Monday, October 13, 2014

Split, Croatia



Dober dan!  That’s Croatian for good day!  Overlooking the Adriatic Sea and backed by the Dinaric Mountains, Split was founded when Diocletian, a ruler of the Roman Empire for two decades, built his retirement home here in AD 295. Most of Split's monuments are located in Grad, the old town, where you can see Diocletian's Palace. Grad is pedestrian only so you will have fun wandering in the old city.
Diocletian's Palace:  view from the ship

 Croatian Cat!

Boats  in Split Marina

Words can't begin to describe the physical beauty of Split, Croatia! Incredible. Split gets its name from a flower, sometimes called the broom, but in Dalmatia, it is spaleto hence Split. These are beautiful yellow flowering shrubs that grow everywhere here.  This area is known as the Croatian Riviera and I can see why. Palm trees, seaside promenade, sidewalk cafes, azure sea along with the ancient walls make for a sort of a storybook feel. Speaking of story books, I searched all over for those 101 Dalmatians (Yes, reportedly Dalmation dogs originated in Croatia), but never found even a single one! The focal point of Split is Diocletian's Palace, built in the 4th century. The entire of Old Town is within the palace walls!
 Croatian Laundry Drying in Beautiful Garden Setting

We “did” Split on our own rather than take a ship’s tour.  Once ashore, we caught a local tour bus for a 90-minute tour of Split, followed by a walking tour of the old city of Split, Diocletian’s Palace, and such.  After that, we wandered on our own and found a lovely spot for lunch.

 
View of Adriatic from High Atop Split

As always, a highlight for me is sampling the local cuisine and local wines!  We found a lovely typical local restaurant for lunch. Croatian specialties are seafood, Dalmatian brodet (fish stewed with rice), pasta and pizza. Croatia is also known for wine...which we enjoyed with our lunch.
Croatian Pasta Bolognese and Wine
Croatian Tomato Salad - Yum!

If you venture east of the town walls, you will find the colorful markets. The official word for open-air markets in Croatian is Trznica, but in Split these markets of local food shopping are called Pazar and they are open daily.   You can stroll around the tables laden with fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats, seafood and cheeses (don't miss the opportunity to try Livanjski sir or paski sir, local cheeses). Here you will also find fresh honey products ranging from Kadulja honey from Biokovo to Lavender honey from Hvar.

A bit of Croatian trivia: The original “Croata” tie - a neck tie was first worn by Croatian horsemen who fought on the European fronts from the 17th century to the French revolution; at which time the French adopted this fashion and gave it the name “cravate” (meaning “Croat”).

Click here for a youtube video of Split, courtesy of Rick Steves!
Click here for a website with lots of great information on Split!

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