Split doesn’t ever lose it’s magic for me – the tiny streets that wend their way through the palace, the open ‘trgs’ with cafes dotted around, the unexpected way that you can turn up in the opposite direction to where you thought you were heading.
We wandered around the shops, did the basement history tour, looked in the beautiful Katedrala (actually, I didn’t go in, my dress had too much shoulder exposed) and then ate a delicious late afternoon meal with a friend.
As the evening wore on, the streets filled with people wandering, meeting for coffee and wine, meandering with gelatos.
And then we had the most wonderful experience – we were heading up a small alley and heard a klapa group singing – we quickly followed the sound until we found them – four young guys singing in the most beautiful harmony, unaccompanied, just singing in the vestibule for the joy of the acoustics. There was no expectation of donations, no promotional thing going on, just singing - because they could.
The vestibule (to quote the guide book) is the best preserved part of the imperial palace. The circular ground floor is topped by a cupola which was once covered in mosaics – although the centre of the dome has disappeared and is now open to the sky. There are various alcoves in the bricked walls which add to the acoustics. The sound was magical and we stood transfixed through four songs. And then they just wandered away.
Our apartment is in the Diocletian Palace itself, four stories above the evening murmur of the people gathered in the cafés on the riva. Kids are running around, teenagers are doing what teenagers do. It’s pleasant. I can’t think of any other way to describe what I see out the window. Pleasant and family and relaxed. A great way to finish the day.
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