Split

Split was "Splitilicious" as one sign outside a shop declared.

A midday ferry took us there from Hvar and we spent the afternoon on a walking tour of the city, sometimes guided, sometimes not.

First impressions? Well, the town has a lot of graffiti, which is OK, according to our tour guide, Anastacia, who claims the Croats have kind of an "anything goes, que sera, I'm Okay, You're Okay attitude" towards life, apparently including self expressions like graffiti. Here, graffiti, I suppose, is like the Coors Brewery in Golden. After awhile you stop seeing the ugly side of it and just think about the positives. With Coors, it's the great beer you drink. With graffiti, it's the happy, well adjusted people who feel free to express themselves without repression.

After you get past the graffiti, the town has some charm. It's a bigger town than any other we've seen here. Which is not to say it feels all that cosmopolitan. Even here, in Dalmatia's largest city, you feel a bit off the beaten track. There are no crowds, even in the tourist havens, and few sharp dressers. Traffic jams? Nowhere to be seen. (Caveat: the tourist season has yet to fully gear up, so maybe the crowds are yet to come.)


We strolled to Bacvice cove and beach. Jocelyn had read about a game called "Picigin," which apparently was invented here. Sure enough, several guys in their finest swimwear were practicing. It's like a handball-hacky sack combo played in the surf, the object to keep the ball from touching the water as long as possible. While the Picigin players looked like they knew what they were doing, I worried about the sun bathers, who all looked lily white and about to get very red.

From the beach, we proceeded to the walled palace, which essentially is the city's old town section. For 200 kuna (about $35), we joined an English speaking tour group on a 75-minute walking tour. The time was filled with many facts and figures, stories and anecdotes. By the end, our heads were spinning, but we remembered one important bit of information -- where to have dinner! Anastacia showed us an off-the-beaten- track bistro that looked really good.


We each enjoyed traditional Dalmatian dishes. I ordered cuttlefish with polenta and Jocelyn had Pasticada with gnocci.

Bellies full, we boarded the last ferry for the return to Hvar. As we disembarked the ferry in Stari Grad, we were greeted by a vicious hailstorm! The worst of the storm was over, though, by the time we tucked in to our boat. All was well again.