Makarska Beach

Saturday May 23

We had a tour of the city of Makarska given by one of our faculty members, Dr. Tir. We walked around from our host restaurant to the beach and then into the downtown area. Makarska is very different from any of the other cites we have been to. There is a café’ culture here, but there is not as many as in Zagreb. Everything in Croatia is done at a slow, laid back pace, very different from life in the U.S. There are lots of “tourists” shops lining the outside area of the beach and many different shops and restaurants away from the beach area.

The beach is completely different than beaches back home. There is NO sand- only millions of pebbles and rocks lining the shore and going into the water. The pebbles are smooth from years of been tossed around in the Adriatic. The actual “beach” area is much narrower than those back in the states. We have noticed that the beaches are relatively spotless for so many people to be on them on a daily basis. We were told that people are hired to clean the beaches and remove the trash, especially during high traffic seasons. The water is clear with hints of sea green and blues. The water is a lot colder than what we are used to in the U.S. too. On our tour we were informed of the possibility of stepping on a sea urchin while in the water. Stepping on one can be very painful and the spikes must be pulled out very carefully. There are no warning signs noting the possibility of this danger, nor is there a warning about slipping on the rocks. Makarska sees tourists from all over Europe and the world, so we feel like there should be some kind of warning sign letting people know about the potential dangers of the rocks- such as slipping or cutting one’s foot on a jagged edge of a rock, as well as sea urchin warnings.

The beach has been very family friendly. We have seen many children with school groups and many families in general enjoying the coast. There are paddle boats with slides that can be rented for an hour at a time, as well as many shops selling floats. There is also a large slide located on one side of the beach. Cafés and restaurants line the outside of the beach strip. At any time of the day, people can be found sitting outside having coffee.

We enjoyed spending our first day on the Dalmatian coast. - Rachel