Bus from Split to Sarajevo 🚌
Leaving Split, Croatia at 7:00am (+02:00) on Sunday the 11th of June 2017 and arriving in Sarajevo, Bosnia at 2:15pm (+02:00) on Sunday the 11th of June 2017
at a cost of 166hrk
split (7 out of 7)
- ゜ Chill
- ゜ Plan for the next week
- ゜ Eat loads of tasty food
Redesign homepageMake micropub endpoint accept updates and deletes via json- ゜ Write about making micropub endpoint accept updates and deletes via json
Write thesis- ゜ Walked 6km, found beaches, sat in sun.
Split again
I wandered around Split and swam in the sea today.
It was busy, and felt more touristy than last time, though I'm about two months later than last time, a month into to summer and high season. It's mostly as I remember it, but some improvements. There are more vegan food options around for a start. Last time I asked at lots of gelato places for dairy free, and got either blank stares or definitive nos. This time, everywhere had vegan sorbet, and one had a vegan sugar free chocolate ice cream.
I returned to MakroVega and Vege Fast Food, places I ate before. I also stopped at Marta's Fusion, a veggie restaurant I did not come across last time.
The hostel I'm staying in (En Route) is a bit out of town, and beside a super weird semi-abandoned mall/stadium. It's new and really nice. The 18-bed dorm is enormous, loads of space, and private curtained pod-beds. Unfortunately it's full of party animals. Right now (7pm) there's music blasting from the common area or outside. When I took a nap between 9am and 11am, there were also ravers in the room. So I'm anticipating the same late tonight as well, or at the very least boistrous late returns. Oh well, such is dorm life.
My main mission today was to get a bus ticket for tomorrow. After being distracted by the beach for a few hours I finally made it to the bus station. Online, tickets cost 210kn, but not all bus companies are represented. There's supposedly a Bosnian company with shorter travel times, but I couldn't find anyone representing them there. In the end I paid 166kn (less than £20) for a one way 8 hour journey, leaving at 7am, with Globtour.
Then I wandered around town... ate food, bought food for tomorrow.
Sea and storms
It was crazy hot this morning, though my legs made me promise not to do anything too strenuous. I deliberately set out ill-equipped for any adventures involving mountains, rocks or undergrowth. So you can imagine how that went ;)
I picked up a hemp burger and interesting couscous cake thing from Makrovega, dropped off clothes at a laundrette, and made for the beaches on the north side of Marjan. I was spoilt for choice regarding beautiful and deserted spots of clear water. I noticed this starting to roll in...
Becoming rapidly closer, and emitting thunder, but still far enough away..
I had enough time to dry off in the sun, eat my burger and get dressed and duck into the woods before the first rain started to fall. Seeing and hearing it approach across the water was cool, and I sheletered under a pine tree until it passed. I carried on around the edge of Marjan, each little rocky cove more blue and clear than the last. The next wave of rain was heavier and lasted longer. I sheltered under the trees for the worst, and managed to make it to a restaurant before it got really bad. The restaurant had wifi, coffee and a sea/rain view, so I bedded in. The rain didn't look like it was going away any time soon. I did, however, have a pressing need to pick up a chocolate amaranth pudding from Makrovega before the socialwg call at 7 (not to mention my laundry), so I couldn't stay there all day. I heard an Irish couple asking the staff to help call a taxi, so I got in on that, and they wouldn't even take any money. They happened to be staying in a perfect proximity to the laundrette, Makrovega, and my hostel, so I successfully completed all tasks shortly after being dropped off and made it back in time. And the rain had stopped.
Later I wandered out to pick up food from Vege on the seafront, but despite Google's assurance they were open til 2300, they were not. I found some pretty great box noodles on the way home, with seitan, many veggies and peanuts. Split's answer to Edinburgh's Red Box, but cheaper and all round better.
Up super early for the bus to Zadar tomorrow...
Today's general achievements:
Where fishes go
Arrived in Split just after 7am; it was a beautiful day and I couldn't check in to the hostel until 9, so I wandered into town. The world was just waking up, the sun was warm even though it was early, the sea was sloshing, there were mountains in the distance. Even though there were a lot of people about, and market stalls being set up, everything felt so calm.
Naturally, I got sidetracked by a hill and ended up climbing pretty far up Marjan, the forest-park-hill. The views were beautiful, and passing runners made me excited to run there. Even with two rucksacks the climb was pleasant. I looped back in time to get to the hostel just after 9.
The hostel (Tchaikovsky) is tiny and tucked away down a side street; the owner was really friendly and welcoming, and when I arrived he was running around helping out other guests, picking up laundry, fixing travel plans, and booking other hostels for people he couldn't find rooms for here. Tea and coffee are on tap, and the place is relaxed and super well maintained.
Whilst waiting for my key I made friends with R from near Manchester and L from Singapore. We all headed out together for today's adventure. First stop was a vegetarian cafe 5 minutes down the road from the hostel, where I picked up a seitan sandwich. Then we started by climbing Marjan again, and continuing all the way to the very end of the park, where we spotted this beach:
I, erm, needed to go there. So we did.
And L and I swam in the sea and it was lovely.
We headed back to town, the guys got some food. I discovered through extensive market research that here everyone makes sorbet with cream. How frustrating.
R left and L and I followed a trail of monuments and ruins in the town that he had a map for. There are 14 points with big signs that tell you all about them, which was cool. We never did find number 5 though (Jupiter's Temple). Below is not what the trail looks like on the map...
Then we wandered further east and discovered some more beaches. I paddled and pegged some more good swimming spots for tomorrow.
The threat of torrential rain was looming all day, according to the ominous clouds and the weather forecast. We obviously got seriously lucky. But even it it rains for the next few days I've now seen most of Split (L is leaving tomorrow, hence urgently covering the main attractions). Though I do plan to take a trip to Krka national park, this week is supposed to be a relaxed working environment rather than an actual holiday, so being trapped in the hostel by storms would probably be pretty good.
On that note, the hostel is great. Rooms are really nice, and the beds have privacy curtains, power sockets, big free lockers, and it's like a tenner a night.
Arrived before hostel opened, couldn't resist climbing a hill (Marjan)