See you in a few years

Leaving Budva, after an underwhelming few days, we travelled up to Dubrovnik wondering whether the gushing compliments bestowed on the region may be a little undeserved. Wondering whether Croatia could really be as great we had been told, especially in light of how disappointing Budva had been.

After six nights in the country, after some fantastic experiences and after making a handful of new friends, I am a believer. Croatia is amazing.

Although packed with visitors day and night, Dubrovnik is great. A walk along the city walls provides a great perspective of the place and the sea front bars hidden beyond the walls are a charming place for an afternoon/evening drink. Having not done as much exercise as we would have hoped in the last little while, we signed on for a kayak trip one morning. The trip took us to a "quiet and private" cove for a swim and lunch. As our group settled in to the cove, we spotted another group of kayaks approaching and then another and then another. Very soon the cove was teaming with kayaks and people. I suppose quiet and private is more marketable than "small and busy cove visited by every kayak tour". 

Channeling the olympics, or possibly because we needed to cross a busy piece of water, the tour leader challenged the group to race. Confidence shone out of the eyes of a few, from some shone disinterest and from a couple of English girls who hadn't managed to paddle their tandem kayak in sync the whole trip, confusion and fear. Awkwardly positioned near the back of the cluster of kayaks, our chances looked slim. With more than a little irrational competitive spirit, and Bren holding her paddle out of the water to avoid any clashes, I did us proud and crushed the opposition. The couple who had prime position at the start, looked particularly crest fallen when passed by a tandem kayak with only one person paddling. As a prize, I struggled to lift my pack the next day.

Although Dubrovnik was good fun and Split not bad, the favourite for both of us was Hvar. It is the first place we have visited in a while that we really didn't want to leave. It is a beautiful, chilled out and fun place. Beaches line the island and sunshine sparkles on the crystal blue sea. Outside of a couple of notable exceptions, the nightlife is fun, relatively cheap and not overly pretentious. Even where we stayed was great, its outdoor kitchen, from which we watched the sunset, was buzzing most nights with travelers sharing stories and drinks. 

One downside, that is common with much of the Med, is that most of the "beaches" are simply rocky or pebbly stretches. Laying or even walking on the beach is a pain and getting into the water is a slow and undignified hassle. The upside is that it is quiet funny to watch the buffed up and the beautiful strut to the waters edge only to awkwardly stumble, fumble and crawl in.

We seriously considered scrapping parts of our trip so that we could stay a few days longer or maybe a few years. 

As the photos that accompany this post do not really do the place justice, you might just have to visit for yourself.