Balkanology Day 1: The day when it all began

It has been for a very long time that I wanted to visit the Balkans. In France, we hear about these countries very seldom and my mates in India have no clue about their existence. There is something irresistible about the Balkans which always attracted me and itched my travel aspect to go there and explore.

I had just finished my exams and I was all set to escape from the baguette and cheese culture and to plunge  into the cevapi and rakia world. My first destination was Zadar, Croatia. It was more like a layover where I was to spend a night as I'd already visited the city in 2011.

After sending over 50 couch requests (I ought to blog about my couchsurfing experience) I struggled to get one and only positive response by Kristof Kolomb. I had the exact dreaded experience in 2011 and it was a deja vu all over again. I guess the Croats are tough nuts to crack.The moment I read his name I asked myself, "isn't he suppose to be in the waters discovering a new land ?"  He lived in a small village called Sukošan, at the outskirts of Zadar. To be honest I wasn't very thrilled about the detour because I thought it was unnecessary just for night. Unfortunately I had no other option.

I arrived at the Zadar aiport and after clearing through the customs without any hassles unlike the last time, I took a shuttle to the city and reached at the main bus station. My happiness knew no bound. The sun was shining and it wasn't raining for a change (In Lille it was raining almost every day). I took the bus to Sukošan as suggested by my host and asked the driver to drop me at Marina Dalmacija. After travelling for about 15 minutes, I was told that I've reached my destination. 

I got down of the bus and all I could see is a huge marina with countless yachts. I was walking along the marina and had a hard time to digest the fact that I was about to spend my night in a yacht. After all, my host lived up to his name and the detour wasn't a bad idea at all ! To my utmost disbelief, the yacht was no less than a 5 star hotel with an accommodation for 8 guest in 4 cabins. Guest bedrooms were fitted out with ensuite facilities. Silk wall panels fitted in main saloon with large screen TV and full length dining area. Exquisite seating upholstered in the softest leathers and silks.The yacht has every luxury one could dream of; from hard top roof, satellite internet, hydraulic bathing platform, bar , underfloor heating to all bathrooms to a Jacuzzi. I was completely awestruck and it took me a good hour to get back to the reality. After having a delicious Thai dinner along with some fruity wine, I hit the sack for a goodnight sleep. 


"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." 
                                                                                      - Robert Frost



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