SPLIT, CROATIA 2

The previous posting shows the lovely coastal town of Split. The remains of Roman Emperor Diocletian's retirement palace (300AD) are part tourist attraction but mainly part of the everyday lives of the Croatians living and working in the former palace walls. We really enjoyed the Cellars with the stout pillars (picture) that supported the living quarters above. The cellars were originally built to level the palace and filled with fresh and salt water. Then the palace was abandoned for a couple of hundred years and in 641 the locals fleeing Slavic invaders moved in and a medieval town began in the rubble. The inhabitants used the cellars as a dump that eventually solidified and the cellars were rediscovered and excuvated just in the last century!! The original Palace walls with the arched windows now support daily markets and shops:) Split is not just for us tourists so we got to see the local fish market where the small fishing boats can display their daily catch. We ate a delicious seafood meal in the restaurant next door to the fish market... but really liked their thin crust pizza the best:)