Trip 1 Day 5 Trogir

After yet another restless night fuelled by eating too late or maybe too much fresh air I decide I will take myself to Trogir for the day. I take a different route to the town today through a less salubrious part of town. Before getting to the seafront I am confronted by concrete monolithic structures perfectly positioned and equidistant apartments. Very communist circa 1970s I would say. I eventually reach the promenade and make my way to the bus station which like most continental cities it is next to the train station.

These are usually in the particularly rough end of town. The place full of characters and dark foreboding doorways where if at night the only light emitting would be from the ends of burning cigarettes painting the way like sort of hazy yellow brick road. Unsure of where to purchase my ticket I see a stand which has the translation listed as Domestic Travel. So with my somewhat broken English so even the Slavic mother tongue can loosely understand I utter Trogir and with a venomous retort I am told “Bus Station this is Train Station” with my head in my hands I trudge wearily past the abundance of eateries that lines the route between train and bus station with only the bakery offering food that that looks partially edible. On reaching the bus station I discover that the next bus to Trogir is just over an hour away. So I buy my ticket and head towards somewhere that can offer me an ice coffee and ringside seats to the comings and goings of both stations

My bus finally arrives and it’s an intecity express from Split to Zagreb so I’m bit apprehensive as to whether this is the correct bus. However 37 minutes later the bus arrives in Trogir. Phew! First impressions of Trogir are good. Looks like it could the featured resort in summer sun holiday brochure. I think I’ll like it here I say to myself.

There is an archway leading to another intricacy of narrow side streets with uneven cobbles ready to snare an unsuspecting tourist who is too busy on their phone rather than paying attention to the centuries of history engulfing their every step on the way from town to promenade.

Before reaching the promenade there is a clearing that is a square with you’ve guessed it a church! Another day another church/cathedral. I spy a large group making a beeline for the church so I decide I will make somewhat inevitable visit after lunch.

I eventually make my way to the promenade and it’s truly beautiful. Pavement cafes/restaurants, palm trees and an assortment of little market stalls with your usual range of lavender by products, Croatian souvenirs and such like. It was time for lunch and it’s busy down here. Clearly this is the place to be if you want to eat in Trogir. I finally find somewhere that is more snacky by nature and order my lunch Zagrebački Odrezak. Which is a chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese served with a potato salad.

Over lunch my brain has started to entertain the idea of climbing the bell tower as means of attempting to burn some of the excessive calorie consumption at lunch. Not sure where this confidence has come from given that I’m weirdly tentative with stairs especially uneven spiral staircases usually found in these such towers. Not sure where my naivety around stairs has come from and strangely enough I’m worse going down. This coupled with a somewhat irrational fear of heights makes the bell tower idea even more ludicrous. Scared to thwart this burst of confidence head defeats heart as I make my way to the Cathedral.

The entrance to Katedrala sv. Lovro looks straight off the set of an Indiana Jones movies and not your usual homage to all things Christian. Inside again is very lavish with impressive artwork adorning the walls and again there is no expense spared as the Catholic Church shows it’s wealth of yesteryear. Gaudy and godly yet again but I think that’s the plan really. You want your flock to really feel they are in the presence of their Lord.

My almost daily pilgrimage to these would be sanctuaries seem to almost coincide with my regret of a feast at lunchtime so maybe their is a hint of repentance in my reveries of introspection. To the belltower a voice from within says and before I know I’m at the door to the climb

Looking up here made me feel nauseous. There is no chance I would’ve done a couple of years ago but now what I’ve lost in weight I seemed to have gained in confidence. So I clamber up the narrow spiral staircases yes the very ones that actually terrify me stopping every so often to catch my breath and take in the views. I was going to count the steps but the adrenaline put pay to that idea. I finally made it with legs shaking, nerves jangling and an unassailable worry my cap would blow off.

The view was worth the tiptoe up the 9 levels to get there. Then I remembered I’m worse going down. I think it’s a confidence thing and I was proud of myself for managing to get to the top so I will use that confidence to show I can manage. With one last look at the panorama enfolded I make for the stairs and start to gingerly descend but the initial collywobbles is replaced with a certain composure. I’m hardly bounding down the stairs but by the grimace is replaced by grace and I was down on terra firma before I knew it. I dust myself down and felt good if not slightly exhausted. I wanted more so went back to the promenade and crossed the bridge to the other side to get a view looking back across to the town.

It’s more relaxed from the busy promenade but I don’t stay too long as I have a bus to catch and don’t want a repeat of yesterday’s ferry faux pas. So I take my last bimble along the promenade where I caught a glimpse of the T-shirt I wanted to buy as a souvenir of this trip. I always tend to buy a T-shirt as momento of a trip. Some have not stood the test of time but I still have a few in my collection. So I part with my 100kn (approx 11.50 GBP) and make for the bus station and alight the waiting bus back to Split. Will head back to the apartment rest for a short while then get myself ready to out for dinner. Fabrique Fun&BBQ was the choice for tonight.

I survey the menu to discover the interesting Balkan Grill section which is where I make my choice Devojački San which is a rolled kebab stuffed with bacon and cheese served with Balkan flatbread, fries and onion rings and 2 dipping sauces which I picked salty mayo and chilli chorizo mayo. Which from the pic below came more like sorbets than sauces. This was a hearty meal and I thoroughly enjoyed. The kebab was cooked to perfection with just the right amount of char and melted in your mouth. The cheese and bacon were there but didn’t overpower instead giving an extra layer to the meat. Stuffed I return to the apartment and ready for a good sleep to see what Thursday brings.