HAPPY
TRAILS
Travel
destinations are personal things. You want to visit a place because you’ve read
about it or heard about it or have seen pictures. Perhaps, a destination is
alluring because it was a location of a beloved television show or movie or a
sporting event. Perhaps you’ve heard the vistas are spectacular or the color of
the water is exquisite. Perhaps wine is the magnet, or the people, or the food,
or the history, or the siren song of long-lost friends is calling you to a
particular place. Well, Croatia has all of that for this humble traveler, but
Split was not on my radar at all.
It’s a
busy port city after all. Ferries and cruise ships to all the islands depart
from here, and buses and trains stop here, and seemingly everyone is scrambling
to leave Split to get to somewhere else in Croatia as soon as they arrive. Personally,
I would never have considered Split as anything more than a transit point, but
thankfully Janet insisted on lingering here to see the city.
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| BEFORE |
Even Diocletian’s
Palace, a massive Roman edifice built in the 4th Century as a
retirement home for the first emperor of Rome to voluntarily abdicate his
position, and is today Split’s most important tourist destination was effectively
called a “dump” by the tour guide arranged by Unforgettable Croatia. Still this
palace that also housed a military garrison in the 300’s remains the best-preserved
example of Roman architecture.
 |
| AFTER |
We ended
our trip with the Unforgettable Cruise line in Split. It is an attentive, small
ship luxury cruise line that had us stopping at several islands in Dalmatia. The
trip began in Dubrovnik and ended in Split. As alluring as Dubrovnik, Mljet,
Korcula, Vis and Hvar were to me, Split was just not there at all. We remained
on the M/S Infinity for a final night while in port, checking out early the
next morning. Then after a two-day drive up to the Plitvice Lakes National Park
we returned to Split for a final night. Yes, Split is a very busy port city,
with the area down by where the Infinity docked having all the charm of Port
Newark in New Jersey. It was a bustle of trucks delivering supplies and
passengers going back and forth and it was almost too much frenetic activity.
But, I have to admit, by the time we left Split, the second largest city in
Croatia, I had changed my mind about it and when we left I wanted to linger
there a while longer.
HISTORICAL
and VIBRANT
After Diocletian’s
death, the massive palace was eventually abandoned by the Romans and people in
the surrounding area made it their home. The outer walls were kept intact, but
many interior walls were torn down or added to by people moving into the former
palace to create homes.
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| SPLIT |
Today the
interior of Diocletian’s Palace is a mish mosh of narrow curving streets filled
with shops, cafes, wine bars, restaurants, sobes and apartments and is home to
roughly 3,000 people. Countless tourists stumble along this warren of haphazardly
arrayed network of alleys where over time apartments were built wherever possible.
The tourist hordes choke the walkways and locals working the shops have a
withered look to them and greatly appreciate a simple “dobra don,” or ‘good-day’
from the relentless babel of foreign voices that fill this choked, but fun
area. If you can say “Doviđenja” to them or ‘good-bye’ faces light up into huge smiles..
 |
| PERISTYLE SPLIT |
Music and
shows are performed nightly at the peristyle. During our last night in Split we
watched for a time a performance of the opera Aida with a full orchestra before
the stage. We actually just walked slowly past the stage. We couldn’t move
very quickly because of all the people; it was that crowded. The alley that our sobe, Croatian for
room, was on, actually led to the stage. So rather than being a part of the show, we had to walk around to reach it
from the other side. When we got to the door of the Base Rooms Sobe there were
several members of the chorus hanging on the steps of the Temple of Jupiter
which was right at our door, waiting for their cue. Dressed in appropriate Egyptian
garb, one woman started singing the Bangles, “Walk Like An Egyptian.” Janet
slapped me when I started to dance with her and pulled me inside the Sobe.
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| BASE ROOMS & TEMPLE |
Despite
the proximity with the thick walls of our very centrally located sobe we heard
none of the opera. Base Room Sobe wasn’t fancy, but it was clean comfortable
and very reasonably priced. We stayed in Room 201
PARTY
OUTSIDE THE PALACE
The
palace was the main attraction of town, but the spacious quay beyond the walls
was festive. Palm trees lined the walk-way near the water and were also interspersed
among the many busy tables of cafes and restaurants. It was cooler here with
the sea air, although the sun was fierce and the umbrellas were needed. Sitting
at a table made for good people watching as people still incessantly walked
around. We walked along this area our final evening and a traditional band was
playing and women in folk dress waited their turn to take the stage to dance.
It was a good relaxed breezy feel to this area which contrasted to the stifling
air inside the palace.
DRINKS
AND FOOD
Any café or
restaurant in town is good. Here are three notables for us:
PORTOFINO
Located
in a little courtyard near the Silver Gate of the Palace. Outdoor seating and
serving pastas, steaks and seafood. We got a 10% discount with our Privilege
Card from Unforgettable Croatia. Great wine list and attentive staff.
PIZZERIA
BOKAMORRA
This is also
a 10% discounted place, but this is a restaurant that specializes in pizza. Fancy
atmosphere and the place got extremely crowded after we were seated. They had
an extensive listing of toppings and had drink or wine recommendations with
each. We dined with another couple from the Infinity, Simon and Maureen from
Fremantle, WA, and Simon and I had a dram of Ardbeg after dinner.
 |
| SPLIT |
BLACK DOG
Located
outside the palace, also near the Silver Gate, the Black Dog was a craft beer
bar, of both domestic and foreign brews and a number of specialty cocktails.
This place was quite the find.
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