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CROATIA

...cold water on skin warmed by the sun

By Kurt Brown

October 16^th, 2014

split croatia

After some curious inspection of my passport, it was time for warm weather (evidently you don’t get too many Jamaican passports flying through these ports)

SPLIT - THE old town

Tips:

* Take the charter bus directly from the airport to the city center. The price is very reasonable at around $5 USD

* Unless you sleep like a rock, I would highly recommend staying outside of the palace as it is loud and busy all the time. The old town is rather small and the palace is a short walk away regardless of where you are, there really isn’t a huge advantage to staying inside the palace walls.

* Once you are in the city, bike rental shops are a short walk down at the far end of the Riva.

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Split - Veli Varoš

Tips:

* Spend a few hours exploring the Veli Varoš area, it’s definitely a fun hike.

* Stop at the bar at the midway point up the hill, it offers the best view of the city, and also your only chance to stop for a beer (Pan, Ožujsko, Tomislav, Karlovačko, to name a few…I like Pan the most) before reaching the top

* Hold it! there are port-a-potties at the very top of the hill.

*If you do decide to bike, the beach is a short ride away. The ride to the beach isn’t bad, but keep in mind that the main road is at a much higher elevation than the beach, so on your way home you might need to ride up some short but rather steep ramps (some well in excess of 10%)

* Buy water shoes, you will need them. Besides the beaches being pebble beaches, there are lots, and I do mean lots of sea urchins. Stepping on one of these might just ruin your week.

split -> vis

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vis

Quiet, and beautiful…pretty much the opposite of Split (Hvar too, from what I’ve heard)

Walking, Running Away

For sunsets and a nice dinner, definitely take a trip to the city of Komiža. It’s possible to bike the 10km from Vis (the capital of Vis is…Vis) to Komiža, but be warned, it’s a serious ride. 7 kilometers of those 10 are entirely up hill (bring water) with the last km coming in at a stout 10% gradient. The only reprise comes in the last 3km, with a winding downhill at a gradient of 9%…try not to overheat your brakes,

Warnings aside, I really do recommend biking there…how else is one to burn up the vacation calories?

For beaches I would highly recommend Komiža over Vis. Kamenice beach is pretty nice, and if you want to come home without tan lines, there are 2 nude beaches right next to it.

Don’t skip the seafood in Vis.

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Like something out of a dream.

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stiniva cove

Stiniva cove, arguably the most beautiful spot on the island. Getting here from Komiža will entail another 12 km of uphill biking (I swear there isn’t one flat spot on the entire island) with easier sub 5% gradients, a long easy descent, and one short punchy ramp up to the overlook. Another option for getting to the cove would be taking a boat (and missing the view below) or renting a car.

Hiking down, the route is fairly well marked with bullseye markers to let you know you are still on the trail. I timed the trip down and up, and both worked out to be about 15min. of 3rd class scramble. If the hike down starts to feel dangerous or sketchy, chances are you’ve strayed off route. I recommend getting to the cove early, before midday, as the sun will end up dipping behind the cliffs later in the day.

Heading back to Vis, depending on how you time your trip back, you might have a nice view of the city at dusk (bring bike lights if you biked) as you head back into town.