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!