Split: Diocletian Knew a Good Thing

Rome was turning in to a bit of a smelly mess. The endless competition of the political set made it a chancy place to live. The expectations of the citizens could bankrupt you.

The army was not what it once was and the navy was dicey. So when retirement time came in the 4th century, a smart thing was to get out of Dodge. Diocletian knew a good thing when he saw one. Besides, he grew up in this area having been born in Solin, just outside of Split.

Diocletian Palace in Split

At Split, the weather was better. There were no swamps so malaria was zero. The wine was much better than the local Roman plonk.

Fresh seafood was constantly available as was freshwater plus Spit was a virtually impregnable fortress so Diocletian brought together a few billion Sisterces and had the locals build a monumental palace for his declining years. 

Diocletian Palace Today

The proof of his wisdom is seen in how easily Split and his palace has adjusted to the changing fashion of politics and tourism. Pizza parlours fit in as required. Basements will cool wine for eternity. Markets slide in along the walls and hotels fitted in easily in the rebuilt ruins. The genius of flexible architecture. 

UNESCO declares world heritage sites where a semi-famous movie star drops a hanky but in some cases, they make great decisions. No one will ever regret a visit to Split in the magnificent remnant that is left for all of us to enjoy.

Dubrovnik in November

This is November 8, and we are in Dubrovnik Croatia. Maybe, for many people, this is not the best time to travel here. Most tourist businesses close down, some beaches are closed and some of the boat tours no longer operate. It is a bit chilly as well when compared with...let's say Cancun. But you know what, we are enjoying ourselves immensely.

From our week-long experience so far, the weather was fine for many days. We were in t-shirts for some of them and some folks even waded in the water in their bathing suits. On our 7th day, it rained but there were times during the day when the sun was bright and was able to take long wanders in the Old City. Today, we even booked a private tour to a local island and I saw a man on the island, not on his wet suit either, swimming his laps while others were fishing and sailing. If you want a beach burn, go elsewhere. But if Fall? Spring weather works for you, come now.

Yes, most tours are still on. The other day, we went on a Panoramic Tour into the hills with a group from a Cruise ship. Tomorrow, we will go to Montenegro. I have seen still many tourists getting into boats to Lokrum or the other islands. Here's a picture I took on today.'s adventure.

View of the Old City of Dubrovnik

Here's another picture of the Banje Beach close to the old city. It is still open as of today. 

Banje Beach

Many good restaurants are still open to serve the visitors especially those coming from the Cruise ships and there are many arriving each day so you still have good restaurants to choose from. The hot dog stands and their ilk have packed and moved to Greece.

Stradun in Dubrovnik

What you won't have is the huge crowd of over 10,000 tourists during the summer. You can stroll the old city at leisure, walk the walls without fighting the crowd and not suffer from the sweltering heat of the strong summer sun.  If you are a 3-city-a-day tourist, come in summer. If you like to walk, think and ask questions (maybe learn something!!!!) come now.

The best of all, as summer fades, prices go down for hotels, restaurants, tours and other services. So, in November enjoy a trip to Dubrovnik.