27 & 28 May - First stop on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia adventure - Split

The city of Split has this exotic air about it.  The remains of Salona, the ancient Roman capital of Dalmatia is about 20 minutes away on the hill side.  As one enters the city, one gets this Moorish feel about the place.  

In the heart of the old city

It did not feel very Mediterranean or European.  It felt more Arabic or Turkish ... like a bazaar.  The seaside with the narrow streets (some of the narrowest in Europe) linked tall multi-storied stone buildings in a maze lent to that atmosphere.

Our bus dropped us off at the Promenade next to the waterfront.  Walking guides appeared to take the group to the various hostels and other accommodation that had been pre-arranged.  We had not known that we could have upgraded our sleeping quarters before we started the trip. The other young at hearts all headed off to their upgraded accommodations while we headed to the youth hostel with everyone else.  We had been assigned to a room for 6.  It was a long walk on cobblestone through narrow lanes with many turns to Charlie’s Bar where Charlie’s backpackers was.  That was where we would spend the night.  The weather was really really hot and humid.  

The lady checking us into Charlie's backpacker must have been a newbie as she had no idea how to prioritise.  We were kept waiting while she took each group in turn to their various rooms. The rooms were not in a single building but were spreaded out in various nearby buildings.  It appeared that other backpacking arrangements in this city are similarly set up as this one.  When we got there, we had to carry our luggage (all 20 kg of it in a small roller suitcase) up the steepest and narrowest riser stairs we ever saw.  It was only a single flight but it was a long single flight with no rails.  It was hard to see how it would pass developed world Health and Safety standards.  At the top of the stairs were three rooms. The six of us were assigned to one.  There was only one unisex bathroom and one unisex toilet to be shared between 18 of us.  This was going to be an interesting experience.  Our room had three bunk beds.  The height clearance for each bunk was shorter than usual.
  

As a result, each time someone tried to get in or out of a bottom bunk, their heads would make contact with the metal frame supporting the upper bunk.  For the upper bunks, the limit was the ceiling.  No one could sit straight up on their bunk.  It was a good thing we are all now friends, after 2 days of hanging out together and we have the 6 easiest going travelers, so the share was uneventful.  A quick shower and we were ready for the city tour that would take place before dinner. 

Houses in Croatia are built with the living accommodation on the lower floor and the kitchen above so that a fire would be less likely to destroy the entire house.  It is also the law that these must be constructed of stone after numerous fires at some points in history.  This gives Croatian houses a distinctive character.  At the backpackers, we were also advised that the city has strict rules about noise control.  First offences would result in security officers being sent but if that was ignored, then the police would be sent for.  That might account for why the backpacking accommodations are spreaded along this narrow lane into which Charlie's Bar patrons spilled into as the evening drew on - to contain the merry making.

Our walk in the Old City was interesting.  First, we stopped at the statue of Grgur Ninsk, the first Catholic priest (then bishop of Nin) that stood up to Pope in the 10th Century to have masses in Croatia conducted in local language rather than Latin.  It is traditional practice among tourists to rub his big toe so they would someday return to Split.  All tourists did that and the statue's left toe is highly polished.  His right toe is also beginning to show some wear, probably courtesy of visitors who rubbed the wrong toe.  

Then we walked through Diocletian Palace which had been converted into a market place for small retailers.  It reminded one of a Roman market place in full swing – like a slice of history had been invited into the present.  A wedding was taking place in the central plaza near Diocletian mausoleum which had also been converted into a museum.  Groom and groomsmen were performing and singing to the bride and her entourage who peeked through an upper floor window.  The was an air of festivity.  A crowd had gathered to watch and participated in the merriment.  

The wedding in progress

The bride

Groom and party and the crowd wooing his bride

We continued along the promenade to Brasserie on 7 – the same place that Gorga had told us about when we were in Dubai.  Dinner of tuna carpaccio and grilled sea bass with vegetables was superbly delicious.  After dinner, we headed out for a walk along the waterfront with Dan and Natalie, a quiet and nice young couple who was also sharing the dormitory with us that evening.

We stopped at the Marina and had a quiet drink looking back at the city of Split from a distance before we headed back to Charlie’s Bar.  It was  even more packed and noisier than before dinner.  Crowds filled the entire alleyway where the hostel rooms are located.  The smoke from cigarettes was overwhelming so we left the group early.  One thing that we have noticed thus far was the prolific smoking that still persisted in all the places that we have visited to date.  Many places do not have any regulations that ban smoking near food consumption or where people sleep like backpackers or hotels.  Luckily, our window which was just above the partying crowd could be shut (relatively sealed) and the airconditioning in our room worked.  We were able to buffer out the noise and went to sleep while the party continued until 2am.  We would learn from the bartender the next morning.

28 May

This day has partially been designated a rest day so we took it easy.  It is important when travelling for long periods to have days designated as rest days to ensure that that we did not get worn out too early on a long trip.  We slept in till 9am before packing in preparation to check out at 10am.  The left luggage room for the hostel was the bar itself.  The bar did not open until 2pm and the lady receptionist was in there the entire time so it was relatively safe.  This lady was very informative in contrast to the earlier one that checked us in the evening before.  She helped with directions and maps and informed us that a taxi would probably not be an option as the ACI Marina where we have to go to board our sailing tour later that afternoon was only a 15 minute walk along the promenade.  Since we have the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon, we decided we would explore the old city.  

We went into the plaza and started marking our routes.  Then just as we were contemplating whether to head to the museum, we heard our name being called twice.  Nas and his wife were there and they were about to start a walking tour so we decided to join them.  She even gave me a chocolate croissant for breakfast.  They are the nicest couple we have met thus far, always sharing out their stash of healthy snack during the coach trip earlier.  Tour guides in Split are highly regulated, so there were no free walking tours there.  100 Kunas (19 AUD) was the price.  Our guide, Suncansa (her name meant "Sunshine") was a very informative.  There were 9 of us in her group. 

First she walked us to all the 4 gates of the Diocletian Palace and showed us how the palace was set up. The palace was so named as it was meant to be the retirement residence of the 4th Century emperor.  Its set up, though, was more akin to that of a fortress.  For a 4th Century edifice, it has some really modern features.  The waters for the baths were fetched via an aqueduct all the way from the Jadro River near Salona.  Even back in Diocletian days, this place had running water and running sewage.  A drainage feature is now part of the inside of a bank in the form of a rosea. 

Mosaic lined the floors of the public bath near the mausoleum.  The Game of Thrones was filmed here in these cellars.  The cellars were well preserved because at one time, the city on top used it for sewage containment.  That sealed the area and preserved it better than most of the other part of the building.

The basement with the entrance showing the
earthquake proof stone masonry

The stonework was similar to that of Machu Picchu and the pyramids, irregularly edged with interlocking rocks to make itself earthquake proof.  Gates to the citadel had double doors so that the outer door could be closed to trap enemies, and hot oil and spears rained on them should they breach that outer door in an attack.  It was amazing to see the thoughts that went into planning these structures to ensure the quality of life of its inhabitants not only for then but for a long time future to come.  The narrowest street is named “Let Me Pass” as only one can pass through it at any one time.  The walking tour ended at midday just in time for us to watch the re-enactment of the changing of Roman Guards complete with the presence of the Emperor and his wife to greet the crowd.

Next we will trek our way to ACI Marina to embark on our island hoping tour of the Dalmatian Coast ....