With just a little over a week left, we loaded our things into the rental car to make the four hour drive north, back to Split. We had booked a three night stay on the island of Čiovo Croatia, in the town of Okrug Gornji with the idea of having a few days to just relax and enjoy the beaches.
The drive took us along the coast, twisting and turning, with beautiful views of the sea.
The landscape was absolutely incredible throughout the entire journey.
We were able to see the new bridges that have been built to divert traffic around Bosnia. This in preparation for Croatia’s amalgamation with the Schengen Area. That route has not yet opened, so we briefly passed through Bosnia, making very short stops at the border to show our passports.
The northern half of the drive was on the toll motorway, which was absolutely fantastic. It did not have the scenic views of the sea, but the mountains were just as awe inspiring. The toll was not expensive, about $9 CAD. The road surface was smooth and not comparable to any highways back in the Greater Toronto Area. It was also not busy. We rarely came across a fellow motorist.
The speed limit was also 130 km/h (give or take). It made that particular part of the drive much quicker. We were also driving a well optioned Peugeot that was comfortable and quite peppy, with a turbo diesel engine.
Thanks to Google Maps, we found the Airbnb in Okrug Gornji, Čiovo Croatia without any fuss.
There were a series of tight streets and steep hills to contend with once we were closer to the apartment, but otherwise it was easy. We had arrived slightly early and our host, Marko, was still preparing the place for us. After a short wait, we were taken up to the top floor of the building where we would stay for the next four days. We were totally infatuated with the apartment.
It was very spacious with a large balcony overlooking the sea. The airbnb had a living room and a modern kitchen with all the necessary items. It also had two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
I didn’t realize how much I had missed the second bathroom until that moment. We hadn’t had that luxury since we moved, at the beginning of March.
After we unpacked, we enjoyed a rest on the balcony and a FaceTime visit with my brother, sister-in-law and our nephews. It is challenging at times to connect with our friends and family back in Canada with the time change. So, we try to seize the opportunities when we can.
It was now the late afternoon and we ventured out to see the town.
We took a lovely walk along the water but a fair distance to any kind of restaurant. We could see immediately that Čiovo Croatia was not a bustling city like Dubrovnik. It was mostly unoccupied rentals. We were there before the holiday season had really kicked in.
We made our way to a nice little bar on the water to have a couple of drinks. This bar was not serving food yet, due to the early time of the season, so we walked to a seafood restaurant recommended by Marko, the Mali Raj. Here we were treated to an amazing seafood dinner for two, including gilthead fish, scampi, mussels, squid and seabass. This was the first time I had eaten fish that was served up whole. It was slightly off-putting to me to have the fish staring at me from the plate, but it was delicious.
The walk back to the apartment took about forty minutes. On the way, I noticed a sign for scooter rentals and suggested that this might be a good way to get around the island for the two days that we were there.
We wouldn’t have to walk so far and it would be easier to navigate the small streets than in the car. It did take a little convincing to get Hayley to agree, but after a call to a very nice guy suggested to us by our Airbnb host, the arrangements had been made to have a scooter delivered to us in the morning.
The following morning we enjoyed our breakfast and coffee in the sun on the balcony.
Taking in the view from our balcony in Čiovo Croatia, and listening to the waves roll in was such a relaxing way to start the day. We didn’t have plans. But, I was expecting to hear from my friend, Pavo. He was due to be in the area later in the afternoon.
After consulting Google Maps, we headed out on our little scooter to explore the town of Trogir, located on a small island between the mainland and Čiovo.
Trojir, Croatia
This town, originally called Tragurion, was founded in the third century by the Ancient Greeks. After it was conquered by the Saracens in the early twelfth century, it was completely demolished and rebuilt over the next few centuries. It’s current historic centre dating to the thirteenth century.
We visited the Kamerlengo Castle from the fifteenth century and the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, built in the thirteenth century. The gothic style Cathedral boasts an entry way carved by the famous architect and sculptor Master Radovan from 1240.
No visit to a Cathedral would be complete without a terrifying ascent up the bell tower. This one finished after two hundred years of construction, at the end of the fifteenth century.
Once again, I watched from the safety of the middle of the upper level. I stayed where there was something to hold on to, as Hayley can take wonderful photos!
Unbeknownst to us, there was a triathlon that was taking place in Trogir.
There were no signs that this event would have the roads closed when we arrived. When it was time to leave, the exit was closed to traffic.
The solution was to push our scooter off the small island and clear of the closed roads. We then puttered our 50cc transport back to Čiovo to have some lunch along the beach. There were only a few spots to eat while the rest of the restaurants were preparing to open for the tourist season.
The sun was shining and it was hot, but lacked the humidity that usually makes the high temperatures unbearable. After eating we headed back to the apartment to relax while we waited to hear from Pavo. The text came in and we made plans to meet in the early afternoon for dinner back in Trogir.
After a quick refresh and a change of clothes, we rode our mini chopper back across the bridge in to Trogir.
This ride was a particularly big adventure for us.
Hayley is always very conscious of her hair when we go out, so I was asking a lot of her, to sit on a scooter in the wind and wear a helmet, to boot! Fortunately we arrived at the meeting spot with Hayley looking as beautiful as ever.
Pavo and I had worked together for the last five years and it was wonderful to see his smiling face! I had told Pavo before we left Canada that I would meet up with him if he was to visit Croatia. There we were, far removed from the usual surroundings of work.
We shared an excellent meal by the harbour with him and his wife. We talked about what life has been like since leaving Canada. It really was a wonderful evening and it was incredible to think that we were meeting up with friends from Canada at a restaurant in Croatia.
I had mentioned to people before departing for the UK, “If you’re in Europe, I will meet you there”, and meant it. After taking some photos together, we hugged and said goodbye. It was a short visit, but it was great to see a familiar face.
The next day was a designated beach day.
We headed out, getting just outside of town, when I felt the scooter starting to slow down. The lack of power soon turned to a standstill. We were now stranded on the side of the road. I checked several times to ensure we had fuel and attempted to start the bike with no luck.
It was also a dead spot for cell service.
After walking in large circles pointing my phone at the sky, I was able to get enough bars to make a phone call to the scooter guy. I sent my location and within half an hour he had arrived with a replacement. We were back in business and continued across the island to a small beach with the intention of swimming and having lunch at a bar located there.
As we had already experienced in this area, the bar was closed. Google had, once again, let us down. There was only one other couple on this beach, so we enjoyed the solitude and had a refreshing swim until our hunger started speaking to us.
There was another beach with a restaurant, not far away according to Google. Following the directions there, we found that it was less of a beach and more of a large concrete pad and of course, a restaurant that was not open.
This beach day was starting to feel like a day of riding a scooter, as opposed to sitting and soaking up the sun.
We rode back to the beach where we had lunched the previous day.
We knew without a doubt that there was an open restaurant. After eating, we set up on the beach to take in some more sun and swim in the crystal clear water. The rest of the afternoon was spent there. We lounged and enjoying the sea breeze.
The day had been salvaged after all.
The only thing that was missing was the sunscreen. It was in our bag, but not applied to any part of my body. This resulted in a very good tan that turned bright red and left me slightly concerned about any sun hitting me for the rest of our trip.
This was our last day on the island of Ciovo Croatia and we still had six days to go before returning home.