Split - Stairs of Fear

Split may not have the beauty of Dubrovnik, but it has a charm and warmth that makes you want to drop your bags and move in. But, it didn’t start out that way for us...

Church Window in Palace

The area where we stayed, close to the city centre, was a rabbit warren of narrow streets and cul-de-sacs with no room to park. Cars lined the sidewalks leaving little room to manoeuvre. We were a few feet from our apartment, but it was the other side of a wall – we had to turn around. As we struggled, a huge man came out of his house to get in his car – he saw us and immediately strode toward us – his whole frame swung side to side with aggression. We escaped, just as he got within striking distance.

Bishop Grigor Ninski

Finally we got to where we could see our apartment door and our landlady met us – she had saved us a spot to park. This was our smallest accommodation; two en-suite bedrooms joined by a tiny kitchen diner, but cosy. We unpacked and headed down into the ancient town.

Diocletian’s Palace forms the centre of Split. Built in the 3^rd Century, it’s one of the best-preserved Roman palaces in the world, although waves of settlers have built in and around it. Diocletian built the palace for his retirement, a key building being a temple and mausoleum for his remains. But, Diocletian’s reign was particularly brutal towards Christians - he beheaded local Bishop Domnius here – so, when the Christians came to town his sarcophagus was quickly removed and replaced by the relics of Domnius, now a saint. It became a cathedral and was renamed St Domnius.

St Domnius Angels above the Altar

As usual, I went for an early morning walk to catch the city empty and I chanced upon the cathedral door, open just a pinch. I looked in, holding my camera to see a nun writing notes for a speech. Eventually, she looked up and silently beckoned me in. I took some lovely shots before worshippers started to arrive. This is considered to be the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world, being essentially unchanged since its consecration.

Stairs of Fear

The cathedral also has a bell tower so later in the day my friend Marc and I decided to climb it. Now, I’m not afraid of heights, I thought, although I hadn’t liked climbing the Eiffel Tower, but this tower freaked me out. This one has a steel staircase that winds around the inside of the tower leaving the centre completely open. Marc managed to persuade me to climb, but my knees were like jelly. Oddly, I was fine coming down and the view up there was wonderful. We looked out across the harbour and down upon the Palace.

View from Bell Tower

Split’s most delightful area, particularly on a sunny afternoon, is the Riva or waterfront, a strip of awning-covered tables set away from their cafes so that you can people-watch on the promenades. Our waiter seduced us to sit in his area and served wine, Ojusko and the best coffee in Croatia (my opinion). We sat there as the girls shopped – Carol bought a pair of Black Madonna earrings commemorating one of the most holy shrines in Croatia (Marija Bistrica). In the 16^th Century, fearing the invading Turks, a priest had buried a wooden statue of the Virgin holding the baby Jesus and it had become lost. It was rediscovered years later when someone saw a bright light emanating from it. Now, pilgrims come in their thousands.

Restaurants in People’s Square

The coffee was so good, we came back the next day – and the server remembered us, leaving me a smiley face in the froth.

As with Dubrovnik, the squares are lined with wonderful restaurants. We stopped for a meal in a restaurant in People’s Square, just outside the Iron Gate, one of the most popular restaurant locales. I ate čevapčiči (kebabs), small skinless sausages made of a spiced, grilled pork, beef, and lamb mixture, served with salad, cheese and fries – delicious.

Before calling it a day we went to the cellar under Diocletian’s Palace, now a tourist market, entered down a stairwell beside the cathedral. There were some lovely local crafts there and, once again, we bought too many. But, my knees were back to normal.

The Market under Diocletian’s Palace

Tristeno - Garden of Tranquility

Trsteno Arboretum Pathway

We loved Dubrovnik, but in the middle of a June day, it’s hot and crowded. When we’d left Canada, the last thing our daughter had said to us was: ‘You must go to the Trsteno Arboretum.’ So, taking her advice, we drove the less than 30 minutes north along the coast and found this haven of peace and tranquility.

I hadn’t expected it to be busy, but I’d imagined we’d see a few people wandering through the tree-lined, dappled pathways, but when we pulled up and parked, ours was the only vehicle there. We bought our tickets from the gatehouse and headed past the large ‘No Smoking’ signs and down the pathway towards the sea. We saw only one other couple while we were there.

It’s an historic site, first laid out in the 15^th Century, when the Gozze family asked sea-going captains to bring back as many seeds as they could find, then planted them along the avenues. The garden is spread out on a cliff, high above the sea. Reaching the cliff edge, we looked down on the Trsteno Pier sheltering a small, inviting harbour surrounded by warm stone cottages, and a crystal blue sea. The garden itself is full of trees and flowers; their fragrance fills the air.

Olive Press

A stone house in the centre of the Arboretum sits draped with bright pink/purple bougainvillea. Several outbuildings including a small chapel and an olive byre stand close. The latter contains several elderly olive presses and a lot of dust – we could only imagine this place in full operation. Of course, our daughter had wanted us to visit Trsteno because it’s featured in Game of Thrones – it’s the Tyrell Garden of the Red Keep. A key element of that is Neptune’s Fountain, where it was time to relax and watch the spouting nymphs. This fountain, reconstructed in 1736 after an earthquake, is fed from an aqueduct built to irrigate the Arboretum in 1492, and it’s still in use.

The Largest Tree in Europe?

Later we drove down to the Pier – where locals were swimming in the harbour; we would have loved to join them. The road there and back was winding, and narrow – I had to back-up a few times to let others pass, and turning round at the end of the road took a nail-biting 10 point turn, on the edge of the dock…

The Neptune Fountain

Beside the highway to Dubrovnik, high above the main arboretum site, stand two plane trees, the most celebrated inhabitants of Trsteno. These huge trees are more than 500 years old. The larger one, which stands closer to the highway, may be the largest tree in Europe, and this tree is considered to have saved Dubrovnik from Napoleon. In 1806 the French were on the march, intending to capture Dubrovnik but they were stopped when a huge limb fell from the tree and blocked their path. It took the army engineers two days to dismember and remove it; just enough time for the leaders of Dubrovnik to negotiate with the Emperor and save their city. I wanted to get up close to the trunk but these days the site is surrounded by a large fence bearing dire warnings of falling branches - stone pillars support many of its major limbs.

We were so awestruck that we had to go into the bar opposite for an Ojusko (beer) before we could drive back to Dubrovnik and face the crowds again. It prolonged the tranquility for a few moments, at least.

Trsteno Pier from the Arboretum

Dubrovnik - Climbing the Walls

Once a powerful city-state, built in the Venetian style, Dubrovnik’s warm red tiled roofs cap cream coloured brick walled buildings; narrow streets crisscross the city hiding coffee shops, pizza parlours and gift shops. Churches and palaces stand around open squares hosting markets and restaurant patios – it’s hard to walk through without stopping. But, to see the real beauty of Dubrovnik, you need to climb. After all, the famous Walk of Shame scene from Game of Thrones where Cersei descends a labyrinth of stone steps was filmed here.

Carol’s Walk of Shame

And, Dubrovnik is a walled city. So, a good introduction is to walk the walls, built broad and formidable, starting in the 10^th century; a roller-coaster walk around the two kilometers of undulating parapets is no mean feat, especially on a hot summer’s day – we started early. But, first you have to climb up there…

We’re old, so we started the climb by taking painkillers: no sense in tempting fate. The view from the top is stunning as we looked down on nuns tending their vegetable gardens, children playing basketball, women hanging out their laundry, and tourists sipping wine.

St Lawrence Fort from Walls

The city has two gates; we entered through the Pile Gate and walked to the Ploče Gate in order to find the entrance to the walls. Then we climbed to the Revelin Fort for the start of the ramparts. From here we climbed the slope to the highest point of the walls, the circular Minčeta Tower. My friend and I climbed the circular stairs to the top for wonderful views and a fresh breeze. Then it was across to a view of the landmark Big Fountain of Onofrio; from here we could see the Fort Lovrijnec (St Lawrence) across the water familiar now as King’s Landing. This Fort protected the city from invasion, defending the main land and sea accesses. It’s constructed with very thick walls facing away from the city but a thin wall on the city side. Thus, if captured by an enemy, the city’s guns could easily penetrate its defences. The Red Bull Cliff Diving competition is held annually from its outer walls.

Cathedral: Station of the Cross

St Blaise

Croatia is Catholic and all of its churches and cathedrals mark the Stations of the Cross. Many have modern art depictions of each station; they were so striking I sought them out in each church we entered, photographing them when I could. I’ve shown one from Dubrovnik Cathedral. This Cathedral’s Treasury houses the relics of the patron Saint of Dubrovnik – he’s credited with warning the city’s inhabitants of a pending attack by Venetian forces enabling them to thwart it. His familiar figure sits in plinths throughout Dubrovnik holding a model of the city in his left hand.

Sadly, he wasn’t able to provide the same protection during the Croatian War of Independence. Despite being a World Heritage site since 1979, the city was bombed relentlessly during this war in 1991 and 1992, sustaining significant damage; as the Serbs tried to expand their borders. It has been rebuilt but plenty of signs of that war remain.

After spending the day climbing we took the cable car high above the city for an afternoon stroll and an unrivalled view of the city and the bay. There was a lovely cool breeze there too.

Dubrovnik Hobbit Hilton

A friend once told me that Dubrovnik might be the most beautiful city in the world – and she wasn’t even Croatian! Most people arrive and never want to leave, and we were no exception. First though, we had to get there…

Southern Croatia Coast with Oyster Beds

We left Zagreb and took the 4 or 5-hour drive down the 4-lane highway to Split then the much more challenging coast road, south to Dubrovnik. The scenery is spectacular; lush green islands dot a shimmering sea, fishing boats trailed by flocks of seabirds; cafés serving beer and hors d’oeuvres, on verandas that face the sea, tempt you as you drive. This is the edge of the breadbasket of Croatia; roadside stalls sell fresh fruit and vegetables, freshly squeezed olive oil, and home made liquor. We bought some – a bottle each of lemon and orange liqueur – our intent was to bring it home with us but I’m not sure it lasted more than two days. From what I remember it was delicious… …and strong.

Roadside Stalls - Fresh Produce

Not only is it a long and winding road but the country of Bosnia & Herzegovina has claimed a piece of the coastline between Split and Dubrovnik, effectively cutting off the bottom chunk of Croatia. Our friend Lili was driving as we reached the first border crossing, and the border guard smiled and waved us through. We didn’t realize there was a second window though, until we accelerated past it, and heard the guard shout: ‘Hey Stop!’ By then, it was too late and we drove on in fear of sirens at any moment…

Ours: White Roof & Orange Lounger

Eventually we arrived at the next border. This time we stopped and had our passports stamped – with another Croatian entry stamp. We never did get a Bosnian stamp. ...And then we arrived…

The main road leads you in high over Dubrovnik; the walled city sits beneath you like a model village. We drove down and around the walls to reach our lodgings, which Lili had booked on airbnb.com/croatia We quickly dubbed it the Hobbit Hilton; one of a series of two story stone cottages built into a rock face. The main floor housed a lounge and kitchen with a patio at one end and a balcony at the other. The roof was curved. Steps led down to two en-suite bedrooms.

Inside the Hobbit Hilton

These cottages are 200 or 300 years old and sit above an inlet that serves as a swimming hole for the local youngsters, who clamber down rock-cut steps and plunge into the sea.  Directly across from the balcony loomed a large castle; this turned out to be used in the filming of the Red Keep in the Game of Thrones.

View from Poklisar Restaurant

One of the gates to the city was a short walk so we strolled through the city to a restaurant that sat on the waterfront. Our friends visit Croatia often and this was our first meal with them in Croatia. The restaurant Poklisar was a favourite of theirs and we soon saw why; the food was delicious. The weather was warm and we weren’t that hungry so we ordered small plates to start; tuna pate, prosciutto, cheese, octopus Carpaccio, and followed with a light main course. And wine: the four of us drank two litres of a lovely light local wine, then dessert. I was dreading the bill but here was the final joy – with tip, it cost less than $40 (£25) each, all in.

After dinner, it was back to the Hobbit Hilton; we sat on the balcony with a glass of wine and that lemon liqueur and watched the sunlight slip up the castle walls as it set. We had achieved Nirvana.

The View from our Balcony