After a quick night's stay at Gatwick, it was an early start to our travels in Split. We were in Split for 2 full days before we boarded our sail boat and island hopped for a week. So a little about Split... It is the 2nd largest city in Croatia and largest in the Dalmatia region. The city was founded in the 4th Century BC and has changed hands MANY times over time.
Day 1 - We started out with a nice long nap! haha After trying to catch up on some sleep, we went to a place the hotel recommended and had our first octopus salad. Jeffrey was hooked after this! After refueling our bodies, we were off to see the sights and get a better feel of the city. The views of the harbor were unforgettable.
Nothing wrong with a Croatian pint to go along with these views either!
After seeing the harbor views, we ventured a little further to see the 'sandy beach' everyone was talking about. Cleary our definitions of sandy beaches are different. We saw people trying to sun bathe on every inch of the coast line, on both sandy beaches and rocky beaches!
After all the wondering, we grabbed an easy dinner (chicken wraps) and called it a night.
Day 2
After understanding more of the city, we detoured away from the water and looked more toward the city center to learn more about the history. We started out with breakfast of champions, ice cream! (we are on holiday... calories don't count right?!?)
We started the day with a walking tour of the Diocletian's Palace. The palace is in the heart of the city and considered to be alive today, even with the UNSECO certification.
The palace was first built in 305 AD and was expanded and extended in the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries. Throughout our tour, our guide was able to point out signs of construction throughout these periods. The key signs of style changes are evident in the windows. The larger the window the more wealthy the owner. Windows are one of the few things visible from the street, so it makes sense. It also makes sense, as the fashion and influences of the area change, the wealthier owners will update the style of the window to keep up and show their wealth.
The tour guide was also able to point out great angles for pictures. I love this one!
Split is one of the few UNSECO sites that is still 'alive'. Alive in the sense that people are still living in the flats within the walls of the palaces.
After our tour, we headed to the market for a little last minute shopping before setting sail! We grabbed some beach towels, trendy hats and a deck of cards.
To top the day off, we did a little progressive dinner to try out more of the cuisine. We started out with some cheeses and meats outside our hotel and then did a hike to see the sun set from a viewing point up on the mountain. After seeing the sun set, we went back toward the harbor to for a main and got another delicious meal in the books!
We loved Split! It wasn't overly crowded, prices were great and full of history! Croatia is truly a lovely place and the people were really nice and friendly.
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