Charming Adriatic. Part 1 (Hungary-Croatia)
"Charming Adriatic". Part one (Hungary - Croatia).
Day 1 - Departure from Kyiv by train to Chop.
Day 2 - Chop - transfer to the bus "Mercedes" of one of the local carriers and crossing the Hungarian border. There were no problems. A Hungarian girl - a customs officer checked 3 bags to choose from, did not find anything prohibited for transportation. We stop at the TESKO supermarket for groceries and continue along the autobahn to Budapest, small villages pass by and fields of sunflower and corn are low, not like ours, so they probably do not deplete the land and are planted alternately, and not fields of 100 hectares. Matra mountains in the distance. We arrive in Budapest, on the Heroes' Square we are met by a local guide Zhenya and a walking tour of the city begins, then the Vajdahunyad fortress, the Hourglass, a city overview with a stop near the Parliament and a visit to the St. Stephen's Basilica - struck me with its beauty, richness of decoration and decoration. The city surprised everyone by the fact that there were few people and transport on the streets, it was a day off and it was hot up to 30 degrees, the people of Budapest went to rest. The next Fishermen's Bastion and the Royal Palace with beautiful views of the other side of the Danube: the Parliament and the Chain Bridge. Matyasha Church was all in the woods under restoration - they could not see it live. From Budapest, our way to Lake Balaton for an overnight stay in a hotel, which turned out to be on the very shore of the lake. Around a lot of vacationers, houses, cafes. Soviet-style hotel, but solid and in the morning there was a good breakfast in the restaurant. In the evening we go to swim at the Balaton, I knew that it was small, but so much so! No wonder it is called the largest puddle in Europe. Only 50 meters away from the buoys 1.5 meters - you can already swim. On the northern side of Lake Balaton, the average depth is 2 meters, in our south it is 1 meter.
Day 3 - Departure to Croatia. We crossed the border quickly, we are driving along the flat part of Croatia, we are passing the outskirts of the Croatian capital Zagreb, the program does not include entry into it. The next destination is the Plitvice Lakes National Park - the pearl of Croatia. Low mountains appeared, modest houses with stored firewood and stoves in the yards, roadside cafes. There are no houses abandoned by the Serbs and no traces of the recent war. Entrance to the National Park, we buy tickets, about 15 euros, I remembered the advice of one Russian tourist that you don’t need to buy a ticket, there is a fence only 20 meters from the entrance, but we are in Europe! We begin the inspection of this natural phenomenon, wooden paths and bridges are laid in the park, according to the routes. The area is 295 sq. km, 16 lakes and 92 waterfalls. Many tourists from various countries of Europe, Asia, America. We looked at lakes with flocks of fearless fish, waterfalls falling from the upper lakes, which are not visible on the routes. Plitvice lakes also look good in winter, I saw one pro on the Internet in the photographs - frozen lakes and waterfalls !!!
After Plitvice, the road through Croatia to the place of residence - Rogoznica. On the way we stop at the observation deck over the river Krka - the view is beautiful. In the evening we arrived in Rogoznica, where we stay at Villa Luxor, the host Neven meets us, we unload, a small group of 14 people gathered - a crisis, we used to travel in large groups, but on this tour we appreciated the advantage of small groups. Villa Luxor was no different from the neighboring villas - recently, renovated and completed, everything is neat in the courtyard, palm trees and olive trees grow. trees, figs. The rooms have kitchen-studios with an electric stove, a mini fridge, a sink and all this is built into the closet, various utensils - all this came in handy for us, as we wanted to eat fresh sea fish and seafood. In the morning we went to the market for fish, squid, shrimp, the choice is large and varied, plus octopuses, lobsters, mussels, etc. In the evening, upon arrival, we went to see Rogoznica: the embankment, Marina Frapa, one of the largest marinas on the Adriatic, there are many supermarkets, but small, they preferred Konzum.
From Villa Luxor to the beach 2-3 minutes, the beach is pebbly, all around are villas and apartments with fragrant Mediterranean vegetation. In Croatia, it is allowed to build 30 meters from the sea and one feels spacious, although a narrow strip of Dalmatia is squeezed by mountains, in neighboring Montenegro - 10 meters and this is noticeable there. The water in the sea is the purest emerald blue, so there are sea urchins, we immediately bought coral slippers, it is also convenient to walk on pebbles.
4-day excursion to Split-Trogir. In Split, the excursion starts from Diocletian's Palace, the old town, with access to the promenade (the most delicious ice cream with natural fruit additives here). We didn’t see Split beauties (in the evening we should probably look), but there are plenty of tall, slender men - Hajduk has a choice. The most suitable city of Dalmatia for youth recreation.
I especially liked Trogir - a beautiful ancient city with a four-thousand-year history. The Cathedral of St. Lovro with various relief images and sculptures, the Church of St. John the Baptist, the Kamerlengo Fortress and the promenade, cozy cafes, an inexpensive market and they write that there is the best fish market on the coast, but in the morning they didn’t find it.
Day 5 Free day: beach, swimming in the sea, independent hiking on the left side of the peninsula behind Marina Frapa. This is a civilized side, there is a path for walking, thickets of Dalmatian pines along the coast, where Western tourists and yachtsmen, especially Germans, like to relax. I remember the strong chirping of cicadas. On another (7th) day, we walked around the right wild part of the peninsula, where olive trees, juniper thickets and other Mediterranean vegetation grow, behind Marina Frapa there is a local attraction - the salt lake Zmeiove Oko, reminiscent of the prehistoric period, extreme people swim in it.
In the evening there was a cultural trip by the whole group to the popular local restaurant Antonio. Ordered fish and seafood. The owner personally served as regular customers from the Art Service, generously treated him with his excellent white dry wine. Nearby, on the embankment, a local group entertained vacationers, performing mainly Severina's repertoire. Resting people danced on the road and the embankment and we went to dance.
Day 6 - Excursion to Sibenik and Krka. Sibenik is a beautiful city with its promenade - the promenade, St. Jacob's Cathedral, the old town. In the National You can go to Krka Park in the summer during the swimming season, but swimming in the river is extreme - there are many stones of different sizes and slippery, but beautiful!
Day 7. Free day. Sea beach. In the evening we went to the entertainment complex of Marina Frapa. The Filipino group "Admiral" performed.
Day 8 - Departure to Dubrovnik. We drove through Trogir and Split, Omis with the Mosorian rocks against which houses are pressed, which seem to be toys against their background, the mouth of the Cetina River, Makarska at the foot of the Biokovo mountain range, and on the other side the sea and islands. I especially liked the picturesque fertile valley of the Neretva River, with irrigation canals, where several crops of citrus fruits, melons and vegetables are harvested a year. Stop on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the city of Neum, also a beautiful resort, they also got a piece of the Adriatic.
Dubrovnik appeared. We stop at the fountain - it is hot 34 degrees, water in Croatia can really be drunk directly from the water supply, as they say, and even necessary, we are used to boiling it here. Short tour of Dubrovnik and then free time. There are crowds of tourists in the city. Those who wish can ride a boat around the fortress wall of the city, walk along the wall for 7 euros, or sit in a cafe or restaurant.
And finally, about the products. Croatian bread (and Montenegrin too) deserves a special word. Although it is more expensive than ours, it cannot be compared with our cotton products at all. Dairy products in Croatia are good. There are many dry wines, there are a lot of tips on which to choose on the Internet, I do not advise only in 1 liter bottles in which ordinary beer caps are under the foil. The wines are even more expensive than in France and Italy.
We regret that we did not buy 3-liter bags of famous brands in Croatia, we did not see them further in Montenegro and Hungary. Beer Karlovacko and cheaper than Adria.
It was also confirmed that there is no crime (street) in Croatia.
It is clear why the Germans especially love to relax in Croatia and invest a lot of money here. Croatia is cleanliness and order, exemplary ecology, clean products, friendly people, etc. Further, our way to Montenegro, where Russians like to relax and the difference is already very noticeable.
