When visiting Croatia I was told to start exploring the country from its coastal towns and so that's what I did. Croatia is made up of 1200 islands that rise up from the Adriatic sea and to transform into mountains within which are some of the most beautiful towns that I have ever seen. I started my visit from a well known tourist town called Dubrovnik. Not knowing what to expect I was struck by how popular a destination the town is.

Dubrovnik, situated at the southern tip of Croatia is like a time capsule straight from the 16th century with its famous huge stone walls surrounding the old town from all side protecting it for ages. I started by taking a walk around the town on its walls, one of the last remaining structures like it, I had the entire city on one side and a sharp drop to the Adriatic sea on the other side. While the old town was a great slice of history, outside of it the place is modern with beautiful beaches that were thronging with tourists.

Walking down the cobblestone streets of Dubrovnik, the wind carries the smell of spice from the various restaurants that lined the streets. I decided to follow my nose and entered a restaurant called Konoba Veranda, the chef over there kicked up a Mediterranean seafood dish for me whose taste has remained with me to this date. While the beaches there are great, they felt a little crowded to me so I decided to get some me time on a nearby island of Lokrum whose beaches are much more serene. Lokrum is a quick ride on a ferry from Dubrovnik and I spent a better part of the day swimming and relaxing on its beaches.

Securing accommodation was also easy as there are many locals who rent out private rooms, you can even find some properties owned by foreigners in Dubrovnik. Given the rising number of foreigners visiting Croatia, Croatia property prices for coastal towns have been steadily increasing year on year. Once I had secured a small apartment for myself in Dubrovnik it was time for me to head over to Split, the city that was once home to the king Diocletian, a famous Roman emperor.

Stepping inside the city which is also the largest coastal city in Croatia, I could see the ruins of the once great and impressive Roman civilization all around me. I had made a checklist of the places to visit in Split and one of them was the underground features of Diocletian's windowless palace, the paranoid king had built in fear of Brutus sending assassins after him. After the lesson in history I rounded my sightseeing with a visit to the Cathedral of St. Domnius, built originally as a burial ground for Diocletian's tomb, the chamber of Diocletian was later destroyed and the place was turned into a church. I bought a ticket and took a tour of its interiors gazing at the corinthian columns and the images of the kings and queens from an era bygone.

Once the tour was over it was time for me to satiate my hunger which I did by indulging in a beef stew in a sauce that had a mix of Croatian and Italian influenced, sprinkled over with herbs and served with flavored rice. That was enough for the day, I have decided to sleep it off in an affordable back packers hostel and head over to Sibenik which is the last of my stops in Croatia. After getting a taste of these sun kissed Mediterranean islands I have promised myself I will be visiting again soon.