Croatia, 2nd October an evening in Split

We eventually found the place where we were staying in Split and left the car in a small parking area outside. We had picked it as it was close to the waterfront and heart of the city, so as soon as we had got our stuff in from the car we walked down to the sea.
The sunset was fairly mediocre and the promenade not that interesting, but on the landward side lies an absolute gem.




The Roman emperor Diocletian (AD 246-313) had his retirement palace built here, and it is no mean edifice, stretching for hundreds of feet parallel to the shore. At one time the sea would have lapped at it's base but now it is a little distance away with a quay and road lined with cafés, between them.We walked along the prom and then went into the palace.
The palace formed the centre of the medieval city, with shops springing up amidst the Roman columns and walls, and it is still this way. The giant vaulted cellars underneath the edifice can be visited and we did this first. I had plucked up courage to take my tripod and Anne was very encouraging so I could take some nice steady pictures.





Returning to ground level a passage leads through souvenir and bric a brac stalls, bringing you out into an open area where the town's people were sitting or promenading in the warm evening. We passed broken columns and walls spotting many cafés and bars, finally settling on one to eat in.








Fortified we walked around the town, through narrow alleys, looking into bright shop windows and strange dark cafés until we got back to the sea shore, and a little stretch further to our pension. A truly fascinating place.












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