We woke up this morning to the sound of someone walking by knocking on doors to tell us all to get up. Then there was a rather violent and noisy shuddering signaling we were docking. It was a good thing we had set the alarm clock though because this docking was half an hour ahead of schedule. Apparently there was an intercom announcement waking everyone up and telling drivers to head to their cars but we didn’t get one in our room. No bother, we returned our room key to get my passport back and we quickly found the exit, back through the car level onto land. We had to line up to go through passport control which didn’t take too long and then we were officially on Croatian soil, in the bright sunshine of Split harbor.
It wasn’t hard to find our boat, all of the cruise companies and people with private yachts moor up and dock just up from the ferry terminal. We were really, really early though so we had to store our back packs with a guy on the street (he had a shed set up along side all the tourist vendors) for 15 kuna each. That’s equivalent to about $2. We set off in search of breakfast next and eventually found bread stuffed with a feta-like cheese that were really good. We climbed a staircase back out onto the street and found ourselves in the middle of a bustling market filled with just about anything you could ask for. Which was great considering this is where we found Brandon’s much, much needed pair of sandals. But there was fruit and veggies and meat and cheese alongside clothing, dishes, underwear and shoes. It was great.
We just kept walking for a while but without our guidebook which I so helpfully left in my backpack, we didn’t really know what we should be looking for. We wound our way through dirty and rough looking residential streets before we finally stopped to take a break in a park. From there we kind of headed towards a bell tower which turned out to be in the centre of the old town, exactly what you’re supposed to see in Split. Bright, sunlit, skinny streets full of tourists being ferried in from the massive cruise ship sitting just outside the harbor were lined with cafes and little shops. We climbed a load of steps up to the top of the bell tower to get a good view of the red and orange rooftops and sea down below. Then we slowly made our way back through the crowd and sat for a while at the harbor front before making out way to our boat to see if we could get checked in.
Our boat is called Eos and there were already quite a few people onboard. We were a little worried at the beginning since everyone sitting there looked about 65 years old! But then as more people boarded the average age started to drop. There’s a good mix of nationalities, mostly Aussies though, and about half a dozen people in our age range that will be fun to hang around with.
After a briefing by the cruise line rep and introductions to our crew, we soon set sail on our way south. We had lunch, which was salad, soup, pork with potatoes and tomato sauce, and banana splits for dessert. Then we stopped to swim in the sea which was cold, really salty, but so, so much fun. No one jumped from the top of the boat but I’m pretty sure that is to come!
Our cabin is a lot more spacious that I expected it to be. We didn’t luck out and get a double bed but we’re below deck and I think only the above deck rooms have the doubles. We have our own bathroom complete with a shower that’s bigger than ours was in the Edinburgh flat and though not very big or bright, we have two porthole windows.
We got to know each other, traded names and travel stories and made plans for what to do for dinner. By the time we docked for the night we were feeling pretty comfy on the boat. So far the water’s been smooth and the sun was nice and warm. We went with the group for dinner tonight, starting in one place for a drink and pizzas to share and then made our way to another restaurant for main courses. The food’s been great and there’s nothing too out of the ordinary on the menus. Not much was going on in town, other than a wedding just ending as our boat pulled into port. We thought about going to find it and crash the party but thought that might not be the best idea. After ice cream and a short walk around the main part of town we decided to head back to the boat. Brandon and I climbed up to the top-most deck and lounged on the sun beds to watch the stars for a little while before going to bed. It was a great first day.
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