Split, Croatia

At the end of our street, toward the harbour, we came into a large market area.  Booths were set up side by side with canopies extended out, all loaded with merchandise – hats, handbags, leather goods, clothing, souvenirs and fresh produce. It was quite apparent that the market people form their own community.  And it was quite nice to walk through there and browse, unlike the market in Dubrovnik where the vendors were so aggressive in pushing their products.  Hank bought a new leather belt.

Through the market square we walked into the historical Diocletian palace – at least what’s left of it. Diocletian was a Roman emperor who ‘retired’ to Split and built the palace.  Fascinating to see!

 

Especially interesting were the cellars of the palace – an engineering marvel when you see all the building footings, struts and columns in a huge maze of rooms.

Above ground, in a large domed room with a circular opening at the top, we were treated to traditional Dalmatian songs sung by 5 young men in period dress. When we first walked in, they were just standing there with a sign in the wall that said you could buy a CD for 100 kn ($20 cdn).  I walked up to them with a 100 kn bill and was handed a CD.  I then asked if they were going to sing for us and one of them said, “Oh yes, of course.”  And sing they did!

The sound inside that dome was amazing.  And the harmonies were so beautiful it gave us goose bumps.  The 3 or 4 songs they sang typically started with the tenor and lead, joined later by the baritone, and then the two bass voices would join in producing a gorgeous full sound.  Quite a large number of people had gathered by then, and they applauded quite enthusiastically after each song, but we were surprised more people didn’t rush up to buy the CD.

We found a very nice outdoor cafe in an old inner square where we enjoyed another delicious mixed seafood dinner.

Afterwards we walked the waterfront ‘strip’ lined with palm trees and end-to-end outdoor cafes.  It was a beautiful, though a bit too warm, evening.  We ended the evening with a nice liqueur by the palms and the waterfront.