Split, Croatia

Boarding an afternoon train in Zagreb, we travelled south to Split on the Dalmatian Coast. It was a long, slow journey, very hot with the air con not working, that climbed higher and higher into the mountains and seemed to pass through very remote rural and poor areas of the country, well away from the main highways, towns, and cities.

We arrived in Split to a very warm evening and a short walk to our Airbnb, again just metres from the edge of the Old Town. From our third-floor apartment, when the doors and our shutters were open and several times a day, we could hear Mass being conducted for the locals in the monastery across the road, complete with hymns, organ, and the priest leading the order of service. We loved that local flavour.

Our stay in Split was for a leisurely 15 nights so we could really settle in and enjoy the sights in a relaxed way. The weather was hot, in the mid to high 20's every day, and got hotter week by week. We particularly loved the balmy evenings to wander through the Old Town and down to the waterfront, and people-watching, which is endlessly fascinating. So many people, Split was heaving with visitors and tourists, and it got quite overwhelming at times. We tried to avoid those areas in the busiest times of the day, as we Kiwis tend to struggle with crowds and queues. It didn't bode well for when the summer season really got underway, as the school and academic year finished just after that time.

We loved our time in Split and really enjoyed shopping with the locals and cooking our own meals. Our days out and about were interspersed with some

serious work days. Amongst other things, we had been going through the process of contracting another administrator to relieve Nicki of some of the overwhelming workload experienced last season.

Highlights of Split:
Diocletians Palace: An interesting walking tour with Kristina, learning the history of Split, especially about the ancient palace, built between 295 AD and early 300 AD and which forms half of the Old Town of Split, an UNESCO World Heritage site. Built as a retirement residence for the Roman Emperor Diocletian, also as a fortress housing the military garrison. Later, possibly the 7th century, refugees from neighbouring sacked towns sought shelter in its fortified walls, took up residence, conducted their business within, and still do to this day. Much of the palace was buried by rubble over the centuries, but the cellar and tunnels were excavated in the mid to late 1900s, preserved and restored for use today. Some Game of Thrones scenes were filmed in the palace walls and cellars - where Daenerys trains her three dragons.

From Split, we explored in all directions:
East : Bus up to Klis Fortress, which has guarded the frontier, being lost and re-conquered several times throughout its more than two-thousand-year-long history. Due to its location on a pass that separates two mountain ranges, Klis Fortress served as a major source of defense in Dalmatia, especially against the Ottoman advance, and has been a key crossroad between the Mediterranean belt and the Balkan rear. Some GOT filmed there too - Daenerys seizing the city of Meereen and freeing the captives from their masters.

West: To Supetar on Brac Island, 50 minutes by ferry. Climbed up to the bell tower of an ancient church minutes before midday, when the bells tolled the hour directly above our heads, about a metre away – not really unexpected but

deafening nevertheless! Swam in crystal clear waters, azure Adriatic Sea, bliss!

South: Bus to Omis and the medieval Mirabella Fortress overlooking the Cetina River, which runs through the town to the sea and was renowned as a refuge of pirates. Omis has a stunning Old Town, set against a backdrop of towering rock walls right up to and surrounding the town. Starigrad Fortress – steep rocky narrow path hike (about an hour) up to the hilltop fortress. We asked the guy who sold the tickets if there was any water (to wash our hands before eating our picnic lunch) and he cheerfully drew water from an ancient well for us. A new bridge, high above the river and connecting two tunnels, was soon to be opened to relieve summer bottlenecks on the busy Dalmatian coastal road heading south towards Dubrovnic.

North: Bus to Trogir, another beautiful Old Town on a tiny island just off the mainland, and across a further bridge to Ciovo Island. We hired a scooter and explored the island over six hours, stunning views and hot wind. Awesome fun. Eventually came to white pebbly beach on the other side of island – lovely for a swim and a read.

Marjan Park: Forested high point on the peninsula of Split between city and sea – climbed up there early’ish one morning before the heat of the day for views over the city and nearby islands.

Again, across to Supetar by ferry, then bus across Brac Island to the town of Bol (two hours travelling time each way), then wandered along a shady tree-lined promenade to one of the most famous beaches in Croatia - Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn Beach). Its astonishing V-shape changes and shifts with the tide and currents of the Adriatic Sea, at times curling right around into a hook shape. A reliable afternoon westerly wind, the Maestral, has made the eastern side of the beach an extremely popular destination for windsurfers. It was packed with people and very commercial but also very beautiful and a great place to swim.

In Split, just outside Diocletians's Palace, there's a massive statue of Bishop Gregory of Nin, with a pointing finger and holding a bible. He was a 10th-century Croatian bishop who fought for the right to use the old Croatian language in church services instead of Latin. Sculpted in 1929, 8.5 metres high, Croatians touch the toe of the imposing statue to bring them luck.

Bruce got a great haircut at a barber's that had been over 100 years in the same family.

Next stop Istanbul, after a second night stopover in Zagreb...