Split and Zagreb, Croatia

While still in Montenegro we spoke with George and Santa via Skype and they said that Split was worth seeing.  So we headed back up the Dalmatian coast and made Split our next stopover.  Split was the location of Diocletian's retirement palace.  He was the only Roman emperor (who ruled from 284-305) to actually retire from political life making way for a successor.  It is a town that has evolved over the years re-inventing itself and making use of the ancient buildings that are smack dab in the middle of town.  The only intact building remaining of the entire Diocletian palace is the church. Gardens once surrounded the church but this was later filled in with homes for the locals.  Today the old town remains a busy neighborhood.  As we explored the upper level of the sea facing walls of the ancient palace we came across a group of kids playing football (soccer) in a small square, their sound of their play echoing back and forth as their cries bounced off the ancient palace walls that still stand today.  The town has a wide new promenade lined with palm trees on the one side and shallow cafes and shops that are built into the front of the old palace wall.  Wicker seating invites you to sit and relax with a cup of kava and a slice of "torta orah" as you watch the tourists come and go in the ferries, although not much of that was happening while we were there.  They have installed large modern retractable awnings no doubt to provide shade from the hot summer sun.  Even on this cold day we could feel the heat of the sun enough to shed our bulky jackets as we basked in the sun for about an hour before it started to rain again. 

  I will always remember Split because by now I was anxiously looking for signs of Christmas and this is where we first encountered Christmas festivities in full swing.  Small booths lined the promenade selling Christmas crafts.  We made our way to the busiest booth - the one selling fruit sherries of course and tasted some blackberry sherry.  English Christmas carols - "baby, it's cold outside" - played over a loudspeaker and thousands of Christmas lights dangled overhead as you made your way down the main pedestrian lane.  Finally, on December 3rd Christmas had arrived in Europe!

Next stop - Zagreb!  It is the capital of Croatia with a population of about 1 million.  It's location in the northern part of the country near the Hungarian border is reflected in the mostly European architecture you find here.  We made good friends with the doorman at our hotel.  He parked our car for us, carried our luggage and provided us with umbrellas.  Later on we saw him entertaining the two children of some other hotel guests.  Seemed a very congenial sort and he matched the old world elegance of the Palace Hotel Zagreb.    

We took an evening stroll through town and the Christmas market following our noses until we found the sausage man!   Despite it being dark out (it was about 5pm) we decided to follow a walking tour that was outlined on the city map we received from the hotel.  In about an hour we saw many of the sites Zagreb has to offer including Ban Josip Jelacic Square - the main public square with the requisite statue of King Tomislav, the funicular that links the Lower Town with the Upper Town, and the Stone Gate - the only remaining medieval city gate from the 13th century.  The gate itself is a chapel - Chapel of the Virgin of the Stone Gate.  Below the archway, a few pews were provided for those wanting to send a message to the patron saint of the city.  St. Mark's Church was built in the 13 century as well - it is well known for it's multi-coloured roof tiles depicting two shields....  These were added in 1880.  We even managed to see one unintended site (because we took a circuitous route back to our hotel) - the Croatian Fine Artists' House - a circular colosseum like structure designed by Croatian sculpture Ivan Mestrovic.  

Our favorite find was Tkalciceva Street which the guide says is a pleasure-center for young Zagreb people.  That is, there are lots of bars and cafes!  This is where you also find some of the more boutique type stores, unlike Jelacic Square which is lined with Zara, Massimo Dutti, the Phone House and all the chain stores you see in every European city center.   

Puffins in the window of an art gallery

For more pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/kristine.d.morris/20081201MontenegroCroatiaPart2#5287103766073064962