The flag stays on for good this time

Trip Start Apr 21, 2008

101

225

Trip End Apr 20, 2009

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Flag of Croatia Split, Croatia
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Split is definitelz the nicest city I have seen in Europe during this trip. Walking through the massice Diccletian Palace at night is one of the best walks you could do in Europe. Within the walls of this massive palace you will find a maze of narrow marble streets that you can get lost in. There are street performers and shops everywhere along with cafes, bars and restaurants. It is a place I will definitely come back to but one I will visit with my future wife and/or girlfriend (hopefully they are the same person). It is the perfect place to come with your partner. Croatia is definitely a beautiful country. Probably one of the nicest ones I have ever been to. I dont think there is another country that has a coast as beautiful as Croatia's. But I do think Croatia is appreciated more if you come with someone else rather than coming alone. Thats why I am glad most of the countries I selected for this trip are nothing like Croatia. Countries like Iran, Syria, Rwanda and Uganda can be appreciated if visited on your own. Besides, I think I would have more success convincing my future partner to come to Croatia with me rather than Iran (unfortunately).

When I arrived in Split, it was a bit of a challenge finding my hostel as I didnt have a map. A lady at the tourist office pointed me to the right direction and with those instructions I was able to find the place. It was a very simple dorm room. One that had 8 bunk beds squeezed into one of the most narrow rooms I have ever seen. It definitely was not worth CDN $35 a night but I couldnt find anything else in such short notice. Even the owner of the hostel apologized for the high price of a dorm bed but he explained that Split only had 2 busy tourist months and it was the only time the locals could make good money. Therefore, prices for everything sky rocket during the months of July and August. No big deal. I will just have to eat cheaply while I am here.

After checking in, I decided to hit the beach instead of tour the town. Something told me that I would enjoy the town more at dark than while the sun was up. It ended up being a great decision as it was scorching hot (again) today. In between y dunks into the sea, I continued reading the Davinci Code. I havent been able to put this book down since I started it 3 days ago. I have read 280 pages already and have only 200 pages left. I wont be surprised if I am done with it by tomorrow night.

After the beach, I went to the local grocery store and bought my supper. Tonight's menu included bread with nutella along with a can of Croatian beer. I took my supper by the sea where I ate it while observing the action along the water. After my exquisite supper, I toured the town. As I said earlier, this town is beautiful at night.

At midnight, I returned to my hostel. I was surprised to see so much activity in my room. Everyone was still up and having a good time. I chatted with a few people. One guy from Califaronia asked where I was from and I pointed to the flag on my backpack. With that he answered "Oh so you're the one". I knew right away what he meant by that. I have met some Americans that get upset with Canadians who put the flag on their backpacks. They say that we only put our flags so that people dont think we are American. I explain to them that they should not view us putting our flag as an anti-American thing. If other travellers see me without my backpack, they always assume I am American. This happens to a lot of Canadians. Putting our flags on our backpacks just reminds people that there are Canadians out there seeing the world as well. I know that is why I put my flag on my bag. It is not that I want people to think that I am not American but rather that I am Canadian. Most people understand that. I remember during my Asia tour in 2002, I took off my flag from my backpack. I was tired of having the conversation about the flag on my bag. I remember stating this fact in one of my @travel update@ emails to everyone. I couldnt believe how many emails I got back from people saying how disappointed they were. They were right. I should have kept it on. I wont make that mistake again. If I do, it will definitely be after I visit Iran and Syria :).

Dino Vagabond