Friday, November 6, 2026
Day 32/50
Split, Croatia
70F, sunny!
Ceiling in Luxor Cafe in Split Old Town
Of all the ports we have visited, Split will be one of my
favorites. With only an easy 10 minute
walk to the Old Town, interrupted only by a colorful fruit, flower, and
vegetable market, we felt like we had entered another dimension.
Billboard on the way to Split Old Town
MARKET AREA:
We have
decided that, when possible, we prefer visiting ports on our own. According to Internet sources, Split Old Town is the historic heart of
Split, Croatia, centered on Diocletian’s Palace, a Roman emperor’s retirement
complex built around the 4th century CE.
Entering Old Town
Cathedral of St. Dominus
(from the back)
Diocletian
is buried in a mausoleum which was constructed as a tomb and later
converted into a Christian cathedral known as the Cathedral of St.
Dominus. Since Diocletian had Dominus beheaded, this is quite ironic.
What we especially
loved was that unlike a traditional palace, it is a living city where stone
streets, apartments, cafés, restaurants, shops, bars, courtyards, and Roman
ruins coexist within the ancient walls. The Old Town is almost entirely
pedestrian, making it ideal for walking and exploring its atmospheric alleyways. It is also mostly flat with few steps to climb!
Over centuries, it
became a Byzantine city, later influenced by Venice and the Habsburg monarchy. The Old Town preserves layers of history
spanning over 1,700 years, from Roman architecture to medieval guilds and
modern Croatian life.
Column Detail
Split has a population of around
160,000, with a metropolitan area of about 310,000. It is on the eastern shore
of the Adriatic Sea in the Dalmatia region.
The city grew around the ancient Roman palace built for Emperor
Diocletian over 1,700 years ago. The
historic center and palace are a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Split is
a top travel destination known for its stone streets, seaside promenade (the
Riva), and nearby beaches.
Diocletian’s Palace is the “best preserved example of late Roman architecture anywhere on the planet” according to local literature. Diocles was the last Roman emperor to persecute Christians.
Diocletian's Palace
The weather was perfect and I could not
resist Luxor, right outside the palace, where we could enjoy a cup of coffee. Today we left the ship earlier than usual and
that paid off with fewer crowds at the significant sites.
What a delightful place for a
cup of coffee!
Luxor
From there we wandered around—the typical
souvenir shops, shops with Game of Thrones souvenirs (parts of the series were
filmed here), bakeries (a luscious cinnamon roll), candy shops, even three
shops that only sold those little rubber ducks, jewelry, clothing, and so much
more.
Grgur Ninski
The Grgur Ninski statue, created by Ivan Meštrović in 1929, symbolizes the struggle for Croatian national identity. Grgur Ninski (also known as Gregory of Nin) was a 10th
century bishop who played a crucial role in the preservation of the Croation
language and culture. He was a strong advocate for the use of the Croatian language
in religious services, which was a significant move at the time when Latin was
the only officially accepted language of worship.
An archaelogical dig just outside the city wall
Detail of an artifact by the archaelogical dig
Garbage Truck!
This image should show the well-worn
walkway, in place for hundreds of years
Fish Market
Riva
Walkway along the Water
Cafes all along Riva
Intriguing fountain--from high on the wall
to the cup on the ground! Can you see
the water? Every 4-5 minutes
Today I was able to contact “Bags to Go”
at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Their bag wrapping service is at Terminal 1 and
we need to check in at Terminal 3 with American Airlines, but the person I
talked to assured me that it was only a 10 minute walk to Terminal 3. Our flight is around 5 p.m. so we should have
plenty of time to have our bags shrink wrapped, Janie said optimistically.
TK's Takes: Cats were all in one spot--an older lady was feeding them and giving them water. The coffee was good. Shops were small. Lots of people, can't imagine summer when it is hot and even more crowded. Enjoyed sitting and relaxing on the Riva.
Where on earth are we?
