Split

Our plan was to drop Andrea off at the airport in Split from where she would fly home to Granada to spend summer with her family.  Hayden and we will follow a few weeks later, after driving back to Barcelona and finding us a slightly more permanent home.

Bruce & I have both been to Split in earlier times, but we were amazed at the city today.  It is one of the oldest cities in the area, however the greatest influence came from the ancient Roman Palace the Emperor Diocletian built for his retirement, which is currently being unearthed.  His mausoleum was converted to the Cathedral of St. Duje, and is a wonderful mix of ancient Rome and Christianity.

Split is set between two ridges – Kozjak (779 m) and his brother Mosor (1339 m) – that form an impenetrable barrier to the fertile lands behind.  Between the two ridges stands the Klis Fortress from which the local Croats held the Ottoman’s at bay for 25 years in the early 16th century.

It was here that Bruce finally caught those testy little swallows on his camera, with help from Hayden.

During our last evening in Split a young performer appeared and conned Hayden and a Dutch man to help him perform his unicycle tricks.  I think Hayden was tempted to ask how he managed to mount the scarily tall unicycle without assistance.