November 10, 2016 - Split the Difference

Here are a few photos from our first visit to Croatia. I will eventually add more text and more photos to this post.  Our tour today was "Trogir & Split Half Day Tour" with Ante, from Private Guides in Croatia. The first thing I noticed about Ante was that he was really tall. Then I noticed that a lot  of the other tour guides were really tall. Ante later confirmed that people in Croatia are indeed tall. Ante was born and raised in Australia to Croatian parents, so there was no language barrier. Our group consisted of the two of us, plus Dom and Ana - the perfect size for a tour group. Ante was an excellent guide. We enjoyed the tour so much. Our first stop was an ancient fort on a hill overlooking Split. From there we drove to a 4th century CE Roman amphitheater.

Overlooking Split

A Roman amphitheater in Salona

Our next stop was the Unesco town of Trogir. Trogir is a walled city on a tiny island a ston'es throw from the mainland. Here we wandered narrow cobbled alleys and saw the squares and seaside promenade. The Layers of history in Trogir were revealed by the 13th century Cathedral of St. Lawrence, the 16th century Venetian Kamerllengo fort, and Renaissance palaces.

Trogir

Cathedral tower with three architectural styles, from bottom up: Roman, Venetian, Renaissance

Trogir Promenade

Upon returning to Split we learned about the Roman Emperor Diocletian and his palace. Diocletian (245-313 CE) built the palace in Split as his "retirement home." It is really a luxurious villa plus a fortified town. Diocletian lived in the villa with his wife and daughter, and the three of them had about 300 people (Rick Steves says 700) living in the town to take care of them. The massive complex was built in only 11 years through the use of slave labor. Over 2,000 slaves died during construction.

Shops and restaurants line the outside of the palace walls.

Eventually the palace was abandoned. In the 7th Century locals began moving into the fortified area to gain protection from Slavic invaders. Today 2,000 people still live and work inside the walls of the palace. The "basement" of the palace was built in order to make the upper floors level. This enormous space was rediscovered only 79 years ago. The original structure is in remarkable condition. Ante provided a fascinating tour of this area.

Basement of Diocletian's Palace      

Beehive-style ceiling of one of the basement chambers

In the main square, or peristyle, we could see red granite pillars that had been plundered from Egypt, along with a black granite sphinx. Diocletian believed himself to be the son of the Roman god, Jupiter. He built a temple to Jupiter. The temple eventually became a baptistery, an ironic twist. 

In the Peristyle      

Bishop Gregory of Nin, a 10th Century hero

As our tour ended we learned that Ante had guided fellow Alaskan and former Mayor and US Senator Mark Begich around Split. Begich has Croatian roots.

Split Sailaway

 Back on board we spent the evening in the usual way. The show starred Ralph Allin, "International Virtuoso Gypsy Violinist."  This small ship has a small theater. It's intimate, as they say. It's a very different experience from the big ships.