I haven't been to Croatia before HiveFest, and I was excited to explore it. We rented a car as we thought that we would go to Plitvice and Krka national park, but in the end the weather was not so good, so we stayed around Split because we didn't want to walk for hours in the rain. When everyone went on a boat trip on Sunday we decided to go to Trogir. You might wonder why we didn't join the group, right? I'm scared of being on a boat and I'm also getting seasick easily, so although some people tried hard to convince me to join them, my fear won and we didn't go. Nevertheless, we had a great day in the charming town of Trogir.
Trogir is a small town about 30 minutes drive from Split. The town is split in 3 parts. One part is located on the mainland, the old town is on a small island, and the last part is on a bigger island called Čiovo. I like this photo as it describes exactly how I experienced Trogir - beautiful medieval architecture, influenced by various cultures, scenic views of mountains surrounding the area, breeze from the sea, many stalls selling local products, and planes landing every now and then...
The old town is really tiny and you can walk from one side to another in a few minutes, but you won't regret it if you take your time and explore the narrow side streets as well. We spent more than half a day in Trogir, and we managed to visit the Fortress Kamerlengo and climb the tower of the St. Lawrence Cathedral as well.
We parked the car on the mainland and walked along the sea towards the old town. We tried to ignore the cold wind trying to blow us away. It only took us a couple of minutes to enter the old town, and luckily the wind was not so strong there.
The clouds were a bit scary, but there were plenty of restaurants on the island in case we would have to hide from the rain.
At first I didn't realize that we were looking at an island here. Only once we walked through the old town to the promenade on the other side of the island I realized that this part was connected with a bridge. Actually, I have never seen so many islands in one place before. At some places around Split the sea looks like a lake because there are so many small islands blocking the view of the water.
Once you cross a small stone bridge (I believe it's the only bridge connecting the mainland with the old town) you will reach the northern town gate. On the top of the gate is the statue of St. John who is the patron of Trogir. This gate is part of the remains of the old town walls. The small part of the town walls is preserved, and I found it interesting to see how the neighboring houses are attached to it.
The old town of Trogir is a carefully preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site. When I looked it up I had no idea that it was so popular. There were so many tourists on the main streets, so we decided to walk through the narrow streets instead.
The cobbled streets reminded me of some places that I visited in Sicily. It makes sense as Romans helped to build the old town. There are plenty of restaurants and local shops lining the streets. And look at how clean it is!
There are countless small details that you can admire when you pay attention while walking around. And no, I don't talk about the laundry even though it made me smile.
The most striking building in Trogir for me is the Cathedral of St. Lawrence at the main square. You can see it in the back and I will take you there next time as it deserves a post on its own.
This old palm tree trunk with some bushes surrounding it was not interesting on its own until I saw some leaves move rapidly...
I came closer and saw this cat getting settled. As usually I had no idea if it liked me or wanted to kill me, and I didn't want to take my chances, so I left as soon as I took a photo. During our trip I saw plenty of dogs and cats roaming the streets which surprised me as I'm not used to it. I don't remember ever seeing a stray animal where we live.
We reached the promenade on the other side of the oldtown from where we admired Trogir on the island Čiovo...
That's what I mean when I say that at places it looks like a lake...
Our Croatian trip was the only sea trip this year for us, so I was so happy to see even those tiny pieces of the sea and plenty of palm trees.
The old town is so small, but there are still quite a few landmarks to see.
Kaštel Kamerlengo is one of them.
We were laughing because we have never seen a fortress with a sports ground right next to it. There is also a large football field on the left side of the fortress.
The fortress was built in the 15th century when Trogir was conquered by the Venetians. Originally, it was surrounded by a moat which separated it from the town. The entrance fee is 4 EUR which is rather symbolic.
You can walk around the fortress and climb up the tower to enjoy the views.
The tower was the main part of the fortress as it used to protect and alert the local inhabitants. We will first walk around the fortress before going up to the tower.
From outside it looks preserved and compact, but when you're there you realize that it is left in decay. I have read that at some point it was supposed to be demolished, but then the plan changed, so we are able to visit it even today.
It took ages to get this photo as there were so many people. Every time I was about to take a photo somebody else appeared. I loved this corner and didn't want it to be spoiled by a photobomb.
It looks like the window was set in a cave as the walls are very thick and uneven...
It's probably the smallest fortress that I have ever visited. I have read that some people call it a castle, but to me it is not as there are no living quarters (I am not an expert though). It's basically the inner ward surrounded by thick walls and towers for protection.
Let's walk around and enjoy the architecture and the scenic views...
I thought that I didn't capture the football field, but I did! 😊
It was so cold and even raining lightly, but people were sticking to their vacation plans, and enjoyed the boat rides anyway. However, I wonder how much you enjoy a boat ride in such conditions.
The place where you can see the most people is the local market. When we finished our tour of the fortress we walked along the promenade and came across this market. There were many local items as well as the items that you find everywhere.
One lady had a stand with perfectly arranged soaps and oils which caught my attention. We came to her stall to ask about the products, and we were told that these were the best soaps in the world. At that point I knew we would have fun. I asked her for which body part was a certain soap and I learned that I could use it for everything because it is organic. She said 'organic' at least once in every single sentence. It's like a magical word that takes care of her sales. She told us that she collects all herbs by herself with some help from her friends. I didn't want to spoil it by telling her that for example tea tree doesn't grow in Croatia. We listened intently to her 'fairytales' for a few minutes. Of course, I don't believe everything she said, but her soaps smelled so good and were reasonably priced, so we bought a few. I can't say if they are the best soaps in the world yet as I haven't used them, but I will keep you updated.
After our walk we enjoyed risotto for lunch, and then headed to the cathedral, but we'll talk about it next time.
As I said, it was windy 😊
Thank you for reading,
Cheers,
Martina