Croatia Part 2: The Sunny Part

SPLIT: A Day with the Emperor

We pick up my chronicles with my day in Split. I think I would have been much more impressed with Split if I had visited on a day other than November 1. Because All Saints Day is a holiday all across Croatia, the two coolest and biggest things in Split (the Cathedral and palace basement halls) were closed on the day I visited. Thus, I spent my day wandering through the Old City, exploring as many sites as I could without actually going inside anywhere. I did get to see a segment of the basements, where the marketplace is, and that was pretty cool, but I sadly didn't get to tour the older, supposedly cooler parts. Oh well.

One thing I will say, Split is a city full of surprises. It’s built on the site of Diocletian’s palace, but only certain parts of the palace are still intact. The rest of the space was converted into residences for the city’s rapidly expanding population in the years since Venetian rule ended. What we’re left with now is an interesting mix of roman ruins, baroque palaces, and ugly 70s architecture.

Baroque architecture in the main square

Because of the randomness of Split, you can turn a corner and never know what you're going to find! For example, in my period of aimless wandering, I turned down a narrow alleyway and found this:

I like that a lot about this city. It, like Zadar, is walled and on the coast, but its walls are much more integrated into the more recent buildings than in Zadar, where the wall was completely intact. On the promenade by the water, you can see the different layers of construction from different periods. 

Luckily the weather was quite nice on the day I visited, so when I had exhausted my city-wandering possibilities (there’s only so many times you can get lost in the same confusing labyrinth of tiny alleys) I sat out on the lovely harbor promenade and read a book, enjoying the clue skies and sunshine that had been previously unexpectedly absent from my trip.

Renaissance-era town hall, also in the main square

DUBROVNIK: The "OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS TOO BEAUTIFUL" City

The first thing I did in Dubrovnik was walk around the entire city atop the old wall, that still stands completely intact (thanks to lots of renovations).  I was able to walk the whole perimeter and it was incredible—it provided wonder after wonder after wonder. Here’s a video of a small segment of my walk:

And a video in which I talk about my first day in Dubrovnik:

View of the harbor from atop the walls

In addition to the walk around the walls of Dubrovnik, which was probably my favorite part of the whole trip, I enjoyed other city sites as well! One favorite was the Rector’s Palace, which is a Renaissance palace that has been converted into a museum. The architecture itself was pretty cool, with a lovely courtyard in the middle and rooms sprawling off to each side, each with a different exhibit. One had baroque furniture, another held Renaissance paintings, and another had medieval church icons. My favorites were the section on weaponry, with actual swords and armor from different time periods, and a war photograph exhibit with incredible pictures of Dubrovnik from 1991. Seeing the streets and plazas that are now packed with locals and tourists completely abandoned, boarded up or destroyed was a very sobering sight. And to think this is all so recent gives it another chilling quality.

Rector's Palace at twilight

View from the balcony at the place I stayed

My other favorite Dubrovnik site was the Jewish Museum. Apparently Dubrovnik was at one point home to a small but mighty Jewish population! Who knew? There’s a museum with Torah scrolls, mantels, Chanukah menorahs, seder plates, prayer shawls, and other possessions of the city’s Jewish residents from over the years. There was even a letter from Moses Montefiore thanking the Jewish of Dubrovnik for their birthday greetings, which I thought was cute. There were also copies of the proclamations declaring all Jews in Croatia to identify themselves and cease gatherings and assembles—a sobering reminder of the extent of the Holocaust’s spread. This museum was on the second floor of an ordinary house in the old city, and the third floor holds the synagogue! It’s a very small space, but just marvelously put together. The ceiling simply but beautifully painted and the chairs, made of gorgeous dark wood, surround the room along the walls so you can imagine everyone sitting almost in a circle facing each other during the service. Ther wasn’t anything especially different or unique about the synagogue but for some reason it was very striking and moving. I loved it. Sadly, no pictures, though.

Market square with statue of Ivan Gundulic, beloved Dubrovnik poet

The rest of my time in Dubrovnik was spent on the beach, soaking up the sun, or people watching in the main square. The city definitely hs a relaxed Mediterranean feel to it, which I really loved a lot. I HIGHLY recommend Dubrovnik. It’s a must for anyone visiting Croatia!!

Thanks for reading these two endless posts! It was a really great trip, and I hope you all get the chance to check Croatia out sometime!! The gelato is wonderful.