If would like to follow my 15 day cruise then read the previous posts here:
Venice (1)
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Koper (2)
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Sarande (3)
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Split, Croatia
Our cruise on the Norwegian Star had originally included Dubrovnik and were devastated when it was dropped from the itinerary. We had already done research of all the towns that our cruise would visit and were happy that at least Split was still on the list.
We docked early, no tender boats on this day, and walked directly from the cruise terminal to the old town of Split. The area is clean, well maintained and absolutely geared to tourists along the waterfront area.
First, we walked through a local market selling wares from all over the world. I bought a pure silk dress originally made in India with a gorgeous print detail. My dad had broken his reading glasses so he managed to find a pharmacy that was able to fix them for him.
Next we walked toward the Palace. The ancient Diocletian Palace was originally built in the third Century AD and today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, visited by millions of people annually.
The white limestone and marble give the palace a fresh bright appearance and the white stone paths underfoot have been polished smooth and shiny by feet over the centuries.
We entered at an open courtyard and quickly entered the narrow walkways of the palace. It can only be accessed on foot as there are no streets through the palace.
Parts of the palace have been strapped and supported to prevent any further damage. Work to restore certain parts of the palace is continuous, but the wooden balustrades are more aesthetically pleasing than the steel options.
We found the Underground Market in the Dungeons and admired the arched vaulted ceilings above.The market was filled with marble and limestone trinkets small and large as well as art, portraits and local curios.
We left the market through a steel gate crafted into a piece of art.
The passageways and squares are lined with Cafe's, restaurants and boutique stores. These are not suited to our lowly Rand, so we searched the quieter back alleys for a more affordable cup of coffee.
It's interesting that so many locals live in the walls and buildings of the palace. We could see washing hung up to dry and people leaving for work in the morning.
One of the things that I particularly liked was being surprised by murals around every other corner and the decorative detail added to otherwise narrow passages.
At the back wall of the Palace outside of the palace gate we found the Giant statue of Gregory of Nin. Everyone took photos of the statue and made sure to rub his foot for good luck. The statue is 8.5 meters tall. Gregory of Nin was a Catholic who served as a Bishop of Nin at the time.
When we felt like we had seen enough of the old town, we headed out of the palace walls and up the hill to the suburbs of Split. This is nothing like the modern suburbs we have back home.
Streets were narrow and steep and many houses were still built of stone. We noticed that locals drove very small cars or motorbikes to cope with the geography of the area.
We made it up to a large park called Forest Park Marjan. It covers the entire peninsula that juts out into the bay and is perfect for hiking, trail running and is frequented for picnics by local families.
From there we slowly made our way back down the steep hill towards the waterfront area below. Im sure there was a whole lot more to see in Split and it is definitely worth another visit.
What we learnt is that the cruise exposes one to many short visits in many towns and countries, but from that initial experience we now know which places we would love to go back to for an in-depth adventure.
Next up we spent a day in Catania on the island of Sicily. I'll keep the rest a surprise because this 15 day cruise was INCREDIBLE!
By voting for this post your are helping to get my son to the European Cups for Climbing in Italy and Switzerland in June/July this year.
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//:# (!worldmappin 43.50740 lat 16.43916 long Mediterranean Cruise: Split, Croatia (4) d3scr)