21 September ’04, Tuesday. Well, there go the church bells…it must be….heck, I don’t care…. I just enjoy hearing them. This morning it went kind of like this….”I’ve been thinking, Split is just another “big city”, maybe we should just head on down the road”…”I was kind of thinking the same”. “But, looking over this “book”, this sounds kind of interesting….”, “You know, I saw that last night as well….maybe we should go see it”….”We’ll have to take the bus”….”I would rather drive, then we can head on down the coast when we are done”….”No way, not that again, I will not take the van into a large city again…remember all the parking problems???? No way !!!!” “Ok, let’s grab the bus”. 20 krun (about $3) and we were in town within the hour. The van was parked in a “secure” campground and the bus dropped us off just at the right spot…no parking hassles… As we crossed the street from the bus stop, we entered a large public market. They were selling everything that you could ever want. We have been to quite a few markets, and they are all fun to be around…no hassling of any kind. Just as we approached the “Golden Gate” to The Palace of Diocletian, the little stalls disappear, and you walk into very narrow walkways and corridors, to visit the shoppes, coffee houses, and in our case, an “Internet Café”. Also of great interest, “The People’s Square”, Cathedral of St. Domnius, Our Lady of the Belfry, and much more…. Split is another city with a busy port, with shipyards, factories, and a large ferry system. The old town center is still full of charm. Emperor Diacletian’s vast Roman palace, one of the largest and best preserved in the world, was built prior to 305 !!! Now, it wasn’t exactly as it is today, because of one war or another, it has been rebuilt many times, and each time more “fortification” was added…. Diocletian, became emperor in 284 and set out to reorganize the immense Roman Empire, dividing it into two parts with an Augustus at the head of one half and a Caesar at the head of the other. After governing for 20 years, Diocletian retired from public life and in 305 moved to the palace which he had commissioned. After Diocletiona;s death in 313, the palace was used as an administrative office and governor’s residence. For a wonderful view of the city and waterfront you can climb the tower of St. Domnius. I really enjoy climbing these towers hoping to get some great pictures…let’s see how they have worked out. Oh yes, I must tell you, every time I climb one of these towers, there is always one spot that they leave just for me to “SMASH” the top of my head on…you would think I would learn… I hope that you don’t get tired of me saying it, but this again, has been a great visit…
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