Crossroads of Adriatic Day 10

May 09, 2007 - Wednesday - Travel the Adriatic Coast-Discover Diocletian's Palace

Our wake-up call was at 6:00 although we were both awake when the call came. We showered, finished packing, and then put our luggage out by our door at 6:45 - way ahead of schedule! It was cooler and partly cloudy so we had breakfast inside today.

There was a very high level military conference here in the hotel. The States' Partnership Workshop was sponsored by the 10 Balkan and surrounding countries and the United State National Guard. We had seen several security guards waiting outside the reception last night who told us what was happening.

This morning at breakfast we saw them again, many US 3 and 4 Star Generals along with high ranking officials from the Balkans who were sharing information and ideas on training the military of these new countries.

After breakfast we journeyed north along Croatia's jagged Adriatic coastline retracing our path on our way to Split, passing through Bosnia again, with no problems at either border. We made a 20 minute comfort stop at Neum and then continued north.

As we drove along the Dalmatian Coast which is home to scenic stretches of beaches dotted with Roman ruins and more than 1,000 unspoiled offshore islands, we were amazed at their beauty.

Tammy took time to tell us all about the education system in the Balkans. Children have 8 years of primary education that is free and compulsory. Parents do have to buy all books and supplies each year. At the end of 8 years, there are exams for entrance to high school.

The Classical High School is the most prestigious and difficult to enter. It is four years and leads to the best chance for entrance to the university level. There are also more specific high schools for those who want to study medicine or law. The other alternative is a trade high school which is only three years but leads directly to a job.

Because of the high unemployment there are many students who cannot afford to go to university but try to get jobs immediately to help their families to survive. Public high schools and the university are all free, but students must buy their books and supplies.

At about 1:00 we came to the city of Split, the second largest in Croatia for our lunch and our destination for the night. After lunch we went directly to our hotel, waited a few minutes for our luggage and then at 3:15 we joined Milenka, our local expert for a guided tour of the city.

We walked directly to the city's beautiful promenade where we saw several cruise ships, ferries to Italy as well as fishing boats and pleasure craft docked in the deep harbor. The temperature had reached 78° and the humidity was 53%.

Our walk lead us to Diocletian's Palace, named for the Roman emperor who built his "retirement home" here at the beginning of the fourth century. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the greatest Roman ruin in Central Europe. Built like a fortress with walls 590 feet by 705 feet, the palace was occupied by the Emperor Diocletian from 300-313 AD.

As we stood in the peristyle (central court) of this grand structure, its size and strength certainly impressed us. As we walked, Milenka told us about the medieval town of Split which originally took shape within the palace walls.

We visited Diocletian's Temple of Jupiter which was converted into a Christian baptistery and his mausoleum which became a cathedral. The bell tower was reconstructed after damage in the war years and it tilts a bit, much like the Bell Tower at Pisa.

The entire old section of Split, with the palace as its centerpiece, was a virtual open-air museum with the city's contemporary life bustling through it. Shops, restaurants, and the residences of some 3,000 people are within the palace walls even today. The little shops house many specialties of the area and because of the influence of the Venetians; there are many Italian food and pizza restaurants.

Milenka gave us helpful hints for dinner tonight and pointed out several with typical seafood of the area. She said that here in Split there is a rule that fish have to swim three times:

1. Of course, in the Adriatic Sea

2. Then in the olive oil on the plate and

3. In the good white wine from the hills of Split in the stomach

On our tour we saw several famous sculptures by Meŝtroviĉ who was originally from Split and one of their most beloved city sons. Milenka guided us back to the promenade by the sea and Tammy gave us maps of the city. We thanked our wonderful guide and then stayed to chat a bit about politics in Croatia as compared to the United States.

We arrived back at our hotel and looked at our pictures and began to write our journal for the day. We are on the 4th floor and the wireless only works next to the office, so we went down on our way out for the evening to post the journal for today. We had walked 8.1 miles today.

President Hotel - - - Meals: B, L,

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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