So on Tuesday August 23rd I left Hemet, California and headed to Split, Croatia. It would be a long day of traveling. I would stop in Phoenix, Philidelphia, Frankfurt and then Split. Thats a lot of stops and changes and opportunities for my bags to get lost. It was also nice because I didnt have long layovers in any of the stops, just enough time to grab a bite to eat and get in line. I was only worried at the Phoenix airport because as I was baoarding the news came on about the earthquake in the east coast and they were shutting down a few airports, including Philidelphia. But everything worked out and I landed in Philidelphia with no problems. I got excited as I boarded my plane to Frnakfurt, it was not full at all and I had the whole row to myself! Plus a nice and friendly flight attendant. The flight was smooth, I watched 2 movies (Lincoln Lawyer and Water for Elephants, just in case you were wondering) and then slept the rest of the way. Even in Frankfurt I didnt have a long layover which is nice when traveling so far. In Frankfurt I met up with my roommate and future teammate, Becci, for the first time. We hopped on the short flight to Split and arrived safely and to both our enjoyment so did our bags! As we were walking out of baggage claim we saw a guy holding up papers with our names on it. After a few minutes of trying to understand and pronounce his name (Zeljan), we gave him the nickname "Z". So "Z" and his friend loaded up our luggage in two cars and we headed to our home for the next 9 months.
It is always nerve racking to find out where you will be living for the next 9 months. We dont pick out the apartment or get to see it before we leave so its always an anxious part of the arrival. As we were driving to the apartment I was getting very hopeful because we were heading toward the water. Yay! Our apartment is really close to the water so it is easy to walk to the beach. The apartment is small but my roomie and I each have our own room and it is a great location. (I will have a post for the apartment with pictures soon!)
So Becci and I got settled into our apartment and later that night Z took us out to dinner. Right down the road there is this cute cafe and restaurant that overlooks the water. So we went there and it was delicious. Becci and I knew we would be back here alot. The next day Z and the president of our club Mirko took us sightseeing throughout the city. We went to the highest point of the city to a beautiful lookout spot to see the whole city.
Then they took us to the Diocletian Palace which has been there for 1700 years. We got to walk around inside the Palace. We kind of likened it to Venice but without the water because it had narrow streets and walkways. It was pretty cool! Of course there are lots and lots of small souveigner shops for all the tourists. Here is a close up of the Palace from the lookout point.
In the Palace's backyard there was a statue of a great philospher of Split. The belief is that if you rub his toe and make a wish it will bring you good luck and your wish will come true.
It was nice of them to take us around and it was great to see parts of the city. Later that night Z took us to where we would be playing and also to meet some of the girls from the team since they were practicin that night. We werent practicing yet because we had to get cleared with a medical exam first. But both Becci and I were anxious to see the gym and meet the girls. The girls were super nice and friendly and even spoke English! The gym is pretty big and hold about 15,000 people. After the practice Z took us to get us some late night fast food. He claims there fast food is the best, it is pretty good but Ill take Del Taco over it anyday. :) But that night we had chevapi. The best way to describe it is basically sausage in a pita bread with their special sauce. It was pretty good. Ill have to take a picture of it next time i get it.
The next day the other 2 "foriegn" players arrived. Reese who is also from California and then Kiki who is from Slovenia but she speaks fluent English and also can speak Croatian. We met up with them for lunch at this restaraunt, Vas Kutak, where we will eat everyday for lunch for free.
All in all it was a great and interesting first few days there!
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