Oct 13 (Tues) - Split

[Some interesting notes on religion in Croatia. The vast majority of the population is RC so the Church wields considerable influence on the political process. In fact, the salaries and pensions of priests and nuns are paid by the state, plus they don't pay taxes]

Split is the second largest city of Croatia. The historic city center actually lies in the walls of the enormous retirement Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, built between 295-305 AD. The palace served as a palace, military fortress, and later, a fortified town.


The city is enclosed by huge walls, pierced by 4 main gates, one on each side of the rectangular plan. More recently a promenade was built along the harbour and comes alive with locals taking an evening stroll or relaxing in the seaside cafes outside the ancient palace walls.o


This morning we had a walking tour through the heart of ancient Split and then had lunch on the promenade. In addition to seeing the ancient city, we also got to see two excellent examples of sculptures done by Croatia's world-reknown artist Ivan Mestrovic.

After lunch we boarded the bus and then onto the ferry for the 2-hour crossing to the island of Hvar.


After checking into the hotel,


[view from our room]

we took a walk around the small harbour to do some setting sun photography.



Our supper was taken in the hotel's restaurant. We could choose between two alternatives: fish or pork. I started with a black risotto (due to squid's ink) followed by sauteed slices of turkey with prošut (the pork got lost somewhere). Prices are significantly higher here than on the mainland- house wine costs about 2-3x more.



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