Splendid Split

Reflections on Split harbour

The old and the new

Split is a large city but a beautiful blend of the old and the new. The old city has as a focus on Diocletian’s Palace and this is adjacent to a modern harbour with cruise ships and yachts as well as old fishing boats.

Diocletian’s Palace is not a palace as you naturally picture them. It is described as one of the largest Roman ruins in existence but is a working part of the city with old walls, bars , Roman columns and churches, discos and jewellery shops, crypts, internet cafes and buskers, just to mention a few. There are the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron Gates on the cardinal points and it all faces a fabulous harbour.

We have spent 2 days here and have not done much! Visited the old Roman based church, its treasury and its crypt as well as St John’s Baptistery, originally Jupiter’s Temple. We also visited the 12th century St Francis’ Church that is just a few doors from our accommodation.

We spent some time organising ferry tickets. Tomorrow to the islands of Brac and Hvar as well as our return to Italy on Sunday 28 June. We got the 3rd last cabin available!

We are travelling light for the next couple of weeks and leaving our 1 big bag behind with Mrs Ana. Hope it will still be here when we return to Split as all the presents are in it.