At 10.00 am this morning we dropped anchor in the bay just outside the Croatian City of Split. As our ship is too big to find a berth in the harbour, this is the one port of call where tender boats are used to transport us to land. As we approached the bay it became very evident that, although only about 200 miles from Venice, the contrast in terrain and construction is vast. Chalky green hillsides dominate the coast while a slightly incongruous mix of old and new architecture rises up from the city.
Split is the economic and administrative centre of Middle Dalmatia, with about 200,000 inhabitants. It is also the jumping-off point for exploration of the coast and islands of the beautiful Croatian Adriatic. The site was first settled when, at the end of the third century AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace here. This palace now has UNESCO world heritage status.
Split is a busy port, with ferry services to the nearby islands filling this section of the Adriatic.
We left to catch our tender boat shortly after 10.00 am and were ushered aboard very quickly with very little queuing. The tender took us to the luxurious palm lined esplanade worthy of any South European resort. At this point there was very little evidence of the country’s Communist heritage or more recent war. However, as we walked into other parts of town a very mixed picture of wealth and poverty began to emerge. The expensive cruisers and yachts floated in a harbour which sometimes smelled of poor drainage, and designer shops accompanied buildings and flats in poor repair.
For 10 euros each we took a bus tour of the surrounding area, and saw similar contrasts, as in the UK, but more defined.
This was an amazing day, full of hope for the future tempered with the inheritance of a troubled past.....See you in Dubrovnik tomorrow.
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