Croatia: Split Revisited

25 years ago we arrived in Split on a bus from Dubrovnik. Underwhelmed by our quick look, we got on an overnight bus to Zagreb without sleeping in Split. This trip, thinking we shortchanged Split, we made a point of overnighting in Split.

Split's change in the last 25 years is astounding. Each day there are two or three cruise ships in port. The day we arrived there was a trade fair, and Macron was in town. The place was a zoo. I was in shock.

To the west of city center is Marjan Hill where there are several popular viewpoints; however, there is also a huge park with high coastal paths. We ended up walking there two days in a row, and loved it, such an oasis, such an escape!

We left Zadar just after sunrise on a green FlixBus. ;-)




The view from the bus of a picturesque small bay in the village of Bilo.


Welcome to Spilt - Cruise ships in town!




The highlight of Split is Diocletian's Palace, constructed as a retirement residence for Roman Emperor Diocletian and completed in 305 AD. And the center-of-the-univers of the palace is the Peristyle (Peristil), the central Roman Square inside Diocletian's Palace. Most visitors enter the palace through the Underground Cellars (below).


Then into the amazing Peristyle, watched by a 3500 years old black granite sphinx Diaocletain imported from Egypt.




My only memory of Split from 2001 is sitting in the shade on red cushions in the Peristyle.




Walking to the Marjan Hill Observation Tower was our fav activity in Split; we did it twice. To get fueled up, we stopped at Ela's for ice cream.




Many folks were walking to the first several viewpoints.




But not as many continued to Telegrin Peak, the highest point on the hill, and with great views back to Spilt Old Town, the Adriatic Sea, and to the Stadium.










A chilly wind blew at the top of the newly opened Observation Tower,






The cruise ships are here!


Art Nouveau buildings in the Old Town: Nakic Palace (1st below), Sulphur Baths (2nd)




Split is more quiet after sunset as the cruise ship passengers are back to their boats. And maybe the ship has pulled out of port.










The SPAR Supermarket Inside Diocletian's Palace!


Passion Fruit (L) and Pistachio (R) Ice Cream - Gelateria aMare.


The Massive Bronze Statue of Gregory of Nin (1929) by Ivan Meštrović. The statue is a local icon!




Trg Republike (Commonly Known as The Prokurative)

Croatia: Plitvice National Park

Plitvice (PLEET-veet-seh) escaped our 2001 Croatia visit. It's one of our major destinations this time, and we were NOT disappointed.

From Zadar, we took the first direct bus to the park and came back on the last one, so we didn't feel rushed at any point. The park has 16 terraced lakes in a canyon. Water flowing down from one to another forming waterfalls. This time of the year, the waterfalls are not particularly big, but the emerald green pools are mesmerizing. Each pool is a different shade depending on the flow and depth. Plitvice is quite a site.

This is the main viewpoint in the park, just inside Entrance 1. Amazing!!! Note that the boardwalk (better seen in 2nd below) is full of people. When I first saw this I thought it was a tour group. But it's not. It's just the neverending flow of many visitors.






The next two photos are from the last viewpoint we visited. I moved them towards the top of the post as they are physically close to the first viewpoint (photo above), but at the end of Route C.




The park has good maps and signage to smoothly control the large numbers of people. We followed route C which is a walk, boat, and bus route (2nd below). The large tours follow the shorter routes A or B.




Route C starts at the lowest falls and pools (below) and ends at the highest.






There are miles of well-maintained boardwalks that allow very close access to the waters.






We ate half of our picnic lunch on the boat ride that took us to the upper falls. This is the point where Route C diverges from routes A and B and is not crowded. .


Upper Falls and Pools.










Signs explain water levels.


We completed Route C with plenty of time for more exploring before catching the last bus back to Zadar. So we walked up to an observation deck with a panoramic view of the uppermost lakes.














The very sturdy bus takes us back almost to Entrance 1.




Sunset from the bus window.


Bonus waterfall reflection video.