Dalmatian Coast with another Matt - 22-27 September

I got into Dubrovnik around 4pm on my bus from Mostar. I headed straight into the old town where our hostel was. The old town is incredible with its towering city walls surrounding it and our hostel was ideally located just off the Main Street and inside the walls! The hostel was a bit weird as it had some extremely steep stairs and no reception or anything, just a key code on the door. In fact it was run by a guy named Sergio who we never actually met but just communicated with notes that we would leave by the bed before we left.

I spent the afternoon just wandering around all of the old city. I managed to find a few cool spots where you could get through the wall and swim outside the walls which were awesome. I also found a number of places that I recognised from Game of Thrones as the city is used as the setting for Kings Landing. That night I wandered outside the city walls and down to the nearby beach but it was starting to get cold so I headed back towards the city. As I was looking for food I found that it was a mixture between Italian and Bosnian. I found a pizzeria that looked good and while I waited for it to be cooked I climbed the hill behind the city to get a view of all the walls. After picking up my pizza and a few beers I headed to the fort that's just outside the walls to eat and look down on the city. At 11pm Matt arrived and we had a quick look around the city and caught up before heading to bed.

The next day we headed straight up the walls when we got up. We spent the next few hours walking around all the walls and checking out the city and surrounding area from above which was really cool. In the afternoon we jumped on the ferry across to Lokrum Island which is just across the bay. This island is beautiful, with many hidden swim spots, a ruined monastery (that is Qarth in Game of Thrones) and an old fort. we spent a nice chilled out afternoon exploring the island and swimming in what is known as the Dead Sea Lake. Finally when we got back to the city we went for a swim on the rocks right under the city walls and watched the sunset, you couldn't really think of a cooler place to swim!

The next day we caught the morning bus to Split where we were to meet up with Matts grandmas sister who we were going to stay with. The bus ride was great as we headed up the Dalmatian coast and got a good view of the islands, although during the second half of the trip a thunderstorm began blowing. In Split we found Etta and together we all got on the ferry to Stari Grad on the island Hvar where we would be based for the next few days.

The first day there it was overcast and had on and off thunderstorms so we just explored the town of Stari Grad and surroundings before having a big meal for dinner. My first home cooked meal in a while which was exciting! The next day we caught the bus to Hvar town which is the capital of the island. We spent the day wandering the town, looking at the churches, climbing up to the fortress for a great view of the town and then when it got sunny in the afternoon we swam at the beach. When we eventually got back to Stari Grad we found Yaška (Etta's son) cooking up some fresh fish over charcoals. We just ate the fish with our hands Croatian style and it was some of the nicest fish I have ever had. Yaška said that he had heard it was because of the high salt content in the water.

On our final day on the island we were driven down to Sucharaj at the other end of the island which is where Matt's grandma grew up. It was an amazing day and we just chilled out and swam. Etta also showed us where they grow their grapes and olives and how they used to live, while she also stopped along the drive to point things out. The drive down the island was also awesome as we got to see the different towns as well as the other islands on both sides and the mountains of the mainland in the distance. That night we went to Yaška's brothers place for dinner and they cooked us up the most amazing feast. They just kept giving us more as well so I was so full by the time we left to walk home.

The next day we said goodbye to Matt's family and caught the ferry back to Split. They were so lovely and it had been just like staying with my grandparents for a few days, only with not much english. They even wanted photos with us before we got on the ferry.

Once we were back in Split we checked into our hostel and then went out to explore the city. We first walked all through Diocletian's palace, including going up the bell tower for a view of the city and going into the cathedral which was really amazing. Here I also heard one of my favourite quotes of the trip so far from a woman at the entrance to the cathedral about not being able to take photos inside.

'If you can't take photos then what is the point of going in'

This sort of view completely baffles me as I would think that that makes it more important that you see if for yourself.

In the afternoon we headed to the nearby beach for a swim, in the knowledge that it would probably be the last one for my trip. That night we attempted to get tickets to the local derby football game that happened to be on but it was unfortunately sold out so we just walked around the stadium and then headed up the hill next to the city. From here we found a spot with a good view of the city and got some good night photos before heading to the restaurant recommended by our hostel right by the water. Here we had typical Croatian food including some delicious stuffed capsicum and beef.

With that my trip with Matt up the Dalmatian coast was finished as the next morning he was heading back to Dubrovnik to fly back to Amsterdam and I was heading inland to the Plitvice lakes. We had had an awesome time though, and it had been nice to chill out for a few days. My taster of the islands definitely made me keen to come back and see more of them but that will have to be saved for another trip.