There are many pluses to cruising; it is a great way to visit many places, see many things, there is no checking in and out of hotels and the luggage stays put. You spend a few hours in the port you happen to be visiting, get a feel for the local pulse, see as much as you can, go back to the ship and you’re ready for the next adventure.Sort of like the movie ‘If this is Tuesday it must be Belgium’ except there you had something like seven cities in seven days and you had the luggage sightseeing with you.
With the visit to Split, Croatia, there was a drawback to cruising-I wanted to stay longer as in a few days not a few hours. Split is enchanting, beautiful, ancient yet modern and the two co-exist beautifully. It is the only city that I have ever visited with a living museum.
Why call it a living museum? Because it is a Roman Palace dating back to 305 AD designated a World Heritage Site in 1979 and it is still being used today by merchants, shop keepers and residents in apartment buildings and let’s not forget the many tourist that visit. All within the walls of the palace.
Split not only has a magnificent ancient building but also striking contemporary architecture. It is a stylish, delightful, vibrant city. A leisurely stroll on the gorgeous wide avenue bordering the Adriatic Sea is a must. They haven’t gone the Euro way-Croatia has its own currency, the Kuna and seemed like a thriving industrious town, very aware of the tourist trade and the impact on its economy.
One interesting thing I found out from our tour guide-the cravat-otherwise know as a tie, originated in Croatia not Italy or France.
Croatia was never on my list of must see places but it is now. I will go back to Split, but will include Dubrovnik and Pula as well. If I hadn’t gone on the cruise, I would never have seen Split. Cruising is a wonderful way to ‘discover’ the world one wonder at a time and you can decide if a specific place is worth a more thorough visit.
More about Roman Emperor Diocletian and his palace in the next blog.
Till next time,
Margot Justes
http://margotsmuse.blogspot.com
http://www.mjustes.com/
A Hotel in Paris ISBN 978-1-59080-534-3
Till next time,
Margot Justes
http://margotsmuse.blogspot.com
http://www.mjustes.com/
A Hotel in Paris ISBN 978-1-59080-534-3
3 comments:
Never been to Split, but I can testify that cruises are the most incredible way to travel. In addition to the luggage staying put, there's no drivng involved!!!!!!!
Beautiful pictures. A whole different world!
Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
I agree cruises are the best, I didn't mention driving only because I'm a quirky driver and ususally manage to get around it. It is a different and wonderous world.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
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