Split Personalities
Old town and Marjan Forest Park, Split
We venture into Split and it is bedlam! Tourists have descended on the place by the cruise ship load and like ourselves, are all heading for the old town centre and the famous Diocletian’s Palace. I don’t know where to look. At the magnificent architecture dating from the fourth century or at the antics of the snap-happy tourists jostling with each other for the perfect spot for taking a selfie. It’s a split decision.
Outside the Golden Gate, the gigantic statue of Gregory of Nin looks like he is wagging his enormous finger in disapproval at the throngs of tourists swarming around his feet. I am astounded to hear that rubbing the huge big toe of this fierce looking character is supposed to bring good luck!
The Oldies, fearing for their own toes – and my beak – ducked out of the palace again and wandered along the harbour instead. We slowly meandered up the hill to the Marjan Forest Park. What a wonderful green oasis and what marvellous views of the city and harbour. Hah, no wonder there were such crowds in town. Even the cruise ships were double parked!
Later, when the Dynamic Duo ventured back into the old town centre, the bulk of the tourists had returned to their ships and the crowds had thinned out somewhat. Finally the Oldies could do their own bit of sightseeing and I could now understand what the fuss was all about. Diocletian’s Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating from the turn of the 4th century, is so noteworthy it has even made the back of the 500 Kuna note. We saw so many magnificent buildings in this ancient complex, my head was in a whirl afterwards. But I do remember Saint Dominus Cathedral. Having originally been the mausoleum of the Roman Emperor, it wins the titles of both the oldest and smallest cathedral in the world.
The highlight for me, though, was the Temple of Jupiter with its incredible stone carvings. I was amused at the story behind why this tiny gem of a building was never finished. Apparently, when Emperor Diocletian abdicated the throne in 305 AD and retired here, he had all work on the temple stopped. He simply wanted peace and quiet. I wonder what he would make of the mania of modern day tourism!
On that note, a few days later the Oldies decided to take a look at another side of Split and another type of temple. I’ve become accustomed to seeing Hajduk Split logos and slogans painted on walls, bus stops and bridges all along Dalmatian Coast, so I suppose I expected great things of the ‘temple’ of this extremely popular soccer team.
Well, HNK Hajduk Split’s home ground, Poljud Stadium, was certainly an eye-full. Ok, it was built in the 1970s so it just had to be ugly, but it doesn’t look as if much has been done to improve its looks since then. I was amused to hear that its local nickname is ‘Poljud beauty’. I certainly hope the football is more beautiful than the stadium!
By the way, HNK Hajduk Split even has its own official wine. Not bad!
The stadium has its uses even when not in use. As we strolled around, I noticed that a local driving school was using the road around the stadium as a practice area. Learner drivers were circling the stadium, stopping on the steeper parts to practice their hill starts. We were ambling along aimlessly when we suddenly noticed an L-car heading straight for us. When they were near enough for us to be able to see the whites of his eyes, the instructor calmly took hold of the steering wheel and gently turned it to the left. He gave the Oldies a huge grin as he and his hapless student passed us with inches to spare.
Later, when reading up about what is entailed in the term ‘Hajduk’: ‘bravery, humanity, friendship, love of freedom, defiance of powers and protection of the weak’, I reckoned we had just encountered a perfect candidate for the Hajduk Split team.
As respite from all that concrete and steel, the Oldies set out to explore the Marjan Forest Park further. We spent a happy afternoon walking through the forest and enjoying the magnificent views of the sea and outlying islands along the way. It was hard to believe that we were just a stone’s throw away from the second largest city in the county! And it was all topped off with a beer by Bene Beach. A golden moment.
On another occasion, we went for a drive through the mountain range behind Split. At one stage, the Oldies stopped off to take some photos of Klis Castle, perched high up on a rocky pinnacle above us, and of the panoramic views of the city and coastline far below. I believe this imposing medieval fortress which guarded ancient routes through the mountains for centuries is nowadays famous as one of the filming locations for ‘Game of Thrones’.
A taxi-full of Oldie American ladies stopped nearby to take some snaps too. ‘I don’t know why they built the castle all the way up here, so far away from the city!’ exclaimed one.
Indeed. What were those castle builders thinking? Had they never heard of the maxim ‘location, location, location’?
