First Impressions

Places, just like people, give off a certain energy, a certain feeling, that can’t easily be explained but can definitely be felt. Sometimes it is our own projection of ourselves or what is going on in our own lives, sometimes it’s keen observation, and other times it just is, what it is. Every time I approached a new place, either by train, boat, bus, or plane, I found myself looking out the window and without fail, every time, some sort of emotion would begin stirring inside of me. Sometimes I would feel anxious or nervous. I would feel as though it was going to be difficult to find my accommodation, the people might not be friendly or helpful, or that it just simply was not my kind of place. Other times, as was the case with Croatia, I felt happy, at peace, and the only anxiousness was to hurry up and get off the boat so I could begin experiencing yet another amazing country. I had already booked a bed in a hostel called Booze and Snooze, and the directions sounded fairly simple, so with my bags on my shoulders, I decided I didn’t need to stop and get a map. I should have gotten a map. I don’t really know how to describe the Old Town in Split other than to call it a labyrinth of marble covered walkways, none of which go in a straight line, or even in one direction for that matter. So, needless to say, I got lost. Not to worry though, I was still too excited about this place to worry about being lost. Plus, getting lost walking around the only remaining Roman Palace that is still complete in the entire world is a pretty awesome experience all on its own.















Eventually I crossed a piazza that was noted on the directions for the hostel, and saw a local waiter smoking a cigarette on his break. I decided to ask if he knew the hostel or where I could find it. He didn’t know the hostel, but new the alleyway and kindly walked me to it. Sure enough, there it was, Booze and Snooze. I couldn’t be happier.

There was a group of girls ahead of me that were checking in to the hostel, so I found a seat in Reception and waited my turn. As I was waiting my eyes began wondering around the walls of the office and again I felt my intrigue and excitement growing for the adventures that were ahead of me. The walls were covered with posters and flyers for every activity and tour you could imagine; whitewater rafting, national parks, booze cruises, island hopping tours, day trips to this town, or that island, bus schedules and ferry timetables. I was quickly realizing that the 12 days I had anticipated spending in Croatia was not going to be enough. Writing this now, I can only laugh… if I only knew. Ironically enough, I ended up spending almost all of the rest of that summer in Croatia, and never really made it too far from Split, but we’ll get to that part of the story in a bit. For now I just needed to check in.