I just got back from probably the best weekends I have spent since I have been here. I went to Croatia, with a quick day trip to Bosnia, and it was just epic. I think it was because of the BOMB group we went with. Most Gonzaga in Florence kids went to Barcelona for the weekend, but a solid group of about 25 of us went on this trip. It was a perfectly chill group, and it was so nice to get to know these BOMB people more. It seriously was just sooo fun.
The actual trip to Croatia is a trek! We left Flo at 3 pm on thursday, took a 4 hour bus ride to the coast, where we met our overnight cruise to Split! The boat was actually a blast. We just chilled in the bar for awhile, but had an awesome dance party on the top deck at midnight because it was my friends 21st birthday. We jammed to Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, ect... basically we had a blast. It totally made us kinda sorta forget that the boat was a rockin. We passed out on the floor for like 2 hours and woke up just in time to get off the ship at 7 am. After we got off the ship we dropped off our stuff and headed out in search of breakfast. Split is seriously like the Miami of the Adriatic Sea... or thats what it felt like. We walked along the boardwalk surrounded by palm trees... SO BEAUTIFUL! It was a nice little retreat from real life... We walked through the market for days, which was fabulous! They had legit fake Ray Bans for days, logo and all. I picked up a couple of pairs. It was such a nice day we headed to the beach and swam in the Adriatic... yup I swam in the Adriatic Sea in pretty much November... my life is awesome. We all headed to a Croatian restraunt, all 24 of us GIF people had a fabulous meal together. After dinner was maybe one of the funniest experiences of my life... A bunch of us girls had an early morning the next day so we headed back... On the way we saw snickers icecream bars and at that point in time we needed it... The guy working in the store was a crazy old Croatian man... a creep... at one point he said "I like Girls!" hahah we were absolutely dying!
The next day was probably one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. A group of 14 of us girls decided to go to Medjugorie in Bosnia. This is one of the Mary Apiration sights... and it was such an amazing thing to see. We took a 3 hour bus through the Croatian and Bosnian country sides. Boy was that a rollercoaster of a ride... The rode winded throughout the hills and probably were not made for greyhound buses. Luckily I was able to sleep through most of it. We got to Medjugorie around 10... just in time to make the English mass at the church in town. It was so nice to hear a priest from the United States talk... somehow made me feel a lot more comfortable in church in BOSNIA. Church was very nice, but it was def. time to see the town afterwords. Luckily my friend Morgan's parents had been to Medjugorie and knew of a woman who could take us around. Ivanna was AMAZING. All of the 14 girls who went on the day trip are actually obsessed with her! She has lived in Medjugorie her entire life (except her 5 college years in the United States) and actually knows the people who Mary appeared to. She was soooo knowledgable and we like fell in love with her. She took us to appiration hill, which is where Mary first appeared. I though it would have a nice path or something, but they kept it just how it always was... a hill of jagged sharp rocks. It was a trek in flats, but so worth it. There is 5 points in which you stop, all marked by the 5 joyful mysteries. We prayed the rosary along the way together and it was amazing. I am not the most in tune with my religion... but this was an amazing experience. I felt so at peace and whole as we were climbling the hill. When you get to the top there is a nice statue and place to sit and reflect. We sat there for a solid 15 minutes in silence, overlooking the hills of Bosnia. Its insane to imagine how wrecked this country is, because you don't feel it there. All I felt was peace... it was totally powerful. The top wasn't without some humor. Some crazy lady came up to my friend and started to talk to her and want her to take pictures with her... haha. Ivanna was like DONT TALK TO THEM.. there is always the crazys wanting to take pictures.. Typical.
After the Hill we went into town to see a statue behind the church. It is a large bronze statue thats right knee has been consistently leaking water since they put it in. Ivanna explained that becuase of the climate there is no way that could be on purpose. In the winter it would freeze and in the summer it would evaporate... its truly unexplainable.... After that we headed to the most shmancy restraunt in town to dine with our new best friend Ivanna. We all were ravenous since we hadn't eaten all day and were estatic to find out the prices. We all got drinks, A soups, a meat course, a side, and part of Ivanna'sIvanna... a bunch of us want to go back second semester. The night ended in the most perfect way. After the second rollercoaster bus ride all of us were exhausted and wanted to just go back. We all climbed in bed and watched Clue together. It was a purfect Halloweeen flick... too bad it wasn't Hocus Pocus.
The next day was soo relaxing. We got up and ate breakfast along the Miami esque boardwalk. It was amazing and warm. Croatia is magical. We decided to climb to the top of the Hill overlooking all of Split, which was AMAZING! After stairs for days (I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a GIF trip if we didn't climb 954321 stairs) we reached the top for some pretty spectacular views of Split! Croatia is beautiful, I have to say GOOOO if you ever get the chance. Its such a hidden gem. We spent the rest of the afternooon walking around the market for the 10th time, shopping for faybans and scarves, and then had a 3 hour dunch to kill time before the boat took off.
Halloween night on a boat was interesting. We all just kicked it in the bar, trying not to focus on the insane rocking the boat was doing... We planned to stay up a bit later than we did, but most of us were a bit out of it because of the boat... so I think we were in bed by 1. Just in time for our early morning arrival into Italy... gahh Croatia was epic. Seriously one of the best weekends. I loved the people I was with and loved the places I saw. GO GO GO if you can...
Music Guide: "Where You Lead" by Carole King
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