We had to return the rental car at Split Airport by 10:00, so we left our accommodation at 09:30. The airport is fairly small and finding the correct car park was easy.

The return itself took about 30 seconds: we handed over the keys and that was that. There were no issues, inspections or surprise charges. All in all, the rental had been smooth, easy and affordable.

There was one final moment before the car disappeared. The staff member drove off, then returned, rolled down the window and called Hugo over. A dashboard light was on and the car was beeping; had it been doing that the whole time?

Without saying a word, Hugo reached in from the passenger side and released the handbrake. The staff member mumbled something in embarrassment and drove away again.

We walked back to the terminal and sat for a while, passing time until we could check in. Instead of paying €10 each for the airport express, we took the local bus into Split for €3 per person.

Near where the bus dropped us, we found a coffee shop. We ordered coffee first and drank it slowly, then followed it with a focaccia generously filled with mozzarella, pesto, tomato and rocket.

Focaccia generously filled with mozzarella, pesto, tomato and rocket
A generously loaded focaccia while we waited for the room.

At 12:04, while we were still sitting there, we received a message saying the room was ready. We walked to the next bus stop and rode for one stop, which left us about 400 metres from the accommodation. By 12:42 we were checked in.

Caro standing in the small room in Split with the backpacks unpacked
Checked in by 12:42, with somewhere cool to escape the heat.

On the walk to the bus, a pharmacy sign had shown 37°C. We took the hint, hid from the afternoon sun in the room and did some work.

A pharmacy sign in Split displaying 37 degrees Celsius
The pharmacy sign confirmed that hiding indoors was the correct decision.

Just before 17:00, once the worst heat had passed, we walked to the nearest swimming spot. It was a mixture of a built-up concrete bathing platform and the biggest sandy beach we had seen in Croatia. The sand was not fine and white, though; it was hard, wet and dirty-looking, and not especially inviting. We ignored it and swam from the concrete edge instead.

For dinner we kept things equally simple and ate two-minute noodles in the room.