Croatia and Wales 2024: 09/10/24

Today's Voyage

Well, what a day yesterday was. For those who didn’t see the news from here in southern Croatia, yesterday the area received about 4” of rain and from what we hear, the first rain in about 90 days. The streets of Dubrovnik were flooded far worse than where we were in Korčula.

Here the store owners were still mopping up from last night although some restaurants were up and running serving breakfast.

Our ride on the ferry was comfortable and uneventful with a full complement of passengers possibly 350 to 400. Each of the islands we passed seemed to display a mixture of modern and ancient architecture. They were well populated and appeared to have a healthy boating scene. Sailing catamarans seem to be very popular.

Upon docking in Split, we took a taxi to our accommodations and were met by Anna and learned her brother lives in Toronto, Canada.

After Anna’s tour of the apartment, our priority was food which we ate at a restaurant nearby, unremarkable! Restaurants here are mostly very small so seating is soon full or in the sun so not where you want to be sitting in this hot weather. We moved on to eventually find the best under the circumstances as it was now 3:00 and we were hungry.

The rest of the afternoon we spent wandering the streets of Old Town, Split. It is the largest city on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. It was founded by the Greeks then occupied by the Romans, Venetians, French, and Austro-Hungarian Empire. At first glance, it has a lot to offer and very obviously it’s a tourist destination. The roads and alleys are pedestrian only. On first observation, Old Town Split appears more modern though some buildings do appear older. The map indicated a large block suggesting perhaps a walled area, so we headed in that direction. This indeed was where we found Diocletian’s Palace which was built in the 4th century. It is the oldest continuously-inhabited Roman palace in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It still has residents. It has very narrow alleys within tall walls. It is indeed within a large square enclosure. As we’ve found elsewhere, it has many shops selling jewellery, clothing and souvenirs. As we continued ever deeper, we found the ‘Piece de Resistance’. The alley opened to a large square and in front of us stood ruins with columns and a very tall tower which, upon closer observation, we noticed people climbing to the top. This area was in various stages of decomposition though some part of it did look like it had been rebuilt. It was quite impressive.

The square had raised seating around the edges with randomly scattered pillows. A notice indicated there were nightly free concerts.

At one side, there was a tunnel which led out to the port. We walk along it to the port side to take a couple pictures before finding some shade and heading back to our apartment for a break.

We eventually headed out for dinner which we followed by our, what has become, routine game of cards to finish our evening. We spent another very rewarding day experiencing yet another city in Croatia.