Travelogue Croatia Part Two
It was somewhat cloudy on Saturday when we got up. We had a very enjoyable breakfast - the breakfast bar looked small, but managed to have just about anything that you could possibly want (other than fresh milk, I detest UHT milk, but it's about all that's on offer here). Considering that it was cloudy, we set out with no particular aim for the day, only to arrive at the ferry terminal for boats to Split. Split is a little way along the coast from Trogir and much much larger. The ferry takes around an hour and the terminal is only around three minutes walk from our hotel. The boat was due to leave at 10.30 and we were there around half an hour beforehand. We decided to go and ducked into the local supermarket, just opposite and picked up some drinks and snacks for the journey.
We made our way onto the boat and went upstairs to the sundeck, but ominously, there were spits of rain in the air. We had a brief debate about whether to go back to the hotel,but noticed that there was some blue sky approaching and decided to stay put. I'm really glad that we did, because about ten minutes after being underway, the sun came out and started to bake us. It was a pretty journey along the coast, with one stop before getting to Split. Again, I'd been to Split back in 1989 and didn't know how much it would have been changed by the Civil War, but apparently, despite there being a heavy naval presence, it had been relatively unscathed. Split was mainly founded by the Emperor Diocletian as he built a palace there during his reign. Astoundingly, much of the palace is still there, although successive generations have built in, around and on top of it. So much so, that it is considered to be the most complete surviving Roman palace in the world.
We got off the boat at a part of the town quay just opposite the southern entrance and went through part of the basement to get in to the historic town. This part of the palace basement is full of little stalls, like a permanent market, selling jewellery, books, souvenirs and trinkets. Once inside, it was full of tourists, but we wandered around quite happily, going up to the cathedral of St Duje which has a main building formed from the emperor's mausoleum. We had no particular plan, so wandering around and getting lost in the historic town was decided to be the way to look round. Split is very pleasant and had we not been completely enchanted by Trogir, we'd probably have been more appreciative of it, but it's far more beset by tourists and commercialised. I took a number of photographs, as usual and we saw most of the historic town, just by keeping wandering.
Eventually we stopped for a late lunch and found ourselves at the Pjaca or People's Square, eating at the Hotel Central street cafe, which dates back to 1780 and was a notable gathering place for the intelligentsia, artists and civic figures, leading to it being host to the "Table of Wise Men". We weren't particularly wise, just hungry, and their home signature lasagne, full of seafood and vegetables, hit the spot very nicely. Following that, we paid our money to go and wander round the rest of the Palace basement - rather nicely, the tickets proving our payment were a pair of postcards of the artists impression of the original palace. Then on to the boat for the trip home and we both dozed quite a step of the way - it was blustery and cloudy again on the way home.
We were quite tired after the day, so had a relatively early evening. Sunday was also somewhat overcast, but the wind had dropped and it felt warmer. Both of us had a bath before setting out for the day - our hotel room is very comfy and we have a gorgeous bathroom to go with. Back to the old town of Trogir and a sit down at a small cafe behind the Riva (town quay) where they were showing the F1 Grand Prix from Spain. Lunch there was very good, in fact, we've not had a bad meal yet! Nothing exciting, I had cevapi with fries and a mixed salad, whilst thisispoki went for a seafood risotto. I followed this with walnut pancakes, whilst himself had icecream. We stayed until the F1 had finished and then moved to the town square to settle down to watch the England v Germany match, also being shown on a screen outside in a cafe. We were mostly outnumbered by German fans, but it was a good natured atmosphere, especially since England failed to capitalise on good possession and tackling, where the young dynamic German side made every opportunity count. We returned to the hotel for the evening and had dinner there. They were also showing the evening football - Argentina v Mexico and much to our surprise, the hotel restaurant was packed with Argentina fans, who were noisily showing their appreciation for the goals going in.
Today dawned sunny and clear, so we wandered into the old town again, but this time with the plan of going in to the Cathedral of St Lawrence and the town museum. We climbed the bell tower (which made me a bit wobbly, I'm not good with heights and steep steps or ladders, but I got up and I got down and that's the important bit) and looked at the fabulous views from up there. We went into the sacristy and debated the somewhat dubious practice of having dead bits of saints displayed in fabulous silver and glass containers. We looked at most of the cathedral, some is sadly blocked off whilst restoration works take place, but restoration is a necessity on an up to 900 year old building. Then we went to the town hall and appreciated their interior courtyard, which was used heavily in the Dr Who filming for Vampires in Venice. The town museum isn't very large, but contains all the most precious art from the various churches around Trogir, so is mainly religious iconography. It's also fronted by the remains of an 8th century church.
Following the cultural morning, we went back to the Riva and had huge icecreams and sat in a cafe on the waterfront, just watching people go by. We've relaxed all afternoon, I've uploaded yet more photos (I've taken a huge number) and continued to watch the football. Tomorrow we fly home, but it's been a wonderful short break and I'd recommend it for a weekend. There's nowhere really to just sunbathe, but if you like impossibly pretty enchanting old towns and architecture, with good food and drink and a welcoming easy going population, it might be for you.
We made our way onto the boat and went upstairs to the sundeck, but ominously, there were spits of rain in the air. We had a brief debate about whether to go back to the hotel,but noticed that there was some blue sky approaching and decided to stay put. I'm really glad that we did, because about ten minutes after being underway, the sun came out and started to bake us. It was a pretty journey along the coast, with one stop before getting to Split. Again, I'd been to Split back in 1989 and didn't know how much it would have been changed by the Civil War, but apparently, despite there being a heavy naval presence, it had been relatively unscathed. Split was mainly founded by the Emperor Diocletian as he built a palace there during his reign. Astoundingly, much of the palace is still there, although successive generations have built in, around and on top of it. So much so, that it is considered to be the most complete surviving Roman palace in the world.
We got off the boat at a part of the town quay just opposite the southern entrance and went through part of the basement to get in to the historic town. This part of the palace basement is full of little stalls, like a permanent market, selling jewellery, books, souvenirs and trinkets. Once inside, it was full of tourists, but we wandered around quite happily, going up to the cathedral of St Duje which has a main building formed from the emperor's mausoleum. We had no particular plan, so wandering around and getting lost in the historic town was decided to be the way to look round. Split is very pleasant and had we not been completely enchanted by Trogir, we'd probably have been more appreciative of it, but it's far more beset by tourists and commercialised. I took a number of photographs, as usual and we saw most of the historic town, just by keeping wandering.
Eventually we stopped for a late lunch and found ourselves at the Pjaca or People's Square, eating at the Hotel Central street cafe, which dates back to 1780 and was a notable gathering place for the intelligentsia, artists and civic figures, leading to it being host to the "Table of Wise Men". We weren't particularly wise, just hungry, and their home signature lasagne, full of seafood and vegetables, hit the spot very nicely. Following that, we paid our money to go and wander round the rest of the Palace basement - rather nicely, the tickets proving our payment were a pair of postcards of the artists impression of the original palace. Then on to the boat for the trip home and we both dozed quite a step of the way - it was blustery and cloudy again on the way home.
We were quite tired after the day, so had a relatively early evening. Sunday was also somewhat overcast, but the wind had dropped and it felt warmer. Both of us had a bath before setting out for the day - our hotel room is very comfy and we have a gorgeous bathroom to go with. Back to the old town of Trogir and a sit down at a small cafe behind the Riva (town quay) where they were showing the F1 Grand Prix from Spain. Lunch there was very good, in fact, we've not had a bad meal yet! Nothing exciting, I had cevapi with fries and a mixed salad, whilst thisispoki went for a seafood risotto. I followed this with walnut pancakes, whilst himself had icecream. We stayed until the F1 had finished and then moved to the town square to settle down to watch the England v Germany match, also being shown on a screen outside in a cafe. We were mostly outnumbered by German fans, but it was a good natured atmosphere, especially since England failed to capitalise on good possession and tackling, where the young dynamic German side made every opportunity count. We returned to the hotel for the evening and had dinner there. They were also showing the evening football - Argentina v Mexico and much to our surprise, the hotel restaurant was packed with Argentina fans, who were noisily showing their appreciation for the goals going in.
Today dawned sunny and clear, so we wandered into the old town again, but this time with the plan of going in to the Cathedral of St Lawrence and the town museum. We climbed the bell tower (which made me a bit wobbly, I'm not good with heights and steep steps or ladders, but I got up and I got down and that's the important bit) and looked at the fabulous views from up there. We went into the sacristy and debated the somewhat dubious practice of having dead bits of saints displayed in fabulous silver and glass containers. We looked at most of the cathedral, some is sadly blocked off whilst restoration works take place, but restoration is a necessity on an up to 900 year old building. Then we went to the town hall and appreciated their interior courtyard, which was used heavily in the Dr Who filming for Vampires in Venice. The town museum isn't very large, but contains all the most precious art from the various churches around Trogir, so is mainly religious iconography. It's also fronted by the remains of an 8th century church.
Following the cultural morning, we went back to the Riva and had huge icecreams and sat in a cafe on the waterfront, just watching people go by. We've relaxed all afternoon, I've uploaded yet more photos (I've taken a huge number) and continued to watch the football. Tomorrow we fly home, but it's been a wonderful short break and I'd recommend it for a weekend. There's nowhere really to just sunbathe, but if you like impossibly pretty enchanting old towns and architecture, with good food and drink and a welcoming easy going population, it might be for you.