Friday morning we drove to Trogir, which is another island-bound town founded by the Greeks in the 3C. It is only about 12K from Split, so some quick sightseeing and lunch were in order before heading there. 
We enjoyed walking through the narrow alleys that wind around inside the city wall. A quite different experience is walking the circumference of the island on the seaside promenade dominated by the 15C Kamerlengo fortress. The main square has the cathedral and a loggia that houses several pieces of sculpture, but the carvings around the west portal of the cathedral are definitely the wow factor in Trogir.
Here's the link to more photos.
The drive from Trogir to Split is uninteresting, mostly commercial, urban sprawl. Split is the second largest city in Croatia (pop. app. 350,000) but everything seems to be centered around the waterfront where the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his retirement palace in the 3d C. BCE. He was a native Dalmatian and hankered to return home at the end of his life. Outside the palace is the Croatian answer to La Rambla in Barcelona, La Riva, a sparkling pedestrian boulevard, lined with outdoor cafes, idyllic for committed people watchers.
Some of the locals apparently are upset that the recent face lift that La Riva received took away its character. The cobblestones were replaced with uniform white paving stones, and the jumble of signs and umbrellas was also victim to urban design uniformity.
 |
| Day |
 |
| Night |
Immediately behind La Riva are the walls of Diocleatian's palace, but you can't tell it by looking. Over the years, parts of the walls have be deconstructed to make way for shops and residences, so from the outside you have to look real close to see the remnants of the palace. Inside is a different story. You enter the underground cellars, originally designed to handle the water which came right up to the base of the walls. Now the arched stone vaults are filled with every kind of souvenir stand you can imagine and then some. There is access to some other, more interesting parts of the cellars, but they were closed by the time we got there.
Up the stairs is the Peristyle, the central square of Diocletian's palace. One more flight up, overlooking the Peristyle is the antechamber to Diocletian's residence.
It was meant to awe visitors, and it still does. On one side of the Peristyle was Diocletian's mausoleum, which is now the cathedral. Some of the original columns were left in place, which makes the cathedral look a bit like it was built inside a frame.
Up the stairs is the Peristyle, the central square of Diocletian's palace. One more flight up, overlooking the Peristyle is the antechamber to Diocletian's residence.
It was meant to awe visitors, and it still does. On one side of the Peristyle was Diocletian's mausoleum, which is now the cathedral. Some of the original columns were left in place, which makes the cathedral look a bit like it was built inside a frame.
On the other side of the Peristyle, a hotel has been built behind a framework of Roman columns and, behind that, fittingly enough, Jupiter's temple has been converted into a baptistery. Unfortunately, both the cathedral and the baptistery were closed.
We had the best meal of the trip that night at Sperun, a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves.
We had the best meal of the trip that night at Sperun, a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves.
We definitely did not spend enough time in Split. The next morning we decided that it was better to head for Dubrovnik -- purported to be a 5 hr. drive -- than return to see the things that had been closed the day before.
There was a bit of drama right before our departure. Tim used the GPS to navigate us to our rooms. It did a great job of getting us to within 50 meters, the last bit down a narrow, winding lane with, of course, cars parked everywhere. How could the GPS have known that the lane was blocked at that point by three steel posts? After conferring with the proprietor of our sobe (rooms), we decided to leave the car where it stood. The next morning, after breakfast, we walked back to the car, only to discover that someone had blocked the lane at the very top, making it impossible to back out, which was the only way to get out. I went back to find the proprietor and he walked to the top of the lane with me. He spoke little English, but quickly assessed the situation. After going into a bakery and a bar, he found the guy whose car it was (a Heineken salesman) and the car was moved. Problem solved and Tim managed to back out the car with only inches to spare on either side and no scratches. Bravo!
There was a bit of drama right before our departure. Tim used the GPS to navigate us to our rooms. It did a great job of getting us to within 50 meters, the last bit down a narrow, winding lane with, of course, cars parked everywhere. How could the GPS have known that the lane was blocked at that point by three steel posts? After conferring with the proprietor of our sobe (rooms), we decided to leave the car where it stood. The next morning, after breakfast, we walked back to the car, only to discover that someone had blocked the lane at the very top, making it impossible to back out, which was the only way to get out. I went back to find the proprietor and he walked to the top of the lane with me. He spoke little English, but quickly assessed the situation. After going into a bakery and a bar, he found the guy whose car it was (a Heineken salesman) and the car was moved. Problem solved and Tim managed to back out the car with only inches to spare on either side and no scratches. Bravo!
 |
| Split |
No comments:
Post a Comment