Split about Split

Judy. After the fun, but incredibly busy visits to London and Poland, Croatia was a lovely and restful two weeks. We didn’t just sit still, but we went back to our idea of one adventure every couple of days, from a hike up to Marjan Park to ferry rides to the islands of Hvar and Trogir. Many days, though, were filled with the beach and rest. Except for one day, the weather was warm, so the winter togs were tucked away for the duration, and my swimsuit and sleeveless shirts came out.

Our beautiful Airbnb was located a 30-minute walk from the Old Town, and on a cliff

above a quiet beach were we usually only saw locals. The first day, we headed to the Old Town to the vegetable and fish markets, and for a quick look around Diocletian’s Palace. BIG MISTAKE! The cruise ships were in town, and we could barely move! There was no way to buy fish, as folks were busy taking photos. I can’t say I blame them—it’s a beautiful city, and the market is interesting. Still, we went home and checked the internet for when cruise ships would dock, and made plans NOT to go in town when they were in port. We chose Split over Dubrovnik because we’d heard the latter has more tourists. I think it’s just that Dubrovnik is smaller, so it seems like more.  

Our beach

The day after we arrived our friends Walt and Mary Lou arrived from Nova Scotia. We

Lunch in Hvar with Walt, Mary Lou, and  new friends

enjoyed dinner with them as well as a visit with them to Hvar, an island off the coast, before they went on with their journey. It’s good to know we all still like each other so much!

Split is truly remarkable—an amalgam of centuries, beginning when the Greeks used the area for fishing and trading. Diocletian, the Roman emperor, put it on the map when he built his famous palace that encompasses the Old Town completely. Over the centuries, as Ted pointed out, various countries conquered Split, so there are a variety of

The purloined Sphinx

architectural styles throughout the city, all melding into one. One of my favorite parts is the 2,500-year-old Sphinx, which Diocletian looted from Egypt. 

We wandered the town, took bus trips to the Fortress Klis, a fort which seems to grow out of the mountain on which it’s located; and to the island of Trogir, one of the oldest settlements in the area, and an

Fortress Klis

absolutely charming little town.

Helen and Dan

We hiked up Marjan Hill Park where ancient Christian hermits lived in caves. On our way down we stopped for a beer and met a British couple, Helen and Dan, who share many of the same philosophies of travel we do. A trip to the Archaeological Museum taught us about the inhabitants of the area over the centuries.

Trogir

Climb up Marjan Hill

Still, Split is much more touristy than we had expected, and as much as we liked it, we preferred our excursions outside the city and the quiet of our home by the Adriatic. Frankly, you can see most of the city itself in a day or two—so kudos to the cruise ship passengers. But then you’d miss the outlying sites. Split strikes me as a city trying to catch up to the tourist trade. Rick Steves and cruise lines have made it a popular destination, but as with many touristy areas, all the souvenir shops have exactly the same things—Croatian soccer jerseys, lavender anything, refrigerator magnets, and Game of Thrones souvenirs. Other shops carry upscale clothing, and restaurants, as our niece Dilyana pointed out, have a millennium feel to them.  To buy like the locals, you find the outdoor markets which seem to carry everything. Many of the waitstaff and shopkeepers just seem tired, as it’s the end of the season. I’m glad we came, but equally glad we’re located outside town near the beach in our own place.  

An oddly quiet day on the Piazza

We shopped at the local grocery stores and cooked our meals, played cards and watched tv—Croatian television is mostly English with Croatian subtitles. And I took full advantage of our beach.

The last weekend, Chris, Didi, and Nicky, our family in Hungary, drove down from Budapest to spend some time with us. Family time is always precious, and it was great to get caught up and to FaceTime with our kids back home.

Didi, Chris, and Nicky

In short, being here was good. It’s a beautiful country, with the granite cliffs and mountains leading to the sparking Adriatic Sea, and the heavy pines dotting the hillsides. The history is fascinating. But if I were to do it again, I’d give it three or four days, including touring outside the city.