September 15, 2022
Not sure what it is about this group and boat tours but we wake up to a cloudy, damp day and an unappealing forecast. Also not sure that I’ll be swimming in the rain but I pack up the necessary gear anyway and add my rain poncho and a deck of cards for good measure.
The hotel breakfast is the best so far so after a nice meal to start the day, I head back to the room for a bit and then off to meet the hardy souls that are still planning on taking the boat cruise. It’s actually a bit sunnier so it might be a perfect day after all; time will tell.
When we boarded the boat it was rocking and rolling so needless to say, since I’m klutzy, I landed in a heap in one of the chairs on the upper deck before we’d even set sail. Lol, I’m developing quite a nice bruise just below my left knee and another on my right forearm but like Dad used to say, it’s a long way from my heart so I’ll live! We’re headed to the Pakleni islands for the day so I just soldier on!
Our first swim stop is Milne Bay not too far from Hvar. Lots of people went for a swim and were jumping from the upper and lower decks of the boat but I opted to stay dry since it really wasn’t that warm and the next stop wasn’t too far off and was a much longer (2.5-3 hr) stop.
After everyone was back on board we headed to another island where we were docking for lunch and had the chance to walk across the island to Palmižana Bay, a small rocky beach, for a swim before lunch. Our choices for lunch were chicken, mackerel and a veggie/cheese plate washed down with water, orange juice and white wine; all were pretty good and very inexpensive for the area.
Our last swim stop was in St. Klement and then we headed back to Hvar against fairly strong winds. We reached terra firma safely and though the weather for the day was a mixed bag, it was much more pleasant than our ill-fated speed boat tour in Kotor, lol!
Back up the hill for a shower with a bit of time to relax before joining Jen and Linda to share the last bottle of wine purchased at the Bosnian Monastery. It was raining with thunder and lightning so we opted for pizza and more wine at the hotel restaurant rather than a jaunt down the hill. The sole waiter was run off his feet and though the wine came fairly quickly, the same could not be said about our pizzas which arrived hours late and cold. Oh well, at least we didn’t have to eat our arms!
The next morning we have a much too early start time so it’s time to crash.
Tomorrow is another day. Adventures await …
September 16, 2022
After our “crack of dawn” meeting in the hotel lobby, we headed down to the harbour to catch the early ferry to Split. Thankfully our luggage was transferred to the pier by the hotel.
After a short and uneventful voyage, we clamoured into three cabs and headed to our hotel in Split to drop off our stuff before heading out to enjoy our last day with the G Adventures crew. As we approached Old Town Split, we passed a very large statue of Grgur Ninski. His toe was bright and shiny which typically means good luck so I wished that I would find my prescription sunglasses that I’d misplaced earlier in the day as I passed.
We met our guide, Tanya, outside the North gate of Old Town for the usual discussion of local history, culture and a stroll by the most important sites.
Croatia is a small country with a population of less than 4 million. Split is the second largest city in Croatia and the capital of Dalmatia (southern Croatia) with a population of less than 200,000. Split sounds idyllic with 300 sunny days during the year; a lovely Mediterranean climate. Tanya joked that you never cook or run in the south. Maybe I should move here!!
The city was founded as the Greek Colony of Aspálathos in the 3rd or 2nd century. In 305 AD, it became the site of the Palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian; his retirement home. Nine years after moving here, Diocletian died and the Palace was abandoned. After the sack of Salona, the fortified Palace of Diocletian was settled by Roman refugees who used the materials from the buildings inside the palace to build themselves houses within the walled city. The city expanded beyond the original palace walls to the west when they felt safe. Diocletian’s Palace is the only UNESCO cultural monument where people are still living inside.
The city can be accessed through four double arched entrances; north, south, east and west. The gates all have two arches so that visitors could be “screened” before accessing the Palace/Old Town. If you didn’t pass muster, you would likely get treated to a shower of boiling oil – yikes!
The Palace/Old Town has two main streets; Cardo which runs between the north and south gates and Decumanus which runs between the east and west gates and many little side streets some of which lead nowhere.
Tanya told us a bit more about Grgur Ninski. He was a medieval bishop of Nin who was a big supporter of the Croatian language; introducing the use of Croatian language in religious services in defiance of the pope in the 10th century. The 28 ft statue was built by Ivan Meštrović as a single piece of brass and erected in 1929 in the centre of the Palace. When Split was occupied by the Italians during WWII, the statue was moved outside of the city because Mussolini didn’t want it in town. In 1954, it was re-erected just outside the Golden Gate in its current location.
Back to the Old Town. 900 people live inside the Walls. Originally, the north end of the palace housed, servants, slaves, soldiers and horses while the south end was reserved for the Emperor and his family. The north end was largely destroyed during WWII when in June 1944, it was accidentally hit with 600 American bombs! At the time, Split was occupied by Germans and they meant to hit military targets but missed over and over again!
One of Split’s claims to fame is a Guinness Book World Record for the largest chocolate bar in the world (2015). Tanya pointed out her favourite chocolate store which makes traditional flavours such as red wine and figs, dark chocolate with sea salt and white chocolate with lavender. We stopped by later and bought the first two and I can recommend them both highly. Sadly, I doubt any would survive the rest of the trip so you’ll have to come to Split and buy your own!
Diocletian’s mausoleum is part of the emperor’s palatial complex. The building was constructed before his death to house the remains of the emperor after his passing. The building signified his divine descent; the Roman emperor was considered the son of Jupiter which is what gave him power over his subjects and the Mausoleum was intended as a place of worship. The Mausoleum is located in what once was the imperial section of the palace and positioned so that people arriving at the palace would notice its splendor from a distance.
Diocletian allowed no other religions and especially hated Christians and his brutality to them was legendary. This makes it quite fitting/ironic that in 653 the mausoleum was consecrated by the first bishop of Split and has been the city’s cathedral ever since. It is the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, the patron saint of Split, who was the Bishop of Salona at the time of Diocletian and was persecuted by the emperor for his faith and martyred.
Our next stop was the West Gate (aka the Iron gate) which leads to the medieval part of Split which is outside the Palace walls. Houses were also built inside the west wall around the same time.
The People’s Square just outside the west gate is known by locals as Pjaca. This popular meeting place is home to many interesting Renaissance, Venetian, and Gothic buildings built by the nobility. The Renaissance style Old Town Hall flanks the square and one of the beautiful Palaces provides a screen for the daily fish and green markets that are tucked behind it.
Next we’re off to the Peristyle, the main square of the palace where Diocletian, decked out in his purple toga, would stand on the balcony to receive the “adoration” of his subjects. Here we find Diocletian’s Mausoleum which is the present day Cathedral. The cathedral complex has four parts: the cathedral, a 14th century bell tower that apparently provides great views of the palace (I’ll see if my fear of heights allows further exploration or not), St. Lucy’s Crypt and the Treasury which houses a collection of sacral artwork. The Temple of Jupiter is also located on the square as is a 4000 year old African black granite sphinx; a very large tchotchke brought by Diocletian as a souvenir of his time in Egypt.
Next stop was the Vestibulum; a square building with circular hole in center with an open ceiling like a halo. The walls were originally decorated with colourful mosaics. This was also the preparation room for guests of the emperor. Here, in an ancient room with fabulous acoustics, we are treated to the melodious sounds of Klapa singers. According to Tanya, men sing about love for mothers, hard work, or the country they love while women always sing about their men.
We’re off to the balcony of the emperor which runs along the south wall of palace and has 42 windows. In Diocletian’s time, the windows would have looked out on the sea and islands as the water came right up to the wall. The south side of the city was expanded by the French 200 years ago and now is a beautiful seaside Riva Promenade with lovely restaurants and cafés.
80% of city is built of white limestone from the nearby island of Brač. The large stones are kept together by pressure and gravity with no mortar, etc. in between. The same people that built the pyramids were brought to build the Palace and they were master builders.
Nearby is the dining room where Diocletian’s guest could gorge themselves on rich food and wine and the conveniently located vomitorium next door with handy goose feathers to tickle their throats and speed the retching along so they could “enjoy” the next course; the original bulimics.
Originally the basement was intended as a sewer and seven centuries of garbage and sewage ended up in the lower level before it was overfull and the inhabitants were forced to find other options. In 1850, archeological digs discovered the well preserved underground level which is believed to have the same basic design as the upper floors. The underground area was featured in Game of Thrones as the home of the dragons.
We exited the underground to the Promenade where we met Filip to discuss the plans for the rest of the day. He suggested we grab lunch at Fife, a restaurant frequented by locals, which we discovered serves gargantuan portions of simple cuisine for a reasonable price.
After a not so light lunch of fried calamari and fries, Linda, Jen, Alan and I headed for a lookout point that Filip had also recommended. I’m not a big fan of stairs and there were waaay too many of them but with some huffing, puffing and cursing at Filip, I made it to the top where we were treated to a spectacular view.
Back down at ground level, Jen went off to explore a bit more and the rest of us headed back through the Palace to the hotel to check in with a stop at the chocolate shop on the way. Courtesy of my earlier toe rub, when I inquired at reception, my prescription sunglasses had reappeared. So now I’m looking forward to my next wish!
We’re meeting the gang for a farewell dinner in the lobby at 7:00 so after relaxing a bit and getting cleaned up and changed, Linda and I headed to the hotel bar for some wine before dinner. Dinner was at a local eatery known for traditional food. I had a beef dish with gnocchi smothered with a rich sauce washed down with a lovely bottle of Dingač wine. The serving was overly generous especially after our big lunch so I didn’t put much of a dent in it but it was tasty!
After dinner, Filip walked us back to the hotel and bid us adieu (he’s catching a 12 hour night bus home) after which some of us retired to the bar for a bit of a chat before turning in. Tomorrow, everyone is going their own way and partings are always a bit bittersweet.
Off to dreamland. Tomorrow is another day. Adventures await.
September 17, 2022
Off to breakfast where there was a chance for some last chats and hugs before getting the steamer trunk ready for transport. We lounged about until checkout then grabbed an Uber to our VRBO (the owner had kindly allowed an early check in). The whole process was supposed to be pretty straightforward but 21 was nowhere near 20 and we missed our host. Linda found some wifi after a bit and a note from the host explaining he’d had to leave and that the key was under the rug. LOL, what rug?!
With a bit more exploration, our destination was found up the hill and then up the stairs. Lol, I really do need to start packing lighter. The apartment is bright and airy with eclectic decor and has a lovely covered seating area outside; perfect for our needs. Another note to the host, we can’t find the washer-dryer and he comes over to get us sorted out; a lovely young man and very helpful.
With laundry started, we head to the grocery store for a few supplies (we’d decided on charcuterie and wine for dinner) and then relax for a bit with phone calls to respective family members. It’s my Mom’s birthday so I finagle a FaceTime call with my niece Ashton handling tech support in Halifax.
Our wine choice was subpar but improved when imbibed with the food so overall not horrible. Tomorrow we’ll have to look beyond the local grocery store for a better selection. After dinner, we played a couple games of crib with Linda the winner of the deciding game. Soon enough, it was time to turn in.
Tomorrow is another day. Adventures await …
Judy’s Rambles 