This morning we met our guide who introduced himself "Hi, my name is Hrvoje but for those of you who have trouble with so many consonants please call me Harry". We figured we were off to a good start on our walking tour of Split.

Split is the second largest city in Croatia, with just over 200,000 inhabitants, and is the largest city on the Adriatic coast. Split dates back from the 6th century BC and is most famous for the palace built by Roman emperor Diocletian in 305AD.

The Diocletian's Palace complex could accommodate up to 9000 people and held three temples along with a huge mausoleum. The substructure was only revealed after WW2 and until 1979 the palace was used as a disco. UNESCO intervened and moved to protect the site. There are 4 entrances to the complex: the Gold Gate (for the emperor), the Silver Gate (for soldiers), the Brass Gate (for ordinary citizens and the Iron Gate (for slaves).Marvel at how the locals have managed to evolve and live within the Palace footprint in the many centuries since the Palace was constructed and still live there today. Unfortunately some of the houses have fell into disrepair as the original owners are still having difficulty gaining ownership following the fall of the Communist regime.

The Duje Cathedral (Cathedral of St Dominius - patron saint of Split) was originally built - at the same time as the palace - as a mausoleum for Emperor Diocletian (who died in 313 AD), his remains vanished a few centuries later. In the 7th century, those who had fled to nearby Salona after it was attacked turned the mausoleum into a cathedral - and placed in it the bones of their Bishop, Domnius, whose execution had been ordered by Diocletian himself. Tombs lay beneath the floor and the interior is exquisite. The belltower of the Cathedral is 66m high and you can climb to the top for views over Split....not an activity for people with a fear of heights! .Jupiters Temple, now the Baptistery of St John, is well worth a visit. The vaulted ceiling contains masks of tragedy and comedy surrounded by floral decorations. The font was constructed in the 11th century and baptism was by immersion.

On the western side of the Palace is the People's Square on which is the old town hall which was built in the 15th century. A visit to the museum provided us with interesting facts and visions of what life was like within the palace during its heyday.

The remarkable statue of Gregory of Nin (Grgur Ninski)- is one of the most visited sites in Split. Grgur Ninski was a Croatian religious leader from the 10th century said to have been the first person to speak Croatian in Church (all Latin beforehand). The big toe on the statue's left foot is shiny gold, having been rubbed by many people over the years - rubbing it is said to bring good luck.

We finished our walking tour on the new promenade where Hrvoje pointed out the numerous sidewalk cafes telling us that there is "always time for coffee in Croatia". Whilst many took up the offer we decided to further explore this city with a walk up to the top of Marjans Hill for a scenic view of the whole city. Around the top of the hill are a number of tiny churches and sculptures to be seen. There are LOTS of steps but the views are well worth it.

We got back into the city and decided it was time for a drink. Stopped at the promenade cafes to be told " not at the moment a big storm is coming" as the staff were scurrying to pick up all the cushions etc. Within 10 minutes the heavens opened up....with no umbrella I got totally drenched but was able to take refuge in a shop. The storm lasted for about 20 minutes and then the sun came out again. So glad we were not on top of the hill when this occurred !!!

I really liked Split and would return to explore further as there seems to be so much to see and do which we did not achieve in our short time here.......