Trogir-Dubrovnik

Day 7: Trogir - Dubrovnik - Part 1

Unfortunately, we still had a long way to go to our next destination Dubrovnik. As we had planned to stay in Dubrovnik for one night only, we wanted to be there early to have some time to see the old town, which is another World Heritage Site. So we had to get up very early to be at the bus station at 5 a.m. When we bought the ticket for the autotrans bus at the bus station a day earlier (it cost 182 Kuna or about 24 Euro per Person for this 5-hour trip), the saleswoman told us to be there early, because the long-distance bus might come earlier or later. We did, and that turned out a good thing, as the bus indeed came and left 10 minutes early. But before that, we had a problem to find the right terminal. All the 1-8 platforms are on one side where the 9 was on the opposite side and no clear distinction as a platform.

We had gotten seat numbers, and the bus was already relatively full. The conductor came back to us after we already sat for a few minutes and told us that our ticket has the wrong date. But it then turned out fine, - after a little confusion - explained and showed that we had the right date and the other date written on the ticket was only the date of the day we bought that ticket. We then had a stop in Split, where we could go out of the bus for a few minutes. When we came back, there were two girls sitting in our places, with our stuff lying on the floor. Their father, a Frenchman, rudely told me that these are their seats. When I told him, that these were actually our seats, he annoyingly demanded to see my ticket, before reluctantly ordering his daughters to change their seat.

When we left Split on our way to Dubrovnik, the bus was already full. Many passengers at our next stop in Makarska were not able to get in. That was thankfully not our problem. We travelled along the Adriatic coast and then entered for a short time a strip of highway in a town called "Neum" that belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we needed to show our passports at the border. The bus made another short stop at a restaurant later on. We just bought some cookies there before we nearly left without the French family, who came in back to the bus last and when the coach was already starting to drive away.

Finally, with a one hour delay, we reached Dubrovnik in early noon - a bit exhausted after the six-hour journey I must say. We walked from the bus station to our overnight accommodation, "Apartments Batala", which we had found and booked with BookingDotCom (we used booking.com actually for the first time for this vacation because many accommodations didn't really have their own online booking systems - but everything turned out fine). The Apartments Batala is located at the end of the bay, in walking distance to the ferry pier, where we would leave the next day for the island of Mljet. They are not in the old town, but on the Lapad Peninsula with a bus station for buses to the old town just a few meters away.

We were still too early for the check-in but could leave our stuff there for an hour and used the time to go shopping, including new Compeed for my friend`s blistered feet, which turned to be a wound by walking all the time on flip-flops which he was not used to it. We also came to a little market, the ferry pier and then again the bus station, when we went along the coast to get a better view of the interesting bridge, I wanted to photograph. At the bus station, we also bought something, we should have purchased earlier: a new Croatian SIM-card for the cell phone and prepaid card, which made the phone calls (to Germany) a whole lot cheaper (just about 1 Cent per minute for international calls).

Trogir or not Trogir

Day 6: Plitvice - Trogir

We bought the tickets for our bus from Plitvice to Trogir online at Croatia Bus before leaving Berlin, but my friend was a bit worried, because he had seen some internet portals, which seem to have timetables for all long-distance bus connections in Croatia, and ours wasn't included. So we asked at the hotel reception. They were accommodating and actually had a printed timetable for all buses from the different companies leaving Plitvice - which included ours. So we learned that the central Internet-portals don't necessarily include all buses to their listing. After another lovely breakfast, we left the hotel to the bus station. We were a bit early - which was recommended because with the long distance busses it is always possible that they are a bit early or a bit late. After it was clarified that our bus would drive via Zadar to Trogir, we even knew on which side of the street we had to stand. After a short stop at a restaurant near Plitvice, where a live bear, as well as stuffed brown bears, are shown and another shortstop in Zadar, we finally reached our next destination, Trogir, after five hours on the road.

We had chosen Trogir as a one night stop because our next destination was Dubrovnik and Trogir is located between Plitvice and Dubrovnik. Of course, another primary reason was that it has a small, beautiful old town on a small island, which is also a World Heritage Site. Before we could enjoy that, the first thing we had to do at the bit shabby Trogir bus station, was to buy the bus ticket for the next day to Dubrovnik. Croatia Bus with its online booking, which we had used before, unfortunately, had only a very late option from Trogir to Dubrovnik, so we had to take another company,  Autotrans, where we couldn't buy the ticket online and not even in their office in Pula. But getting the ticket at the bus station in Trogir was no problem.

The bus station is located right next to the bridge leading to the old town. We had booked a small and relatively cheap hostel, "Carol Rooms"  on that island in the middle of the old town via the reliable booking.com and it was just a short walk from the bus station to the hostel. There were a lot of booths along the water on the island, selling souvenirs and foods and it was a lively atmosphere. The old town of Trogir on the little island is full of small alleys. First, we walked past ours, before finding the hostel. It was an old building, and we were already expected and welcomed nicely. Our room turned to be quite modern with Flat screen TV (and about 200 channels), modern silent air-con, free Wi-Fi, small refrigerator, a nice view and our room shined with bright colours. They also have an inner courtyard as common space used esp. by the smokers. We had hotels that asked for double the price for what Carol Rooms offered. We just loved this "hostel" and the best value for the money (*it turned out to be our best accommodation during the trip).

After our long bus trip, it was already very late in the afternoon when we arrived, but Trogir old town is small, and it was still enough time to see something of it. We started our city walk with the Kamerlengo Fortress  ("Tvrdava Kamerlengo"), where we also had a beautiful view of the town and the sea. We went along the busy promenade, where some impressive yachts have anchored, before entering the small alleys of the old town. Amid a lively atmosphere, we came to the Town Loggia with the Cathedral of St. Lawrence and St. Sebastian's Church with the Tower of the Town Clock - and also some inspired singing by some Croatian singers, selling their CDs.

Soon we arrived at the town walls and the gate on the other side of the island. We got a delicious fruit juice from a booth there, before going to dinner back to the other side of the island through the small alleys. The sun was already setting when we chose a restaurant at the marina and the still lively promenade. It was much too expensive for us, but we swore to ourselves to save on the next days and to enjoy a great meal with langustini and cevapi with djuvec rice. When we left to get back to the hostel, the promenade was still busy with singing and performances. Trogir proved to be a delightful stop. With more time, we would have probably stayed there for another day to make a day tour to the National Park Krka and Šibenik to visit the Cathedral, which is also a World Heritage Site.

After dinner, we went back to the hostel, and my friend decided to stay back and rest while I went out and about with my tripod and camera and enjoyed a bit the sight at night!