Split and not a Cravat in sight

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Distance travelled: 216 nautical miles

This morning we both arose after having a rather restless night. It is true that being at the extreme end of a Ship (in our case the aft), you can feel the movement of the ship. However, last night it was calm and the movement was nothing but a gentle swaying. The vibrations from the propellers is more noticeable but again, this wasn't the issue as this soon becomes unnoticeable as one becomes used to it. Even Heidi and her pals didn't disturb the night. It they were, as we suspect, disco-bevvying until the wee small hours, they were certainly respectful on returning to their cabin as we didn't hear a thing. This is not the first time we have struggled to catch our sleep on the first night of a cruise. Perhaps it's the adrenalin of the previous day's events; the Gondola ride, THAT 'bridge'? It is now another day with hopefully new experiences lying in wait…Croatia!

Whilst we have both been to Croatia before, Roisin and I to Dubrovnik and me to Osijek when I worked in Hungary, Split is a first for both of us.

Split is the second-largest city of Croatia after Zagreb and the largest city of the region of Dalmatia. It lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea and dates back to the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Not one of Rome's more famous Emperors, granted, but was a dab-hand at building palaces!

We docked shortly after 9am. The weather was heavy rain and grey skies. Ever the optimist, it won't last for ever. After 20 minutes I was starting to get worried. The rain was getting heavier!! The ship is due to set sail again at 5pm (all aboard by 4:30) so there was still plenty of time.

And still it rained.

'…91, 92, 93…'

Roisin came out on to the balcony. ‘What are you doing?' she asked

‘…97, 98, 99, 100, I'm counting the locals', I replied. ‘101…101 Dalmatians. Well I had to get that one in before someone beat me to it!!' I added rather pleased with myself!

We saw a group of passengers being led out down below on to the rather wet quayside. These where those that had booked an excursion. The quay was open with no place to shelter as the buses weren't allowed dock side.

‘It looks like they're gonna be like drowned rats before they even get to the coach', I commented.

Roisin forced a smile before adding, ‘…and I have no desire to get drenched for the sake of a few photos, several fridge magnets and possibly free wi-fi!!'

If we don't make it ashore today, this could be a short blog!

In the introduction to this blog I stated that it was unlikely I'll mention any quizzing due to the full itinerary of ports. I lied!! Due to the weather, a quiz was laid on at 11am. It would have been rude for us NOT to attend. It was a quiz with a difference though. The sheet was handed out with 16 currencies. There were 16 countries at the bottom of the page and the country had to be matched up to the currency. Easy-peasy. Using my analytical skills, those currencies I wasn't sure of I could guess by process of elimination!! The papers were collected in after about 20 minutes and a member of the entertainment team marked the scores. Surprise, surprise we won! Jointly with 2 other teams. (Despite at least one of the teams using an iPad!!!) For our heroics we were given a small messenger bag. This will come in useful for storing my messages!!!

Finally at 12 noon, the rain seems to have passed. We decided to take some lunch and then ventured out to see what the Port of Split had to offer.

The old town of Split is less than a 10 minute walk from the port area. We didn't quite get our timing right as no sooner had we started to walk along the quay, a ramp was lowered from the Ancona to Split ferry and passengers and vehicles started to off load in all directions. We managed to weave in and out as well as around these new arrivals and shortly reached the old town gate.

The Diocletian's Palace dominates the old town. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a grand Roman monument where people still live. Roisin and I weren't too sure what to expect. The word "palace" doesn't really describe the walled enclave built as a retirement retreat by Diocletian, the Croatian-born last pagan emperor of Rome. It covers nearly 10 acres and includes the emperor's apartments, villas, several temples, four gates, 16 towers and a military encampment, plus housing for a battalion of soldiers and servants. It took 20,000 slaves 10 years to build. (not including bank holidays and weekends!!) We didn't have a plan. We just wandered around following the narrow streets, marvelling at the fine buildings and well preserved towers that once made up this great fortress. We took care where we stepped as most of the pavement is derived from smooth granite. As it had been raining this made the way ahead a potential skating rink.

We left the Diocletian's Palace by the West gate and walked along the wide palm strewn promenade known as the Riva that has not long had a $12m facelift. The Riva is now lined either side by many cafes. Across the bay we spotted rows of naval vessels painted in battleship grey. We thought it wise to turn around at this stage and head back toward the MSC Orchestra. We didn't want to stray in to a restricted area as although I could explain my camera with a 300mm telephoto lens I probably wouldn't be able to explain the randomly shot images of the military frigates, cruisers and battleships already on my memory card!!

Most countries are able to boast discoveries, creations or inventions of significance. Scotland gave us the television and the steam engine for example. Hungary gave us the Rubik's cube and the biro. Even Belgium gave us the waffle and the sprout!!! Croatia gave the world the ‘cravat!! You know, that effeminate necktie that Jason king and David Niven were famous for fashioning!! The cravat is one of the most famous symbols of Croatia – hey, it even sounds really Croatian…right The cravat originated in the 1630s in France where Croatian mercenaries were based at the time to help support King Louis XIII. These Croatian soldiers wore these unusual neckties which caught the attention of the fashionable Paris set – and the cravat was born. The word "cravat" comes from the Croatian for Croatia – which is “Hrvat”. There's even a Cravat Day, which is celebrated on 18th October. It's funny, thought. Walking through the streets of Split I never once saw a fridge magnet in the shape of a cravat!! Maybe it is something they would rather forget or blame it on one of their Balkan neighbour: ‘ Well actually Vlad, they were mercenaries from Slovenia!!!'

Our ship departed slightly later than expected at 17:20 and their navy never suspected a thing!!!

Tonight's recommended dress code is gala. This is the usual dinner jacket or tux and dickie bow for men and posh evening gown for the ladies. However, this is only recommended. Normally gala evenings are held during sea days. As this 3 day cruise from Venice and back is a ‘taster' MSC are probably having a gala evening to give those ‘first timers' the complete cruise experience. Roisin and I decided to dress casual smart this evening and eat, once again in the buffet, La Piazzetta has covers for about 1,300. The buffet is clearly marked in to Soup, Mediterranean corner, Meat, Poultry/Fish and drinks station as well as desserts/puddings. We were surprised to see many passengers like ourselves who had not decided to accept the recommended dress code. On wandering around the decks after our evening meal, again, not many people had made the effort!! We only spotted 2 men who were in a full DJ and dickie. Several wore ties but were definitely in the minority.

There are 2 shows in the main Covent Garden theatre. The first show is at 19:45 for those on the 2^nd dinner sitting whilst the late show is at 21:30 for those on the early sitting. The theatre is 2 tier with a balcony overlooking the stage. We made a ‘dry run' earlier that day of sitting in the balcony seats but found they view partially obstructed by a safety bar.

The show tonight was titled: Ninja Turtles. We sat half way down the theatre. The ‘ovent Garden probably has enough seats for 1000 persons. The theatre filled up very quickly. Yet again, we did not see many people who had chosen the recommended evening attire. One guy, sounded like he was from Ukraine or Russia, stood in front of Roisin and I whilst he looked around to decide where he was going to sit. He was wearing something I hadn't seen for a very long time. I felt like saying to him that the 80s had just phoned and they want their bum bag back!!!

The show opened to very atmospheric music and a red hue enveloped the stage. Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and the other one of the Ninja Turtles opened quite statuesque whilst someone in a costume of an ancient oriental high priest narrated a story of the samurai whilst 3 acrobat/tumblers dressed in all orange tunics like escapees from Guantanamo Bay tumbled and flipped their way to a tumultuous round of applause.

Next our old friend the ball clacker man appeared clacking his balls!! In each hand he held a 3ft piece of cord with a ball fastened on the end like a larger version of the ‘clackers' that were so popular in the early 70s. He swung those balls with such dexterity and aplomb that it would only be a matter of time before he cracked his head on his balls!! No such luck. He continued to rhythmically swing his balls faster and faster. The crowd jointed in clapping in time until he stopped as suddenly as he began, took his bow and with a hop, skip and a jump he was gone.

The show continued with a magician, a balancing act and finished with the high priest character singing Michael Jackson's: We are the World. At this point, members of the crew from the Deck department through to the Spa staff, catering staff to the cleaning staff, bar staff and cabin stewards all walked through the theatre and onto the stage. All nationalities on board were now represented on stage. This felt all wrong. It is not the first time we have seen this procession but it normally occurs on the penultimate evening of the cruise. For many passengers, this was their penultimate evening.

Tomorrow's recommended evening dress is themed 60s, 70s or 80s night. I forgot to pack my penny round shirt and Roisin left her ra-ra skirt at home!! However, I'm sure Mr bum bag man will fit in just fine!!

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Comments

[Ragnhild]

Working with an ex-serb/croatian it is interesting to read your travel blog . I?d love to go there one day. Is it raining much?

[chris-roisin]

Ragnhild, You wouldn't believe the storm we are in as I write this to you!!!