Split

Split at dawn from the ferry as we arrived from Ancona
see all photos »

Before arriving in Split we were under the impression that it was merely a staging post for reaching the islands of Dalmatia. But after spending several days there we found that there is a lot more to the city than that.

The ‘old town’ is an enticing mix of the old Roman, Venetian and Gothic styles with modern shops, restaurants and bars tucked away down dark cobblestone alleyways. There were plenty of options for shoe shoppers especially, with prices apparently much cheaper than in Italy (Imelda could have gone berserk). The waterfront area has recently been completely refurbished and is now an attractive place to come and enjoy an espresso or gelato under the palm trees while looking out over the busy harbour and marina. A large, bustling and colourful fruit and vegetable market was also great to wander through. Unfortunately once you get outside the historic harbour area Split becomes rather drab, dominated by numerous ugly apartment blocks.

an attractive place to come and enjoy an espresso or gelato under the palm trees

The newly completed waterfront
see all photos »

Our hostel was about 15 minutes walk into the suburbs and we were surprised by the tangle of parked cars in the narrow residential streets. There are virtually no garages and vehicles are forced to park bumper-to-bumper across the entire footpath, leaving pedestrians to dodge the traffic in the street. Stray cats are as numerous as the cars in Croatia, we nearly tripped over several while lugging our packs up the hill to our accommodation.

We were greeted by yet more felines when we arrived, though these were four adorable kittens owned by our host. The six-week-old tabbies gave us many hours of fun playing with shoelaces and snoozing on our laps during our stay. There were also 3 pet turtles in the back garden which loved any leftover fruit from the markets.

Fruit and vegetable market
see all photos »

There are several good beaches around Split, our favourite was just a few minutes walk from the city centre and had lots of bars and restaurants overlooking the sandy bay. The warm azure water got very crowded during the day and the bars filled up in the evenings, especially when there was yet more football on. The Croatian team was playing Italy one night and there were red flares and smoke bombs going off amongst the crowds all along the beach. Croatia ended up losing on penalties so the celebrations got cut short somewhat.

Bronze Grgur Ninski statue. The big toe is worn down due to people touching it for good luck
see all photos »

During the week we also took a day trip out to a small inland town called Imotski. It was a 2.5 hour bus ride but it was worth it to see the amazing crater lakes that the town is located next to. The lakes were formed by a natural sinking of the land into the cave systems in the area and then filling by underground springs and rainwater. The result is a startling blue colour that was crystal clear and a thrill to swim in especially after the 20 minute walk down into the crater in 30 degree temperatures.