Ljubjana, Slovenia-Split, Croatia
Early Morning Rising:
Our coach to Split was scheduled to
leave at 7. 10 am from the Bus Station at Ljubljana. Since we would be leaving
our hostel before breakfast service began at 7. 30 am, we asked for a packed
breakfast and were delighted to have it waiting for us at Reception when we
checked out at 6. 30 am. A few minutes later, we were trawling our strolleys
along on the ten minute walk to the bus station and feeling quite sorry to be
leaving Ljubljana and Slovenia in general as our travels had proven to be such
fun.
Long Coach Ride to Croatia:
I was excited to be traveling towards
Croatia. I had wanted to visit the country for many years and had heard a great
deal about its unspoiled beauty. We had a long ride ahead of us (about 10
hours) so Chriselle had wisely equipped herself for the journey by picking up a
paperback from the hostel’s book exchange service. It kept her wrapped up for
most of the journey which was actually much more pleasant than we had imagined
as we made many stops.
We had a border crossing into
Croatia and passport checking and stamping about an hour or two into the journey.
It went off painlessly and smoothly and in no time at all, we were on our way
again. Once in Croatia, we discovered to our great annoyance, that we were required
to pay 3 kunas (about 50 cents) each time we wished to use a public toilet in
any one of the bus stations. This literally involved begging for a few coins or
exchanging our euros coins with fellow travelers as we had not yet exchanged
any money. Croatia in the only country that uses Kuna—so you need to use them
up before you leave.
We
also had a connection to make in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, which was once
so much in the news. That connection was a dismal failure as we were kept
waiting for a coach for over an hour. When the coach finally did arrive, there
was neither an apology nor an explanation for the delay—I guess public services
do not function with the same efficiency and courtesy in other parts of Europe
as they do in the UK.
Driving around Zagreb on our
departure from the bus station and on to the highway, we got to see much of the
city—at least its suburban parts. Needless to say, everything is brand spanking
new as the city was almost wiped out in the 1990’s war that devastated the
region and re-drew the borders of countries in Eastern Europe. It was fun to be
able to see another capital as we did not have the time to spend seeing Zagreb
in any more detail.
By and by, we arrived at our
destination. Our journey was made pleasant by the food we were carrying (apple,
ham and cheese sandwiches, apple juice that was in our breakfast bags) and the
snacks we had bought (potato chips, chocolate) and which we munched as the
miles flew. Outside, the scenery changed with many green hills and mountains
receding in the distance to blue-grey outlines of many more. It was quite
lovely indeed and it offered us a break from the strenuous walking and climbing
we had done during the past few days. Once we hit the Adriatic coast, it was
the incredible blue of its waters that offered stirring sights as did the
lovely small and large coastal towns that we passed where we dropped or picked
up passengers.
Arrival in Split:
We cruised into the City of Split at
about 6.00 pm while there was still plenty of light. Chriselle had made a booking
at an Air B and B that was in the heart of the Old Town. As soon as we alighted
from the bus, we went to the bus station to book our onward tickets to
Dubrovnik for the next day and asked for directions to our hotel. We discovered
that it was just a fifteen minute walk away and it was with great pleasure that
we set off in search of it.
Finding our Hotel and Settling In:
We knew that our accommodation was
located in the very heart of the Old Town of Split. It did not take us long to
leave the new city behind and enter through the walls of the Palace of
Diocletian, through the Silver Gate. A few minutes later, we were completely
enchanted by what we saw—for the Old Town of Split is composed entirely of the
palace that the Emperor Diocletian built as his retirement resort. He never did
occupy it; but through the centuries the entire place has remained a living
entity of human activity. There are ruins and well-preserved buildings and
temples but there are also contemporary homes with washing hanging on lines,
children playing in the streets, stray cats darting all over the place and a
general sense of vibrant life all around.
We found the agent Laura who handed
us our keys and showed us our room with its en suite bathroom. It was small but
comfortable and certainly served our needs. We surveyed the place quickly, used
the facilities and left immediately as we did want to catch some parts of the Old
Town before the light faded completely.
Exploring Old Town and Diocletian’s
Palace:
And
so it was that we used the Lonely Planet
Walking Tour to start off our exploration of the ruins of Diocletian’s Palace
which rose up all around us. We were located literally in the midst of it all
in an old building with an old door and with lights on sensors that came on as
we passed each floor. It was a bit creepy and not something I would have
enjoyed doing alone, but with Chriselle for company, my bravado swelled.
We
started at the towering sculpture of Gregorius Nin—which dwarfs everything in
its surroundings. Then we began our walk through the maze of streets, admiring
the intricate sculpture, the architectural details, the surface decoration at
each step, of this grand and mighty edifice that has withstood so wonderfully
the test of time. We arrived at the Peristyle which is the main building of the
Palace and which looks like a grand Roman Temple. It has retained most of its
original details. Standing not far away is the five-tiered tower of the neighboring
church—sort of like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Everywhere we were stunned by
the late-evening crowds most of whom were part of organized walking tours with
guides speaking in varied languages.
After
we had scoured parts of the Palace and become quite enchanted indeed by what we
saw, we decided to look for a place for dinner as we were both ready for a nice
meal. Our long coach drive had taken its toll on us and we were ready to kick
back and relax. Hence, when we found a lovely restaurant in People’s Square
that offered outdoor tables and lots of opportunities to people-watch, we
settled down there with cold beer and one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten—it
was a seafood pizza with fresh prawns, capers and green olives on a generous
bed of mozarella cheese. As we dug in, we were simply delighted by our meal and
our surroundings and the lovely soft lighting which gave the entire Palace a
magical ambience. Indeed, I was very glad that Chriselle and I did some
exploration by night as our impressions of the city in broad daylight would be
quite different altogether.
After
our meal, we presumed we would get directly home—but along the way, we heard
music and stopping to listen, we discovered that it was a guitarist and a
female singer who were seated outside the Luxor Hotel and Restaurant to
entertain patrons who sipped wine as they lounged, Roman-style, on red cushions
on the Temple steps. Of course, we joined in right away, because we both love
music and knew all the songs she was singing. Some brave British women and a
couple of kids were not content with singing alone—they jumped into the space in
the center and began dancing. It was all fun, very lively, very friendly, very
much the kind of spontaneous experience you encounter in your travels that remains
forever embedded in your brain. Well, for me, this too was one of the
highlights of our travels and we enjoyed it immensely. A little later, we
decided to go back home and get some shut eye as the morrow would bring us more
sightseeing delights.
Until
tomorrow, cheerio…
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