Croatia

Croatia...what a trip; not one without its mishaps. Firstly, here's a little tidbit about Croatia for those of you who don't know: Croatia is located in Central Europe and lies right along the Adriatic Sea, which made for a nice weekend getaway. Croatia used to be a part of Yugoslavia, until it regained independence in 1991. Croatia is now a unitary democratic parliamentary republic. Croatia has persevered since its independence, and with its growing economy, remains the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world.

And it is not difficult to see why Croatia is a popular vacation spot, and because of its proximity to Hungary, there was no question I had to make a visit. However, the voyage was a rough one. What was supposed to be a 17 hour journey ended up a 22 hour one (on the way there, but we'll get to that later). This is how the trip to Croatia should have looked: a train ride followed by another night train, and then a bus ride to Dubrovnik. Seems easy, right? WRONG. Apparently there is construction on the Hungarian railways (unknown to the likes of us). The first train ride looked a little more like this: train, bus, train, bus, train. We were shuttled off the train on to some buses (which seemed a bit sketchy). I mean all my parents told me not to get in a car with strangers (sorry I broke that rule). I just went with the "seems legit" attitude and rolled with it. After a long and strenuous journey, we finally made it to Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is one of Croatia's most popular tourist spots and is among the 10 best preserved medieval walled cities in the world. And for all you Game of Thrones fans out there, the show is filmed in Dubrovnik! Dubrovnik is known as King's Landing more specifically and other various places portrayed in the show. (Trust me, I fangirled hardcore when I found this tidbit of information out). Dubrovnik is right along the Adriatic Sea coastline, and was easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The first day we got there we spent the afternoon on the beach, relaxing after the voyage. The next day we partook in an island boat tour, where we spent the whole day visiting three islands and exploring more of Croatia (free lunch and drinks included; good decision on our part). The next day we went cliff jumping (see below for pics). I didn't jump because I am getting over an ear infection, but I wish I could have!

Our time in Croatia passed way too soon, and before we knew it we had to return to Budapest. And wouldn't you know, the voyage back was much worse than the voyage there. 29 hours total to return to our beloved Budapest. I love you Hungary, but I would much appreciate it if you could repair your railways before I travel to Germany for Oktoberfest. All in all, Croatia was amazing and I wish I could have stayed longer. Dubrovnik had a very historic feel to it, which was right up my alley. Here are some of the pictures I took during the trip! For those of you who are considering traveling to Croatia, go. And go now. But maybe fly. Avoid the trains.