I spent the last two weeks in Croatia, a country of pure beauty, countrymen full of life, a language I can speak exceptionally poorly, but a place I love. I picked Croatia as one of my stops as my family is Croatian/Slovenian. Although, as my mother says, we are just Yugoslavian, which is not politically correct; when they left, they were Yugoslavians turned into Americans, so it is justified, I suppose.
Croatia is naturally beautiful with the coastline and countryside. Over the past decade, Croatia has made a name for itself with tourism. When I tell people I am going to Croatia, they love to advise me on what to see and do as if I haven’t been there several times. I like to listen to what they say to see and do, and it is always Split or Dubrovnik during yacht week. I have never been to Croatia during yacht week, and I don’t personally plan to. It is like the Octoberfest of the Balkans. You don’t see the culture of the country or get to know any Croatians. It is full of tourists from America, Germany, and England. Now there is nothing wrong with that, know you should come back to see the culture. If you have only been for a weekend during yacht week, did you experience Croatia? I encourage everyone who wants to see Croatia to see more than the tourist cities.
Since I have already seen and done most of what they have to offer in Croatia, from the north to the south to the tourist cities to the small villages this time around, I solely stayed in Split and did nothing for the most part. I loved it. Every day, I went to the same cafe and just sat and read, wrote for this blog, or just watched people. I don’t need to find excitement every day to have a good time on vacation.
Each Sunday, I did decide to go out and see other places. On my first Sunday, I visited Mostar, Bosnia. I had never been to Bosnia, even after all my times visiting the Balkans, it was different from the surrounding countries, but they shared a lot of culture and language. I will do a whole separate post about Bosina on what I did and would I go back.
The following Sunday, I went to Hvar, Croatia, another place I had never been to. It was stunning and a must-see! I went during October, and the weather was perfect, but I know there can be rain during the fall. It is no longer swimming weather; some people were still okay with swimming. The temperature was a fair 68 and sunny. Hvar was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It was a quiet and slower pace. While I was there, there was a significant American film production happening; it was like I was in Croatia but back home in Los Angeles. Hvar was slightly more experience than Split, but both cities are higher than average for eastern or central Europe, which is expected because it is typically flooded with American tourists.
When visiting Croatia, you must try the following traditional foods:
- Burek – is a filled pastry made of a thin flaky dough such as filo with various fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or apples.
- Cevapi – is a grilled dish of minced meat found traditionally in the countries of southeast Europe. It is considered a Bosnia and Herzegovina national dish typical in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Slovenia. It is served with bread, onions, and ajvar.
- Splitska Torte – a delicious cake that was created in Split. It is a walnut base cake with dried fruit and orange buttercream.
- Since you are directly on the coast, seafood is a must: fresh fish, octopus, and oysters.
Top places to visit in Croatia:
- Split, Croatia
- Dubrovnik, Croatia – four-hour ferry ride from Spilt or 30min flight for $40.
- Kotor, Montenegro – a five-hour drive from Split, two hours from Dubrovnik, or fly for around $50.
- Hvar, Croatia – a one-hour ferry ride from Split
- Mostar, Bosnia – a two-hour drive from Split
- Zagreb, Croatia – four drive from Split, for 45min flight for $40.
There are no restaurants I can recommend, and I don’t find any of them worthy of a mention. My recommendation is to eat where you see the locals.
The Life of Sarah 