Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Split, Croatia - The end is near

Our cruise was nearly coming to a close as we sailed into Split, Croatia. It was probably the best way to nudge us out of our dream vacation state, as the weather in Split was the hottest and most humid of the whole trip. We came into port early in the morning, and already it was nearly 90 degrees and nearly the same percent humidity.







We have heard rave reviews of Croatia. We know it is some people's favorite country. Whether it was the heat, the dread of going back to work, or the city itself, we sadly did not fall in love with Croatia. However, looking back at our photos and reminiscing, there were some really nice highlights that still made the day memorable.




We spent some time walking around the city and shopping at the local outdoor market. I loved the vats of dried dates and figs, all emitting a sweet aroma in the humid air. While our farmer's markets in the States are amazing, there is really nothing like the markets of Europe, especially the Mediterranean. You can't beat the natural abundance of the local produce and eats of this incredible region.



















It was so hot that Kyle and I stopped five times (not exaggerating here!) in about six hours for some type of drink or food. We were really just looking for an excuse to cool down.





We first stopped into a little Croatian cafe for some breakfast. This was a breakfast for one person! It came with local Croatian cured meats, cheese, olives and tomatoes, an omelet, fresh baked bread, coffee and orange juice.

I notice that I wore a bathing suit that day under my clothes. It is kind of funny thinking back on this idea, because we quickly found out this was not the city to swim in. Although the water appeared crystal clear and blue, we couldn't help but notice the pungent stench of raw sewage that made us think they dump all our dumps from the ship into the port! Instead of going for a dip in the ocean, I opted to go back to the ship for some pool-time.






While we ate in the cafe, we saw dozens of tourists taking photos at this spot. So we decided to be followers.




After walking about 10 feet, we stopped yet again for some Croatian wine. It wasn't my favorite wine of the trip, but still satisfied us with a good cooling and relaxing effect.




Kyle and I had some Croatian cash to burn, so we went to a local grocery store to spend it. We got a bunch of these packets of amazing spread for toast--it was similar to Nutella, but a little better because it had a wonderfully rich white chocolate hazelnut swirl. We packed it to bring home to our family. However, when I opened my luggage, I found the packets had exploded! So we now only have a photo memory of this delicious treat.





In addition to the Nutella spin-off, we got a couple Croatian beers and sat on the dock, watching sweaty tourists walk by.



 
 
Happy Eating,
Emi

4 comments:

  1. Emi - you look like a movie star in that breakfast picture! (And kind of annoying they weren't on the Euro...)

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  2. Wa, it look like that you have an unforgottenable experience in your wedding occasion. Eerything looked just beautiful with freshwater pearl jewelry and pearl ring.But if you also wear pearl pendant would be more perfect.

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  3. Hi Emi and Kyle,

    Reading your blog and watching your photos I imagine that you had (despite it was too hot) a good time. You have spent more time on Pazar (green Split Market) than in other places. Next time take a walk on Bacvice beach (not far from boiling city center) and take some swimming there to cool off.

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  4. Hi!
    My name is Amy and I'm with Dwellable.
    I was looking for fun and authentic posts about Split to share on our travel site, when I stumbled across your blog...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at amy(at)dwellable(dot)com.
    Hope to hear from you soon!
    Amy

    ReplyDelete