Split, Croatia

From Dubrovnik I drove back along the great coastal road (through Bosnia yet again) and up to Split. I stopped just short of the city where I booked into Stobrec Camping, a big but largely empty campsite with it's own beach. I was also glad to get a proper shower after washing in the sea for the last four days.

From the campsite I biked the 10km or so following the coast into the city centre and first stop was the fantastic Diocletian's Palace, a huge stone walled complex of archways and little cobbled alleys which make up what used to be a Roman emperor's retirement home. Each side of the big square has it's own gateway while each corner has it's own fortified tower but the best part is just walking through the narrow streets and expansive squares which have somehow still maintained their everyday life.

The focus of Diocletian's Palace is right in the centre where the little cathedral is dwarfed by it's huge square tower giving great views out over the city and the sea. Just down the street, you can go underneath the Palace and through the tunnels of the basement halls. The space is now used for exhibitions and a few gift stalls which takes a bit of the drama away.

The city has grown out from the Palace with the harbour to the south and the city expanding to the north. Just outside the northern gateway is the statue of Gregorius, complete with a very shiney toe - touching it is said to bring good luck. Out to the west, Marjan Hill is a peaceful escape from the city with some great paths, viewpoints and little chapels.

On my last day in Split I got up early to catch a ferry across to the Island of Hvar just an hour or so off the coast from the city harbour. I had woken up to glorious sunhine and was headed for the sunniest and warmest place in the whole of sunny and warm Croatia - as a result I wore a tee-shirt and shorts and packed my beach gear.

Typically, on getting off the ferry a thunderstorm struck and the rain continued on and off all day. The ferry stops in the port of Starigrad but the main settlement is Hvar Town so I tried a new method of getting around, hitch-hiking. It proved to be easy and I soon had a lift into town with an Abba-loving semi-pro darts player in his "wife's" purple Fiat Brava.

Hvar Town is a mix of expensive yachts, old stone buildings, and high church belltowers, with plenty of little bars and cafes dotted around for good measure. Looking over the town from the hilltop is the kind of castle that every schoolboy pictures in his head with flags flying from big round turrets and blocky stone battlements. Unfortunately it was closed for winter when I visited but it is still a good place to see the town from above.

Split is a great city and somehow it has retained the normal everyday life which is missing in Dubrovnik. It also makes a great base for exploring the Croatian islands nearby. For now though, there are other places to see so I must make like a banana ...and split.