Hotel Jakov Sibenik

... secluded bays, smooth cliffs and pebbled beaches leading to the crystal blue sea …

By combining traditional nautical experience, choice of the departure point, skippers' skills and excellent service of our personnel, our company confirms the fact that – although on vacation ...

Po podrozy przez pustkowia, z widokami ostrzelanych, opuszczonych domostw - dojechalismy na wybrzeze.
Jakaz zmiana! Widac, ze po tej stronie gor kwitnie turystyka.
Mieszkamy pieknie - apartament tuz za mostem staromiejskim, w 3 - 4 rzedzie domow na wzgorzu - z widokiem na Stare Miasto. I to jaki apartament!
Po przebrzmieniu okrzykow entuzjazmu - schodzimy przez ogrod na wyspe, na ktorej rozlozylo sie Stare Miasto ...

... before sunset and had a drink before heading back to Split, to Karaka for a late dinner.

Considering I wasn’t planning on going back to Split, I think it turned out pretty well in the end. The weather might have had something to do with that; apparently it had been quite rainy a few days before I got there.

Even though the worst day of my trip so far came in Croatia, I think it might be my favourite country yet (Iceland not included).

Another hot day in Croatia- Thank God that our vehicle is air conditioned! Ante met us this morning to show us Split and the surrounding area. We first went to Salona, the ruins just recently found as the home of Diocletian, a brutal Roman Emperor.

Ante explained that during the communist era, ruins or any archaeological finds were not respected. He showed us how lucky they were to have what ...

... and Diocletian's Palace in Split. The interior of the church was amazingly detailed, just as its frieze on the outside, which portrays 71 portraits of ordinary 15th-century citizens of varying expressions. It was definitely worth seeing! I then walked around the windy, narrow streets of Sibenik which were mostly laid out in the 15th and 16th centuries. It started to ...

... at least got the indicators working, so after paying another drink we left for the next garage. At last a garage that agreed it was to dangerous to keep driving with no brakes, and would do the job, although made a point it was not something they would normally do, but were more worried about our safety! The only catch was they had to order the parts the next day and told us to come back at 9am sharp. On leaving the garage for a local campsite the mechanic noticed ...

... of the mosque, how it was built by a renowned architect from the Ottoman Empire. We found out that Izudin is an imam or Islamic holy man, as were his father and grandfather before him. He seemed remarkably open and spoke matter-of-factly about everything, from the war to the veiling of women (it was very rare to find a woman in BiH with her head or face covered). As has happened frequently in our trip, this meeting further shattered stereotype: the TV news-spawned image ...

... which has intricate head sculptures (all with different expressions) like a relief going all the way around the church. Along the seaside promenade there are outdoor restaurants, bars and night clubs and plenty of young people about even on a Monday night. When we drove into town the only car park we could find was at the top of the hill with a stairway leading to the sea and the old town. The stairway wound ...

... from and the bus leaves for Sibernik. After walking around there for a bit i headed to the bus station. There i met Caroline and Diana from Atlanta and Washington state, old childhood friends. We hit it off. As it turns out were all headed to Split. When we arrived in Split the people with rooms to offer were like pirana. They were all over us. We decided to get a room together to save a bit of cash. So off we go to our abode. I called it ...

... was a bit of a mission involved in calling Levi for his birthday - getting a phonecard, finding a phone, wrong phonecard, asking to use a private phone, etc, etc - but we had a great chat with the Clay family. The times we do get to talk to people at home are really good - helps us get over how much we miss everyone. After some more essential tanning, we took the boat back to town and a bus back to Sibenik. Waiting for the bus we met some more Aussies ...