Split

Arrived by bus in the late afternoon heat after four flights and 16 hours of travel - Vancouver, Frankfurt, Zagreb, Split - so sat down on the Riva (front) and sipped a cold beer (only $2.60). Quaint little "pension" villa up narrow street on west side of town oozing stray cats, terracotta pots and balconies and terraces dripping fresh laundry onto the cobblestones below. Toured the Diocletian Palace today with its many historical sites including the cool basement - the Peristil - under the Palace, much of which has been excavated to reveal its ancient ruins and beams from its original structure. This is a world heritage site after all. Peered into the Sv. Duje Cathedral which can be seen from most points in the city with its tall bell tower. Even crept into the Crypt. The Green Market just outside the Palace gates is a great place to buy anything from fresh food to inexpensive clothing and shoes. Narrow streets burst into large piazzas framed with cafes for people watching, and around every corner lurks another tiny corridor enticing you into this veritable maze.
Tonight most of the crew - that is about 30 people - meet up for a local Croatian feast in a hidden hilltop village somewhere not far away, and tomorrow the bus transports us all via a waterfall park (name tba) en route to provision the boats that await us at Kremik Marina.
My next missive will be after a few days sailing - most likley from Hvar town where internet access is as good as here in Split - and I can recount my first sailing adventures as skippy between Kremik, Brac Island and Hvar Island................watch this space!