Split and Zadar

Split, Croatia is best known for its town center, Diocletian's Palace, which dates back to the 4th Century AD.  Sitting directly on the bay, the palace was built for Emperor Diocletian's retirement.  Most of the walls are intact, it covers a huge area, and it actually IS the old town.  We understand that at one time, it housed about 9000 people.  Apparently, tourists who are wandering around town ask where the palace is, not realizing that they are actually in it!

There are four entrances and a "full" basement, which now houses museums and shops.  Below, we are inside the palace near the eastern entrance:

Leaving the palace area, we wandered along the waterfront for a ways, and came across a sign that made us laugh, but seriously, this says it all.

Got it.


In Zadar, we were docked right next to two of the town's interesting attractions, the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation.  The Sea Organ looks like part of the seaside promenade, but underneath lies a series of ceramic tubes, similar to a pipe organ.  Wave action forces air into and out of the tubes, creating musical sounds.  The Sun Salutation (also called Greeting to the Sun) looks like a helicopter pad as you approach it, but it's really a solar panel with a light show.  The day we were in Zadar was overcast, and the evening was a lttle drizzly, so our photos do not do it justice.  Take a better look and listen to both of these at:   http://goeasteurope.about.com/b/2010/06/13/zadars-sea-organ-and-sun-salutation.htm

Farther up the promenade, we came across this guy:

Zadar sits on a peninsula, and it is possible to walk all the way around, so of course, we did.  We also visited the center of town with its 9th Century St. Donatus church and associated ruins.

Back onto the ship and we're off for the next stop!