New pictures have been added to the bottom, again. Click on a picture to see a larger version of it and read the caption. Once you have clicked on one, you can simply scroll through them all.
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- We took the train from Paris to Croatia, passing through the Alps in Austria and Slovenia. It was snowing and the hills showed recent snowfall from the night before.
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- The train followed the Sava River through Slovenia and Croatia. The Sava had spilled over its banks and was carrying a lot of sediment and debris.
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- Nicolas Tesla was born in Croatia. This statue of him stands in the capital, Zagreb.
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- Throughout our journey in Europe, we have seen statues of St. George killing or having killed the dragon. If you don’t know the story, Wikipedia has a good overview.
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- This is our house in Split. You enter through the green door on the left and immediately head upstairs.
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- Inside the Palace. Stairs lead up to private residences, the passage on the right opens into a courtyard.
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- “Roman soldiers” in the main square pose for tips.
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- This tower was built by the Venetians in the 15th century, both to discourage locals from revolting and protect the town from Ottomans.
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- This was the main gate leading into Diocletian’s Palace. You can see how locals have moved into the walls, added on to them, and created gardens and terraces where possible. Also note the clothing shop on ground level.
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- Klapa, a traditional a capella Croatian music, is often performed in the vestibul for tourists. The acoustics are remarkable in this round room.
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- Building on bedrock is not a challenge on the Dalmatian coast.
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- Diocletian had about a dozen sphinxes brought from Egypt for his palace. They are estimated to be 4000 years old.
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- The medieval portions are Split are full of beautiful views around nearly every corner.
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- Diocletian ordered the death of many Christians because they threatened the Roman Empire. Anastasius was drowned in 302 by a millstone tied around his neck. Like many others, he became a saint. Ironically this alter to St. Anastasius is in the cathedral that once was Diocletian’s mausoleum.
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- St. Anthony. The small man in the lower right donated the sculpture and didn’t want his gift to be forgotten. Our guidebook calls this figure “mini-me.”
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- Jim at the top of the bell tower in Split on a rare cool windy day.
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- View from the bell tower across the west side of Split to Marjan forest park.
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- Megan at the top of the bell tower in Split on a rare cool windy day.
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- The interior of a stone roof.
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- Split claims an unusual number of Olympic medals for its size. This walkway has 73 plaques with the names of athletes from Split who have won Olympic medals.
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- The marina in Split is full of sailboats. Despite the weather we think is amazing, no one goes sailing because the season is “over”.
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- The Adriatic is a lovely turquoise blue and incredibly clear. This was in a marina looking through at least 8 meters of water.
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- Ivan Meštrović is a Croatian sculptor who studied with Rodin and settled in Split. His mansion now serves as a museum of his work.
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- 1700-year-old Roman construction is very sturdy but shows signs of time passing in the cellars.
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- Roman construction circa 300AD. Notice the mortar layers are thicker than the red bricks.
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- The square blocks made pipes for Roman sewers in 300AD. Behind the pipes is a wall of waste left by medieval inhabitants.
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- A wall of detritus in the cellars, yet to be excavated by archeologists. The passage in the foreground was excavated in the last 50 years, as was 90% of the cellars.
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- A pigeon got into the cellars and took up residence on top of one of the lights. He may be channeling pagan religious practices.
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- The harbor of Supetar on the island of Brač, as we came in on the ferry.
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- November 1 is All Souls Day and Croatians celebrated by taking flower and candles to the graves of family members.
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- November 1. We ate lunch outside in the bright sun and 70 degree weather. We nearly had the restaurant to ourselves. Yay for the off-season!
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- A WWII memorial on Šolta. The Partisan resistance to Nazi occupation reached a high level in Yugoslavia (including what is now Croatia). By the end of the war their forces numbered over 800,000 with an organized army, air force, and navy. The Partisans pushed the German occupiers out in 1944.
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- Fertile red soil on Šolta, here growing grapes.
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- A small round stone hut built into a wall. The exact use of these ancient constructions is unknown. Today they are used by farmers for storage.
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- The soil is fertile but very rocky so the land is cleared and rocks stacked, often in small walls, like around these olive trees.
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- The ferry leaving tiny Rogač on Šolta Island returning to Split, seen in the distance.
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- Passenger only catamaran ferry. We clocked our average speed as 30 knots.
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- Hvar town with the Venetian fortress perched on top of the hill. Note the old town wall running straight uphill to the fort.
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- The seven-century-old wall that surrounds old Hvar town.
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- One of the gates into Hvar town. The fat gates cracked us up.
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- Following the guidance of locals we picked carob pods off the tree and had a nice snack.
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- Water storage is important in this dry country. Most churches, like this one, created an internal courtyard that also served as a water catchment.
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- One of the many small bays in Hvar town. These are mostly fishing boats. In the summer, these waters are far more crowded with yachts.
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- Stari Grad on Hvar. The first protected harbor where the Greeks settled 2,400 years ago.
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- Stari Grad is full of these charming little courtyards and medieval stone houses.
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- Vela Spila cave on Korčula shows signs of human habitation from 20,000 years ago through the Bronze Age.
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- A typical rugged Croatian beach: white rocks, blue water.
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- The Riva in Split, almost a kilometer long. Cafes line the left side, full of locals in the off-season November sunshine. On the right are benches and mini-parks.
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- The old Trogir is on a small island with sea on all sides.
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- Clock tower overlooking main square in old Trogir.
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- Steps show their age with hundreds of years of footsteps wearing grooves in the stone.
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- Trogir Town Hall became a central collection point for decorations from old homes.
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- This looks like a family crest of wizards.
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- Klis Fortress, shot from the moving train, commanding the pass in the Dinaric Alps.
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- One of the protected passages in Klis fortress with ports for archers.
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- Klis fortress rambles along the hill top. Note all the archer’s slots.
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- View from Klis fortress overlooking Split and the Adriatic.
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- This small hole was a place for dumping hot oil on approaching attackers. Klis.
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- A defender’s point of view from Klis.
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- Us at Klis fortress
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- Our favorite museum in Split is the Archaeology Museum, which has many pieces from Salona.
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- Roman mosaic
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- A 2000-year old Roman branding tool.
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- One of the original entrances to Salona. Note the grooves from wagon wheels in the rock. A two-story tower stood over the gate.
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- The oval-shaped coliseum in Salona.
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- The gladiator’s entrance to the coliseum. Openings between columns on right and left held animal cages.
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- Salona’s theater and forum, the oldest center of this Roman city, now have front-row seats to the freeway.
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- Sarcophagi in Salona. We saw close to 100 of these. Sadly, every single one had been broken into.
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- Salona. This five arched bridge crossed a river when it was built 2000 years ago.
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- Thermal baths in Salona. Under the red-brick arches, hot and cold water passed.
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- Megan enjoys the hottest sauna in the Salona thermal baths. Note the indented circle and drain on the floor.
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- Next to the hot sauna was this lowered pool of cold water called a frigidarium in the Salona baths.
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- Salona ruins. You can see the mason’s craft in these walls.
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- The aqueduct crossed this gate. Large flagstones supported its weight over the span, visible in the upper part of this photo. Salona.
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- Ruins of a 4th century basilica in Salona.
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- Later construction in the city of Salona incorporated unused buildings. In this 4th-century basilica, you can see pieces of columns and thresholds used to create walls.
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- Within Marjan park there are some renaissance hermitages, like this one, built into caves and cracks in the cliff. The red roof is a small chapel.
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- Another renaissance hermitage cave in Marjan Park, just outside Split.
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- The train we took to Zagreb is a German-engineered tilting high-speed train.
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- On the train from Split to Zagreb, every small station en route had an attendant who flagged the train, even when we didn’t stop.
Corresponding posts:
Plan B Tour 