Split: Part I

Tuesday was the day.

And I was running late.

My much needed massage had run a little (okay, a LOT) long and I frantically hopped in the shower as I heard Ryan answer the phone. My dad was downstairs with the car. I hurled my stuff into my carry-on as Ryan (my pack-mule for life – his designation, not mine), carted our bags down from our 3^rd story walk-up apartment to the street.

I threw my wet hair up in a top-knot. I could do my makeup in the car.

And we were off!

Passport. Check. Swim suit. Check. Chill attitude. Working on it.

My second trans-Atlantic flight. My first time in business class – the fruit of thousands of airline miles accrued and hoarded by Ryan from the many work trips that took him away to far off places. For once I was thankful for all those times we were separated for weeks on end.

After a couple long flights, and stamps in my passport from Heathrow and Zagreb, we finally arrived in Split, Croatia – a picturesque city on the beautiful Dalmatian Coast. A little confused at what time it was I looked down at my iPhone – 10pm Wednesday. Apparently it had adjusted much more easily than I had.

A driver from our tiny little hotel – Divota Apartments – located in the Old Town part of Split stood outside with a sign “Ryan McEliece.” Their reception office usually closed at 20:00 (8pm – I’m still not used to this military time thing…), but they kept it open especially for us. We were whisked off to our cute little apartment, handed keys, a map, and given a very basic overview of information we’d need to know. And then we slept. Till Thursday afternoon.

When we finally surfaced from our slumber it was bright and sunny. Split was saying “Hello” – “Gob” in Croatian. Our eyes, minds and limbs were still not so responsive but our stomach’s rallied to the call with a great big “Hey there! What’s for lunch?"
The night before I made a quick study of the funny little map the receptionist handed us - Use-It, a map curated with recommendations and tips from locals.

According to both Use-It and Trip Advisor it seemed the place to go for the freshest, cheapest seafood was a little hole-in-the-wall called Villa Spiza located on a street (yeah, they’re not streets, they’re alleyways) in Old Town just outside the walls of Diocletian’s Palace – the main attraction in Split. And yes, it literally was a hole in the wall with seating inside for maybe 10 and two small bar tables squished outside in the “street.” There was also a small red bench and two stools for overflow – something that often occurs in this ever-popular spot.

And it was spot on! Maybe we hit it just before the rush (we returned in the evening and the “street” was completely impassable with bodies packed together like sardines), but we had our choice of tables -we chose one outside. But before venturing out, we had to order. The woman from behind the counter pulled out a plastic bin full of the freshest fish I’ve ever seen… caught that morning by the local fishermen. We went with her favorite: a small sweet fried fish with the traditional sautéed swiss chard and potato. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it… Now this was my kind of food!

After lunch we got lost in the old cobblestone streets and squares of the Old Town. It’s hard to believe we were walking down corridors that were built thousands of years ago. Most of the stone buildings had beautiful terra cotta tile roofs and green windows and shutters. The ones above were particularly bright.

Many Dalmatian coastal towns have what’s called the Riva – a tiled promenade that separates the city from the sea. Split’s is particularly brilliant. We walked back to the catacombs, which were filled with booths selling a variety of Croatian trinkets – from coral necklaces to tacky magnets, and then up into Diocletian’s Palace – the retirement home of a Roman Emperor. Just outside the Palace walls was a huge outdoor market where people sold all manner of things: from fresh fruits, nuts, and cheeses to underware. No joke.

The jet-lag was catching up to Ryan so we returned to back to our little apartment where he took a nice siesta. I, on the other hand, ventured back out to explore!  I wanted to get my bearings in this old city and discover all its nooks and crannies. And more importantly to figure out where we would have dinner.

When I returned, the light was incredible. Thankfully Ryan was feeling a little better so we grabbed the camera, tri-pod and hit the streets. Scooters and motorcycles – the transportation of choice – whizzed past us as we walked back into this charming old city in search of our first (and quite possibly my favorite) full Croatian meal.

In my earlier meanderings I'd scouted out a few menus that looked delicious. And while I am the pickier eater of this McEliece duo, I wasn't so sure Ry would fancy any of my selections. Poor guy's stomach was not so happy.
Rounding a cobblestone corner within the palace walls, we were lured by the sound of music. Curious, we peered down the little alleyway to find a classical guitarist playing in a secret little courtyard. His two adoring fans, who it seemed had escaped the confines of the dinner table and their parents' gaze, were dancing unabashedly to his tune.
The ambiance: romantic. The decor: very eclectic Anthropologie chic. The menu: outstanding (in my opinion).
SOLD.
Mazzgoon was the place for us.

We chose a table for two close to the guitarist. The older of the two "little fans" kept looking at me as she danced. Maybe she sensed I was a dancer too. Or maybe it's because I had the camera. She reminded me of myself when I was her age - twirly dress and all. Only I don't think I was so bold. At any rate it made us both laugh. Our little Croatian ballerina girl.

And if the ambiance weren't enough, the food... oh the food! But I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Side note: prepare yourself for lots of food photos in the posts to come - I mean it's food. It's what we LOVE. And it was definitely one of the highlights of our Honeymoon, even with all my crazy dietary restrictions. Ryan's convinced I have some sort of Mediterranean in me. Haha! I wish!

Dalmatian prosciutto was everywhere and it was crazy good as were the olives, capers, anchovies, and well, pretty much everything. I had what they called "traditional octopus." It was baked in a heavy pot with fingerlings, tomatoes, onions and I think rosemary. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Never tasted anything quite like it. I think this might have been my favorite meal of our trip... But then again we had so many incredible meals!
The one bit of cautionary advice I'd give anyone when traveling to Croatia (Europe?) is to expect slow service. Everywhere. It's not an insult. It just is. It's how they do things there... part of their relaxed culture and way of life. At least that's what I told myself. Everyone was very friendly, we just had to wait a while. Sometimes a long while. Good thing we were on vacation.

As we sat there enjoying the food, the music and each other's company dusk snuck up on us. The amber twinkle of the lights slowly awakening to the night brought new life into my husband as we went in search for his perfect night shot - shot as in photograph. Just thought I should clarify... I think the gelato helped as well. The clouds in the sky lit up as people reclined on the steps outside the old ruin listening to someone sing outside the restaurant opposite.

We wandered back to our apartment full of anticipation for what the next two weeks would hold. If this first day was any indication it would be full of sunshine, beautiful views, amazing food and lots adventure with my love and very best friend. I couldn't think of anything better!

Croatian Honeymoon Adventure! It begins...

So I know you've been waiting for this.
No I don't. That's stupid.
Why would you be waiting for my Honeymoon? That's absurd.
I'VE been waiting for this. All year. And it's finally here. We're in it. Right. NOW!

When people asked Ryan and I where we went on our Honeymoon, (since yes, it's been 9.5 months since we said "I do.") we were met with some very puzzling looks when we replied that we hadn't gone anywhere. Yet. These puzzling looks turned to wide eyes and slightly furrowed brows when we told them where we would be going: Croatia!
"Why'd you choose Croatia?" was the usual response that would follow. Sometimes it would be a more excited, less-skeptical "Oh! A friend of a friend of a friend of mine went there and said it was fabulous!" We liked those responses.

The truth of the matter is that Ryan has been practically everywhere and I've been nowhere. Okay that's not true. I've been to many of the cosmopolitan cities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Carribean on a cruise with my family when I was 12, and Paris. I don't think I could list the places Ryan's been to on this blog. It would become a completely different post.

At any rate, when deciding where to take our Honeymoon, certain ground-rules/criteria were laid.

Number 1: This was Ryan's thing. As he told me after about 6 months of dating (yes, we had a relationship check-in and the "M" word was brought up. Ah! Scary!), "Jessika, you know how every little girl dreams about and plans her wedding? Well every boy (Man? Maybe it's just Ryan... haha!) dreams about and plans his honeymoon." In my mind it made sense. So I got to have my dream wedding if he got to have his dream Honeymoon. Not only did it seem like a fair exchange, but a win-win situation for both of us.

Number 2: It had to be a place Ryan had never been to. As stated before, Ryan's been all over the world. This trip needed to be a new experience and adventure for both of us. He needed to be able to cross another country off his long list.

Number 3: It had to be in Europe. This was actually my teeny-weeny stipulation. There are so many places in Europe that I want to visit. And we had to narrow down the playing-field somehow.

Number 4 (and most important!): We had to win. And by "win," I mean we had to have the most unusual, crazy-amazing Honeymoon ever. A co-worker of mine is going to Iceland, Paris and Prague for his Honeymoon so I don't know that we actually accomplished this one but we like to think in a small way we did for the budget we have. 

So with this crazy criteria (yes, we are a bit intense about this thing), we started looking. One day I was looking at Jetsetter.com and they had a package titled "Sail Croatia." The photos blew our minds. Croatia?
This is Croatia?!!!!

We started researching and found that not only was it beautiful, but it was everything we wanted: Amazing food (think a mix between Greek, Italian and Turkish food focused on fresh fish, lamb, figs, olives and wine), great beaches, crystal clear water, vineyards and olive groves for days, nature unspoiled. Did I mention amazing food? A paradise for the foodie. And the temps at this time of year typically range between mid-seventies to high eighties.

DONE. Croatia here we come!

So that's probably more information than you wanted.
But we couldn't be happier with our choice. And with all the craziness of this year, we are also really grateful that we waited this long to take our Croatian Honeymoon Adventure. It's been something to look forward to - the proverbial dangling carrot if you will. It's been something we've both needed after a long season of dancing, health struggles and hard work. But it's something that we're both prepared for and able to enjoy. The days that followed our wedding were a blissful haze. Another way to put it: slap-happy and exhausted. There's no way we would have had the the energy, mentally or physically to really enjoy this trip. And to be honest, we were both a bit depleted when we got here, but there's nothing like salty sea breezes, hot Adriatic sun and delicious Croatian food and wine to replenish the heart, mind, soul and body.

There is much more to come.... in this Croatian Honeymoon Adventure as well as our life together. And you'll be hearing lots more from both realms. For now I've posted some of my favorite funny photos from the trip.
Many more posts to come!
I promise!

Cheers!

Jessika