Khristian and I took a week-long trip to Croatia, where we stayed three nights in Split and three nights in Dubrovnik. Read about our time in Split here! To get from Split to Dubrovnik we were taking a bus, which had limited options of either 5 am or 2pm, so we decided on 5am so that we could have a full day in Dubrovnik once we arrived. So on Tuesday we woke up at 4:15 am, got ready, packed our bags, and made it to the bus station at 5am for our 5:15am bus. It was really cold out and super windy, so we weren’t happy when we got the notification that our bus was 40 minutes delayed! It wasn’t quite long enough for it to make sense to head back to our Airbnb so we waited in the lobby of the bus station. When the bus finally showed up it was packed, but we found seats together and were on our way around 6am. The route was supposed to be exactly 4 hours, but somehow it ended up taking us over five hours. Luckily, we managed to sleep almost the whole ride, and the view was beautiful the whole time since it was right along the coast.
When we finally arrived, we got an Uber to our Airbnb. But it dropped us off in the street because we had to climb up a LOT of stairs to reach the apartment. It was exhausting carrying our bags, but when we reached the top we were met by the host and she let us into our room. The benefit of all of the stairs was the amazing view from our balcony.
After dropping off our bags we headed into the city to find some food (we were starving!) We decided on a Pizzeria Castro, a pizza place within the Old Town that had outdoor seating in the sun. To get into Old Town from our AirBnb we had to enter through one of the three gates. For us, North Gate was right down the street so we headed there and went down a very steep set of stairs into the Old Town.
At the restaurant we split a bruschetta appetizer and a four cheese pizza. It was delicious!
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, an entire massive flock of pigeons flew past and surrounded us! It was the craziest experience, and I was just worried about them pooping on our food! Apparently this happens somewhat frequently because local people feed the birds a lot and when they drop bread or food, they all come swarming.
When we finished eating we stopped for our daily gelato! We found a cute shop and each got a scoop.
Then we walked around the Old Town and explored the part of the city that goes up to the water. It was gorgeous seeing the boats and the crystal clear water. The Old Town walls against the water felt like it was out of a story book. There were cats everywhere, just like in Split.
Then we had some time to kill and were getting tired of walking, so we stopped at a nice cafe. We sat in the sun and got some coffee while doing some people-watching.
Then we did a little shopping on the main strip and bought some candy from a crazy candy store. We sat on the steps of a huge fountain by the main gate to the town enjoying the sun, eating some candy, and watching a monk feed pigeons some bread. They were flying all over the place and even landed on his head a few times.
Then it was time to meet up with our tour guide for the Game of Thrones Tour we booked. Game of Thrones was shot primarily in Dubrovnik and it has a huge tourist population because of that. Khristian is a big fan of the show and even though I haven’t watched more than the first few episodes, it seemed like a great tour so we booked it. Our tour guide was awesome, so knowledgable and outgoing. She even carried a set of printed out photos from different scenes throughout the show that were shot in different areas so when we were standing in a spot she could show what it looked like on TV versus in real life. Her dialogue about the characters and the process of shooting the show was so good that I came away thinking I needed to start watching.
We climbed up to Lort Lovrijenac, where some important scenes were filmed. It also had amazing views of the Old Town and was really cool to walk around. April was an amazing time for this trip because it was almost empty in the fort and the guide told us that in the summer there would be thousands of people fighting for a spot in photos and pushing through crowds!
Throughout the tour the guide told us fun facts about the production of the show. Like when scenes were filmed in a particular spot, the show paid each store and restaurant however much they would have made each day to be closed, and they paid residents $100 per window, per day, to keep them closed. And they filmed in some spots for months! We also learned that the extras were all Croatians, which was something I had never thought about with movies shot abroad. They hire local people, and in this case they hired mostly retired Croatian men, which meant a lot of them didn’t know English. For some of the scenes, like one where the townspeople were all shouting and screaming, they were told to just scream about whatever was upsetting them. This meant that people were screaming profanities and horrible things, which was then covered up with voiceovers.
The tour continued around the city and ended at the iconic stairs where Cersei had to walk naked in the streets of King’s Landing. The people all shouted “shame! shame! shame!” as she walked. This is one of the most famous scenes in the whole show, and the local people have really taken advantage of that. There is a little show with a take-out window where all of their food and drinks are shame-related, like the shame burger. People in the tour reenacted the scene (clothed, of course!) The tour guide brought us to a gift shop that had a throne for us to take pictures with.
After the tour we headed to the cable car, which takes you up the mountain for an amazing view of the city and the water. It was a quick ride, about 3 minutes, but the views did not disappoint. We also timed it well with the sunset!
At the top, there was an observation deck and a restaurant with panoramic views.
There was a bit of a wait, but we eventually got seated and had an amazing meal. Originally we were seated in the middle of the restaurant so we didn’t have the best view, but before we got our food the waiter asked if we wanted to move since a table by the window opened up.
After dinner we hiked back up to our apartment and headed to bed since we had another early morning the next day.
On Wednesday we woke up and walked 20 minutes to a cafe for breakfast. I had done research the night before and found that almost nowhere in Dubrovnik was open before 10, so we had to go out of the Old Town to a cafe within the University of Dubrovnik. It ended up being really nice, I got a matcha latte and a chocolate croissant, and Khristian got a breakfast tray with coffee, orange juice, a chocolate croissant, and a sandwich. It was cool to see the tiny university.
Then we got an Uber to the port, where we boarded a speed boat for our full-day island cruise. The company was running two boats and we chose to get on the purple one because it was cute! There were three other couples and a friend group of four that were around my age.
The first island we stopped at was Koločep Island, and we had an hour to spend there. We hopped off the boat and just started exploring. It was a tiny island and we saw very few people as we walked around. We decided to follow the signs to the church, which took us on a scenic path of old streets, pretty flowers, and beautiful overlooks to the ocean. When we finally found the church, it was SO tiny. It looked like 5 people would have been able to fit inside. But it was closed, so we weren’t able to look in.
Then we backtracked to the water and saw some more of the local scene. Khristian saw a cactus and for some reason touched it, so he got some cactus needles in his finger. As we got closer to the water there was a stand where a man was selling honey and other local products. We looked into the water and noticed that there were thousands of sea urchins in the water! It was crazy, and if the water wasn’t so clear, I would imagine a lot of people would step on them.
We saw lots of dogs and cats, and one of the local dogs joined my picture 🙂
Then we got back on the boat and headed to the second island, Sudurad. Our trip included unlimited drinks, so we drank some white wine on our journey. This second island was where we would have our group lunch, but first we had an hour of free time.
It appeared that a lot of the stores were still closed because it was early in the season, so we kept walking, hoping to find something. All of the sudden a huge group of sheep came running past us, completely out of nowhere! It was a big group of all different types of sheep and it seemed like we were in a movie. They ran past us, the made a u-turn, stopped in front of us, and then crossed our path to run up the hill.
We kept walking but feared there was nothing farther on that path, so we turned around and headed back to the water. We found a beautiful little rocky beach where we decided to have a tipsy photo shoot.
Then it was time for lunch, and the whole group went to a local home/restaurant where there were tables outside for everyone to enjoy their meals and the fresh air. There was bread, red and white wine, and chicken, fish, and vegetarian meals which we had pre-ordered. I had the vegetarian dish which was roasted zucchini, salad, and green beans. Khristian had the chicken, which he said was delicious. For dessert they gave us fried dough balls, and I took a handful to-go!
The meal was great, and we happened to sit across from a really cool couple from New Zealand. Khristian studied abroad in New Zealand, and he loved it. So he really enjoyed talking to them about it. They were so nice, and the guy is a cop in New Zealand so we heard about what that is like. They were in Europe for a wedding and extended their trip to come to Croatia. Unfortunately, they were on the other boat the company was running, so we didn’t really see them again after lunch. We drank lots of wine together, and then headed back to the boat to head to the third, and biggest island.
We had THREE hours on this island, which was crazy! First, we checked out a couple of shops that were right by the port. They were small, and had little trinkets and art. The owners had the most adorable dog who I fell in love with. I learned that his name was Bandito, and I carried him around while we shopped. We bought a little hand-carved wooden heart and called it “Bandito’s heart” for the rest of the trip.
Then we headed to the beach, which ended up being a pretty long hike. We met a few cats along the way, and then when we got down to the beach there was another little dog who looked just like Bandito but with different colors! He was either a stray or the pet of one of the construction workers that were working on the bar just up the hill. He was so friendly and we played fetch with him for a long time using a stone as a ball. We referred to him as Bandito’s cousin. There was no one else on the beach, so we had a great time running around with him.
Then we decided to start our hike back. We passed beautiful flowers and met even more cats. It took us another 30 minutes to get back to the port.
When we got back, we walked around the town but most places were still closed for the season. Then we sat down on a bench and we still had about an hour until we needed to meet back at the boat. So we sat down on a bench and ate some snacks we had brought with us. But we both fell asleep! Luckily the bench we picked was right by the boat, so we woke up to the boat captain waking us up and telling us it was time to leave. Slightly embarrassing, but we both thought it was so funny and were thankful we didn’t get left on the island.
Then we headed back to Dubrovnik and took an Uber back to the Old Town. We were really tired, but this was the only opportunity we would have to walk the walls of Dubrovnik. It costs $35 per person to do, but we ended up buying a Dubrovnik pass which was $35 and also included entry to the fort we went into during the Game of Thrones tour. We went to the entrance and climbed up the stairs to get within the walls.
It took about an hour for us to walk around the whole city, and the views were amazing. The orange roofs were so unique and at some points the wall edges were really low and the drop was crazy high. We watched the sunset from the city walls, and then headed to dinner. At this point we were really tired and ready to head back to our Airbnb soon, so we settled on burgers for a quick meal.
Then we headed to the Airbnb and picked up some croissants from a bakery so that we would have a quick breakfast for the next day. We were going to Montenegro on an excursion, and we were getting picked up at 6:40 so there wouldn’t be anywhere open.
When we boarded the bus the next morning we were super happy to have them. I actually thought we forgot them, and was ecstatic when Khristian pulled them out of his backpack. The trip to the boarder took a lot longer than I thought it would because we had to pick up people along the way. Unfortunately, we were the first pickup spot so we had the longest journey. We didn’t get to the boarder until around 8:30, but the process of crossing was relatively easy. We all handed our passports to the guide and she got off the bus, handed them to the border control people, and we were good to go. I was shocked that no one came onto the bus to check anything. We crossed the Croatian border, drove a few more minutes, and then crossed into Montenegro. There was a bit of a line for busses but it went by within 20 minutes.
Then we started on a beautiful drive along the coast of Montenegro. It took a long time to drive all the way around the water to get to Perast, but it was beautiful so we couldn’t complain.
When we arrived in Perast, we had free time to explore. It was a beautiful and quaint town, and it resembled the islands we saw the day before.
Then our group boarded a boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, a famous man-made island with a beautiful church on it. It was a very small island, really just big enough for the church and some bathrooms. It was really pretty, but there were a ton of tour groups which took away from the experience. We quickly went into the church and took it in before heading back out. We got back on the boat and headed to Kotor, a major city.
When we arrived in Kotor, I was immediately overwhelmed with how beautiful the scenery was. The mountains were so tall behind the very old city, and the contrast was amazing. The old city walls were also built up onto the mountain which was so impressive. You can walk up the wall on the mountain, but it takes over an hour. The guide told us they are planning to install a cable car soon.
We followed the guide for a quick 20-minute tour of the city where she went over the history and pointed out some important buildings. Then we were free to explore for a few hours, and we started by getting lunch at a restaurant with outdoor seating in the sun. It was so nice to soak up the sun and the vibe was amazing.
We split a greek salad and had so much bread. I got a vegetable risotto and Khristian got a seafood risotto. I really liked mine, but he was a little disappointed by his. We also got Coca-Cola since we had both been talking about wanting to try a European coke since it’s supposedly much better. I’m usually not a coke person, but it was really good poured in a glass with ice and lime. There were cats all around us while we were eating, and some were even begging like dogs! I have never seen a cat do that before.
After lunch, we walked around the city and took everything in. We also started a long search for a post card which turned out to be a struggle because nowhere would take card for small amounts, and we only had a 50 euro bill. It took a few tries, but I eventually found some and ended up buying a shot glass too to meet their 5 euro credit card minimum.
We got our daily gelato, and kept walking around the city until it was time to meet up with the group. We hopped back on the bus and headed back to Dubrovnik. Looking back at the pictures, I am still amazed by how stunning Kotor was.
It was a few hour trip back to Dubrovnik and we crossed the boarder as flawlessly as we had on the way in. We stopped once to get snacks and use the bathroom at a gas station super market and we got some bruschetta chips and a massive water bottle.
When we eventually made it back to our Airbnb, there was an adorable one-eyed cat sitting in the window of the apartment. We changed for the night, and opened the bottle of wine we had bought at the vineyard in Split a few days earlier. Then we headed to an Italian restaurant where we split a great bottle of wine, a salad, and a truffle pasta dish.
When we wrapped up dinner, we wanted to explore the nightlife so went to a local bar. It was a sit-down bar but it was pretty busy, and they were playing a darts competition on the TV. We got a few drinks and then we wanted to check out the clubs so we waited until 12 to see if they were going to open. We walked all the way to one outside the city walls, but sadly it was still closed for the season. I was sad because we hadn’t gotten to go out much during out trip, but we still had fun at the bar earlier. We hiked back up to our Airbnb and went to bed.
The next morning was our last in Croatia. We slept in a little bit, packed our bags, enjoyed the view one last time, and then ordered our Uber to the airport. We got picked up and only got about 8 minutes into the trip when our driver pulled over and said we had to check out the best view of Dubrovnik. We all got out and we took a quick picture, and the driver even insisted on taking a picture for us.
Our flights back to Denmark were really smooth even though we had a 3 hour layover in Poland. It actually worked out perfectly because we had time to have a nice lunch at a sit-down restaurant in the airport. Both of our flights were Polish Airlines and we had no one else in our row. Their flight snack are sweet or savory pastries, so on the first flight we tried the apple and on the second we got the spinach.
When we got back to Copenhagen we were exhausted and decided to make eggs for dinner and head to bed early.
The next morning we woke up and headed to Grød, an oatmeal and porridge chain in the city. My parents loved it when they visited so I wanted him to experience it. Then we went to the canal and did a canal cruise so he could get a feel for the city. It was great and the guide was very funny and had a good balance of the historic and modern aspects of the city.
Then we walked around Nyhavn, the classic part of the city with the iconic rainbow houses. It was a beautiful day outside. It was also Easter weekend, which meant that it was packed with people visiting!
Next we headed to the city center where we waited 30 minutes on line for the best hot dog stand in the city. It was crazy because I have never had to wait, but Easter weekend made the lines so long. It was worth it though, I enjoyed my vegetarian hot dog and Khristian got the classic one.
Then we went to the Glass Market and he tried smørrebrød, the most classic danish open-faced sandwich on rye bread. He got the chicken salad one. Then we stopped at Glean, the plant-based flødeboller place I found when my parents visited. We got the orange and the salted caramel mocha. Yum! Khristian got some toffee tins from an ice cream place to bring home for his family, and of course got a scoop of mint chocolate chip.
Then we went to the Church of our Savior, which is a super tall church you can climb up. It recently opened up for the warmer season since the last part of the climb is outside, so I have not climbed it yet. But when we got there, we saw that you have to buy tickets online and they were sold out for the next few hours. So we booked it for the next available time and kept going with our day.
We walked through Freetown Christiania, and then we headed home and met up with Sophie for a cup of coffee at the cafe in our apartment. Sophie booked tickets to climb the church with us, so we all went together.
The climb starts inside the church, where you climb up a series of stairs. It was very old inside and it reminded me a bit of the Anne Frank House. After climbing up very narrow staircases we ended up outside, where the remainder of the climb was outside of the building on a spiral staircase.
The view was beautiful, but it was a little bit scary because the staircase got smaller and smaller as we climbed, and over the railing was a straight drop. The very top was just a dead end where the stair is only about 8 inches wide, and then you turn around and climb all the way back down. But the views were definitely the best I’ve found in Copenhagen and we timed it perfectly at golden hour (about an hour before sunset) so we got amazing pictures.
When we got back down, we hopped on a bus and headed to Reffen, an outdoor street food market that had just opened for the season a few weeks earlier. It is a huge space overlooking the water with tons of vendors, an outdoor eating space with tons of picnic tables, fire pits, and a skate park.
I had a falafel bowl and curly fries, Sophie had fish and chips, Khristian had a chicken wrap, and we all had beer. My favorite part about going to Reffen is that everyone is able to eat exactly what they want from different vendors but all eat together. We sat at a picnic table and watched the sunset. Sophie and I got Nutella crepes before we all headed back to our apartment, since it was starting to get cold.
Khristian was leaving the next day, but we realized that his flight was at 7pm, not 7am. We decided to go out to the bars that night with Sophie and some of our other friends who happened to be home that weekend. A lot of our friends were still traveling from spring break, but we got a group together. We didn’t want to deal with paying cover at the clubs so we went to Old Irish Pub which was pretty busy and was playing great throwback songs so we decided to stay. We danced and had a great time until around 2:45am, and we stopped at McDonalds and got some fries and McFlurries for the road.
We slept in the next morning and met Sophie for waffles and coffee at a nearby cafe. We retold stories of the night before and enjoyed our breakfast.
Then Sophie and Khristian said their goodbyes and I helped Khristian pack his bags. We watched a few episodes of a show he is watching and then I walked him to the metro stop which took him to the airport.
We had such a great time visiting Croatia and I loved being a tour guide for him in Copenhagen!
