December 15, 2017: Zagreb to Split

Today was a transition day.  This morning we need to be at the Zagreb airport by 11:00 am to meet our daughter, Cherie.  We did not rush getting around this morning, relaxing over breakfast.  We packed, drove 5 minutes, arriving at the airport by 11:00. Our hotel was in a perfect location.

Cherie’s flight from Frankfurt landed at 11:05. She was through immigration, baggage claim and customs soon after 11:30 am.  We added her to the rental car as a driver, and were on our way south toward Split soon thereafter.

The drive to Split is a very easy drive, 4 hours on 4-laned tollway.  The countryside is very different from what we saw yesterday.  Much of the area we drove through is what appears to be waste land, with very little tillable areas.  Much of what we saw was very rocky and could only possibly be used as grazing for horses and cattle, but there was very little of that.  We do have to remember that this is winter, so the amount of grazing is probably very abbreviated from usual.

An Inlet Along the Coast

Bridge and Village on the Inlet

Statue at the Pull-Off

It rained nearly the whole time we were driving.  We arrived in Split around 4:15 and it was already dusk, as the clouds were heavy.  We were able to drive to the vicinity of our apartment but had trouble finding the actual location.  Thanks to GPS and cell phones we were able to connect with our friends who had just arrived at the apartment.  We were meeting Canadian friends of Cherie’s, who currently live in Qatar. We are all renting an Airbnb apartment located on the 3^rd floor inside the old Diocletian Palace of Split.  After walking through a maze of streets, we had several flights of stairs to climb to get to the apartment. Thank goodness we had packed light!

After reconnecting over a welcome beverage, it was time to find an overnight parking spot for the rental car.  The owner of the apartment had given us an address where the car could be parked for free.  Even with GPS, it still seemed like we drove all over the town before we found the street and a parking place.  There are lots of one-way streets in Split, due to the old narrow streets. Hopefully the car will still be there when we are ready to leave!!

After parking the car, we had a 15-minute walk back to the apartment where we joined our friends for dinner at a very nice restaurant.

After dinner we returned to our apartment, settling in for the night.  Everyone was exhausted from traveling, and needed to go to bed early. Plus, for us, this morning Cal began a good old-fashioned cold – coughing and all!