Split, Croatia

After spending a week in Dubrovnik, it was time to move up the coast to Split, which is the largest coast city and the 2nd largest city in Croatia. During tourist season, the ferry takes you along the beautiful Dalmatian coast.   

I had made Facebook friends last year with Terry, who lives in Split and I made arrangements to meet him. That's what's so wonderful about the expat community, people are so incredibly friendly and helpful. It's nothing whatsoever to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and then spend the day together.  We met for coffee and talked about life as an American in Europe, and residency of course, which seems to be the favorite topic of every American expat I've met. It can be tricky and everyone's looking for advice about how it's done. 

 

 

Terry gave me some great tips on what to see and do in Split, so I headed off to a park he recommended. As with everything else in Croatia, I had to climb what seemed like thousands of steps; every trail headed straight up.  I paused often, of course just to see the beautiful scenery around me.  I was amazed at how much wild fennel there was, it was everywhere. Eventually I made it to the very top; I definitely got my workout.  From there you could look out over the sea in one direction, the harbor in another direction, and the city of Split in yet another.  It was worth the hike, I must admit.

 

 

I booked a tour with Gray Line to check out some of the neighboring cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.   Our first stop was the small medieval village of Počitelj. It sits on a rocky hillside overlooking the Neretva River.  I sound like a broken record, but there were nothing but steps here too.  All along the steep path were small houses dotting the hill side.  There was no road, so they had to walk up or down anytime they left home.  I can't imagine what went into building them, or getting something home, like heavy furniture.  I swear these people have to be part goat!  I forced myself to climb all the way to the fortress at the top of the village and of course, it was closed. There was a road with a parking lot on the very top, so at least the residents could drive up and walk down with groceries and what not.  The view was spectacular, it reminded me a lot of looking down on the Mosel or Rhine River in Germany. 

    

 

The main attraction on our tour was the village of Mostar.  It also sits on the Neretva River and is the 5th largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with just over 100,000 residents. Wikipedia says "Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who, in the medieval times, guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans."  

 

 

On one side of the river you have a modern city, and on the other is the beautiful and quaint Old Town.  You see a wonderful mix of western, Ottoman and Mediterranean architecture. There are several mosques, one of which, Koskin-Mehmed Pasha's Mosque, you can go in for a small fee. It dates back to 1618 and seemed very simple; not at all like the elaborate cathedrals I was used to. There were no seats, and the floor was covered in area rugs  There were arches over the doors and windows but they were painted on the wall instead of constructed.  In fact, all the wall decorations were mosaic or stenciled.  There were a few hanging tapestries and all the windows had stained glass, but instead of elaborate designs or telling a story like you see in Christian churches, these were simple decorative circles.  You could go up in the minaret, but the steps were spiral and very steep, so I passed on the climb.  

 

 

The entrance fee also gives you access to their back patio, which is where you get a great view of the famous bridge, along with the beautiful colored buildings around it. The bridge and Old Town are UNESCO world heritage sites.  Wikipedia says "The Old Bridge was completed in 1566 and was hailed as one of the greatest architectural achievement in the Ottoman controlled Balkans. This single-arch stone bridge is an exact replica of the original bridge that stood for over 400 years and that was designed by Hajrudin, a student of the great Ottoman architect Sinan. The bridge footpath and the approaching roads are paved with cobblestones, as is the case with the main roads in the town." This makes crossing the steep bridge a bit tricky if you have flip flops or spiked heals.  Stone steps are built in to make it a bit easier.  During the Bosnian War in the 1990's, the bridge was destroyed. It took about 5 years to rebuild it, along with the nearby buildings.     

 

 

The bridge is also famous for the people who jump off it.  You will see speedo clad men, members of the local diving club, soliciting donations from tourists.  Once they reach a certain amount, they jump off the bridge.  This is a lot more dangerous then it seems; the bridge is 20 m high, the water fast and cold.  There are several deaths a year and a lot more injuries.  For a fee, the local dive club with teach tourists how to jump. 
 

 

On the way back we visited Kravice falls, a very popular tourist destination.  It's a 20 m high waterfall that forms a large lake.  It was beautiful; there were tons of picnic spots all around the lake, including a few cafes.  Unfortunately, though the water looked very inviting, it wasn't really warm enough to swim.  There was quite a bit of flooding, in fact, the trail down to the lake was flooded and there was just a small beach area for us to gather to look around  The deck of the nearest café was under water as well.  

 



I visited the neighboring historic town of Trogir.  The city was founded in the 3rd century by the Greeks, and the name is from "tragos" (male goat). I don't know if that's better or worse then the neighboring island of Bua from the Greek "voua" (herd of cattle).  Wikipedia describes it much better then I could..."Trogir has 2300 years of continuous urban tradition. Its culture was created under the influence of the ancient Greeks, and then the Romans, and Venetians. Trogir has a high concentration of palaces, churches, and towers, as well as a fortress on a small island..." :...Trogir is the best-preserved Romanesque-Gothic complex not only in the Adriatic, but in all of Central Europe." 

 

 

I really enjoyed wandering though the narrow streets and down hidden alleyways.  There is a nice harbor with several restaurants, so I planted myself there for a fabulous meal and an afternoon of people watching.   

 

 

I spent the a few days just enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of Split.  The tourist center is of course, on the harbor.  On one side you have the train station and the docks for the large cruise ships.  This area seems a bit seedy but I had no problems walking around.  It's basically the same atmosphere you see around most central train stations in Europe. Just up the hill, there is a market where you can buy fresh produce, clothes, hand crafted items, or souvenirs,

 

As you work your way around the harbor, you enter Riva, the really fun promenade.  Here you find plenty of great restaurants and cafes right next to one another, like one continuous outdoor dining adventure.  All throughout the day, you see people gathering for a coffee with friends, sitting alone people watching, or contemplating life.  If you don't want to sit in a cafe, there are plenty of benches and retaining walls to perch on.  At night it gets much more lively and the wide variety of food choices makes it really hard to settle on one place.  I had dinner with a new friend Rick, and I swear it was one of the best steaks I ever had!  The company was great too, it was nice to meet a fellow single traveler like myself.  Here is a webcam I found, if you want to check it out yourself. https://www.whatsupcams.com/en/webcams/croatia/split-dalmatia/split/seaside-promenade/

 

Further along the harbor, you see smaller boats docked, but still plenty of seating if you want to relax. They even have about 10 giant sun beds, which were always full no matter what time I walked by. At the far end of the promenade you come to a small urban park.  There is a short climb to get up there but they have a pretty church, that when I visited, had music playing and lots of people standing around waiting to get inside.  The park was a great place to spend a hot afternoon because it was well shaded and the views were fantastic.   

 

As you head into Old Town, on the other side of Riva, you find yourself in a maze of narrow cobblestone streets.  The first thing you'll see is the Roman emperor's Diocletian Palace, built in 305 CE and who's gate you will likely walk though.  It's a walled city and there's a gate on each wall.  One blog described it as "The old town is a 1700 year old living museum where people live and breath everyday"  https://www.frankaboutcroatia.com/split-croatia/  That seems about right.  The palace was a retirement home and many parts of it are still in use today, such as the courtyard Perystile.  This huge courtyard, with massive columns, beautiful archways and plenty of steps to sit on, make it a perfect place to stop and enjoy an ice cream from one of the many vendors around.  Just wandering around Old Town, you see something different around each corner.  You might find a new tourist shop right next to a statue or tower built in the 3rd century.  There are underground vaults that used to be torture chambers; now they house craft stalls.  If you go all the way through Old Town and go out the back gate, or Golden Gate, you will see a 20 foot black statue of Gregory of Nin.  He was a Croatian bishop who opposed the Pope.  He looks evil, but apparently he was much loved.  He was responsible for church services speaking Croatian instead of Latin.  This allowed the common person to understand what was being said.  Apparently if you rub his big toe, it will bring you good luck. Too bad I didn't know that then, I could have given it a try.  You can take a tour of Old Town and learn more about the Palace, but I never found time to do it.  I spent a week in Split and could easily have stayed two, there was so much to see and do.  

On my last day, I took another Gray Line tour to Plitvice National Park.  This is one of the largest (73K acres) and oldest parks in Croatia and also a UNESCO world heritage site. It's right on the boarder to Bosnia and Herzegovina and has over 1 million visitors a year. It was AMAZING!!!  You can read more here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plitvice_Lakes_National_Park, but basically it's a series of 16 lakes which are all inner connected.  The elevation changes from one lake to another which produces more waterfalls then I've ever seen.  There are trails all over the park, many of them wooden boardwalks.  We hiked around for much of the day and I never got tired of looking at the beautiful landscape.  This park might make me rethink living in Croatia, but lordy, all those steps, on a daily basis?  Maybe not...

 

 

I spent the next few days in the capital city of Zagreb.  It was much bigger than Split and Dubrovnik combined, but obviously had a totally different vibe.  The cities on the coast were more laid back, but also more touristy.  Zagreb had its fair share of tourists to be sure, but it felt like a much older and established city.  The public transportation was good and I basically spent my time just wandering around the city.  There were some beautiful old buildings, plenty of gardens and a few outdoor markets.  

 

 

Link to photographs:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QNninMko3DJ3aQ8C7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FovqUkoA5jzvthEW8