Back from Croatia- Vacation 14-24 July, 2007

In one word: water. Warm, crystal clear, inviting water. We used it a lot.


In case you haven't looked at a map recently, Czech Republic is dead center of Europe. So, heading to a beach is the ultimate goal in a vacation.


Where We Stayed
We rented apartments in two different towns, Makarska (6 days) and Split (4 days), a few minutes walk to the sea or beaches at either place. Having a kitchen was essential, as was having Ella in her own room for napping, sleeping. Still, we spent most of the day outside the flat. In Makarska we were close to food shops and a vegetable stand, while in Split we shopped at a nearby outdoor farmers' market.


Heat
Nearly every day hit 35C/95F by 10am. When we got home, we learned there was a heatwave across SE Europe, so it wasn't normal. In any case, this meant every day was spent at the beach.

Our typical day was breakfast on the patio, beach, lunch at home, nap, beach, supper out or home, then bed. If we weren't in the water, we were in air conditioning. We conquered major heat through a lot of watermelon and ice cream. (Ella didn't know the words 'ice cream' before Croatia. By trip's end, a 2nd daily cone became the norm.)


Beaches
Croatia has plenty for history buffs: Roman ruins, Palace from the 10th century, this and that 12th, 13th, 14th century statue. Whatever...Europeans go there for one thing: Beaches.

Beaches in Split and Makarska were a bit overcrowded ... literally towel to towel in some cases. But, we still had a fabulous time. And we also took the opportunity to visit beaches in Brela (about 15 km from Makarska) and on the island of Šolta (an hour ferry ride from Split). We fell in love with both of these places. The first photo above was taken on Šolta. The second at Brela. By the time we visited Šolta, Ella was so comfortable in the water that she actually fell asleep on Maylia's shoulder while they were "swimming". Here she is after we got her back to dry land.

Most beaches were "pebble beaches"...sand was rare. As you may know, Ella loves pebbles, so she was not disappointed. Here she is playing in the pebbles and water.


Natural Landscape, Architecture, History, and the People
Croatia is a gorgeous country and has left us wanting more! The beauty lies in its natural landscape, with mountains being the backdrop to pine tree-lined beaches and rocky coves. Olives and grapes grow in terraced gardens throughout the hills. Flowers are everywhere!

Its natural beauty is rivaled only by the architecture. Split itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well worthy of the title. Diocletian's Palace (a maze of a place actively used for restaurants, shops, and housing) was constructed around the year 300! This is old even to those used to the history of Prague! Croatia's history is obviously long and interesting...including rule by Romans, Hungarians, Venetians, and Turks (all of whom influenced the architecture). More recently they have been victims of communism and civil war, gained relatively recent autonomy, and are now struggling to become part of the European Union. In our brief time there, we found the people very relaxed, open, warm, and friendly. There's really no reason not to return!

Makarska...



Flowers near our flat in Split...


On the promenade in Split...


Inside the palace in Split...


(Maylia was a bit disappointed with the scrawny gladiators pictured above.)

Today we celebrated Ella's birthday (again)! This time with fellow July birthday girl, Linnéa, and friends. Our next post will be a birthday post.

Missing the sea...
Jeff, Maylia, and Ella

PS The photo quality is not so great on these digital copies. If anyone wants a print we can do it for you from the negatives.