Left Hotel Riva in Hvar (great location, quirky rooms) on our bus to a port 20 minutes from Hvar town to catch ferry to Split. Glad we didn’t have to back track the trip we took to get to Hvar.
I was disappointed in the ferry travel. I was expecting it to be more like the passenger/car ferries that we take to the Greek islands. The outdoor seating was pitiful in the back of the ship. The inside lounges weren’t much better. But it was a pretty day and I found a place out back to watch and read my book.
Upon arrival at the seaside town of Split, we were met by a local guide to give us a tour of the famous Diocletian Palace in the Old Town. In the 4th century AD, Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was born a slave in Roman empire, built a retirement home in Dalmatia. He was a cruel emperor and was particurlarly ruthless to Christians. After his death, the palace remained vacant until squatters started moving in and establishing their homes and businesses in the rubble of the old palace. 2000 people still live in these homes – this was a sore spot for our local guide. She still feels these people are squatters – denying access to key rooms in the place, not paying for their utilities and renting out their rooms on airbnb. You don’t read much about this viewpoint in the travel books. All of our local guides provided their personal take on Croatian history, politics and the wars in the 90s.
Cellars of Diocletian Palace – designed to handle flooding from Adriatic
We had the afternoon free to explore the old town and so some shopping before settling in at the lovely 4 star Park Hotel just outside the old town. Our dinner was an elegant affair at the hotel with the best food of the trip.
Bonnie and I don’t do much shopping on our trips. Except she chases down magnets in every town and we do try and find local jewelry. In Croatia it was the traditional button filigree earrings and necklaces. We found ours in Dubrovnik.
