The ferry landed in Split around 7 am. At least that was when it was due to arrive. But the housekeeping staff on the ship had kicked us out of our cabin well before then and we waited around for what seemed like an unhealthy amount of time in one of the crowded interior passageways for the stairs to open down to the car deck. Even then, we waited in our car for an hour or so, as the Croatian authorities checked all the passengers’ passports, one at a time. When we finally got off the ship, parked the car again near the city’s beautiful waterfront, and found a bayside restaurant for breakfast, it was well past nine.
We had decided to come to Croatia for our second vacation in the time of Covid. Last summer we drove slowly from Rome to southern Austria, avoiding population centers and concentrating on finding places to swim in the summer heat. This year it was Croatia’s turn, with a similar focus on swimming. We chose to take the overnight ferry from Ancona (Italy) to Split (Croatia), partly to avoid too much driving and partly because it sounded like a cool adventure. We had our own cabin and hoped that our vaccinations and the ship’s air filters were capable of keeping us healthy. Even so, we stayed on the open deck as much as possible. It was a full moon crossing!
We only had two nights in Split, dividing our 10-day vacation into four Croatian destinations. But with the early-morning arrival we had a full first day. The city has Greek roots at least back to the 3rd century BC before becoming a Roman settlement (see Diocletian’s Palace) by the 4th century AD. For much of the Middle Ages, Split dominated the area as its own city-state, before a complicated succession of rulers, including Venice, Napoleon, the Hapsburgs, and Yugoslavia, led to Croatian independence in 1991.
Today, Split is firmly enjoying being in the tourist wave that is breaking over the entire Dalmatian coast. It took us a little by surprise, for even though we live in the mega-tourist city of Rome, the last 18 months of very few visitors have made us more comfortable with having fewer people around. But the outside world is definitely returning. The alleyways of old Split were crowded and we heard languages from all over the world. There were bachelor/ette parties bouncing around and reservations had to be made in the more popular restaurants (only eat outside!). The small ferries heading to nearby islands were filled with locals and people looking for the perfect Adriatic beach experience.
After checking into our rental apartment, we too jumped on a boat that gave us a little tour of the city from the vantage of the sea. But really we just wanted to jump into the amazingly clear water on a hot summer day. It was fantastically refreshing. We tried to avoid the tourist crowds as much as possible, but were still drawn to perusing the craft kiosks at the waterfront and enjoying the late-afternoon cocktails by the sea.
On our second day we chose to rent kayaks and paddle around nearby Marjan Park, a forested peninsula within the city limits. It not only gave us the opportunity to swim whenever we wanted, but also to jump into the sea from short rocky cliffs. Unfortunately, the wind came up in the afternoon and the trip was cut short. But that gave us time to explore the second-hand clothing stores in the city, which are probably not part of the regular tourist route.
We enjoyed our time in Split, despite all the people, and will definitely take advantage of the local ferries to the many neighboring islands should we ever find ourselves there in the future. After our second night, we jumped back in the Panda and headed inland. More on that adventure in the next blog installment.