This past summer we had an amazing adventure of epic proportions which included a stay in Split, Croatia. We had flown into Zagreb and traveled to Split to spend a few days prior to the wedding of our son Micah and new daughter in law Wendy. I must admit we were pretty excited about what was to follow on August 20th but we had decided early on that we wanted to be over the jet lag and in good shape by the time their special day rolled around.
We stayed at a lovely resort a little ways outside of the city but it was close enough to be able to walk into town to enjoy all of the wonderful architecture and history. I am not a huge history buff and a lot of it escaped me but I definitely appreciate the “oldness” of it all.
Split is the second largest city in Croatia and is part of the Dalmatia region. It lies on the Adriatic Sea – a beautiful and vast body of water that draws tourists and locals alike.
Split is also home to Diocletian’s Palace . This amazing structure was built for the Roman emperor in 305 CE . The history of this place is complicated and if you want all of the details a great source to unearth the history would be this summary in Wikipedia.
From Roman occupancy to a Byzantine city, from autonomy to being caught in a struggle between being controlled by the Republic of Venice and the King of Hungary Split managed to come through all of it. At one point it was also part of the Austrian Empire so life in Split was never really guaranteed to be under the control of one entity. Finally in 1991 Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia during the Croatian War of Independence. As we drove around the country we saw evidence of that war. Bombed out structures still remain as a stark reminder of war.
The city is amazing. The Palace stunning. Most of my pictures show the depth of the “oldness” of the city. There is something humbling about being in a city this old. The history, the beauty, the sense of how ancient everything is just envelops each visitor to the area.
I thoroughly enjoyed our time in this incredible city and these pictures show just a small glimpse into our time. We walked about a million miles that day and Chris had the blisters to show afterwards. I wore more sensible shoes this time. Fashion was not my statement during this trip when it came to footwear, that is for sure, but I had happier feet.
While a great deal of the history of this place did not stay in my memory I can still appreciate it. I don’t need to retain all of the facts and figures to be able to stand in awe of a beautiful place. I hope you enjoy the short walk through this historic and beautiful place. 
What is the most impressive place you have visited? Have you ever been to Split, Croatia? Tell me all about it in the comments section . Each comment made on any post this month means a 50 cent donation to our Comments for a Cause Knox Blocks Foundation.
