We arrived in the Port of Dubrovnik early in the morning, just about sunrise and it might be one of the prettiest ports that we have seen yet. Surrounded by islands, beautiful green mountains, and crystal water walking out onto the deck was a surreal moment it felt like I was in a different world.
Day 1: We took public transportation (shoutout to my skills) and went into the city of Dubrovnik and let me tell you it felt like Disneyland and I was not a big fan of it. We arrived in what they call off-season and if that was off-season I don’t even wanna think about what on-season is like. It was loaded with tourists inside the city walls everything is catered towards tourists so that means everything is expensive. The culture and history of Dubrovnik was not present which was a bummer to see but I can’t judge it much because I am a tourist myself so we took it in and enjoyed it for what it was and paid the $30 for each meal. In old town we went to the Buza Bar where they have drinks, views, and cliff jumping I participated in 2 of the 3. Following those events we went to hang out at the beach. The water was so clear you could see the everything below you which was quite terrifying at times.
Next we opted to hike to the high overlook point called Mount Srd. There was an option to take a 3 minute long cable ride up but what kind of Coloradan would I be if I didn’t chose to hike in my birkenstocks. The views are also better when you have to work for it. I do love views so this was one of my favorite things I did in Croatia, we also ran into a cattle farmer and his cows and almost got stampeded and the cattle farmer pet our heads. Then we started our journey home.
Day 2: The start of the program that I signed up for through Semester at Sea it was called Plitvice Lakes National Park and Split City tour, so the next 3 days I would be with a group of about 20 people exploring different parts of Croatia. Which is a great but also constricting at the same time because everything is planned out for you but it’s to the point of what you eat and when you go to the bathroom. Overall though field programs are very cool and we get the opportunity to experience the country and the culture in a hands on way. The first day was lots of bus riding, but we also went to a place called Entoland and learned about their culture, I most enjoyed the lunch. We arrived that night at our hotel near the park which actually meant treehouses, yes we stayed in these fancy treehouses.
Day 3: We got to explore the park, there was lakes, waterfalls, trees and rocks and all together they created some of the most pristine nature that I’d ever seen besides the fact of all the tourists. After a day of exploring we headed to a town called Split where we stayed that night. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Day 4: Started the day doing a city tour of the palace and some other historic things that again I can’t remember the names of. I do remember the Grugar Ninski statue, legend holds that if you rub his big toe on the right foot life will grant you good luck so you know I gave the toe a rub. Following that we toured an art museum (not by choice) but the views were pretty so I liked that part of it. After another planned meal that consisted of mashed potatoes and meat we were back on the bus again going towards a place called Ston. Its kinda an island kinda land I’m not really sure but here we took a boat across the water to the middle of the lake on a floating restaurant and got an oyster tour and all the oysters we wanted. After sunset on the floating thing we got again back on the bus and finished the ride home. Home as in the ship.
Day 5: Beach day! That’s literally it, we hung out on the beach. Oh we also snuck up on the city walls and evaded the insane price they make us tourists pay. How we did it? I couldn’t tell you, how we didn’t get caught? I also couldn’t say, maybe they just felt bad for us.
That was it for my explorations in Croatia, it’s a place that I wish to visit again because of the vast amount of things and places there are to see and do. The beauty of the nature is unmatched and I’m a sucker for that.
Ally’s Insights
1. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again always wake up for the sunrises
2.Game of Thrones tourism is a real thing
3. Rub Grugar’s big toe
4. Opening your eyes in salt water starts to sting after awhile
5. Don’t go cliff jumping when the tide is low
6. Don’t chew oysters unless you want to gag
Casablanca, Morocco coming next!
I post more pictures and videos of my travels on my instagram @big.al.adventures be sure to check it out if you’d like!
Ally's Adventure Abroad 