Time to Split

Diocletian’s Palace

We wake up to the sound of rain. That makes us slow down a little in getting ready to go out. By the time we have coffee and get our things together, the rain has stopped and the sky is improving. We take the short walk to one of the entrances into Diocletians Palace. Diocletian was a Roman Emperor and built this palace in Split as his retirement home. It took 11 years to build ( quick for the day) and over 2000 slaves died during its construction. Diocletian ruled from 284 to 305 A.D., an unusually long time, and died of natural causes, also unusual. Your term as Emperor was normally ended by murder. Diocletian split the Roman Empire among 4 Emperors which some say helped start its decline. He also had Christians tortured and executed, including thousands here on the Dalmatian coast. Today, people actually still live inside the UNESCO site so it is a berating type of museum.
We enter through the Brass Gate facing the sea, which was actually the back door. In Diocletians day, the water came right up to this door, an emergency exit if needed.

Getting on My Pedestal

We go into the palace cellars which leveled out the foundation of the palace. These originally were filled with water, but medieval residents used them as a dump for sewage and junk filling them up which over time solidified. When rediscovered about a 100 years ago, it enabled archeologists to find artifacts and figure out the layout of the original palace. From the cellars we walk to the Peristil, which was a large square inside the palace. From one side of this square was the entrance to Diocletians residence. Diocletians mausoleum, now St Dominus Church and The Temple of Jupiter. Diocletian called himself Jovius ” son of Jupiter” , the most powerful,of all Gods.
We go into the Cathedral of St Dominus. It was originally Diocletians mausoleum, but after the fall of Rome, it was converted into a cathedral.

St Anastasius Alter

The adjacent Bell Tower took 300 years to complete. Diocletian had Bishop Dominus murdered and also had Anastatius ( now a Saint) drowned with a millstone tied to his neck. Now the sarcophagus of St Dominus is here, as well as the alter of St Anastatius. The new alter contains relics of St Dominus and Diocletian is nowhere to be found in his former mausoleum. Kind of fitting for a man who had thousands killed.
We go across the square and check out the Temple of Jupiter, which was converted into St Johns Baptistry. There is a big 12th century baptismal font, large enough to immerse people and a statue of St John.

Front of Font

The relief on the front of the font shows a king on his throne and a Bishop with a commoner under his feet, enforcing where the power was in those days.
We exit the Temple and walk down another street from thensquare to the Golden Gate at the front of the palace. Along the way, we stop in a homemade chocolate store and buy Dalmatian chocolate treats for Carol. I may have one or two myself! After this we just wander around streets, the fish market, the vegetable market, the meat market, and meander back to our place as the early afternoon crowds fill the palace. On the way we stop and get a Cevapi, something we have seen the local people eating.

Cevapi for Lunch

It is a minced meat rolled up like sausages, then grilled, and served in a pita type bread pocket with a red pepper sauce and onions. We have it, some leftover pizza, a coke zero, and a share a slice of chocolate cake for lunch. The Cevapi is excellent and it only cost 20 Kunas (3 dollars), quite the bargain.
After doing some afternoon chores and taking a nap, we get ready for dinner. First we take a stroll along the Riva which is a waterfront promenade with cafes, benches, and snack stands. We get to Konoba Matejuska about 15 minutes early and the guy does not see our reservation that we made on Sunday. I am getting worried as he is telling others that they are booked, when his associate finds our name. We get a nice table inside and check out the menu.

Konoba Matejuska

Most things are priced by the Kg not by an order. I ask the waiter what he would recommend and he says a fish plate for two which comes with a salad and should be around 290 Kuna. We go with his suggestion and order a couple of beers to go with it. We thought about wine, but with the temperatures, beer is working just fine.
When the platter arrives, it has a huge sea bass, two other fish we did not notice at first, because they were underneath mussels and large scampi. Once again, the freshness and the way they cook the food is perfect. It makes you wonder if any fish we get in The United States is truly fresh. This was caught hours ago, I think I read the mussels get delivered everyday at 0630. Phenomenal, intimate meal and setting. To digest, we take another stroll in a different direction along the sea.,the night air is perfect and so is the temperature. Locals are out walking everywhere. I think it is nice. We go to the market and buy some snacks for tomorrow, the back to the bakery with the Fritule for tomorrow’s breakfast.

Fritule or Sfinge?i

By the time we get to the room it is after 2200 and I realize we have minutes to use up on our phones and our cycle ends today. We call our moms, use our minutes, and now it is 2330. Tomorrow, we will be tired. good night.
Expenses
Diocletians Palace Cellars 80 HRK
Diocletians Cathedral, Crypt, and Jupiters Temple. 50 HRK
Chocolates for Carol. 24.32 HRK
Cevapi for lunch 20 HRK
Dinner and beer at Konoba Matejuska. 330HRK
Dessert Frituli 15 HRK
Frituli for Breakfast 13 HRK
Snacks from Market 18.98 HRK
Apartment Kaleta Varos 587 HRK
Walked 7.1 Miles