Croatia

Waterfront Promenade 

Split Croatia

Well I finally made it to Split Croatia.  
But before I detail that trip I do offer a bit of an apology for the way the last posting displayed the photos.  Can't for the life of me figure out what happened when I said publish.  Everything looked ok to me but it came out differently on the web.  Oh well, it happens. All looks good with a scotch or two under the belt...right?

So, Ava and I headed out early morning on January 15th to start our sojourn to Split.
Our travel route took us from Firenze, Santa Maria Novella train station -> Bologna -> Ancona where we boarded the Jadrolinija ferry for a 12 hour crossing to Split.  Arriving in Split at 0700 am on Saturday.  We were met by the owner of our apartment whom took us straight there.  Even though it is less than 1km to the apartment, It was all uphill and one way streets.  Add the language barrier and we would have been screwed if left on our own.

The night before:
The night before our departure the owner of our apartment in Firenze came to do a final inspection, read the metres and return our 500euro deposit.  Or so we thought.  
Although the accommodation did have its faults such as poor heating, mold on the walls, leaking radiators and a new oven replacement we did not mind it at all.When the gas metre was read the amount came to 600 cubic metres for the two months.  Now the rate for the gas is 1euro/cubic metre.  Yup!! Kiss the deposit good-by.  Well almost, we split the difference with the owner.  We were all in disbelief as to the amount.  And I was asking long before our arrival for the estimates on the utilities.  Now, I go all inclusive for utilites.  

The journey to Split:
We had too much frickin baggage.  It made the trip totally stressful, lugging it across platforms, up stairs and escalators, cramming it into small staterooms on the boat and it was bloody heavy.  never again after this trip is over.
Thank goodness we planned with long layovers in all of our stops.  The trains were delayed from the very first departure at Firenze SMN, then Bologna.  But the ship left on time.  It was not too crowded, comfortable and the breakfast was absolutely disgusting. 

Split accommodation:

I booked our current place on booking com.  It looked ok in the photos.  The location is excellent, close to the water, main beaches, shopping, Diocletian's Palace and transport hubs.  The only thing is that the place really sucks.  There is no place to sit other than the kitchen table or on your bed.  Sorry, but the old country ways just don't cut it with me.  Hot water is pretty rare and I hate baths.  The shower head comes to my hips.  Hmmmm.
Hopefully the next place is better...it is a block from the ocean with a view and proper seating area.
Grocery shopping here is an experience.  Thank god for google translate on my iphone.

Excursions:
Planning trips to Mostar and Sarajevo (Boznia & Herzegovina).  Zadar and Dubrovnik.
Possibly take the train to Zagreb, but have to do more research on that as it is heading into the snow belt.

Well, that's about it for now.  Enjoy the photos below and drop an email or two to my hotmail account if you have the time.

Cheers from Croatia, Bruce