access for many of the ferries to the Croatian islands. As Ben Harper once said, 'the less you expect, the more you'll be pleased' and there is no more accurate words to describe our reaction and appreciation for the town of Split.

Split is an old city, almost 2000 years old, and is the major city on the Adriatic coast. At its heart is Diocletian's Palace which combined with the summery festivity of the city makes Split an essential stop in any Croatian island journey. Diocletian's Palace is now largely in a state of ruins, but rather than neglect the ruins and allow the winds of time slowly erode away the last of the palace, the entrepreneurs in Split have grown their livelihoods and businesses in and around the palace ruins, juxtaposed harmoniously.

Em and I spent our time in Split getting lost in the impressive ruins of this long dead Roman Emperor but also enjoying the green market, Fife (a restaurant we loved) and even took a day trip to Brac Island (which wasn't particularly great). Split is a major port for all the 'Jadralinja' ferries but still has a beautiful sea front thoroughfare which Em and I would choose daily as our breaky spot. We loved Split, but like all good things, we needed to move on, thus our stay came to an end.

KORCULA ISLAND

From Split we headed to Korcula which is one of the popular and easy to get to islands from Split. The arrival at Korcula by ferry suggests to passengers aboard that their stay may be a memorable one. Our three nights in Korcula was as thoroughly enjoyable as Split. Maybe it was our Cuban, sea-side, high-ceiling apartment or the turqouise water or the charismatic 'Old Town' or the time in the sun, but Korcula was everything that we had been hoping in our little Croatian odyssey.

Sunsets was a daily thing in Korcula, Em and I would usually put a couple of drinks in our little fridge the day before to be enjoyed at dusk. As sunset decends the Adriatic sea water loses it's turqouise colour and returns to the usual deep ocean blue but to compensate, the sky repays onlookers with brilliantly scarlet and purple shades. The daylight hours usually entailed Em and I reading and resting on the beach, a thoroughly acceptable way to spend each day - Orebis and the local Korcula back beach were our preferred. After sundown Em and I tended to spend our time eating the pasta that we cooked once, but ate three consecutive nights then would head into the 'old town' and walk around the streets that looked out over the old fortress' walls apon the tranquil moonlit waters. Some of the restaurants in the 'Old Town' were inticingly full of character (others were certainly not) and had splendid views but were bulging with tourists, especially the nights that the expressly-scheduled cruises of Croatia docked.

DUBROVNIK

Our final stop on the Croatian coast was the famed Dubrovnik. The word Dubrovnik originates from an ancient Slavic language that means oak forest, which is facinating only because the presence of such an oak forest is intriguingly absent. The beauty of Dubrovnik is really in its 13th Century 'Old City', a terrifyingly violent earthquake in the 1600's and the bombing of Dubrovnik in the 1990's (as Croatia broke away from the former communist Republic of Yugoslavia) is a testament to the resounding strength of the 'Old City's' fortress.

We had another 'homestay' in Dubrovnik. We stayed outside the fortress walls as prices inside are astronomical. Dubrovnik has become a tourist Mecca, pushing the prices up throughout the city and crowding the narrow streets of the 'Old City'. We had three nights in Dubrovnik and spent the time meandering the quieter avenues and burrows that presented themselves, we also walked the walls which had splendid views of the bay and 'Old City' and even engaged our senses at the visiting Picasso exhibition. Leading up to the last evening, Dubrovnik had yet to really awe me as I had expected, but that one final evening with a great jazz band blasting out their sound in the main street, the coolness of the evening air and the beautiful baroque and gothic architecture I finally found my fondness for the beautiful Dubrovnik. Just in time to leave.

Onwards to the contrasting city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina