Finding Balance, Jumping into the Adriatic

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here in this beautiful place for two weeks already. Already I’ve experienced so much, and also sat out quite a bit. This whole experience can be quite overwhelming for an introverted creative, like myself. It’s all been worth it, but striking a balance can be really difficult.

As of right now, I am far from finding a good routine. Each day is a new day, and where that sounds exciting (and it is!) I think having a better routine will help me settle in a bit better and start moving myself in the direction of accomplishing some of those goals I set out for myself. I’ve maybe taken a few slow, small steps forward, but for progress to really take hold, I need to take more control of experience.

Now with that being said, let’s do a little recap of what I’ve been up to these past two weeks. For starters, let’s just cover last Sunday. It was a good one!

2:33 AM

I roll over in a mild panic. Nothing serious, but that typical panic you feel when you think you’re missing something, or have overslept. It’s still dark outside but my full cognitive abilities have not fully take hold yet. For good reason. It’s 2:33 in the FREAKING AM! After rolling over to check the time I fall back asleep. This happens a few more times before I actually wake up, for real.

Why am I so worried? Well, I’m about to take my first day trip with my Tramily (Travel/Family or Tribe/Family). Not all of us mind you, but nearly half are embarking on a small road trip to Krka National Park and Zadar, the city of the sea organ. What’s a Sea Organ you ask? I’ll get to that later.

I do eventually wake up and walk down to the Co-Working space. It’s at that point I realize I’m not actually taking a boat trip, I’m taking a hiking trip. Well that’s good to know. I should really have paid more attention on Slack.

I hop into a tiny rental car with four other adult humans and we drive the hour to Krka national park. The countryside it is incredibly beautiful. It’s sort of like you’re surrounded by a stony, mountainous desert. And that makes the drive go by faster.

Here is a good look at the main waterfalls of Krka National Park.

Some fun facts about Krka:

The lakes of Krka National Park.

• It costs 110 Kuna to enter the park

• Moving at a decent speed, you can see the whole loop of the park in 2 hrs.

• There are places to eat/shop at the top and bottom

• You can swim in the big waterfall at the bottom of the park

• Krka was once known as the "Garden of Eden"

• The fresh water is soooooo blue!

We stayed at Krka for about 3 hrs. while most of the group took a dip in the waterfall. I opted to find unique places to take pictures of the waterfall and park. At one point I went off the path, slipped on my way back and pulled a quad. That made the hike back to our car super fun!

Zadar from the Adriatic Sea.

After they were all tuckered out from swimming, we turned north and headed to Zadar. Que the Sea Organ. There it is again; that sea Organ. What is it you ask? Well, in Zadar, they have cut holes into their retainer walls, so when the tide of the sea hits these holes, it pushes air through and notes are formed. Each hole has a unique note. So as the tide rolls in, you can hear the melody of the Adriatic Sea. It’s a bit of an awesome experience if you just close your eyes, and listen to the music of mother nature converted for better human understanding.

A few of us went for a swim in the Adriatic. I almost didn’t. I was feeling incredibly insecure about my body. That’s one thing I want to work on while I’m overseas.  But after seeing everyone having fun, I decided I didn’t want to hold back due to such a selfish insecurity. I mean, when will I be back and get to swim by the sea organ again? No, instead I swam and will use this experience as motivation for a goal.

Zadar Sunset

Most stayed until sunset, which was well worth the wait before taking the 1 hr. 45-minute trek back to Split. It’s hard to describe how pink and orange the sky gets when the sun goes down over the perfectly Azul water. One car stayed to see a ground light show. But that didn’t start until the sun was all the way down, and I was already exhausted. One person said it was just ok, so I’m good with the decision to take off.

At the end of the day I had walked over 20k steps and climbed the equivalent of 95 flights of stairs, according to my Fitbit. I was exhausted. But it was a great day, and I’m so glad I put my name in to participate. For a first out-of-city-adventure, I give it two thumbs up.

Thanks for Tuning in. Be sure to check out my pictures from this journey in my galleries. Until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Travel Stats So Far:

• Days: 17

• Cities: 2

• Countries: 1

• Flights: 3

• National Parks: 1

• Videos Made: 3

• Floors Climbed: SO MANY!

First Impressions of Croatia

Here I am. I’ve made it! I’m in Split, Croatia. Holy hell, I don’t know if I ever thought that I would be here. Croatia has been on my bucket list ever since I heard it was the Cancun of Europe. I mean, as someone who has been to Cancun, that sounds pretty awesome. After these first 2.5 days, I wanted to share my initial observations and impressions of this beautiful city and what my life looks like so far.

I arrived Saturday around Noon and took a cab to my first hotel. As we were driving, the sea was in full view behind the apartment buildings. Too much of my surprise, there seemed to be quite a few structures that were in disarray; abandoned or crumbling, or being rebuilt. In my mind, I thought Split would look more like the quaint little Islands in Florida like Sanibel or Captiva. Apartment buildings seem to be devoid of character except for the dirt and grime that time has helped accumulate. They appear quite boxy and militaristic. This city is still bearing the scars of something. I’m not sure what yet (I mean besides communist oppression), but I will look into it and get back to you.

Old town Split is the exact opposite of the decaying apartment buildings. This is the cultural and spiritual center of the city. It’s vibrant and cared for.

After a light 4-hour nap on my first day, I decided to wander over to Old Town. This place is amazing! At the center of Old Town is Diocletian Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Cathedral of St. Dominus. It’s so beautiful, positioned right on the water. Cruise ships, ferry’s and yachts populate the bay for a unique viewing experience. The centuries Old Diocletian Palace is a wonderful mix of the ancient and the new. Shops and modern restaurants fill in the lower levels, but the charm of the original palace is preserved in the skyline. I think I could hang out in Old Town all day every day.

That very first night, I ate dinner at a cute little restaurant off a little side street called Konoba Veranda. This is where I made another interesting observation; Food portions here are HUGE! I would argue that at some places they are even larger than American portions. I ordered penne pasta with a prosciutto and truffle sauce. It was absolutely fabulous but I could barely get halfway through it before I was stuffed to the max. And I had a hefty side salad and bread that came with the meal. My waiter asked if I liked everything ok looking worriedly at my plate. I told him it was great, but it was too much for me to get through. Wraps are about twice the size of American wraps. Personal pizzas here are practically the size of medium pizzas in America and fairly inexpensive. Again, I am not sure why I thought they would have tiny food portions, but you can definitely stretch your money here and turn that lunch into dinner with leftovers.

On Sunday, I was placed in my apartment. The apartment is great, and just the right size. There’s a small kitchen, living room, and patio to sit outside, although there is no view. However, I might be the only person actually living amongst the Croatians. I am .7 miles (approx. a 15-min walk) up a fairly steep hill from the provided co-working space, WIP, which is our program center whilst in Split. I am .43 miles from the nearest grocery store. The next farthest person is .37 miles from WIP, and nearly everyone else seems to be a block or two from WIP. Like it or not, I’m going to be walking A LOT.

Our Co-working space is the Bomb, though! The internet is incredibly fast, it’s right by the beach and there’s plenty of food options around it. I could get used to a place like this. I might do a little video on it. There. I wrote it. Now I have to be accountable for it.

Here are a few other small observations in no particular order:

• Sidewalks are not sacred. People park their cars on the sidewalk everywhere.

• The water is clean! You can drink form the tap without fear.

• The beaches are rocky. Water shoes will be wanted.

• People speak decent enough English in restaurants and bars.

• There is graffiti everywhere. Some artistic, but most political.

• I sweat everywhere I go. The humidity will get you.

• Hallway and stairway lights don’t stay on in apartment buildings. Very weird.

• No leash laws. Or at least none that are enforced.

• 95% of the dogs I’ve seen are small.

• Tennis must be a popular game because there are more clay courts than I would have expected.

• You have to turn your key a ridiculous amount of times (3) to lock or unlock a door.

• Short Showers a must. Each Apt has its own water heart but it’s not large.

• There is AC but Open air is the more popular option.

• I’ll have to line dry my clothes for the first time ever.

Thanks for tuning in. I hope to add pictures soon. I’ve got some good ones. Until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Trip Stats So Far:

Days – 3

Flights - 3

Countries – 1

Videos Made – 1

Floors Climbed - 95