Splitsville.

Today was a special “bank holiday” in Croatia, which means that everything -- even the grocery stores (!) -- was closed. We and dozens of other confused tourists in our ‘hood had some trouble finding breakfast. Tragedy! Some people on foot had no options at all, but with our car we just drove further into Split, and eventually found a bakery doing brisk business. Tragedy averted. Steve stood in a long line for bread (just like the old days of communism, I assume) while I picked up yogurt at the small shop next door, which I think was actually closed. The lights were out and the shades were down, but a lady turned on her register and took my money nonetheless.

We ate in the car on the way into the city. Even at 9:30 am, it was very congested. We found a spot (about $2 per hour) in front of the medieval center of the city, and followed the crowds in.  

Split has gotten rave reviews from other travelers and travel books and I see why. The city center’s walls were built in the 3rd century as a palace, and inside the walls are all sorts of historic architectural wonders and old stone homes. But despite this I am sorry to report I did not enjoy our visit all that much. It wasn’t the city’s fault. It was just so overrun by other tourists and cruise shippers “following the flag” that there was no room for quiet observation and enjoyment… we just got jostled and bumped. I hate crowds.

The center is very compact and we quickly visited all the sites prescribed by Fodor’s, following along on our map like good little tourists. The Peristil (main square) and Cathedral of St. Dominus were both overrun, but the ancient Vestibul, an open-top dome structure, was kind of quiet (for two minutes before it filled up) and was thus was my favorite.   

We found the only shaded seat at Narodni Trg (People’s Square) and hung out there for a good long time, people watching and perspiring despite the slight breeze. It was a very hot day. We watched the same two overladen backpackers walk through the square three times, squinting at their map and looking confused. I hope they found their place.

From there, we walked along the harbor to the far side of Split, then walked back again. We've seen Split... now what? We got in the car and tried to find a restaurant listed in our guidebook, but soon discovered we were dangerously low on gas (again), and took off to find fuel. Easily done. Now it was seriously time to find lunch.

On the recommendation of our hotel manager, we stopped at a beach-side restaurant located between our hotel and the town of Omis. There were high winds blowing the menus and whipping the tablecloth, but it felt good after the still heat and humidity of the day. We had great salads, served with a huge bread basket, and it was all delicious food in a gorgeous setting. Sure wish I remembered the name of the place.

After lunch, we visited the crazy busy town of Omis just down the road.  We found an open grocery store and stocked up, then it was back to the hotel for rest and relaxation, and a walk along the harbor. Even late in the day, every horizontal plane was covered by bodies. There is no real “beach” expanse here, so people take what they can get I guess, even if it’s just a patch of concrete. The water is so clear and beautiful -- I wanted to swim but didn’t have a towel, so made due with wading while some German children had a blast moving rocks from one side of the beach to the other.  

In the evening, we basically repeated those last paragraphs in reverse order. First we went to Omis (even MORE busy) to get a better look at the town (cute) and find a dinner option (overpriced tourist fare on offer). Finding nothing and feeling turned off by the crowds, we ended up back at our same lunch place whose name I still can’t remember. This time we sat inside, lucky to get a table without a reservation. It was very busy and the service was slow, though our waiter was trying hard to keep up. I had salad again and Steve had fresh fish. He kept exclaiming that it was fantastic. Mine was great too, but I was sooo tired. By the time we were served our check I was falling asleep at the table and so ready to be in bed...