Coffee, Cigarettes, and Croatia
From Athens, we headed for Dubrovnik, Croatia. As you may have read previously, this was not our original plan. Before our COVID detour, we were going to Zagreb after Athens and from there, were going to do a Croatian tour. Since we stayed in Athens much longer than planned and had to revise our Schengen days (given the 90 day visa limit), we actually looked at Google flights for any non-stop, non-Schengen destination from Athens. We even discussed Cairo, Egypt as an option which was not on our original itinerary since it’s not near surrounding places we’re visiting (although, we want to visit eventually).
What narrowed down our search were affordability and non-stop flights, temperature, and destinations near subsequent destinations (e.g., Zagreb, Croatia). That led us to Dubrovnik and from there, we made our way north to Zagreb, Croatia. Essentially, we remixed our Croatian tour with different dates. We decided to make Dubrovnik our “splurge” city and booked an apartment near swimming spots in the Adriatic Sea. We stayed here longer than originally planned which ended up being prudent. We were still exhausted after our recovery and rested for the first two days.
Old Town Dubrovnik
Our travel day from Athens to Dubrovnik was ROUGH! I was still nauseated from my follow-up spinal tap and magically did not vomit the whole day which is impressive. During the plane ride, which was bumpy the entire time since we were on a small plane, I actually cried because I was in so much pain. I definitely freaked out nearby passengers and wonder if there are any photos of myself on airplane subreddit pages. After a bumpy plane ride and taxi rides with many twists and turns, we made it to the apartment in one piece. I didn’t even care that we were walking our bags uphill in the rain; I was just happy to be somewhat stationary and exist in a temperate environment.
Once we started feeling better, we swam in the Adriatic Sea and absolutely loved the water. Eventually we bought goggles and noticed all the sea urchins that Jeff more likely stepped on. Sarah’s water shoes: 1, Jeff’s feet (with sea urchin spines): 0. We felt better each day, but felt exhausted easily, so we gradually explored Old Town. Old Town is beautiful and although touristy, we felt that it was less obtrusive compared to other popular destinations we’ve been to - less selfie sticks, tacky plastic nick-nacks, and flashy large signage. We walked along the City Walls and every vantage point was different and breathtaking. One of the museums that impacted me the most is the War Photo Limited. While heartbreaking and intense, it allowed me to see the raw moments of war and learn more about the Yugoslav Wars. They also have an exhibit featuring limited prints from wars in different countries. From there, we went to the Franciscan Church and Monastery and enjoyed being in the courtyard which was quite the contrast from where we just were; it was peaceful and serene. It makes a nice escape from the crowded streets of Old Town.
Walls of Dubrovnik
Franciscan Church and Monastery
While we were in Dubrovnik, we declared that Neapolitan pizza is now our favorite style of pizza. Pizza Papillon has the best crust and unique flavors like pizzas with pumpkin sauce and carrot and ginger sauce. The cherry on top for us was the hot sauce (Vrabasco), this one is my favorite. I swear we’re not getting paid to advertise, but we have to let people know that this pizza and hot sauce makes life more complete. Our place was near the Cave Bar which is pretty cool for one drink, but I personally do not think you need to go out of your way to visit depending on your itinerary in Dubrovnik. I love caves and yes, a cave bar sounds really cool, but there are only a few spots that make you feel like you’re in a cave. Moral of the story, I guess it’s best to leave nature as is :) However if you do go, I would go before the evening so it’s less crowded and you have the space to explore and be comfortable. We planned on going to Lokrum Island however, we did not feel up for it physically when the day arrived. Although I haven’t visited, I highly recommend it based on what I’ve heard and read!
After we said our goodbyes to Dubrovnik including our favorite pizza place, we set sail for Split. We took a ferry which was a nice change of scenery, and we weren’t charged for our bags unlike flying which was wonderful! We actually liked Split a lot more than we were expecting.
Split is a beautiful city, and the history of Diocletian's Palace and how Split became a popular city was interesting to me. From what I recall, the residents of the area essentially built within the Palace using materials from Roman structures after the fall of the Roman Empire. The Palace was transformed into a vibrant community which you can still sense to this day even though there are less residential apartments. One of our favorite things to do there was walk along the winding alleyways of Split and see where it takes you. D16 handsdown was one of our favorite coffee shops there. It’s essentially divided into two different parts and the area across the sidewalk from where you order is a beautiful part of the shop with stone walls and windows with old wooden shutters that overlook a small garden.
I went on a free walking tour of Diocletian’s Palace with Free Spirit Tours which was one of the highlights of our trip in Split. As you can guess, the walking tour was tip-based, and the guide I had, Tomislav, was an expert! He walked you through the history of Split in a relatable way instead of throwing out dates and names. Just like any other service, one’s experience with Free Spirit Tours really depends on the tour guide you’re paired with. We did not enjoy our experience as much with the tour guide in Zagreb but would still recommend it. Regardless of our preferences, we still gained more knowledge and a better understanding of the city after the tour than before.
Saint Domnius Cathedral
D16 Coffee in Split
After the tour in Split, Jeff and I met up at Marvlvs Library Jazz Bar which was easily one of our favorite bars. As the name implies, it felt like we walked into a library and loved the ambience and music they played. Do not expect to be able to order an Aperol Spritz; it is not that kind of bar. Their menu which reads like a book has limited but delicious cocktails, and they host live music some nights. We strolled our way back home after making a pit stop for french fries :)
During our last day in Split, we got breakfast again at Ćiri Biri Bela. We try not to go to the same place twice during a short visit, but their breakfast is amazing! We recommend splitting waffles as a starter and then ordering whatever you wish not to share :) Unless you order the “Best of Breakfast - For 2” which really felt like a breakfast for 3 that we ate happily. Once our bellies were full of sustenance, we headed for Park Šuma Marjan. This was a good challenge for us after recovering from COVID and well worth the ascent given the 360 views of Split at the top. I do wish however there was a cable car to the beach once you’re at the top during the summer season ;) If we had more time in Split, I would have wanted to visit nearby islands or book an island tour. Our original itinerary included an island stay but since we had to rearrange everything and take it day by day given our stamina, we were unable to check out nearby islands. In spite of that, we enjoyed our time in Split and said our farewells with one last cappuccino.
We departed from Dalmatia and headed to Zagreb, the capital city. For a smaller country, Croatia has quite the diversity in land and culture. I was told that Dalmatia, the central coastal strip of the country, is like the Mediterranean and that Zagreb and surrounding areas are Central Europe. It was interesting to see the contrast once we got to Zagreb, and as soon as we arrived at the apartment, I unpacked my bags and was thrilled to be in an apartment that felt like home away from home for two weeks. The next day as I walked around the city, I immediately fell in love. It is less touristy compared to Split and Dubrovnik which gave us a sense of what it’s like to live there.
To all you cheese lovers out there, you will love Croatia. We went to La Štruk for strukli and it was amazing! When I heard the words “baked cheese with blueberries,” I cocked my head to the side but rest assured, it was tasty. We each got one and shared the blueberry and truffle stuckli. Since we are lactose intolerant, we should have just shared one, but since we wanted to try a savory and sweet one, we took the risk and definitely passed out from a lactose coma at home the rest of the day. I suggest sharing the truffle strukli with someone since it is very rich and if you can handle all the cheese, order whatever you want after that one. Another restaurant we liked for breakfast and other entrées is Otto & Frank, and a brewpub we really liked for the beer is Pivnica Ilica (Pivovara Medvedgrad brewery).
A coffee shop that we spend many mornings at is Cogito Coffee Shop. Jeff was able to get a proper filter coffee, and they have rooibos tea. Since I cannot have caffeine often, I love this kind of tea with milk since it is close to coffee (compared to green tea which will never substitute my coffee fix). A coffee shop I wish we got to check out is called Quahwa. This shop apparently serves Turkish coffee brewed in the traditional way with sand which I still haven’t had yet (don’t worry, the sand is not in the coffee). A tucked away bar that we really enjoyed is named Ro & Do. An artist told us about this bar for an after party - more about that in a bit. The bar has interesting and really cool art as you can guess and surprisingly affordable drinks. Like many bars in parts of Europe, people can still smoke inside, so that was hard getting used to. We just pretended to be transported back to the 80’s which was easy since the DJ that evening was spinning 80’s vinyls :)
Cathedral of Zagreb
One night we went to Art Zagreb and got to see a spectrum of art by local artists - everything between paintings, sculptures, and interpretive dancing. One artist in particular exhibited an immersive and meditative experience for her audience. There were several beanbags in a room and each one had music to listen to that represented one of the human organs. You could either close your eyes or watch the video of professional dancers who were listening to the same music while dancing. It was a unique experience, and we were able to speak with the artist who told us about another exhibit near this bar that was hosting an after party. It’s not every day you get this opportunity, so we happily grabbed our raincoat and umbrella and headed that way. We appreciated the opportunity to become familiar with popular artists in Croatia and partake in the afterparty at Ro & Do - definitely a fun way to explore a city!
Since Jeff and I tend to travel at different speeds, I did a day tour of Slovenia while he stayed in Zagreb and made lovely videos of our travels. Ljubljana is such a cool and vibrant city! It is a perfect fusion of traditional and contemporary arts and culture, and in spite of its size, Ljubljana has more musical institutes compared to other capital cities of its size (according to the tour guide). In addition to the street artists, I was welcomed by bees, so many bees! One in 200 people are beekeepers in Slovenia, and the honey is absolutely delicious. Slovenians are also proud of their wine; most of the wine produced in the country is consumed by citizens and the remainder is exported. An average Slovenian drinks around 35 liters of wine a year while the average American drinks around 14 liters of wine a year. Anyone who knows me knows that I could not keep up with the average Slovenian when it comes to wine, so I will happily stick with the honey and pastries.
Lake Bled from Bled Castle
Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity
From Ljubljana, we headed to Lake Bled and rode on the traditional Pletna boat to the Church of the Mother of God which is on an island near the middle of the lake. We headed to Castle Bled which is my favorite view point of Lake Bled and its surroundings. I definitely want to visit Slovenia again for a longer trip and explore more of its natural beauty. While we were at the castle, I had the famous Blejska kremšnita, Bled cream cake, and it was AMAZING! I am more of a chocolate person, but I fell in love and could have had all the slices on display. One of my favorite parts of this day tour were the people I met. Even though I instantly admired Slovenia, I believe that the visit would not have been the same without the kind (and hilarious) people and tour guide, Bruno. On our way back to Zagreb, I had the opportunity to ask several questions to Bruno who was more than patient, and we also discussed politics in our home countries and what we envision for our countries’ potential. I learned so much more about Slovenia and Croatia that day and would visit the Balkans again in a heartbeat.
Before we left Zagreb to Vienna, we visited the famous Dolce Market for produce and apparently it’s also a good spot for buying survivors (we were told that they are more authentic and more affordable compared to souvenir shops). One of my favorite parts of the city is the flower square (Cvjetni Trg) and the floral section of Dolce Market. Since we have our cat Spaghetti, I bought flowers that we avoid back home since many flowers are toxic to cats. And yes, I took multiple photos of Cvjetni Trg and the bouquet we bought. The very day before leaving the country, we made a day trip to Plitviče Lakes National Park which was stunningly beautiful! Originally, we were going to spend the night near the park before our COVID detour. Although our plans changed and we didn’t stay near the area, a day trip was still worth it. Plitviče is the oldest national park in Croatia and has 16 lakes that are connected by little rivers and waterfalls. The fluctuating hues of blue and green depend on the mineral content and organisms including algae in the water and the sunlight's angle. I was in awe over each waterfall we passed and loved the wooded trails we walked along as well. The caves were also one of my favorite parts! We somehow packed that night before leaving the next morning after a very long day of driving and hiking. Little to our surprise, we also barely made it to the bus the next day and were very happy that the bus was running late as well!
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Supljara Cave
If anyone has traveled to the Balkans, we would love to hear your stories and what you loved about it. Or if you are interested in visiting, feel free to share your top priorities and if you’re looking for suggestions, we’re happy to share our insight as well as what we’ve heard from others.
Much love,
Sarah and Jeff
