From Split, via Imotski to Bosnia

Our planned barbecue session with Karl and Elina included delicious vegetables and roasted marshmallows. We ended the evening with another attempt to defeat 'The Game'.

Day 45: The next morning, we said goodbye to our Swedish friends and continued on to Split. Here, we explored the promenade and the historic old town. The best view is from the Bell Tower, which was also a filming location for Game of Thrones (King's Landing). As we climbed the steep stairs, our gaze swept over the entire city - on one side the sea and on the other the mountain and the new town with its high-rise buildings. Part of the old town consists of the former Diocletian's Palace, where the exterior walls are still preserved.

Since Tobi was pretty exhausted, we bought vegetables for a soup at the green market. They still use counterweights on the scale there.

We then continued on to the camping site in Stobrec, which we also found through park4night, as it was time for a shower and laundry. At the reception, the lady suggested a spot on the beach for us to go to, and lo and behold, our neighbors at the site were familiar to us - Elina and Karl were also drawn back to the mainland. We spent the rest of the day fulfilling all our needs (washing, cooking, showering, relaxing).

Day 46: After a leisurely breakfast by the beach, we had to decide whether to stay for 2 more nights or continue our journey. The camping site offers a winter camping deal: If you stay for 3 or more nights, it's less than 15 euros per night, while the first two nights cost 25 euros per night. We decided to indulge in the luxury of toilets and warm showers.

We felt like going for a hike again, so we asked the reception at the camping site for information. Equipped with a small map and the usual hiking provisions, we set off towards the mountain that we could see from the camping site. Unfortunately, the path through the city to the mountain was quite ugly. It led along busy roads and past unfinished houses, so initially we were not too happy about having to walk uphill. But after passing the last house on the mountain, we were already rewarded with a great view. As we continued uphill, already quite exhausted, we decided to walk all the way up to St. Jure.

Once we reached the top, we could look over our camping site, over Split, all the way to the island of Okrug - the journey had definitely been worth it. After a long break, we descended back to the camping site. It was so sunny that we considered taking a dip in the sea, but by the time we got back, it was too cold. In the evening, we cooked, showered (because if there's the opportunity, we shower every day!), read, and had a Skype session.

Day 47: On the recommendation of Karl and the reception, we went to Salona in the morning - the ruins of the former capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Here, you can see remains of various buildings, some of which are over 2000 years old. Among them are the foundation walls of an amphitheater. It is impressive to imagine the battles between gladiators and animals that took place there.

From there, it wasn't far to the Klis Fortress, which played a central role in defending the mainland. We decided to pay the admission fee of 40 kuna per person, and it was worth it, as the fortress is really huge and fascinating. It is very narrow but also very long and winding. There, we also noticed that it was once again a filming location for Game of Thrones - the city of Meereen. With a little imagination, you could picture the Mother of Dragons climbing up the stairs.

Also included in the 40 kuna admission was a second attraction - the Etno Agro Park, which we also visited. As soon as we parked Freudolin, a woman came out of the adjacent building and informed us that the park was actually already closed, but we could still have a look around if we wanted. She put on her jacket and gave us a private tour - in German - showing us the botanical garden and the restored Dalmatian village. We were also allowed to try all the self-made and organic products from the provider stella croatica in the shop, and of course, we also bought two olive oils in the flavors of garlic and truffle.

Originally, we wanted to go back to Split in the evening to experience the old town and the hustle and bustle at twilight. Unfortunately, Karl and Elina didn't have time as they went to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training, so we couldn't quite motivate ourselves. But that wasn't so bad, as it started raining later. Karl suggested that we could spend the afternoon/evening in Split together the next day.

Do we really want to stay an additional night at the camping site?

Day 48: The next morning, we still hadn't answered that question, so we took a closer look at the map of Europe. We realized that we had already covered quite a distance and that the remaining time until Christmas should be sufficient to explore Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. So, an extra day at the same spot doesn't really matter. Therefore, we decided to stay for a fourth night at the camping site.

We sat comfortably with Karl and Elina at the beach, chilled, played 'The Game' together and finally managed to defeat it as a group of four. A round of Bohnanza was also part of the evening. Afterwards, we got ready and set off for Split around 3 PM.

Initially, we wanted to take the bus, but just before it arrived, Karl found a cheaper Uber (a type of taxi company) to take us to the city center, so we didn't get on the bus. As soon as we were in the Uber, we quickly realized that something was not right. Instead of going to Split, we were taken to a shopping center called City Center :D Thankfully, the driver was able to take us to our destination afterwards.

Once we arrived, we had a beer at a café on the promenade and then looked for a restaurant to eat at. The chosen fish restaurant was unfortunately closed, so we opted for a pizzeria that satisfied us. The pub with 90's music was still closed, so we wandered through the alleys and initially sat down at a cocktail bar. Even after 8 PM, the pub was still not open, so we decided to go back to the camping site (this time without detours). Once we arrived, we ended the evening with our own little 90's party.

Day 49: Now the day of departure had finally come. In addition to some preparations like a final shower, we also had to prepare for a country without free mobile data, as Bosnia is unfortunately not part of the EU. So, we downloaded some offline maps on Google Maps and decided to get the paid version of park4night, so that we can still find free spots in Bosnia.

But before entering Bosnia, we first visited the Blue and Red Lake near Imotski, which are relatively close to the border. These lakes are extraordinary because they are located in a deep rock abyss without inflow or outflow. At the Blue Lake, you could even descend to the water surface.

And then came the border crossing into Bosnia, which we weren't quite sure about. But equipped with our passports and the green insurance card, everything went smoothly and without any further problems. Initially, we were excited to reenter a new country and experience the differences, but they were not immediately apparent.