Early morning on the Riva (water front) near
what was Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace.
(If you,like me, have not done homework on a destination,
you too will believe that it is actually a city!)
We had arrived in Split the previous day,
with not much free time for sight-seeing, other than a quick walking tour.
As our hotel was only a 5 minute stroll from the major tourist attractions,
I decided to get up at 05h00 and wander around,
before the locals or the hordes of tourists could get in front of my lens…
Let me reflect on the time that we spent in this city…
Do you wonder where Santa Claus spends his summer vacation?
Well wonder no more!
I found him on a bench in Split.
He did look a little worse for wear.
Perhaps he was still recovering form December 2016?
Or he is building up ‘courage’ for Christmas 2017.
Washing day?
Seeing that the accommodation in Diocletian’s palace has little or no garden space,
all the washing is hung up in this manner.
Sometimes along the wall of a building,
and more often between buildings in the narrow alleyways
The window shutters fascinated me.
The shadows cast by these two attracted my attention
The rather imposing statue of Gregory of Nin.
A medieval Bishop, he opposed the Pope and the fact that services were being conducted in Latin.
He decided to introduce the national language instead in 926.
This fact was important for both the language and the popularity of Christianity in Croatia.
Here he seems to be giving the finger to organized religion.
This imposing 8.5m statue can be found just outside the walls of the Old City.
It was erected in 1929 and moved outside the city by Italian occupying forces.
In 1954 it was re-erected in its current location where passers-by
rub his toe for good luck.
Photographing stairways became a game between myself
and another member of the tour party.
This is the image that set off the competition…
Split from the far side of the yacht basin.
In the late afternoon with a lone gull
Late night “sparkly thing” shopping with my wife.
Luckily there were no fridge magnets on sale, so no currency changed hands.
Late at night, outside the walls of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace.
This entrance/exit is also known as the Golden Gate.
One of the many streets that wend their way around the city.
The entire area used to be Roman Emperor Diocletian’s palace,
so finding my way around,even as a tourist was relatively easy.
Once the tourists are awake, this square becomes so crowded
that it is difficult to navigate.
Many of the walking tours start here which adds to the chaos.
It is hard to believe that this paving has been around for centuries.
I could only imagine whose feet had trod these streets all those years ago.
For a South African, where our history only goes back to 1652
when the Dutch landed at the Cape,
it is mind boggling to try and comprehend the history of these cities.
My home town of Johannesburg is only 134 years old!
Setting up the produce market at 06h00.
We bought some wonderful fruit here. Especially figs and water melon.
The grapes on offer were huge and the rest of the fruit and vegetables looked tempting.
One of the façades that caught my attention.
A view from the restaurant at the top of Marjan hill,
next to the old Jewish cemetery.
The view from our hotel room!
I spent some time people watching from this vantage point,
without being noticed.
We bought some of the sausage on display.
We spoke no Croatian and the stall holder spoke very little English.
However, whatever the sausage was made of, it tasted delicious.
NOT a happy looking fish.
The local fish market was a couple of blocks from our hotel.
This is the third oldest Synagogue in Europe.
There are only 100 Jews left in Split,
but they have 25% attendance at the Friday night dinners.
There is no Kosher food available in the city,
so members of the congregation have to make do with fish and vegetarian pizza.
My early morning perambulation companions.
I discovered that the majority of street sweepers were women.
The men were seen to be transporting goods around the streets.
My wife and I during an evening walk.
This is what I have to say about Split:
“Uživao sam svoje vrijeme u Splitu i preporučio bih ga kao turističku destinaciju. Ljudi su bili prijateljski i najviše pozdravni“.
Please note that all images, unless otherwise stated, are my IP.
They may not be copied from this Blog posting used individually
without permission and the relevant fees being paid.
We flew with this airline…and many thanks to KLM for the upgrade!
Economy Comfort gives you extra leg room
and a seat that reclines further than the regular economy seats.
An absolute bonus on the Long leg from Jhb- Amsterdam and back.
“Travel & Things” relies on Pentax cameras
and SanDisk,
supplied by
When last did you actually print a photograph?
“Travel & Things” images are printed
at their store in Cresta.
Great service, friendly staff
and more importantly awesome prints.
To find their current specials
or to locate a store nearest to you:
Europcar, the official car rental supplier
to “Travel & Things”
This is how I get about when I am in Johannesburg.
Travel & Things is sponsored by:
Extreme Bike Stealth.
The new way to travel in the city.
http://www.extremebike.co.za
Cool Ideals is my service provider of choice.
They enable me to ensure that my articles
and images are sent fast and effortlessly.
Not to mention all the other benefits that FTTH offers…
Like stability and affordability!
www.cisp.co.za
GammaTek is my powerbank supplier of choice.
One of my problems is often lack of battery power
if I have been using the camera on my phone.
I have tried many “powerbanks”,
but the majority drain before they can fully recharge my device.
This is where this Powerbank has the edge…
it can recharge my phone up to 7 times,
before it needs to be recharged.
To find out more:
All images are the copyright property of 
and may not be used without permission
and may not be used without permission
Follow me on Twitter: @davidbatzofin
Visit my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/david.batzofin
Travel & Things Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/travelandthings
