Day 18– September 19, 2006 – Back to Croatia…Travel Day from Hell!
The plan for today was to catch the 5:21am train from the Lesce, Bled train station that goes directly to Zagreb, rent a car and drive to Split where we would catch the 5pm fast catamaran to Hvar. It seemed like a good idea in the planning stages… “on the ground”…maybe not so good after all.
We got to the train station by 5am…quite a challenge getting up at 4am! While waiting on the platform, since the station was locked up tighter than a drum, there was an announcement. Thank God a young girl (we think she was a student) who was also waiting for a train (although not the one we needed) was kind enough to translate for us and told us the train we were waiting for would be 2 hours late…oh joy!
Another woman who was also waiting suggested we take the next train (a local commuter train) to Ljubljana and catch a train to Zagreb there. She seemed to think there might be a train leaving for Zagreb earlier then our late train and it would be better to wait at the larger train station in Ljubljana…ok, it made sense to us.
We hop on the next train that stopped at the station and yes it was definitely a local commuter train. Having spent several years as a commuter taking trains in and out of NYC, there was no doubt in my mind this was a commuter train, it was packed with people on their way to work and school. And yes, it made every stop between Lesce and Ljubljana…it took us about one hour. But these trains were kept impeccably clean and it was interesting to be sitting there with our suitcases above our heads and directly across from the toilet (ok, not prime seats!) people watching all the Slovenes going to work.
Once we got to the Ljubljana train station and disembarked the train we made our way to the information desk and arrivals/departures monitor. We asked 2 different attendants when the next train to Zagreb would be arriving and got 2 different answers, at least the answers were only 30 minutes apart(8:30am and 9am). So, it turned out the next train to Zagreb was the train we were supposed to have caught in Lesce! On the bright side, we were now at least in a bigger train station where we could get a cappuccino! And we were really lucky, because the night before we were very diligent in trying using up all our Slovenian Tolars and we couldn’t have planned this better if we had tried…we had the exact amount of Tolars for 2 cappuccinos, about $5.00! Let me tell you, that cappuccino was the best I had tasted, well, at that moment it tasted like the best! So, we settled into the chairs at the train station café and drank our coffees and waited and waited and waited.
When we thought the train would be arriving soon, we walked over to the platform and waited some more. And here is the funny part, as we were standing there waiting up the stairs comes 4 figures that look very familiar! It was 4 of our tour-mates who were also headed to Zagreb, but were going to take the later 7:25am train from Lesce which was also late! They had taken a taxi from Bled to Ljubljana. We all had a good laugh and a little while later the train arrived and we all jumped on. We had no trouble finding a compartment and settled in for our 2 and a half hour ride to Zagreb.
The train arrived in Zagreb shortly after noon, only 3 hours and 45 minutes after it was supposed to arrive in Zagreb, but better late then never! We said another round of good-byes to your tour-mates and were off the train and out of the station by 12:15pm. Now this is where some of my pre-trip planning starts to pay off. I had reserved a rental car with Avis from their location at the Sheraton Zagreb. I had cracker-jack directions on how to walk from the train station to the Sheraton and we were there in less than 10 minutes.
The rental paperwork process and all the stuff that goes with it took about 30 minutes give or take. I was a little worried at first when we walked in to the Avis office because when I told the agent I had a reservation he gave me a funny look and then starts tapping his computer keyboard and sighing an making faces, but after a few minutes he has the forms for CL to sign. I made the booking, but because CL was driving they needed her credit card and information. All that was taken care of and we went off to the front of the hotel to wait for the agent to bring the car around to us. CL and the agent went over the car to mark down any dents and we were ready to roll.
The agent had given us a city map of Zagreb with directions how to get out of the city and onto Highway A-1. He also gave us a great road map of Croatia that I used the whole way to the Split airport so that we could know our location and how close we were getting to Split.
We did an excellent job of navigating out of the city (thanks to pre-trip planning I had also gotten some tips from people who had driven this route before!) and once we were on the highway we took it almost straight to Trogir, the town the Split airport is in.
When we were out of most of the city traffic in Zagreb, but not quite on the highway yet, I checked my watch and it was 1:18pm, so from disembarking the train to getting on the road, it took us about an hour.
We rode down the modern A-1 Highway passing by some beautiful scenery and going through some very long tunnels. We made a pit-stop at about 2:30pm and another stop for gas about 30km from Trogir. We used about half a tank of gas.
We took the exit that said Trogir and had the airplane symbol, since I didn’t know the exact exit for the Split airport and that was where we needed to drop off the car. The toll on the highway from Zagreb to Trogir was 146 Kuna, about $25 US Dollars.
Once we exited the highway we followed the signs for Trogir. There were some pretty twisting roads and at times I was holding on for dear life since there were no guardrails. Once we rounded a mountain I could see Split in front of us and the control tower of an airport…hallelujah! It was probably 20 minutes from the highway exit to the airport.
I’m glad during my pre-trip research (can you see a pattern forming here!) I read about how to handle the car drop off. We just pulled into the airport parking lot, and got a ticket from the machine at the entrance, pulled into a spot near the front of the terminal and got all our stuff out of the car. We rented from Avis and their desk is actually located outside the terminal building, off to the side.
When we went up to the Avis window they were closed. CL went inside and asked another car rental agency if there was an Avis agent. He said they just went on a break. I waited for them to open up again which was truly only a couple minutes. The extent of the agent checking the car was asking me if there were any dents, I said no, and he said ok! He never physically went to check the car. The one day car rental coast about $100, which was less then what it would have cost for each of us to purchas train tickets from Lesce to Split and we got to see some interesting scenery!
By now we were at the Split airport and it was 5pm... so much for catching that 5pm catamaran to Hvar! Both CL and I agreed we did not want to take the public bus to the ferry terminal in Split since we were starting to feel the effects of exhaustion. We asked the woman at the information desk to call a taxi for us. The taxi arrived in about 10 minutes and loaded us in. I asked how much the ride would cost and he said about 300 Kuna, he did set the meter.
The taxi driver did drive a bit like a maniac, but it was rush hour traffic. He even made a call to find out when the ferry was leaving and took us right to the ticket booth and made sure we got tickets for a fast catamaran! There was one leaving at 8:30pm and it went right to Hvar Town! I hadn’t come across that one in my research and thought we might have to take the regular ferry that left at 8:30pm and takes 2 hours! The taxi ride did cost 287 Kunas and I gave him a decent tip for getting us to the fast catamaran ticket booth!
By now it was about 6pm and the catamaran leaves at 8:30pm. I took this time to call the apartment owner in Hvar to let her know when we would be arriving. I called her mobile number and got a recording, in Croatian of course, then I called her home number and got the same recording. I got the feeling it was a “generic” recording and may have been saying “you are out of the calling area”.
At this point I was starting to get upset and thinking, “My God, will we have a place to sleep tonight?” So, I called the agency I booked the Hvar apartment through (http://www.hvar-travel.com/). I got a girl who spoke English, but I don’t think she understood me very well. I gave her a message to tell Marija (our Hvar apartment owner) we would be arriving at 9:30pm. The girl told me the owner did not have her mobile phone with her but to call the owner in 2 hours and she would have her phone then. Now this is sounding fishy to me and I am really starting to panic. Thank God CL was staying calm, or at least she appeared to be staying calm!
We decide to check our bags at the train station left luggage, which is right across from the ferry terminal, and walk over to have something to eat since we hadn’t really had “real” food all day, even though the hotel in Bled had packed us a boxed lunch with a yummy ham and cheese sandwich and we did have some food for the 4 hour drive, like bananas, popcorn, cookies and water! So, we walked over the the busy harbor front area (the Riva) and checked out a couple cafes and decided to just get a pizza and capresse salad. We ate at and outdoor café/pizzeria, and I can’t even remember the name of the place, but it wasn’t bad. Once we finished eating we walked over to the DM (aka drogeria) to take my mind off things and look for nail polish a friend had asked me to bring back that is only sold in Europe…thank God they had it, I don’t think I could have taken another bungled experience this day!
After the nail polish buying expedition we picked up our luggage and sat by the harbor until we could board the catamaran. It’s too bad I didn’t enjoy Split more, or get to see much of it! Well, that gives me the excuse that I need to go back to Croatia since I didn’t really see Split. While we waited to board the boat I tried calling the Marija in Hvar again, and still had no luck. But by now CL and I had a plan, if I couldn’t get in touch with Marija we would just find the most expensive hotel in Hvar and spend the night there and deal with it the next morning. After all, we have been up since 4am and it is now 8:30pm, we were just about running on empty!
The catamaran left right at 8:30pm and there were maybe 20 people on the whole boat! I’m so glad it was only a 1 hour trip and unfortunately since it was dark out we couldn't see what we were passing and I felt very disoriented. We arrived and got off the boat at the harbor in Hvar Town at 9:30pm-ish and even though panic and exhaustion were kicking in I had to stop and soak in the atmosphere... this place at night is jaw droppingly gorgeous…I can’t wait to see it during the day.
We start walking and there is a hotel we pass right on the harbor and looks expensive, again all my pre-trip planning/research is kicking in and I’m thinking that’s one of the swanky hotels I have read about. CL asks me if I want to call the apartment owner again. I am reluctant and don’t really want to, but I do. This time I get a ring, actually 6 rings, but no answer. We keep walking down the harbor and then turn around to start walking back to the first hotel we saw and my phone starts ringing. For whatever reason, I decided to keep the phone on, when I normally would have turned it off. I am really glad I kept in on; it was Marija our apartment owner calling me back! Thank God!
I told her we were in front of the Hotel Palace and she said she would be there in 10 minutes. She showed up about 20 minutes later and walked us to the house the apartment is in and the whole way there I am praying the place will be ok. We turn down a narrow street just off the main square with a bakery on it…how appropriate! Then we go up a couple sets of steps to the house. Then the trudge with our bags up 3 flights of stairs to the studio apartment with an AMAZING BALCONY…..THANK YOU GOD!!! was my first thought, then complete relief.
The place was clean, there are 2 beds and it is the exact apartment the pictures showed on the website, sometimes you just never know what you will get when booking via the internet! But the best part other than being clean is the wonderful balcony/patio we have with views of the entire old town and the bell tower and the fortress on the hill all lit up at night. Even in my worn out state I knew this place was magical! By now it is about 10:30pm and all we want to do is go to sleep…and there will be no alarm clock tonight!
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