8/7/2023: Split, Croatia

Split, Croatia

Split is an interesting town. It wasn’t quite what we expected. There was SO much hype from our friends, and rightfully so. But, Split was different and we couldn’t quite put our finger on it.

The coastline was beautiful. Lagoons lined the southern part of city center and each beach had a slightly different vibe. Some were more scenic, others had sand, some with no waves, some with small waves. We stopped at a beach club enjoying a couple drinks with the view below.

Interestingly, there was seemingly unused infrastructure behind many of the beaches. Paved areas 30ft x 100ft spotted the area with sheds nearby that seemed like they would have held chairs, tables, umbrellas, and kitchen equipment. Google had recognized where beach clubs and restaurants had formerly been.  Some of the sheds were turned into public restrooms and lockers.

The city has a unique form of architecture. There’s a sea of off white towers that stretch the length of city center. From afar they look nearly uniform, just perched at different heights like a redwood forest. Up closer, the buildings identified themselves with a unique set of jagged edges in the likes of overhangs and balconies. Basic maintenance was minimal. Any sort of fresh paint on these towers would have stuck out like a grizzly bear in a grocery store.

The main port area buzzed with tourists. Palm trees lined the harbor walk in two rows, supplemented by bushes, flowers, benches, and street shops. This resulted in a form that felt awfully like Southern California. Opposite the harbor, the main port area grew out of Diocletian’s palace.

After abdicating his throne in 305AD, Diocletian retired in his hometown. There in Split he built a palace, and  later fortress, to live out the rest of his years. In the time since, much of the Roman ruins have remained in tact. This main port area, defined on two sides by fortress walls, does an amazing job weaving a modern town into an ancient palace.

We enjoyed strolling through the town. We shopped, got luke warm green juice, and ate some of the messiest chocolate gelato to date.

~ J