Aspilatos and Diocletian’s Palace

We headed north today along the Adriatic coast past the Naredva River Valley and Bacina Lakes with a stop in Makarska on the Makarska Riviera. In passing through Croatia, you spend about 15 minutes passing through Bosnia-Hercegovina. We ended in swanky Split, the site of Emperor Diocletian’s palace as well as a popular locale for modeling agency scouts to find their fresh, young, tall, gorgeous talent. Split is the name of a town that has no meaning, but it is a derivation of the Greek “Aspilatos.” Emperor Diocletian was a Greek and his 1,702 year old palace walls are an odd and disturbing combination of ancient UNESCO historic site with a retail and modern area above that’s home to residents, shops selling tourist crap and local jewelry. The upper story has become a “modern art” gallery used by graphiti artists. More about Diocletian and his Dalmatian empire (Dalmatia was a Roman province) here.

Our accommodations at the President Hotel revealed a huge suite with a TV bigger than our front door at home, a sitting parlor, a water bed (ow, my back!) and a very funky Orgasmatron-like shower with a Jacuzzi and other water jet orifices inside all sprouting water out at various settings.