Split: Across The Ages
By most accounts, Emperor Diocletian was a good ruler. He stabilized the Roman Empire after a long period of strife, secured its borders, introduced administrative reforms and actually did something that no Roman emperor had done before him – abdicate the throne willingly and retire. But towards the end of his reign he indulged in the persecution of Christians, said to be the most severe … Continue reading Split: Across The Ages
Split: An Emperor’s Palace
A nice retirement home in a beautiful location is a dream for many of us and the Roman emperor Diocletian was no different. Now, retirement is not a word that is usually associated with emperors, but in 305 AD, after 21 years of rule, Diocletian became the first Roman emperor to voluntarily abdicate his throne and retire. To spend his retirement days, Diocletian had chosen … Continue reading Split: An Emperor’s Palace
The Stormy Šibenik
It happens quite often that places from which we do not have a lot of expectations tend to surprise us. Šibenik was one such city in Croatia which we visited without any expectations but ended up being thoroughly charmed by it. As the 12th largest city in Croatia, Šibenik cannot be called a hidden gem, but it often gets overlooked by the tourists visiting the … Continue reading The Stormy Šibenik
Zadar: Where Ancient Meets Modern
The old town of Zadar has enough things to keep one engaged throughout the day. But despite the abundance of ancient and medieval structures, we found amiss with the town. It just did not have the charm of Istrian towns like Rovinj, Poreč, Grožnjan and Hum. These towns, with their narrow cobblestone streets and stone buildings, had the air of a medieval museum. This ambience … Continue reading Zadar: Where Ancient Meets Modern
Zadar: The Beginning of the Dalmatian Coast
During the previous eight days in Croatia, we had explored the atmospheric Zagreb, the lovely northern town of Varaždin, the charming coastal and hilltop towns of the Istrian peninsula and the magnificent Plitvice Lakes National Park. On the ninth day of our trip, we finally arrived in the region that is Croatia’s biggest claim to fame as a tourist destination – the Dalmatian Coast. A … Continue reading Zadar: The Beginning of the Dalmatian Coast
Plitvice Lakes National Park: The Upper Lakes
We have found that sometimes places which are really famous and hyped a lot fail to live up to that hype. Fortunately, Plitvice Lakes National Park was not one of such places. It promised plenty and delivered even more than what it had promised. In the previous post we wrote about how, after an adventurous drive to Plitvice and a walk along the magnificent lower … Continue reading Plitvice Lakes National Park: The Upper Lakes
Plitvice Lakes National Park: The Crown Jewel of Croatia
Back in the school days, the books told us some interesting facts about water – like 71% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, or 60% of the human body is made up of water etc. What the books didn’t tell us is that water is also an agent of magic that has the ability to cast a hypnotizing spell on humans. Now if … Continue reading Plitvice Lakes National Park: The Crown Jewel of Croatia
Istria: Magical, Little Hum
According to a local legend, after building all the hilltop towns in Mirna river valley in central Istria, the giants had only a few stones remaining which they used to build one last town. I guess the number of stones left with the giants must have been barely any because that last town – Hum – turned out to be the smallest town in the … Continue reading Istria: Magical, Little Hum
Istria: The Walled Town of Motovun
Our fourth and final day in Istria began with a day trip to the most famous and best-preserved medieval hilltop town of Istria – Motovun. After visiting Motovun we felt that the town, which is the site of an international film festival in the summer months, had a lot of things working for it – fortifications dating from the medieval era, magnificent views all around … Continue reading Istria: The Walled Town of Motovun
Istria: Grožnjan – The Charming Town of Artists
If we ever make a list of our top five towns or cities in Croatia then Grožnjan would certainly find a place in it. This little medieval town simply charmed its way into our hearts. In fact, after visiting the town we have started believing that when the adjective ‘charming’ was coined for the hilltop towns of Istria, it must have been done keeping Grožnjan … Continue reading Istria: Grožnjan – The Charming Town of Artists
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