This is post eleven of fourteen on our trip to Northern Ireland and Croatia, minus our mini Game of Thrones tour. Those posts can be found here.
- Intro to Northern Ireland & Croatia
- Recovering from Jetlag in Dublin: Dublin Castle and Trinity College
- Bubblin’ in Dublin: Dublin Eats
- Chasing Scully: Staying at the Hilton Belfast
- The Land of Giants and the Northernmost Point in Ireland
- Hiking Glenveagh National Park
- Singing the Blus in Dublin & Letterkenny
- Heating up in Zadar
- Azure Waters Await at Kornati National Park
- Falling for Picturesque Plitvice
- Let’s Never Split
- The Jewel of the Adriatic: Dubrovnik
- Walking the Wall in Dubrovnik
- A Brief Stop in Bosnia
After spending a few nights in Zadar and Plitvice Lakes National Park, Mr. Selfish, Cousin Selfish, and I headed to Split. We arrived during nighttime and had a stressful time dropping off the rental car (parking on a hill in a manual car is never fun). Nevertheless, once we entered the city proper, our worries melted away. The city itself was beautiful.
The next morning, we immediately set off to explore Split.
Our first goal for the day was to find breakfast. We had read online that we could find some good eats at a farmer’s market outside the east wall of Diocletian’s Palace, known as Pazarin.
At first, we didn’t see much food, just souvenirs and knickknacks. Croatia sells a lot of lavender, honey, and truffles. But then, we turned a corner and found the fresh produce stands, bread shops, and meat markets. There were even handy benches on which you could enjoy your feast.
After a yummy breakfast, we ventured off to Diocletian’s Palace, which is the historic center of Split. The palace was built for Roman Emperor Diocletian’s retirement starting on May 1, 305 AD. Although it is called a “palace,” only half of it was used for the emperor’s personal use while the other half housed military garrison.
I’ve already mentioned previously during our Game of Thrones series that we visited the excavated basement of Diocletian’s Palace. Below are some of the other photos from the basement tour of the palace, including the outside area.
Behind Diocletian’s Palace, we discovered a great view of St. Duje’s Cathedral, which was originally built in 305 AD as a mausoleum for the Emperor Diocletian. It is the oldest cathedral building in the world.
Finally, we decided to walk up to Park Marjan for sunset. Park Marjan’s peak, Telegrin, is 174 meters high and gives a wonderful panoramic view of Split.
It was an easy trek (even for a pregnant woman) and totally worth it for the view during sunset. There were even a café at the top where you could enjoy drinks.
Tomorrow, I’ll go over our visit to the jewel of the Adriatic – Dubrovnik. If you think Split is pretty, wait until you see Dubrovnik!
Filed under: Croatia, Europe, Split Tagged: Croatia, Diocletian's Palace, Park Marjan, Pazarin, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Split, St. Duje's Cathedral
