CROATIA

The Global Road Trip continues...

CROATIA.

After our adventures in Athens and Santorini, we planned to leave Greece bound for the islands of Croatia. Unfortunately, we hadn't bothered to plan how to get there. After endless searches for buses, trains, even flights, it turns out it's not so easy...

After a flight, a three-hour train ride, a 16-hour ferry trip to Italy (yes Italy!), a night spent on the floor of an Italian ferry terminal tangled in backpacks, and finally, a second nine-hour ferry - we arrived absolutely shattered on the streets of Dubrovnik. KT was so exhausted she actually lay down on in the gutter and went to sleep.

Here it is...
Flight - Santorini to Athens, Greece.
Train - Athens to Patras, Greece.
Ferry - Patras, Greece to Bari, Italy.
Ferry - Bari, Italy to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Idiots.

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Anyone found an easier way to do it? Without paying crazy prices for flights?

Dane on the ferry between Patras and Bari. I love this photo. Dane looks exhausted and travel-happy at the same time.

Here's KT amongst suitcases and chairs trying to get forty winks…

Apparently we had it good...

The reason we had to get to Dubrovnik was because one of my greatest friends, Rhiannon, had flown over from Australia to join us sailing around Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. So literally we couldn't be late.

Poor Rhiannon, we looked shattered when we found her, could hardly talk, then we asked if she could she sneak us into her hotel so we could use the shower. Four days without showers, it wasn't pretty.

No time to rest though - an hour later we were due to meet the boat that was to take us to the islands. Unfortunately, this meant we had no time to explore Dubrovnik and her walls. After the 50-hour Greece-Croatia commute, Croatia's waters suddenly seemed worth it...

We joined a Busabout Croatia boat as our mode of transport which I would highly recommend if you're a single 20-something male. Of the 20 of us onboard, I believe there were 4 males, 2 of whom were single. Of the 16 girls, I think 14 were single! Most amusing.

It's not overly our style to join something like a Busabout boat, but in terms of getting us to and from all the islands, it was perfect. Here she is - our accommodation for the next eight days...

This is the route we took - a one way sail from Dubrovnik to Split:

Busabout's map:

I think the getting-from-Greece-to-Croatia ordeal actually tipped KT and I to the point of exhaustion. KT, having stepped onto the boat, took herself straight to bed and didn't wake up for 48 hours. I got an ear-ache and a prickly heat rash over my entire body. It got so bad I found myself in a Croatian A&E Department getting prescriptions for antibiotics and steroid cream.

Luckily, our days on the boat consisted of swimming, eating, sunning, reading, swimming and eating again.

The recovery begins...

Korcula.

One of my favourite experiences in Croatia was inside the castle walls on the island of Korcula. Inside the castle's turret there is a cocktail bar where we sat, watched the sunset and sipped cocktails. An incredible evening.

Korcula's castle walls.

Yours truly climbing up the into the turret.

Hvar.

Of all the islands off the coast of Croatia, Hvar is definitely the party place. Here we indulged in too much amazing seafood, steak and a few cocktails...

Rhiannon, KT and I enjoying Hvar's hospitality...

Slow start to the next morning as we set sail for Bol...

KT and I soak up the Croatian goodness.

Bol.

Bol is super famous for its shoehorn 'beach'. However, as Dane and I swum the 2kms from the boat to the tip of Bol's shoehorn - we found out the 'sand' is actually pebbles! A well kept secret.

Omis.

Although not on the map, the final island stop was Omis. We docked right at the bottom of a huge set of cliffs overlooking the bay. With a few others from the boat, Rhiannon, Dane and I set out to hike the cliffs in 30 degree heat. Not an overly clever idea given the heat, but the views were incredible.

Dane conquers Omis.

Lucky Omis has great views, its beach was holiday hell.

After a delightfully indulgent week, our boat docked in amazing Split.

We had five days left with KT and Rhiannon, so with not much thought, we decided we'd hire a car and drive into Bosnia...

GRT.

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