Split as seen from the line for the ferry
The drive from Plitvice Lakes National Park to Split
After an exhausting day at Plitvice Lakes National Park, we got on the road and drove to Split. The drive was about 2.5 hours long, but for me, it was riddled with a mega sore throat that hit me as if it was punishment for enjoying the park too much. Fortunately, H drove and I had a chance to pass out after we got out of the mountains (I was too afraid to close my eyes until I knew we had made it back onto the highway). By the time we reached Split, I felt the most awful that I would the entire trip. We got to our apartment and turned in early so that I could attempt to feel better enough the next day to enjoy our time in Split.
We awoke the next morning and decided to get out into the sun as soon as possible and take in the sights before catching our ferry to Hvar later that afternoon. Unbeknownst to me, I had inadvertently selected an apartment that was located very close to some Roman ancient ruins found throughout the city of Split. Ruins combined with flowers blooming in the springtime and great weather made for a morning during which I temporarily could forget my nagging sore throat (which at this point in the trip was convinced was strep throat). Shout out to H for running to a pharmacy and getting some cold medicine!
Stray cats were everywhere
A peek at a Adriatic sea through the streets of Split
Walking through the old city, it wasn't too difficult to see how parts of the buildings in the city were around as far back as the early 400's A.D. One of the things I admired was how parts of the new city appeared to seamlessly blend into much of the old parts. It was clear that preserving history and combining it with present life was something the city of Split valued. After reaching Diocletian's Palace ("reaching" makes it sound like it was much longer than the 10 minute walk from our apartment), we spent much of the mid-morning exploring the area.
Diocletian's Palace
More Roman architecture
Walking through an underground marketplace
The view from the (lower level of the) belltower
More ruins outside Diocletian's Palace
By the early afternoon, we were craving some of the fresh fruit we had passed by in the open-air markets. We grabbed a few clementines to snack on and headed to the beach.
Perfection in the form of strawberries
After a short walk on the beach, we realized it was warming up considerably and we hadn't brought along any of our clothes to swim in. We finished up the clementines and headed back towards the car to grab some lunch and catch our ferry to Hvar. We had purchased the tickets well in advance so that we knew exactly how much time we had in the city, and so that we could hold ourselves to it and move on to the next city.
Giant snails snoozing on plants
By about 4 p.m. that afternoon, we were in line at the ferry port to get ourselves (and the car) to the next city on the list- Hvar! While I was sad to leave Split feeling like we hardly got enough time in the city, I've come to realize that there's rarely a thing as enough time when you're on vacation. By the afternoon, we were incredibly tired and hot from walking around, and were looking forward to sitting on the ferry and napping until our next destination.
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