Balkan Adventure Pt. 1: Croatia
After realizing we would be getting into serious trouble for staying in the Schengen region for too long, we decided to head towards the Balkan region of Europe. Croatia was always on our minds, and we constantly went back and forth between going and saving it for another trip. But, with our newfound knowledge, we figured this was the obvious starting point!
We began in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb.We left Italy on a whim, soooo, when we finally reached Croatia we had no clue what currency to use, where we were going to stay, and ultimately where our 13 hour train had taken us.We were welcomed with open arms by the Wallaby House Hostel which turned out to be AMAZING and our home away from home. We made many friends and memories while staying here that we will always cherish.
The first night we arrived Cracker (the hostel owner) invited us all to participate in quiz night. Best decision ever. We guessed songs, movies and played basic trivia all while trying to score bonuses points by eating pancakes off your face, whistling happy birthday with cereal in your mouth and gargling Rakkia (Croatian moonshine) for a minute. TOTAL beast mode for the two that actually did it without dying.The second day, Camden and I got back into the free walking tours..YES!!!! It had been a while. We met even more amazing people, learned about the city and got some tips for local food spots at the end! So, Camden and I took it upon ourselves to take ourselves on a Croatian food tour which would end in a food coma and many food babies...We first tried Strûkli which was obviously sent from the gods. It's a cheesy goodness with a light layer of filo on bottom, acting as a crust. Our was filled with truffles and it was TO DIE FOR. We learned that it is a very traditional plate for many Croatian grandmothers to make. They also come in assorted flavors of sweet and savory, you could really put whatever you wanted inside but the stuck to cheeses, spices and fruits.
We then went on to try Cevapi, again amazing. It was, for lack of better words, a sausage sandwich with some sort of mystery cream sauce that made you beg for more. There's not much more too it, it was just good!
We of course had dessert but nothing very traditional soooooo just imagine a huge dessert (I had a mint fudge brownie) after eating all the food and BAM. Food coma.Luckily we walked some off while dragging ourselves back to the hostel before our big night out.That night the hostel planned to go out and check the Zagreb nightlife out. We started with some beer pong at the hostel to "warm up". After many people doubting our abilities, Camden and I took the win! We all took Rakkia shots before hopping the tram to get to the city center and party the night away. It was a crazy night to say the least hahah. There were many memorable quotes from Cracker, many drinks to be had and an interesting uber drive home hahah. We got in around 3 am. Just in time to take a cat nap before heading to Plitvice falls in the morning!Plitvice falls is amazing. It should probably have its own post. But for now, it stays here..
I've heard about the waterfalls in Croatia a handful of times while researching places to go while i was still in the US. Some of our friends had visited before and told us it was blasphemous if we did not see the waterfalls while in Croatia. they were all 100% correct.This is the view immediately walking into Plitvice Lakes Park.... Are you kidding me?!
The park is massive. It is so lush with trees scraping the blue skies above. I'm sure many don't even realize the trees because of the crystal blue water that steals your attention anytime you dare look away. I've never seen water this beautiful before (well maybe in the Cayman Islands) but this was just magnificent!
Around every turn there was another jaw dropping view of a waterfall or fairy-type looking garden, or where I imagine fairies and magical creatures reside.
My words, nor my pictures could do this place justice. Just do yourself a favor and make it here. It's unreal.Standing next to things of this size was indescribable. I believe waterfalls have some sort of gravitational pull on people, we all just stop and stare at the magnificence of water falling. Its great and I love it. You will too. I promise.Our last day in Zagreb was our "planning day" aka what in the world are we going to do next?!?We had no clue. We knew we had to stay in the Balkan region a bit longer, and we needed to make our way down to Greece. Lucky for us, our new friends Daniel and Eliza told us about their trip to the country Montenegro. They visited the cities, Budva and Kotor. From their stories, we were sold.We weren't completely done with Croatia, but at least we had a game plan for the next country to come!!The following morning we left for the city of Split. From other travelers we heard this seaside city was something not to be missed.Our first morning there we headed to the green market. good decision #1. The whole market smelled amazing. Of fresh fruits and flowers. Ahhh I loved it! We picked up some products to get us by the next two days. It was such a good feeling to be eating fresh!
After the market we decided to head to the most famous beach of Split. Good decision #2. The water again, was fantastic! It was super cold! I only got in a little, but it was so clear! The beaches in Croatia are unlike the beaches I am accustomed to. These beaches are made of mostly of rocks and small pebbles, unlike the soft, warm sand at home. But nevertheless it was nice to finally be by a large body of water, feeling the sun and seeing nothing but blue in the horizon. 
The weather was finicky, we stole the last rays of sunshine before rain clouds came rolling through. We walked back to our hostel for some lunch and to change back into cold weather clothes :(Later that day we headed back out to see Diocletian's Palace. The history behind this building is phenomenal. Here's the short breakdown for you..
This place is cool to begin with, then add this to the game of thrones film sights and BAM. Even cooler haha. Being an avid fan, I was very happy to be here!The weather warmed up a bit, so Camden and I just sat along the harbor and watched pigeons be pigeons. Hahah. It's a new favorite pastime since pigeons are apparently the universal bird. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. I can't escape them!!!Anyways.... That's how we ended our day, sitting along the dock talking and working up our appetite for our fresh dinner made by chef Camden.The next day was pretty gloomy with showers ALL DAY LONG. As there is much more to the city, we felt like we saw what we had come to see. And we weren't too keen on braving the storm that day. Lucky for us, the hostel we were staying at had free streaming Game of Thrones on the tv in our room. So we had a marathon day and almost caught up to where everyone else in the world is.We woke up bright (well actually still dark) an early at 4:30am to catch a bus to Kotor, Montenegro!And here we goooo!
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