SPLIT, CROATIA
by Dan Winters (posted by his more techy savvy daughter)
Split is a
former industrial city halfway to Dubrovnik. It has an impressive history. We
know because we had a great guide: Ivo. He was a journalist who had worked for
the Dallas Morning News, the Zagreb Plain Dealer (maybe that was Cleveland) and
was a war correspondent in the Balkan War. Ivo fell victim to the demise of
print news. He is a stringer, blogger and special assignment writer now. He
guides on the side. Carol says that he made Roman history actually interesting
and relevant, although she can't recall why anymore. Split was Hicksville until
Diocletian, Emperor of the known world, built his castle/fortification/palace/retirement
pad (historians differ on this subject). Anyway, it was finished in 130 AD, the
same year as the Cubbies last won the World Series. It only took ten years to
build, the same time, according to Carol, that it is taking our neighbors
across the street to remodel. We visited the different chambers where
Diocletian, his wife and both Split patron saints were executed. One was
grilled. Ivo said execution was traditionally how your time in power was terminated
back in the good old Roman days. One wonders if that would work for our U.S.
presidents. Think about it. Then we would not have to help them raise money for
their "libraries" or watch them appear on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Ivo,
who had just watched the Republican Party debates, observed that, at least, politicians
would have to think twice about throwing their hat in the ring.
Split was
pretty cool, at least after the cruise shippers clear the streets. There is a
broad café-studded seaside promenade, narrow bar dotted streets and good size
plazas with fancy looking tavernas. We missed the tavernas however. We had
declared a Split nutritional vacation and split salami baguettes two nights in
a row. Later, we watched a free performance of folk dancing for a bit. Eight
couples in Gypsies outfits tore it up, then what looked like a heavily
medicated ukelele band dressed in castoff Sound of Music costumes put the crowd
to sleep. Ukes can do that.
Split is a
former industrial city halfway to Dubrovnik. It has an impressive history. We
know because we had a great guide: Ivo. He was a journalist who had worked for
the Dallas Morning News, the Zagreb Plain Dealer (maybe that was Cleveland) and
was a war correspondent in the Balkan War. Ivo fell victim to the demise of
print news. He is a stringer, blogger and special assignment writer now. He
guides on the side. Carol says that he made Roman history actually interesting
and relevant, although she can't recall why anymore. Split was Hicksville until
Diocletian, Emperor of the known world, built his castle/fortification/palace/retirement
pad (historians differ on this subject). Anyway, it was finished in 130 AD, the
same year as the Cubbies last won the World Series. It only took ten years to
build, the same time, according to Carol, that it is taking our neighbors
across the street to remodel. We visited the different chambers where
Diocletian, his wife and both Split patron saints were executed. One was
grilled. Ivo said execution was traditionally how your time in power was terminated
back in the good old Roman days. One wonders if that would work for our U.S.
presidents. Think about it. Then we would not have to help them raise money for
their "libraries" or watch them appear on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Ivo,
who had just watched the Republican Party debates, observed that, at least, politicians
would have to think twice about throwing their hat in the ring.
Split was
pretty cool, at least after the cruise shippers clear the streets. There is a
broad café-studded seaside promenade, narrow bar dotted streets and good size
plazas with fancy looking tavernas. We missed the tavernas however. We had
declared a Split nutritional vacation and split salami baguettes two nights in
a row. Later, we watched a free performance of folk dancing for a bit. Eight
couples in Gypsies outfits tore it up, then what looked like a heavily
medicated ukelele band dressed in castoff Sound of Music costumes put the crowd
to sleep. Ukes can do that.
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