September 26, 2022

September 26, 2022

We checked out of our hotel and left Dubrovnik headed north up the Dalmatian coast. The weather is gloomy and the forecast is rain. About an hour north we stopped in the town of Ston. It is famous for having the longest defensive walls in Europe. That is astounding considering Ston is just a little town. But this is where the money of Dubrovnik was printed, or at least medieval money. Ston produced salt, which was worth its weight in gold. Oftentimes people were paid in salt, which is how we got the word ‘salary’. The walls go around the city and up and over the mountain behind it to prevent a rear attack.

Ston is on a long inlet of the sea where the rising tide could fill rock lined ponds. Then the seawater was allowed to evaporate over the summer. Salt could then be raked and barreled. Before hitting the road, I bought an espresso to go. It was just a tiny sip of coffee!

From Ston we continued north. This time we bypassed Herzegovina taking the new Peljeski bridge across Maloston Bay. It just opened in late July. A few miles north we crossed the Neretva River that we followed a few days ago. The flat fertile delta is full of orchards and farm fields. Such a drastic difference from the tall Dinaric Alps that line the rest of the Croatian coast.

The highway then turns inland and ninety minutes later we reach the Split exit. On our way downhill back to the sea we passed the medieval hilltop Fortress of Klis which was another film location for the Game of Thrones. We also passed under and beside the Roman Aqueduct that fed water to Split. It has been recently restored and is in use again 1700 years later!

In the ancient World Heritage City of Split we took a walking tour with a very knowledgeable guide. In 305 AD Diocletian became the first ever Roman Emperor to voluntarily retire. He returned here to his hometown and built himself a massive waterfront palace. It is the size of a small city completely surrounded by tall walls. When the Slavs invaded three centuries later, ordinary Roman citizens took refuge in the fortified palace. Over the years more people moved in haphazardly building structures inside. Today the modern city of Split is built in, over, and around the remains of Diocletian's Palace. Very cool!

We start our tour on the Riva waterfront promenade. This is landfill. In Diocletian’s time the palace extended out over the water. As we enter from the water side we first encounter the substructure that supported this oversea section. In Medieval times it was used as a dumpsite. Today it has been partially excavated. One central section now holds souvenir stores. Another section is part of the city museum where our guide gives us a rundown on the engineering and architecture. These cellars were also where Daenerys kept her dragons in the GOT.

We climb stairs and continue the tour on the above ground structures. Over the centuries people have built all kinds of buildings inside the palace. Most of the medieval construction was haphazard. We passed many stores with Roman interior back walls.

Our next stop was the Palace’s round entry Vestibule. In this domed structure, we stop and listen to three Croats sing a couple traditional songs a cappella. We then passed into the Peristyle monumental courtyard. It is surrounded by columns made from red Egyptian porphyry granite. There is even a black sphinx. Aimee loves the connection with our Spring trip to Egypt.

We then walk down Diocletian's former hallways passing shops and restaurants till we exit the north gate. It is still virtually intact. We walked the west exterior checking out medieval buildings from when the city expanded outside the palace walls.

We leave our guide and return to the Colonnaded Peristyle Courtyard. There we sit on the steps like lounging Romans from two millennia ago. A waiter from the Luxor restaurant next door serves us a lunch of Bruschetta and wine while we watch two Roman centurions pose for photos. I think I could get used to being an emperor.

Back in the present, we bought the Cathedral ticket. We first made a whirlwind tour of the Treasury. It has three floors of medieval paintings and silver relics. We then visited the octagonal Cathedral. This was originally the Mausoleum of Diocletian. His body and sarcophagus are long gone and it is now the world's smallest Cathedral.

We then climbed the adjoining bell tower. It is 180 steps partially up a very tight stairwell. From the top we get a great overview of Split. It is fascinating how the Roman palace is intermixed with the modern town. Our last stop is the Baptistery. It used to be the Temple of Jupiter.

Aimee and I spend the next thirty minutes strolling the palace and the Riva promenade. One store specializes in ties or cravats. Cravat is a French corruption of Croat. This neckwear was part of the uniform of a Croatian mercenary unit serving in pre-Napoleon France. We spend the night a mile away in the modern city of Split. We have dinner at the hotel.