Split, Croatia

I arrived at the Airbnb in Split, Croatia on Wednesday night at about 8 PM. The lady I was staying with (Jadronka) was without-a-doubt the sweetest and most welcoming person I’ve ever met. She greeted me with a huge hug and said that she could finally stop worrying because “the whole family is home now”. I had barely met this woman, and she was calling me her family. She showed me my room, offered me coffee, and suggested some good restaurants in town.

The next morning, I woke up to fresh coffee and pastries. I went on a morning hike up a mountain that overlooks Split. Not a great idea in flip flops. Then I walked down to the water and found a private beach with only 2 other people. I swam in the Adriatic Sea and fell asleep in the sun. When I woke up, there were 3 completely naked people sitting next to me. Apparently this was a nude beach? I promptly decided it was time to make my exit.

Jadronka’s daughter Linda is a tour guide in Split, and she offered to show me around the city. She took me to Diocletian’s Palace, where the former emperor of the Roman Empire lived after giving up his thrown. It was incredible to see. After the tour, Linda and I got coffee, and I basically interrogated her for 2 hours about life in Croatia. It’s crazy to me how different the culture and lifestyle is. I left the apartment in Split at about 9:30 PM to catch the 10:01 train. Jadronka made me a sandwich for my journey and invited me to come back anytime free-of-charge. Did I mention how nice she is?

2 hours ago I arrived in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and nearly had a panic attack because my phone died, I had no idea which train to catch next, and no one spoke English. BUT I somehow made it onto the right train, and I’m on my way to Vienna, Austria. It’s about 8 AM right now. I just went through Slovenia and HAD to get out and take a picture. By the time I get to Vienna, I will have been on trains for 16 hours straight. Overall, Croatia was beautiful, and 1 day was not nearly enough.