This is definitely one of the harder posts I’ve had to write. I’m “Split” as to what the focus should be. Do I write about the cute old town and Marjan peninsula where all the tourists play? Do I talk about the not-so-cute city that lies behind it? Do I talk about the magic we encountered meeting locals on our evening strolls? Or do I talk about the very recent Homeland War that the people here endured a mere 12 years ago? To understand Split is really to touch on them all. We definitely got a full dose of what Split had to offer, as this time we opted to stay with the locals instead of the tourists. Our apartment was on the 7th floor of a 15-story high-rise, common accommodations for most Split residents. Although only a 10-minute walk from the old town, it might as well have been an hour. Prior to World War II, Split was still a relatively small town, but after the war and the start of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, it grew extremely fast. During this communist rule, waves of people flooded in, including numerous war refugees, to fill the new jobs created by the Yugoslav government’s industrialization plans. What resulted was an uncontrolled jumble of concrete high-rises. But when the Homeland War broke out in 1991, a war Croatia fought against Yugoslavia to gain it’s independence, the factories were abandoned and the recession began. Only as recently as a few years ago have they been able to really turn the corner, now relying more on trade and tourism, we’re told. While the old town has always retained its many charms, the rest of the city is just starting to recover and build new projects with a more westernized architectural approach.
Amongst the twisted lanes of the old town you find Diocletian’s Palace (more on that in the next post), the Riva (a pedestrian promenade along the harbor), and the Marjan (a large wooded peninsula of parkland loaded with beaches and no cars). While we did spend most of our time here, we made it a point to really venture out and live within the bigger picture. For this we were richly rewarded.
As a side note, I must thank my friend Surge in the States, his mom who rented us her apartment, and his sister Julija who helped show us around town.
Cole on the Riva.
A look into "old town" from the bell tower.
Splashing around one of the many beaches on the Marjan. Yes that's Cole.
The Riva lit up at night.
A palm tree along the harbor.
Some friends we met playing a serious game of Bocce.
A look out our back window across the skyline.
Our apartment building.
The view from our balcony during the day...
...and in the evening.
