As you may have figured out by now we are pretty smitten with Croatia. Everything( almost) about it is perfect, from the ease of finding accommodations, to the spectacular Adriatic views ,to the numerous picturesque little harbors seemingly around every bend of the Dalmatian coastline and stunning natural wonders. If there is one teeny drawback here it would be the food. On a scale of one to four of the Mediterranean countries we have visited,food wise, we would rank Italy #1, Turkey #2, Greece #3 and Croatia #4. Sometimes it seems like the food is a poorer representation of Italian classics. And don't get me started on the " gelato"! Again, after two weeks we still say, " looks like gelato, not gelato". It is the same 10 flavors everywhere, and none of them very good. It is more fluffy and less flavorful. Same for pizza- a pale imitation of Italian pizza. It gets to be a bit repetitive, too.
I told Jim early on that you will be less disappointed if you don't expect that what you order in Croatia to taste the same as any previous dish by the same name. That being said, if you stick to seafood, it's all quite good, if expensive. I finally broke down and ordered scampi last night after seeing it on the menu everywhere, and boy, were they delicious! Like mini lobsters.
Sorry for the dark photo. We were dining in a small covered outdoor seating area with low light...
But I digress! I want to take you back to Split, another favorite place we visited after Hvar. We took the ferry from StariGrad, on the island of Hvar. We considered staying there but were sort of glad we didn't because in wandering through the beautiful town, it felt a little like one more ghost town in the off season. However, on the way there, I found my ideal location. Just one hotel and two restaurants, and a killer sea view!
Why is it that we always find the perfect place to stay when we are just leaving, or the perfect restaurant when we have just eaten?
The harbor at Stari Grad was perfectly picturesque.
The town was beautiful, too. Just deserted.
This was the door of an important church.
We saw these huge shells, and I had to have jim be a hand model to show the scale of them!
Eventually our ferry arrived for the two+ hour trip to Split. It was very comfortable in the lounge seating area, but I just wish the curtains had been open to see the view.
It was a bit too cold and windy in the outdoor seating area.
Another beautiful harbor, lined with cafés and sailboats. If I squint , I can imagine these ports in medieval times, as ancient vessels sailed into port.
After being on small islands for several days, Split seemed like the BIG city to us- and it was! Fortunately we had a reservation for an apartment nearby and set our gps which took us right to the door. Since it was nearly 8 pm, we made a hasty beeline for the restaurant that our host recommended.
The name of the restaurant is Dvor, and if you are ever in Split, I highly recommend this place! In fact, just plan your trip now to come here. After all my snarky comments about Croation food, this place did not disappoint. It was probably among our favorite restaurants on the entire trip, and that is saying a lot! The view was fabulous, too, and reminded me so much of views I grew up with near the Puget Sound.
I'm not sure what they call this in Croatia, but it was a near exact duplicate of the gozleme, or spinach filled pancakes we tried in Turkey.
Fab fettuccini with prosciutto and truffles
Jim had delicious grilled fish and vegetables.
These were complimentary desserts they brought, topped with pine nuts and dried figs.
Dvor was so nice, we ate there twice! And the waiter was so cute I wanted to bring him home with me.
Part 2 of Split to follow...
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