Friday morning started out with me at a pretty low ebb. Things I wanted to do were closed and the City Walking Tour was only available if I paid double or waited for someone else. I knew that Kim wanted to do this at some point so I let her know there might be problems for her too and then as if a switch had been flicked, my day changed entirely.
I got a bus to Omis, a small town 3 minutes down the coast, to meet Kim and then spent the night at her place - the one where she is cat sitting - in Mimice. This is a further trawl away from Split. The whole of this coast is stunningly beautiful and the local bus service amazingly well organised and cheap.
We watched the sun go down over the Adriatic and then went for a tipple at the local bar. Friday evenings in this small town really do buzz with excitment. Four men were playing cards in the bar and they were watched by a crowd of about six other men. This must be quite a highlight of the week that so many are gathered in one place.
Exhausted by the thrill of being onlookers, we retired up a steep hillside to the cottage and cats. I know you aren't too happy about cats, Marms. I will tell you that for a long time I thought cats had it in for me big time. As a child one cat I knew would sit on my lap and dig its claws in rhythmically to the point where my thighs would draw blood.
Now I know it was really a sign of cat affection and I really do quite like them - but not as much as I love you so don't get jealous. I spent the night on a sofa with the two pussies - Henry and Eddie. Eddie prefered being under the duvet while Henry, the larger one dumped himself across my chest. At times they fought each other for space and it was me that lost each time out as they nuzzled themselves down even deeper into the warm spots.
The night over, both Kim and I set out for Split and the walking tour. Yay, an opportunity to find out bits about the nether regions of this quaint little place. Our guide was very knowledgeable and obviousy had a good memory but really failed to enchant and treat her tour as an opportunity to tell the best bits of the story. In contrast to the Free Sofia Tour, this one fell rather flat. Let me summarise...
Diocletian - a successful Roman ruler chose Split to be his retirement home after sorting out bits of the Roman empire that were falling apart and fulfilling prophecies of killing boars. It is the bits of his palace that still dominate the waterfront now. He didn't like Christians so had them killed as his prefered God was Jupiter. There are even bits of intrigue with the Greeks thrown in to the story in these parts; along with local and invading tribes from the East.
Eventually the Roman Empire collapsed and with it, the control over this Dalmation Coast. Roman Catholicism remains the main religion though. The empire left its mark in so many other ways as well.
After Diocletian popped his clogs, the place became Christian and eventually grew to be a wealthy port under Venetian control. Local merchants built palaces within the Diocletian palace walls and it was clearly a place to be back then. When Napoleon took control of the place for just a decade, he built the long promenade and built extra fortifications which are still standing.
Croatia was once a royal Kingdom linked to Hungary but the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century and WWl saw big changes, and then after WWll, Tito took control of the whole of Yugoslavia.
Now we get to recent history and the collapse of communism, the rise of nationalism, plus a war that lasted five years in the 90s - throw into the mix a few episodes of the Game of Thrones and that about sums up what happened here.
Standing outside for two hours on a bitterly cold Saturday hearing about this took some concentration. I have given you my abridged version so don't take this as gospel.
Today, I set out on stormy seas for Italy.. The distance between us stretches further. At least I will be in the land of the Euro.. no more silly currencies...
Love
XXX
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