After all of the softball, water polo, camp time, and grad classes (for Dad) were complete, it was time to pack our bags for an adventure. This year, we made the trek across the pond to the east side of Europe and made our way to Croatia! For geographical reference, Croatia is due east across from Italy, separated by the Adriatic Sea. Our first stop was Croatia's second largest city...
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| Split!! |
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| Tired as we were from the flights, we set out on foot to the north gate of town,... |
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| ...rubbed the toe of 'Gregory of Nin' for good luck,... |
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| ...and made our way into the walled compound of Roman ruins known as Diocletian's Palace. |
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| As the sun began to fall, we set our eyes on tomorrow's adventure: climbing this Cathedral Belltower! |
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| Just outside of the Palace we strolled the Riva (waterfront) for the first time and watched the sun set over the marina. Split was already a hit! |
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| After a good night's sleep, we decided to tour Split 'for realz'... |
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| ...and took the 5-minute walk through alley walls back to Diocletian's Palace. |
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| Just like when we traveled together to Ireland in '24 (but way more sunshine!!), these four were up for a fun day. |
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| So, we grabbed a quick photo at the Golden Gate,... |
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| ...and ambled our way to the day's first task... |
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| ... climbing the 183 steps to the top of the Saint Dominus Bell Tower. |
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The views of Split down below...
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| ...and out to Marjan Hill in the distance... |
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| ...were totally worth the climb!! |
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| 4 out of 4 Knapp-Healds agreed!! |
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| Down below, we headed into the Cathedral of Saint Dominus,... |
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| ...a cool, and VERY OLD (finished in 305 AD) octagonal-shaped building meant to be (wait for it!!) the mausoleum for the former Roman emperor Diocletian. |
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Inside, the views on the ground were spectacular, including the 'High Altar ot St. Dominius'...
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| ...and this beautiful 'Baroque Altar of St. Dominius',... |
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| ...and, looking up, the cool construction of the ceiling above. |
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| The neatest part, in my opinion, was these 18-foot-tall wooden carved doors... |
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| ...deeply and intricately carved to tell the story of 'The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ'. |
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The one things not found in the cathedral sitting within Dicoletian's Palace is Diocletian himself. Instead, the sarcophagi of two Christian martyrs, St. Dominus (beheaded)...
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...and St. Anastasius (drowned), are on display. It turns out Diocletian wasn't the nicest dude after all, having dictated orders for the deaths of both saints! Years after his reign and death, Diocletian's remains were removed and destroyed in honor lasting symbol of early Christian faith.
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| Our first day in Croatia was a gorgeous one (a harbinger of the 10 days to come)... |
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| ...so we took advantage to capture some nice family photos. |
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| Truthfully, we could have spent hours and hours... |
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| ...walking around in circles without getting bored. |
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| Diocletian's Palace totally delivered!! |
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| So we grabbed some lunch... |
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| ...to celebrate our first sightseeing adventure! |
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| After a few hours of downtime... |
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| ...and an adults' trip to the beach... |
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| ...we took a long stroll across town... |
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| ...and hiked up Marjan Hill, the hill we saw in the distance from the bell tower that morning. |
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| Who knew Split had a mountain backdrop...what a view!! |
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| Such a great view for a family photo... |
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| ...and some selfies with Dad! |
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| Dinner was at a fun tapas-style place nearby... |
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| ...and we celebrated a fantastic first full day in Croatia!! |
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| On Day 2 we decided to split (ha ha) Split and rented cars for a mini road trip. |
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| We spent a good hour hiking around various vantage points of the falls... |
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| ...we just had to check out the Klis Fortress. For Game of Thrones fans- and we are not- this is the fortress featured as the city of Meereen. GOT has its stamp on much of Croatia, and from what we learned, prices for many tourist activities have doubled because of it! Klis was originally built in 2 BC, but what we saw was likely a more modern version, as it was fought for and destroyed many times over the next 2000+ years! |
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| To access the fortress grounds, we entered this modern-looking gate (built by Austrians in the early 1800's).... |
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| ...some more flamboyantly than others... |
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| It was adults' night for dinner, so we pre-gamed at the Airbnb... |
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| ...and walked along the beach to our dinner reservation... |
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| ...at Dvor... |
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| ...a restaurant that has received a Michelin recommendation. |
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| It was a gorgeous night! |
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| While we watched people enjoying the end of the day in the water down below,... |
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| ...we dined from above... |
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| ...on some great food... |
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| ...and toasted to successful adventures in Split! |
Split was a success, but there would be so much more to come!! Up next, an island-hopping adventure...stay tuned!!
