CROATIA AND SLOVENIA: PART 2ALL ROADS LEAD TO A PLACE CALLED SPLIT: Way back in the day, Diocletian was a native of the area around modern Split, Croatia who, despite humble beginnings, rose through the ranks of the Roman military to rule - ultimately - as emperor of the vast empire from 284 A.D. to 305 A.D. He never lost his love for his native Dalmatia, however, and, as he neared the end of his reign, Diocletian decided to build one heck of a retirement place back home. He ordered thousands of workers and slaves to work nonstop for 11 years to construct a palace that survives to this day, albeit in pieces interwoven within the fabric of a modern city. Fast forward a few centuries and we are making our way from Dubrovnik to Diocletian's hometown after three great days in the "Pearl of the Adriatic." Despite some less than favorable first impressions, Split proves to be a very worthwhile stop among the many tempting locations along the Croatian coast.
Split is the second largest city in Croatia, a bustling port and a key point of departure and transit for ferries, trains and buses carrying passengers between the islands off the coast and other parts of Croatia, the larger Balkan peninsula and beyond. Before getting to Split, we face the happy prospect - really - of a 3.5 hour road trip north out of the Dubrovnik and along the spectacular Dalmatian coast. Leaving the old walled city, we cross the new bridge that links Dubrovnik with the rest of Croatia and each turn and switchback produces another breathtaking vista of the blue Adriatic and the islands. Opting not to risk driving off a cliff because of such beautiful scenery, we hire a driver for the trip. Goran is our affable and courteous driver who shares his opinions along the way about this part of Croatia, tourism and even some nostalgia for the former Yugoslav strongman, Josep Broz Tito. Still, it is obvious that Croatians by and large have embraced the ways of free-market commerce and tourism wholeheartedly. Having an idyllic setting, some of the best historical sights in Europe and really friendly locals makes the effort pretty easy, it seems.
About an hour into the drive, we reach the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina. As Goran explains, when Yugoslavia (i.e., the republic of the south Slavs) existed, Tito managed the disparate and fractious demands of the states that comprised the former communist nation in lots of ways. In one example, to appease the Bosnian government in Sarajevo, he "gave" Bosnia-Herzegovina (abbreviated locally as "B-H") a 26-kilometer finger of Croatia's long coastline so that Bosnians would have a seaside destination all their own. Today, this briefest of coastlines centers on the discount holiday town of Neum. In the 20 minutes or so we are in town to buy B-H souvenirs and snap pictures, the difference in the recent histories of now-separate Croatia and B-H is apparent. Everything in this sliver of a coast looks and feels poorer and shabbier than the shiny resorts and villas of Croatia, which could be mistaken for being in Italy, France or Spain. Of course, B-H rewards with worthwhile destinations that are re-emerging after the war on travel agendas, including Sarajevo and Mostar, but that's not our agenda for this trip so our journey to Split resumes.
Five minutes after our drive-by visit to B-H, we re-enter Croatia and the road turns away from the coast and appearing below is the "California of Croatia." This is the compact and astoundingly fertile valley of the Neretva River delta, which produces the bulk of Croatia's bountiful produce, including oranges, lemons, strawberries, peaches, figs and, of course, some of that delicious and reliably good Croatian wine. At Goran's suggestion, we stop at a roadside stand and pick up snacks and wine from a sweet woman selling the fruits of her hard labor. She speaks no English but we get by with Goran's help and my frequent use of "Hvala puno," which means "Thank you very much" in Croatian. To keep up with the ever-increasing number of visitors, Croatia is rapidly expanding its motorway system toward Dubrovnik and the southern border with Montenegro. In the meantime, the road north turns further away from the coast and high into the Dinaric Mountains that form part of the border between Croatia and B-H. Conversation in the car ceases; we don't want to keep Goran from focusing on his task, which is keeping the car on a road of hairpin turns, amazing drop-offs and flimsy or non-existent guardrails.
HAVE WE MADE A MISTAKE: 15 or so minutes later, we descend out of the mountains, the motorway resumes and, before long, the exit for Split appears. Arrival in Split by boat must be an improvement over driving into town by car because the latter is very disappointing; one might be tempted to keep driving, in fact. While Dubrovnik managed to escape much of the scars of communist-style apartment blocks, Split was not so lucky. Its outskirts are full of such ugly buildings climbing the hillsides. Still, when Goran finally delivers us to the pedestrian-only old town along the seaside, my travel planner's fears lift.
As it turns out, Split is a lively, enormously fun and interesting city with good food, shopping, people-watching and nightlife. Its charms must be probed and sought out, which is part of its appeal, and it's the perfect compliment to post-card perfect Dubrovnik. We arrive on my birthday, so we splurge and check in to the fairly pricey and hip Marmont Hotel, a small, beautifully designed property located just outside the walls of Diocletian's Palace. After a satisfying lunch of seafood risotto at a nearby tavern, we set out to explore.
The ruins of the Diocletian's Palace are remarkable in several respects. First, there is the fact that so much of the structure has survived until now in the middle of a busy and ever-changing city. Second, Split seems to have grown and expanded with the ruins in its very midst, almost - it seems - without notice, or at least with a very pragmatic reverence.
All around town, you can look up and above a building housing, for example, a designer tie shop and spot the arches of a portion of the emperor's palace. Speaking of designer tie shops, I learned in preparing to travel to Croatia that the necktie originated here. Croatian mercenaries arriving in the court of King Louis XIV of France, the story goes, were sporting a neckband that was the forerunner of the modern necktie. The king was very impressed and became an early adapter. The French word for necktie is "cravat," which historians believe is a derivative of the French word for Croatian. And so, looking for pieces of the palace, we spot a branch of Croata, a designer boutique selling Croatian-made neckties, from where my birthday present is purchased. Later that first night, we have dinner at Luxor, a restaurant serving traditional Croatian seafood and other dishes, and our waiter points out that the ground floor bar occupies the space that formerly served as the Temple of Venus within Diocletian's Palace.
Residents of Split accept such history surrounding them with a certain "of course" matter-of-factness. What this means for visitors is that there is no single, contained tour of Diocletian's Palace. Instead, you have to wander around, look at a map, spot a piece of ancient Roman architecture, and then take a break at one of the many cafes built into all this history. Today, Split is the primary jumping off point to some of Croatia's most popular mid-coast island destinations, including the new "it" resort of Hvar, as well as Brac and Korcula. There are lots of backpackers, German and British holidaymakers and cruise ship daytrippers in town during the peak summer season. It's also the southern terminus of Croatia's railway network, so there always are lots of people in transit and in town briefly. On most days, when not dashing to explore some corner of the palace, you will find several of these visitors and locals alike strolling the riva, a beautiful "front porch" seaside promenade along the Adriatic. There are plenty of places to stop, have a drink, enjoy the sunset and people watch. This is another of Split's essential experiences.
There are a few other stops in Split worth making. Just beyond the walls of the palace is the Gallery of Fine Arts, featuring a well-exhibited collection of Croatian artists and temporary exhibitions. During our visit, we lucked out to catch an exhibit of Francisco de Goya's etchings. Another museum choice is the Mestrovic Gallery, one of the museums in Croatia dedicated to its most famous sculptor, Ivan Mestrovic. But wait, Split is on the coast, right? Yes, there are beaches to explore. The center of town is not really for beaching it, but the adjacent Marjan Peninsula offers several places to swim and sun. I went for a run on our last morning in town through this hilly and wooded stretch of the city that also includes hiking trails and some beautiful villas. This is where you head to experience the sea side of Split. The night before, we also checked out a brief sliver of Split's nightlife. The city seems very full of young people looking for fun. We walked a few blocks from our hotel through the ancient alleys and found a bar run by a local gay couple that was the perfect setting for a nightcap. Nothing more than a bar, recorded music and chairs spilling out the doorway of an ancient building and onto the marble alleyway and stairs. At first glance, you might not even stop. But, that's sort of the essence of Split. A place that might not wow with first impressions, but which leaves lasting and pleasant memories.
UP NEXT: The stylish and hip capital of Zagreb.
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