As it was our first visit in Croatia, we decided to see three of its popular cities: Pula, Split, and Dubrovnik. On Day 5, we drove from Pula to Split, traversing the good roads of the country passing through varied mountainous terrain. We stood by the Krka arch bridge and appreciated the beauty of the surrounding river and canyon. In the afternoon, we strolled around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the historical city complex of Split with the Diocletian Palace. Split is a coastal city, the second largest in the country after its capital Zagreb. It is also a filming location for Game of Thrones.
Here’s our entire route for the trip, c/o Google Maps:
We had a great night at “sky” apartment in Pula, and was thankful that Missan the car survived outside. I spent a few more minutes to absorb the aerial beauty of Pula from the apartment window before we left at around 8am. The accommodation received this review from us: “A comfortable one night stay: mazing views from the window/balcony. Free parking. We took uber to the city center.“
We paid the toll fee and continued the roadtrip, into tunnels and winding highways. Luckily, we were graced with a beautiful sunny weather. We stopped by a gas station somewhere in Ravna Gora a couple of hours later to have some food. Did you know that there are bears in Croatia? I didn’t know that, until we saw a poster by the restaurant. There are approximately 900 brown bears in the country. Other wild animals in the country are wild boars, wolves, marten, deer and stag.
We were awed by the “textures” of Croatia – rolling hills, green mountains, desert mountains.. The roads were also okay and we didn’t encounter any traffic related mishaps at all. Perhaps a little jam here and there, but in general, it was a smooth drive.
We reached Jasenice at 1pm. We did another stopover for some cold beverage. I could imagine visitors getting blown away by these surrounding views:
Our next stretching / icecream stop was by the Krka Bridge in Lozovac at around 2pm. I was so glad we stopped there, because the views were absolutely amazing! The arch bridge is made of concrete and is 391 meters long. It was opened in 2005. From there, you can get a glimpse of the Krka river canyon. There’s also the Gospa od Puta (Mother and child) statue in the viewing platform. From there, one can get a quick glimpse of the area. Krka National Park is also a popular destination in Croatia, with its 7 waterfalls and monastery. We didn’t get to explore the national park, perhaps another day, but we enjoyed and appreciated the views from a distance.
Before leaving the resting place, we enjoyed some ice cream popsicle. It was so good on a hot, hot day! We continued the trip towards the coast to the Adriatic Sea, and reached Split at around 3:30pm. Historically known as Spalato, the city has also gone through many changes. It was first founded as a Greek colony. Then, it became a seat of Roman power, where the emperor Diocletian built his palace. Like Pula, it was caught in the middle of the fights between Venice and Croatia. This is just a quick overview, a gist. It’s probably more complicated than this – with powers fighting over territories. But in the end of it all, Split became an official part of the republic of Croatia. More about Split and its history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split,_Croatia.
We checked in at Hotel Batuda, took a nap, had dinner, and then took an uber to the city center. Oh, we had to try some authentic Croatian cuisine, and I chose the black risotto or crni rižot, made black by squid ink. As one can imagine, it has an intense seafood taste and arome, which was good! It was a bit too salty for my taste, but I enjoyed it.
From 5pm to 8:35 pm, we roamed around the old city center, which was teeming with people! It was so alive that it was a bit hard to take photos. We checked out the expansive Diocletian’s Palace, built in the 4th century AD, and was initially meant to be his retirement home. The palace was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones, particularly as the slave city of Meereen.
We didn’t have any map of the city. Starting from the Aurea Gate, we just walked from gate to gate, through narrow alleys and under and through tunnels and cellars. We also went out and towards the promenade, which was very refreshing. It had a laidback vibe, with people enjoying meals and drinks outside, but at the same time, the city was vibrant and alive, with dynamic activities going on in all corners! However, the sunset was not as warm and dramatic as in Pula.
We went back in and through the shopping alley. Then up again. This palace complex was like a whole community, with churches and quarters.
All in all, Split seemed like a very romantic city, aside from teeming with history and culture. We could imagine going back in Croatia, spending vacation there. Carl even mentioned retiring there a couple of times. Haha 😀 Anywhere warm is good enough for me, so why not? After some grocery shopping, we went back to the hotel, our senses well-fed, and we’re excited to continue the trip the next day. Until then! ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE. Cheers! 🙂 #spreadloveandpositivevibes
PinayOdyssey 
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