The other backpackers in the room, a couple it seemed, came in even later than we did. As it was the eve of Sunday, there was carousing in the streets into the early hours. Seemed like a um, lively neighbourhood. I also heard a catfight. The room was a bit stuffy but fortunately there was a breeze coming in from the window.
We first visited the markets and then had a breakfast of fruits with baked goods on the esplanade. I suggested to the niece that she buy some sweet cherries and flog them to her colleagues or at least wave the fruit in their faces to make them envious.
We had until about midday to do a whirlwind tour of Diocletian's Palace. Then the niece has to catch a shuttle to the airport and I have to catch a bus for Zadar. The palace dates from the 4th century and is very well preserved for its age. Diocletian's home town was Salona, just a few km out of today's Split. We tend to associate the Romans with Italy only but their empire was large and thinking about it, it's not surprising that some of them lived in other Mediterranean lands. Of course Croatia as a nation didn't exist then, there were just colonies of Rome on the coast, such as Dubrovnik.
Diocletian is known for his persecution of the Christians, which would be passé within decades of his death with the Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine. But it seems he was a good reformer and his efforts enabled the Roman Empire to last longer. He also retired from office voluntarily, unusual for Roman Emperors. Sadly he only lived for 3 years in his retirement. The story goes that emissaries tried to persuade him to come back to fix the empire but he declined, saying how happy he was in his garden.
The sphinx in the picture really did come from Egypt.
The whole palace complex is part of the modern city of Split and people work and live (and hang out laundry, I could see) within it. So they are definitely not ruins.
We ended up at the fish markets of Split where we saw these unusual (to us) pink fish. I don't know what they are. I'm sure a search will yield the answer but perhaps someone will tell me.
The niece was a bit worried because the bus left at 1355 (it was intended to connect to a Croatian Airlines flight and not the slightly earlier BA flight) and that was cutting it a bit fine, but the bus driver assured her that it would be ok as the airport was seldom crowded. I had to leave at 1345 for my bus but I promised to check by email later how it went.
I reached Zadar about 1720, with a 20 minute stop at Šibenik, familiar territory. I missed two urban buses going to Puntamika, where the hostel was, the first pulled off just as I reached the stand, and I missed the second because I didn't know that number was also valid. No matter, it gave me time to check the timetables in the station for Plitvice NP. I decided that I should visit the national park the very next day because I didn't want to miss the night bus to Pula two days hence in case the return bus was delayed.
Puntamika is about 5 km out of Zadar. It's an area of resorts and other tourist accommodation. The supermarket was closed early because it was Sunday, so I had a dinner of steak and chips. It was expensive, exceeded only by the fish platter we had in Milna, on Brač, but I felt that I deserved a treat after all that hard travel.
The only other occupant of the dorm was a Japanese backpacker, already asleep when I got back. Someone had been to a Gotan concert from a ticket stub left behind. A heavy downpour started just after my return. Good, I will sleep well.
We said goodbye to the friendly landlady and her dog and returned the car to the depot. But first to take pictures of her strelitzia and rock art that looks like a duck.
We were early for the ferry so I had a bitter lemon drink at a cafe while the niece mailed a pile of postcards. No doubt to make friends and relatives envious.
Today's ferry is larger than the one we arrived by. It's full of European tourists and their cars, from the different country plates on them.
Just under an hour later we were were back in Split. First thing we did was to leave our backpacks at the night's lodging.
Then we caught the bus to Brela, about 45 km southeast of Split, whose Punta Rata beach is said to be in the top 10 of the world. The highway is far above the water so we had a fair walk down to the town. The strawberries we brought from the market in Split were excellent. Unfortunately some of the juice got on the guide book from being in the same bag. (Note from the future: I mailed that strawberry flavoured guide to my niece in London when I reached Slovenia, in case she wanted to return to Croatia.)
Brela's beach is quite well-maintained and family oriented. There are good tourist amenities here.
It was too rushed to catch the 1815 bus so we decided to dine in Brela and catch the 2115 bus. The walk uphill was quite tiring, and I was soaked when we reached the main road, but we did get a cool journey back to Split.
We had a bit of time left to wander around Diocletian's Palace which is the nucleus of the old city before turning in.
In one of the squares we came across a demonstration of tango.
One of the joys of travel is the prospect of waking up to a prepared breakfast. As this was a classy hotel, breakfast was sumptuous. My insides were feeling much better but I ate warily.
The plan was to sightsee around Trogir until mid-morning, then go to Split to catch the ferry to the island of Brač. Trogir's buildings are well preserved and very attractive in the sunlight.
We bought some cherries and strawberries from the market before taking the bus to Split. It took 45 minutes to get there. As Split is a medium-sized city, we had to transfer to another bus for the harbour. The first thing we did there was to ask the tourist office to find us a room for two nights hence. We wanted to be close to the bus station so that it would be easy for the niece to catch the airport shuttle and and me to catch the bus north on the day. They found us one in a private residence and gave us a voucher in return for payment. Then I found a bakery and we had some pastry with the fruits, sitting on a bench. The strawberries had started to go mouldy in the heat and many had to be thrown out. The cherries were excellent though.
The car and passenger ferry took an hour to cross the channel to the town of Supetar, on Brač, facing Split. (The niece jokingly called it Superstar.) Brač is the largest island in Dalmatia. At the ferry terminal we couldn't raise the Pansion Palute, getting only the whistle of a fax machine. We asked the tourist office for help and they managed to contact the landlady, who drove down to the harbour to pick us up. Her large friendly dog had come along too for the ride.
I had a siesta while the niece did some exploration on her own. She was hungry and so insisted that we dine no later than 7 pm down at the waterfront. While it was great of the landlady to pick us up because of our backpacks, the harbour is actually only a 20 minute stroll from the Pansion; Supetar is that cozy. We ended up at the Bistro Palute which was run by the landlady's brother. We ordered a mixed grill for two. The serving was too large even with both of us, so we surreptitiously gave bits to a friendly but goofy dog who was hanging around the tables.
A few doors away we got a couple of gelati. I was half expecting the gelateria to be Gelati Palute. Then we sat on a bench and chatted, enjoying the mild evening. A late ferry service came in as we watched. Supetar is a tranquil world far from the bustle of Split. Islands are great that way. I wondered if there were people who lived on Brač and commuted to Split for work. Nice home if you can get it.
The Sunday 0900 catamaran to Split was quite full. There were many people waiting at the landing. The ticket office had advised me to buy my passage as soon as they were available. I suspect some intending travellers missed out.
My niece has arranged to fly out to Split to meet me on Wednesday evening, 3 days away. I will travel a bit north to Šibenik to do some sightseeing before returning to Split to pick her up from the airport. So I will just overnight in Split and catch the northward bus in the morning.
Split is Croatia's second largest city. It's also a port and an industrial centre. As you may imagine, this normally doesn't bode well for pretty landscapes. Fortunately Split occupies a tongue of land protruding westwards and the ugly parts are on the north side, leaving the southern side, which faces the island of Brač, relatively unspoilt. This is the side that Diocletian's retirement Palace fronts. Smart Emperor.
Split is named after the spalatum plant that grows in this region. It first entered my consciousness as a Balkan restaurant in Amsterdam where on several occasions I enjoyed tasty and filling mixed grills, including the signature skinless sausage, ćevapčići. In those days Yugoslavia was still whole and the restaurant labelled its cuisine Yugoslavian. At the time I didn't know enough Balkan history to say which region of Yugoslavia the restaurant founders were from. Since the breakup it has rebranded itself as Croatian, of course.
Split is a major transport hub and there are ferries up and down the coast, and to Italy. There is even a train line linking it with Zagreb, but the route is very circuitous, but there are plans to build a high-speed line. I had a squiz in the bus station and noted that there were plenty of buses to Šibenik so I could just buy a ticket in the morning.
Traveller accommodation in Split city is limited as most visitors make for the surrounding resorts on arrival. I have a flyer with the address of a hostel in Split that's cheap and will do me for the night. What I didn't expect was that in the old city streets are narrow and often unsignposted, so it took me a fair amount of walking to find the hostel. It is a bit scruffy but serviceable. The owner told me to head for the Pizzeria Galija for a nice lunch. It is an establishment with old world decor and charm. However I opted for a delectable steak with chips, and not just because of my unhappy experience in Hvar. I have been feeling a bit faint in the mornings. Maybe I'm iron deficient.
In the evening I walked up Marjan hill where I took these pictures of Split's harbour.
Afterwards I had marinated octopus (hobonitca) at Buffet Fife, well-known for its regional cooking. I feel that I could get to like Split inspite of it being a working city with dirt under its fingernails.
I finished the evening wandering around the esplanade, which is a very nicely appointed public space.
I don't see any mention of gelato in my journal, but I think there must have been one. These things happen.
I'm looking forward to returning in a few days, as well as exploring the offshore island of Brač.
We first visited the markets and then had a breakfast of fruits with baked goods on the esplanade. I suggested to the niece that she buy some sweet cherries and flog them to her colleagues or at least wave the fruit in their faces to make them envious.
We had until about midday to do a whirlwind tour of Diocletian's Palace. Then the niece has to catch a shuttle to the airport and I have to catch a bus for Zadar. The palace dates from the 4th century and is very well preserved for its age. Diocletian's home town was Salona, just a few km out of today's Split. We tend to associate the Romans with Italy only but their empire was large and thinking about it, it's not surprising that some of them lived in other Mediterranean lands. Of course Croatia as a nation didn't exist then, there were just colonies of Rome on the coast, such as Dubrovnik.
The sphinx in the picture really did come from Egypt.
We ended up at the fish markets of Split where we saw these unusual (to us) pink fish. I don't know what they are. I'm sure a search will yield the answer but perhaps someone will tell me.
