Day 31: Split and Ferry to Rijeka


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June 24th 2012
Published: June 25th 2012
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Ferry to Rijeka


We slept very well with air conditioning! We were innovative again with our breakfast cooking, and figured out a way to soft boil our eggs… in an electric hot water pot. It took a while as each time it boiled, the pot turned itself off!!! But it was a good breakfast with last night’s bread and some peach juice.



It is very HOT HOT HOT again. We did some interneting in the AC, packed up, and left the luggage in the hallway of our room. Our owner was so nice to let us leave the bags after we checked out at 11:00 am. We went by the ferry office to get our tickets; we need to board at 7:00 pm. We had a beer overlooking the harbor.



Then we walked to the beach, 30 minutes, and enjoyed watching the sunbathers and swimmers. It was a holiday weekend, Independence Day, for all of the former Yugoslovian countries. The beach was packed so lots to observe. We had a tuna salad, large, fresh, very good. We sat there for a couple of hours, enjoying the breeze and a couple of beers. It was so HOT, really too hot to do very much!



Later, we walked back to town and toured the Roman Palace, “Diocletian’s Palace”. Diocletian was emperor of Rome for a long 20 years, 284-305 AD. He was born in Split and returned home to retire here. The palace is a small old town in its own right. There is a door (gate) to the palace at ground level by the harbor; in ancient times this door connected to the sea and boats could come into the palace. Today there is a beautiful promenade, the Riva, blocking the palace from the sea.



We began our tour at the Peristyle, the center square of the palace. We saw the cathedral, the crypt, and the temple. There was lots of restoration going on so we didn’t get of the real effect of the entrance to the palace, nor the interior dome of the Cathedral of St. Dominus. (In Europe, something is always being restored… wish I had stock in the crane company. This requires another trip to see what you missed the first time!) We opted not to climb the 183 steps to the top of the tower due to heat. I
Ferry DeckFerry DeckFerry Deck

Many people sleep out on the deck of the ferry
enjoyed a bar that had cushions on the steps as seats in the plaza!!! We saw Jupiter’s Temple and St. John’s Baptistery. In the center was a baptismal font large enough to immerse someone's whole body.



After that we explored the old city a little more. There was an art museum dedicated to a very important sculptor, Ivan Mestrovic; more Roman ruins; several markets; lots of pretty streets and squares. This town does not feel as touristy as most of the towns we’ve visited. It felt like people who lived here had jobs and lives not associated with tourism.



We went back to our apartment… someone else was in "OUR" room, but we had made arrangements with the owner to sit on the courtyard. We had our 2 beers (we left them in the fridge but the owner gave them to the new tenants… she ran to the grocery and grabbed 2 more cold ones for us), did internet, read, waited until 6:00 to begin our treck to the ferry.



The trip down to the ferry was shorter than we thought it would be. We started at 5:00pm and dragged the bags downhill (!!!) for 15 minutes. We ended up on the Riva with a cold beverage and an hour to spare. We dragged again and got to the ferry at 6:30 for the 6:45 boarding.



The ferries in Croatia are amazingly punctual!!! Each one is different, with different passenger decks outside for viewing the scenery, bars and restaurant(s), and lounges on the interior. There are lots of young people and families as well as "mature" adults on the ship; dogs are also allowed! We opted for a cabin again; however, many people sleep in the lounges and outside on the deck. Sleeping bags claim the best spots very quickly. Outside was appealing because of the nice breeze. Our cabin this time had a port hole window and an in-suite bathroom with a shower that was the bathroom. The AC was not working well, so Gary had a hard time sleeping on the top bunk.



We ate at the restaurant, and had 2 nice "insaladas mistas," grilled squid, and a nice Croatian wine. We walked the deck (stepping over sleeping bodies everywhere) and enjoyed the cool night air.



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our sobe kitchenette!!!our sobe kitchenette!!!
our sobe kitchenette!!!

no water, only tiny fridge


Tot: 0.123s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 11; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0621s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb