Eurotrip Part Two

Plitvice

   It's official.  Croatia is my new favorite country!  For the first time in over a month, I'm almost warm again.  No more snow, no more clouds- it's incredible!  After my stay in Ljubljana, I went to the capital Zagreb for two days.  Nothing too exciting is going on there, but it's a lovely city to just wander and get completely lost for a few hours.  I also took a day trip to Plitvice National Park, which was amazing!  There was no one in the whole park, so I conveniently avoided the $11 entrance fee and wandered for a few hours.  My only regret was that I didn't get to see it when it was warmer, but everything was still gorgeous with miles of waterfalls, trees, rivers, and forests.

 

Sunset in Split

   For about a week after that, I holed up in the bustling town of Split, right on the Dalmatian Coast.  And for the cool price of just $30 a day, I had the luxury of my own bedroom, bathroom, closet, refrigerator, and microwave!  It made for a nice change from bunk beds and being woken up at 2 every morning by people barging in from somewhere trying to make their bed in the bunk above you.  Split is a nice little town to base yourself in, the epitome of coastal city.  Everyone is always out and about on the streets, but never in a hurry.  I've decided no one actually works there, because the main promenade is always packed with people dining at the cafes and going for a stroll.  It's not quite warm enough to shed my jacket yet, but the days have been beautiful and sunny, perfect for an hour or two on a bench watching the world go by.  My days in Croatia have been spent doing a lot of nothing.  Reading, sitting in the sun, getting myself purposely lost, and hours of walking aimlessly.  It's nice to do nothing for a change.  One day I randomly hopped on a bus and ended up in Trogir, a little walled island. Another day, I went on a ferry to Bol, a city on Brac Island. I also got to experience Carnival, which in Croatia basically means dressing up like it's Halloween, drinking in the streets, and hopping around to different free concerts across the city :)  And the children do a little Carnival parade which is absolutely precious to watch.

Trogir

    I've decided this marks part two of my journey, because I am now no longer in the EU.  In Europe, yes, but not within the Union boundaries.  The next part of my trip will take me to that obscure part of the world know as the "Western Balkans."  This exhilarates me a bit, because I know absolutely nothing about any of these countries.  My first stop will be Bosnia and Herzegovina and then I'll go around the area.  "But aren't those countries scary?" people have asked me.  Well, maybe, but I've decided that between the media and our government, we are spoon-fed so many misperceptions about the world, and these places aren't as 'scary' as we might think.  Actually, most places end up surprising me.  Like Croatia, for instance.  All my travel book managed to do was unnecessarily freak me out about losing my leg to a landmine, but from what I've seen, the place is a lot cleaner and more efficient than, say, the southern parts of some EU countries.

Bol

   In reality, this trip so far has really not been met with many difficulties.  Sure, I've had some language barriers to cross, and I get lost a lot, but in general, traveling on my own has not been that hard at all.  I guess the fact I've been to Europe several times has been working in my favor, so culture shock has been a non-issue.  Also, I've been with Alex for over two years, so that might have given me at least the tiniest insight into a European frame of mind... maybe?  But with my computer it's been so easy to look up train schedules, metro stops, and google map just about everything.  More than that though, it's the people I have to thank.  I know that I mentioned before some people being rude, but for every disgruntled local I've met, there have been 10 more who have gone out of their way to help me out.  The little old lady who walks with me to whatever place I've asked directions for, the bus driver who gets out at my station to make sure I get on the right connecting bus, the passerby who offers to carry my grocery bags... people look out for you, and in today's world, I think the underlying kindness of humans needs to be remembered.  Well, I suppose that's my inspirational speech for the day :)  Now I'm finishing up a few days in Dubrovnik, another one of my favorite towns, then I'll slowly make my way across the Balkans to Turkey. Wish me luck!

Dubrovnik