We were so tired last night that we were in bed and sound asleep very early. I woke to the smell of fresh croissants baking and the sounds of a choir singing drifting up through the window.

Indulge me for an exceedingly brief description of Split. It is the second largest city in Croatia. The original section , Diocletian’s Palace, and the adjacent Old Town are both car free. This is mostly out of necessity as the streets are extremely narrow and unpredictable in the way they wind about. Goods are transported through the old streets by electrified carts driven by someone standing at the back or front using foot pedals to control and steer – quite cool.

Diocletian was the emperor of Rome from 284 to 305 when he abdicated. He rose through the military ranks and was proclaimed Emperor by the troops. Diocletian was born in Dalmatia and wanted to return there to retire. He was one of the only Roman emperors to actually retire out of office vs the usual route: assassination. He did not enjoy life in Rome. He built a huge palace which is the center of the city of Split today, and a UNESCO heritage site due to the prevalence of roman ruins. Diocletian spent his retirement in the gardens and enjoyed a peaceful life until his death by natural causes in 311. He is buried in a mausoleum within the walls that were converted to a Catholic Church – the oldest in the world.

The second section of Old Town was built in subsequent years as a small settlement outside the gates of Diocletian’s Palace. It is also very beautiful and a bit less travelled than the Palace. Our adventures would take us through both areas of Old Town.

We dawdled about in the morning and finally headed down for breakfast around 9:30. It took me two tries to get a good cup of coffee out of the uncooperative machine, but in the end it was marvelous. The croissants were still warm and delicious. We chatted and took our time deciding what to do for the day, finally heading off for a walk that would take us through the Old Town and up Marjan hill for a view of the entire city.

We began our walk along the Riva – already buzzing with visitors (two huge cruise ships were in the harbour), dogs, children and souvenir sellers.

Just like every Croatian town so far, we encountered a number of happy cats being fed by locals and popping over to see us for a scratch or a kind word.

We bumped into this little guy, staring down into a grate on the street and completely unwilling to move. Rick and Cathy both peered inside, concerned that there might be a trapped kitten inside. I hoped it was a meal that would eventually come out and trip on the cat while trying to escape. In the end, it remained an unsolved mystery.

The walk up the hill was a bit of a hike at times with a mix of old uneven stairs, narrow roads and trails.

We paused a few times along the way to rest on a bench and chat or just observe the breath-taking view. It was a bright sunny day, so quite hot by the time we reached to top.

Since it was Saturday, there were a number of families along the walk, especially near the top, where a large playground and small petting zoo were doing a roaring business.

On the way down we passed an old Jewish Cemetery and I stepped in to have a look. Most of the headstones were old and difficult to read with the combination of Hebrew and Croatian. It did not seem particularly well cared for, and only a few of the head stones had many, or any, stones left as memories by visitors and loved ones.

I collected a few stones in my pocket, walked around and took a moment to leave them on any of the headstones that were bare. Cathy asked me what I was doing and when she understood, she also began collecting stones, laying them on the bare headstones and saying a little prayer. It felt right. It was a tiny graveyard but the hillside was steep and we did not get to all of them, but it was our own personal moment and quite touching.

Back at the bottom of the hill we surveyed the area, which was very pretty; old buildings, lots of trees and greenery with small shops and restaurants.

We decided to have lunch in a tiny restaurant on a small square. Our meal was marvelous. I had an actual salad with Croatian cottage cheese, much closer to feta than anything else I can think of, definitely not the curds we expect when we think of “cottage cheese”. The lettuce was mixed (not just arugula), the black olives local, the tomatoes and cucumber fresh. I had some Spanish Cava to go with it – a perfect meal.

After lunch we headed back towards the Palace. With some pretty heavy rain in the forecast, I wanted to look for a better raincoat so Cathy and I went to the local department store, Prima. It was a rather disappointing collection of small stores inside one giant space. There was nothing remotely suitable for rain, though we did see some beautiful things. No purchases were made. Rick and Ken were waiting in a little park, chatting and drinking cappuccino while they waited for us.

By this time we were all feeling ready for a gelato, so stopped at the first place we could find, back inside the walls of Diocletian’s Palace. Again – delicious. I keep thinking I will weary of all of the gelato but so far, not the case.

Across the street there was a little shop selling local arts and crafts. We had a look inside but found nothing calling our names. Next door was a local jeweller specializing in silver filigree work. We wandered in for a look and debated silver filigree ball pendants, replicas of buttons from formal military uniforms.

Not yet satisfied, we found another silver shop a few doors down the street and it was a wonderful experience. The fellow working in the shop was the son of the jeweller. They both made the rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings. He was clearly passionate about his work and brought out samples of silver wire to show us how the filigree was made. They have a Youtube video that describes it – worth a watch and only a few minutes long: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfxmPUaHgBI&list=PLLTrCeAXSj87GktQN5WJaY7cZ-NyPBhKO&index=1

Cathy bought a small ring and I returned after dinner, Rick and Ken in tow, to purchase a ring as well. The son brought out even more samples and tools to show us how the filigree was made. We were there longer than expected, especially as it was a return trip, but it was enjoyable.

Backing up… We had a short rest at the hotel then headed out for dinner at Makarun restaurant; we had tripped on it the previous night. Yet another Michelin star restaurant hidden away in a small terrace off the street. Dinner was lovely: tomato soup, grilled sea bass and a local dessert resembling crème brulee. Ken was the only one that chose the chocolate ball for dessert. Vanilla ice cream is encased in a chocolate shell that melts into a creamy sauce when warm caramel is poured on top. Quite the artistic triumph! For the first time we opted for a cocktail vs wine and I was quite pleased with my Croatian version of a Manhattan (which the waiter originally said they did not have, even though it was a featured cocktail in the menu).

After dinner was my favourite part of the day! We walked back to the Peristil (or Peristyle), the central square in the Palace. It was filled with people sitting on the surrounding steps. Live music was playing, drinks were being served from the Luxor bar, while children and adults danced and passed through the square. The music was familiar and upbeat and the everyone there sang along. We stayed for over an hour, entertained by the people watching and the music.

It was a perfect day.