The Balkan Journey - Chapter 2: Croatia

Trains are my favorite part of the journey. It gives you a real sense of travel as you breeze pass the small houses, farms, railway stations; waving adiós to people, but really sending them a telepathic signal  “yes, I am going to explore new places while you continue with your usual boring life here”. So I took a lazy train, albeit it was tagged as express, from Budapest to Split to explore the beautiful landscape of both the countries. It was an unique experience, least to say, from the point I boarded the train.

At around midnight we saw some gypsies on the train, only to realize they were border control officers, on board to check our passports.

I handed over my passport and he asked me annoyingly,”I need a photo id of yours”

I replied hesitantly “I just gave you my passport and that is my photo id”. 

He looked at me irritated and commanded in a clear, loud voice “I need some other id so that I can make sure this passport is real”.

I searched my wallet and handed over my Japanese driving license (which is all in Japanese but had my good old picture). The officer matched the picture of the passport to the license, stamped my passport happily and moved on.

Lesson learned “If you can’t convince someone, then confuse them” and that is exactly what the officer did to himself.

Early morning we caught the first glimpse of Split, and it looked absolutely picturesque, but as soon as I got off the train station, the feeling of  “most beautiful city in the world” or “Mediterranean summer”, as the locals call it, vanished quickly. It seemed more like a busy port, full of tourists and back packers who were waiting for small boats to luxury yachts and mega-ships to carry them to “far far away islands”. First impression can be deceptive though. As you roam around this historic city, centered on the beautiful Diocletian palace, you quickly get mesmerized by its beautiful architecture, squares and churches.

By the day, you can explore the small shops in and around the palace, walk on the waterfront, enjoy kremšnite (creamy cakes) at its numerous bakeries and cafe or simply sunbathe on its small but characteristic beaches. By the night, you can have drinks at the small bars lined up on the steps inside the old town or groove your move at the many clubs on Bacvice beach where partying strictly starts after midnight.

One of my stranger-waiting-to-be-friends from Split told me that food in Split is simple and boring yet flavorful and scrumptious. The food is influenced by many different cultures and regions such as Slavic, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek and Italian, naturally making a very interesting cuisine. Some of my favorite spots

Konoba Nikola – A small restaurant just outside the city serving simply the best grilled fish and sea food in the whole of Split. Mostly popular among locals, you will not know this place unless someone spills out the secret.

Konoba Marjan – Near the waterfront towards Marjan hill, this small restaurant serves delicious fish and is rated highly on all travel websites.

Zrno Soil – A relatively new name in the small list of upscale restaurants, with a breath-taking view and equally amazing food.

Pizzeria Galija – One of the oldest pizzeria. Good food but poor service. Don’t bother to order anything other than pizza.

I am sure there are many other experiences in Split and I wish I could try them all, but as a traveler I had to move on to explore a new unkown.

My trip to Croatia was more like a teaser as it was short-lived and did not take me to any popular destinations such as Dubrovnik and Hvar, but it still showed me Split - a jewel in the crown of Croatia.