Split-acular!

While we felt we already had half a day’s adventure in Split the night before, this was our one full day to soak in the wonders of this early Roman and medieval city. We were going to fully engage in this city in our short time here.

I was wagging my tail to see it all, with no better plan than to shoot off in whichever direction looked the shiniest. I’m our group leader only because I walk the fastest and with the most (unsubstantiated) confidence. When I get myself hopelessly lost, I wait for Dwayne’s practicality to catch up and straighten us out.

But in Split, it’s hard to go too wrong. We quickly found a stairway up an old (repetitive, I know) lookout tower. We can separate our family into two camps: those that care ….  

...and Wes & Piper.

And then as a sign of our divine circumstance, we heard singing--just as St. Rick Steves anticipated.

You can imagine the acoustics of a stone tower. Heavenly.


Outside the north gate stood this statue of…someone famous. But he has a golden toe, that if rubbed, will bring the doer good luck.  As if one needs more luck than to actually be in Split.

  

Croatia is hot---humid with mid-80’s regarded as a cool day.  After partially satisfying my old city itch, we decided to climb the hill up to the bar, recommended by the hotel.  

The pictures lies--all those stairs put even Kyla temporarily in her siblings' camp.

The youngers were saved by frequent kitty spottings.  Even I was not thoroughly off put by the feline population of Split.

Great view of this coastal town, though!

It wasn’t until our catamaran trip out of the city the next day did realize that the bar is nowhere near the top of that hill, but our bodies and our thirst said differently.  When we came down, we headed along the promenade and eventually found a place for the kids to finally take their inaugural /dive into the Adriatic.

A swim followed by Nutella crepes for the kids and spinach smoothies for their keepers firmly put the day on good ground.

It was the perfect time to leave the kids at the hotel with their electronics while Dwayne and I toured the cathedral, crypt, and baptistery, before prowling more alleys and shops.  A white linen shirt for Dwayne and a red dress (with pockets!) for me meandered their way back with us through the farmers market, port, and side shops of this charming city.  It was a good strategy for us—family adventure for part of the day, and then let the kids recover in air conditioning while the grown ups explore unencumbered. 

By the time dinner time (formerly and quaintly known as “bedtime”) rolled around, we had added more to our step count and underestimated our kids' stamina a bit.

No reason to eat anything other than seafood 300m from the Adriatic!

We reluctantly checked out of our hotel, with it's lovely deck and spacious sleeping areas, that was built upon 4th century Roman baths--not that we got to experience them, as they don't seem to exist anymore outside of historical record.  What I remember best about our lovely stay is that when we seemed to turn a random corner (random to me, not Dwayne) and spotted "our" stairs, it felt like a homey miracle. 

 I hope this isn't the last time we see Split!