My last two e-mails were written rather hastily but I
have some time on my hand right now to write something
put together better.

I wake up with to the peaceful sound of the Adriatic
... as I grab breakfast, I get as sense of nostalgia
seeing the continental breakfast laid out before me -
basically, jam and toast.

I leave the wonderful little hostel in Trieste, with
my companions from Denmark and Ireland bugging me to
stay another night to drink with them.  I head into
Trieste for a little morning adventure, getting on for
free again because there's no way of purchasing a
ticket from where I live.

I spend the morning hiking up the winding streets to
arrive at a massive castle overlooking Trieste.

However, as I return to the train station, I discover
my first trip error occurs.  I had planned to board a
train to Ljubljana (pronounced Loob-l-ee-ah-na) at
10:46, but the train actually left at 10:36.  

This is actually good though, because my schedule only
allowed an undeserving 3 hours in the Slovenian
capital.  I was tempted to hitch over to Ljubljana
(Magnus, my friend from Denmark, counted 104
successful hitches).

I instead board an earlier bus to head to Split right
away.  The bus takes a scenic ride through the
countryside of Slovenia before entering Croatia.  As
the night falls, the full moon rises, and bus winds
along the cliffs of Croatia.  The moon lights up the
land, and I can see everything - it really is quite
beautiful.  I can only imagine what it's like during
the day.  Sadly, I can also see the evidence of the
past war - gutted buildings, ruins, and land mine
warnings.  

The bus is playing a mix of Croatian folk music, disco
music, and something else I like to call "disco folk"
music.  Cool.

I meet an Aussie named Simon and we chat it up as it
is impossible to sleep on the bus.  It turns out that
we would are travelling along similar lines, and we
agree to meet in Dubrovnik, perhaps concluding with me
catching a lift with him over to Zagreb.

I arrive in Split at 4:00am, and walk around - yes, I
walked around.  And it's great.  There's a nearby
market full of vendors chatting it up and setting up
their stalls, and I sit and watch.  Around 5am, an old
man approaches me for Sobe - or a private room.  I
bargain, accept, and follow him into Stari Grad, or
the old town, passing green lit buildings, empty
plazas and into a narrow alley to his home. 

Tip: The Let's Go travel book in my opinion is better
than the Lonely Planet book.  However, the Lonely
Planet does have a better language section,
specifically including numbers.  I found myself in
many situations where I could ask "how much", but
couldn't decipher the reply!  Of course, I'm going to
grab these translations off Google after this.

The room is very nice.  Clean sheets.  I can hang my
laundry without offending anyone.  Looking out the
window, I have a view overlooking a mid-size plaza
complete with statue.  Looking to my left, I can see
the boardwalk and the Adriatic Sea.  I hear the
relaxing hustle and bustle of people constantly.

I grab a Croatian breakfast - a mayo, pickle, ham,
cheese, and egg sandwich in a grilled bun.  I was
actually hoping to get a taste of the full squid
sandwich, but it was not lunch yet.  Simon also
recommended I look for a risotto dish that uses squid
ink as a sauce.  I'd really like to try that.

I return to the market and it's in full  swing. 
Fruits, meats, cheese, clothing.  I purchase a really
useful tool - a small pouch I can fit my condensed
travel book in.  I hang it on the side of my bag and
use it as a travel book and journal holster. 

The sun rises and warms the city.  I start seeing the
sights, which are all surprisingly empty.  Well, the
city itself is amazing, with architecture dating back
to the 13th century.  It doesn't end, and I truly feel
like I'm in a different place in a different time
period.  Throughout the city, ancient pillars are
reused as benches, and I find myself having a snack
many times amongst buildling ruins.

I climb the Bell Tower of St. Dominus, ascending
precariously exciting steps.  My heart pounds as the
view opens up to a fantastic view of the city.

I then head into the ancient UNESCO protected
Diocetian Palace, consisting of 50 Roman cellars, and
being one of the best preserved palaces in the world. 
It feels like I am wandering through a haunted
labyrinth.  The cellars were once submerged and choral
reef and huge clam shells (2 foot diameter!) are on
display.  The archaelogists seem to be unfinished with
their dig, leaving pieces of ruins and Egyptian
sphinxes littering the high-ceiling hallways - I could
literally just walk off with some pieces.  Being the
only one in the cellars at the time, I climb over some
blockades and ascend with my flashlight into some
creepy stairways.  

Well, the sights were great, but the real fun is
getting lost in Split.  Meandering narrow alleys and
winding stairs pass ancient coffins, hidden ruins, and
churches; go under medieval archways; and open up to
secret plazas, terraces overlooking other plazas,
music, and gardens.

For lunch, I have some amazing Croatian "Fast Food". 
It's cheap.  I buy Cevapi U Lepinji, a boiled meat
sandwich, and Kobasice, a sausage sandwich, complete
with fresh mystery vegetables and eggs.  The price - a
measly 10 kroners each (1.25 US).  My only qualm is
that the Crotian method of bun grilling, although
toasting the bread quickly and taste great, is
unnecessarily oily at times.

And surprisingly, people treat me as a Canadian,
because of the flag on my backpack, rather than
Chinese, though I did stand out and receive curious
stares as I wandered far past the city centre into the
residential neighbourhoods.

There's so much sun here I can see why the local
elderly are so wrinkled - from the sheer amount of
smiling they do!

Next: Dubrovnik - Paradise on Earth