Agreed by all, the train to Split from Zagreb was beautiful but unpleasant at the same time. With mountainous vistas, cliff drop-offs and fields of evergreens, the view from the train was picturesque but the carriages rocked from side to side as we travelled up and down the mountains, causing a lot of travel sickness.
Six hours on, we arrived in Split, with most of the group not too excited at the prospect of boat travel to top it off. We arrived in perfect time to make the 3pm crossing to Hvar but unfortunately ferry tickets were sold out, which meant an unplanned three hours in Split. Whilst the rest of the group chilled in a cafe (and recovered from travel nausea), I ventured into the town, walking down the palm tree-lined promenade and glancing into the lives of wealthy yacht owners. I even spoilt myself with a chocolate ice cream.
Finally, it was time to get the ferry across. We had high hopes for a smooth boat trip, with incredible views of the Croatian islands and clear sky...
We were disappointed.
Huge waves crashed against the ferry, with the majority of the boat audibly gasping as we hit a particularly large wave. We had a very rocky start to our final location indeed.
Gorgeous marble stones cover the port and, like in Split, palm trees line the completely clear waters. Our hostel was ideally situated 50m from the ferry landing so we were able to get over sea sickness and dump our bags quickly before setting out for dinner. Despite a lengthy walk to find a restaurant recommended to us, we ended up in the main town square, where I (finally) had the spaghetti bolognese dish I'd been craving this holiday.
It is important to note that Hvar is an expensive place to visit. My pasta dish set me back 70 kuna (approximately £8) and drinks are in the region of 25 kuna (just under £3). Although we were prepared to splash out a bit more for our final destination, every member of my group had to use the ATM at least once again.
After our meal, we set out for the bars. Hula Hula is situated to the west of the main square and was fantastic on our first night on the island. As it closes early (music stopped at 10:40pm when we were there- we were shocked too!), it is a very popular place to start the night. Cocktails were extortionate at the bar (79 kuna = £9) but it is set on a beach so that is to be expected. The music was brilliant there; all the Wonderwall-esque, sing-a-long classics were played and EVERYBODY joined in. By the time everyone had been kicked out of the bar (heartbreaking), we went along to the bars on the port. Four of the five bars we visited were playing club pop hits and all had pretty cool lighting, giving them a nightclub-vibe without the entry cost. The last bar we visited, Kiva, played more old-school music, so was a perfect way to end the night (bars in Hvar close around 2am).
There was a small cafe to get extra supplies from and it was possible to hire umbrellas and sun loungers too. Hvar was already sweltering at 11am so we quickly got into that sea. It may be pretty but, boy, was it cold. That said, it didn't take long to acclimatise and it was a very refreshing change from the boiling air around.
We spent the entire day there and, considering the full-on 2.5 weeks we'd had, a full day spent lying flat out on the beach was a day well appreciated. Devastatingly, despite my hardcore efforts at sun cream (I reapplied it four times), I suffered the worst burn I've ever had on that beach. Turns out factor 20 sun cream is not strong enough for the strong rays of Croatia.
Admittedly, we both found it funny but were also taken aback by the sheer confidence of these people.
We were disappointed.
Huge waves crashed against the ferry, with the majority of the boat audibly gasping as we hit a particularly large wave. We had a very rocky start to our final location indeed.
An hour later and it was over. Sun beamed down on us, the sound of the waves clashing with the walls of the harbour filled the air... Hvar is a truly magnificent place.
The next morning, we bought breakfast and lunch at the supermarket and headed for the beach. Thirty minutes plus of walking west of the main harbour led us to an idyllic cove of paradise, with white pebbles, clear sea and (yet more) palm trees.
It was honestly like a scene from the 'Mamma Mia' movie.
I'm still in pain now.
On returning back to the hostel, bucket loads of after-sun was put on following a cool shower to ease the pain. It was now our final night of our Interrail trip and we were gutted. We grabbed a slice of takeaway pizza not to waste the remaining hours of our trip and walked back to Hula Hula. Whilst my cocktail tasted better on the second night, the music was disappointingly bland.
We left the club to return to the bars, which, once again, provided hours of hits and then made our way to the nightclub.
Every so often, 'White Night' takes to Hvar. Hoards of people arrive dressed in white turn up on extravagant sea vessels, ready to splash the cash at Hvar's 'top' nightclub, Carpe Diem. To get to the club, you must take a ferry from the Carpe Diem bar to the nightclub island, which in itself was an experience (Wonderwall was sang multiple times). We truly had no idea what to expect from the nightclub and were surprised at the mystical theme going on there. As the majority of people were from 'Yacht Week', we did feel slightly out of place, but there were others who had bought their 200 kuna way in. Many of the sofas were reserved for 'Yacht Week' members, which was frustrating considering we had paid a lot to get in. At Carpe Diem, we got off to a fairly shocking start. As my group scoped the club, my friend and I were jumped on by two guys who tried to throw us into a pool.
Terrifying doesn't cover it.
Three of my friends left the club at 3am, having felt that staying on was not worth the loss of sleep. My friend and I (ironically the ones who got off to the terrifying start) stayed on an extra hour, in which it did get better. A whole balloon banner was opened, relieving balloons every where, bubbles filled the air and a tall, LED lit-up man/machine danced around the club. The club is set outside, but has a light covering of lights. Overall, our experience at Carpe Diem was fine, but definitely not the best club from Interrail despite the hype and price.
This morning, we packed our bags away for the last time. Our journey to the airport was another stressful one: the ferry nearest to us was booked up until 2pm (too late) so we had to get the slowest and busiest of buses to Stari Grad, another town on the island, and get the ferry from there. At times on the ferry, I doubted if we were even going in the right direction towards Split, seeing as everything was going wrong. Luckily, all was well.
As I write this from 35,000ft high on the plane home, it is only just sinking in that our months and months of planning has been put into action and finished. I have had an incredible 18 days and there are so many places that I just want to go straight back to.
Next stop: AMERICA!
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