Expedition Edition 7: Split, Croatia

Maggie and I arrived at Split's smaller-than-expected airport from Italy fairly late at night, and though we were prepared to wade into the Split restaurant scene as soon as we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find that our hotel/apartment staff had left us a few plates of prosciutto (spelled so incorrectly on my first try that the spellchecker couldn't guess what I was trying to write), cheese, bread and figs. This was only the first indicator of how great our accommodations were. Our apartment was two stories (!) and had an excellent view of the Split harbor and the Dinaric Alps behind the city.

Split is a very manageable city. Even more so than I realized. You can explore the old town area and stroll along the promenade in a day. On the first day in Split, we walked up the top of the St. Domnius Cathedral bell tower, which required a walk up some pretty terrifying stairs, but provided some of the best views of the area. The first two photos in this post feature views from St. Domnius. We also explored the Diocletian's Palace, the basement of which was the filming location of a few dragon scenes from Game of Thrones.

For the rest of our time in Split, we ventured further and further from the city center. We hiked along Marjan Forest Park, which was on the west side of the Split Peninsula (or Splitninsula if you will), and relaxed at the bee-filled Kasjuni Beach. The waters around Split were often crystal clear, and if you waded into the waters (warmer than the Atlantic of Portugal, colder than the Mediterranean off the Amalfi Coast), you'd sometimes be surrounded by schools of tiny fish. It's unclear how much Maggie appreciated this, but it was pretty neat.

We spent an evening at the Croatian National Theatre to listen to a full symphony performance of selected opera favorites, which was followed by a double encore of what must have been some popular Croatian folk songs (everyone in the audience was singing along). It was a pleasantly untouristy thing to do.

We also did some island hopping on a day trip and met the second group of Miami of Ohio students (vacationing from their hectic study abroad program in Barcelona) in as many weeks. We also jumped off boats for the second time of our trip as well. We were told there are virtually no sharks in the Adriatic, so I was okay with this.

On our last full day in the area, we spent some time in the nearby town of Trogir (which was like a mini-Split of sorts) to catch a few more views of the area. All in all, after spending five nights in and around the Split area, I cannot recommend it enough. It's been possibly my favorite place to be in on this trip.

Thanks again for reading and make sure to check the photos below!