Trogir and Split, Croatia
After the waterfalls, we drove about 3 hours to our destination for the evening..a medieval type town called Trogir. We had a short night time walking tour, and a drink in an outdoor nightclub/cafe, then the next morning we walked through the small old town again. The bell tower was built in 3 styles..one level Venetian Gothic, one level Gothic, and one level Romanesque.
The next day we had a short drive to the town of Split, Croatia, which is a pretty city along the coast and a cruise port. There is a fantastic wide promenade along the water called the Riva, lined with palm trees, cafes, and stylish locals walking, eating and having coffee. It was a beautifulSaturday and there were many people out enjoying the great weather.
The big attraction in Split is Diocletian's Palace. Diocletian was a Roman emperor known for good leadership..he ruled an unprecedented 20 years..but he was also responsible for the ruthless persecution of Christians. He was also the first to "retire"..this palace was his retirement home. Slaves built the huge structure in 10 years; 2000 died building it. He brought huge columns from Egypt that we can still see standing today. After his death, townspeople eventually moved into the palace, dividing it up into apartment/homes. In ironic twists, his mausoleum is now a Catholic church. Today you can see a lot of the original structure, but there are beautiful homes inside, poor homes inside, stores, hotels, and restaurants and cafes..all using portions of the original structure.
We had another great local guide show us around, then we walked the promenade (they even have a small replica of St Mark's Square), and had lunch in a nice outdoor cafe that was great for people watching. We also heard the well known Croatian acapella singers called Klapa; there are great acoustics inside the palace.
