garyandpearl

Split is the second largest city in Croatia with about 330,000 people. It is the largest city in Dalmatia, which was a former Roman province. It is as old as third or second century BC, but Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was a local Dalmatian boy, built his palace here in 305 A.D. The town grew into a larger settlement after that and became the base for the city of Split.

We walked down to the old city and wandered around the palace.

This formidable 28 foot statue is not a wizard, he is holding a Bible and he was a bishop in the 10th century. He was responsible for bringing the Croatian language into the local church instead of Latin. I noticed that his very large toes were super shiny and found out afterwards that if you rub his toes, it is supposed to bring you good luck.

We enjoyed the visit to the local market and checked out fruits, vegetables, and the fish market, we walked along the sunny Marina, and we enjoyed some peanut butter gelato. We noticed that sewage seems to run right into the Adriatic next to restaurants, so there was a bit of an unpleasant odor. Perhaps the locals are used to it.

Diocletian was known for his intense persecution of Christians, but he gave up and retired to his palace by the sea. I am grateful that he did not succeed, and we were grateful for another gorgeous day on the Adriatic.