Split

Arriving in Split seemed like it would be easy. We had a hotel room, the bus was on course to drop near our destination, the sun is still up...we got this! The stars remain aligned as we navigate with no maps and no technology to the address in our confirmation email. And then the fun begins....

That address is a red metal door covered in graffiti with a raggedy mailbox next to the door, no signs or information, not even a familiar "sobe" placard telling us we are at a place that rents rooms. We are in a narrow stone street on the north side of the old town. We look for the address across the intersection...maybe the road continues and there is more than one "1"? Nope. Maybe it looks sketchy but there is a nice proprietor in the other side of the door? Nope, no answer and no way in when we try the door. Go looking for navigation help, nice bakery girl thinks we have the right address. Now, no data connection is adding to our stress, where should we be? Sun is going down. Tourist information is closed. Wandering old town, we find a hot spot, yay! Ben emails the place in charge of the rooms and finds an email from another sobe that has a room for the night. Using our WiFi we map it and then set course away from the comforts of our free connection. After a few laps in and around old town we find the Base Rooms, yay! No one there, damn! But, there's a name and number this time, and when we call Ivo comes right over. We are quickly checked in, bags dropped and off for a much needed late glass of wine.

We spent the bulk of our time in Split either in the Old Town or just on the edge. Old Town is defined by the boundaries to Diocletian's Palace, of which many walls and structures still remain. Our accommodations, Base Rooms, were about as central to old town as you can get, bordering the Jupiter Temple and steps from the cathedral and central square.  We could hear the cathedral bells, eventually giving up on trying to make sense of the 40 rings it seemed to give out. Most did seem to be on the hour but the number of chimes was irrelevant to that hour.

We tried to focus our dining on seafood and pasta, given the locale, and had delicious meals of both. Bordering Old Town we also visited the Green Market, filled with produce, pastries, souvenirs and many other things.

Split also provided an opportunity to visit a laundromat, where we happily washed everything except what we were wearing. We wandered the Varos district as we waited for clothes and again in search of dinner on our second night.

Everywhere in Split seemed to be made up of stone hidden walkways and possible routes to a hidden square, restaurant or shop. Even getting to our hotel involved passing through a very narrow walkway after wandering through the outdoor seating of two restaurants. The palace clearly laid the original footprint but medieval development followed by changes over the years into modern improvements lends to an interesting experience just getting around.

For its size, Split also has the most unbelievable amount of shoe stores you have ever seen.  I am not exaggerating when I say they were nearly everywhere. Which was good for us as Ben was not happy with his shoes and needed to buy a new pair.  He is particular when it comes to shoes so we visited most of those shops.  As for the residents of Split with well clad feet, I'm not sure what they are wearing as clothing stores were much harder to find.

We also spent a lot of time on the Riva (ree-va) which bordered the palace harbor side. The palace used to be at sea's edge so the Riva pedestrian zone was added later. It is filled with cafes, children playing, a long wide walkway and a great view of the sea and boats in and out of Split.

I feel like we really slowed down and relaxed a bit in Split, a good follow up to our time in Plitvice. On of my favorite memories here was enjoying a gelato on the Riva and just sitting for more than an hour looking out at this:

Croatia continues to be a calm, interesting and enjoyable place to visit. People have been genuine and helpful. We are now on a catamaran headed for the island of Korcula (kor-choo-la) where we will spend two nights and one day before heading to Dubrovnik.