Ancona Picking up from yesterday's blog written on the train to Ancona. Our first taste of Ancona was making the classic tourist mistake of taking a taxi from the train station to the ferry ticket terminal for €15 only to find there was a free shuttle bus (travel tip - always check ahead online). Oddly I didn't mind this apparent rip-off as the taxi driver was a master of communicating through Siri and a language translator. It was a fascinating study of the modern world, where he couldn't speak any English but he was determined to give us an informative and valued journey the seven minutes to the ticket office. He drove one handed and spoke into his phone - very long sentences, and then passed the phone over to us to read and listen to the translation. And there were very few Siri errors. We had forty five minutes before boarding the ferry to explore the old heart of Ancona. It was an interesting old town, with the square and church surrounded by restaurants, which in typical Italian fashion don't open until after 7pm. So we had to take one of the few options available and rush a quick meal before boarding. The ferry itself was much better than expected (Garth please note). Our matrimonial suite was called Paris. It was right at the top of the boat, which was surprisingly tall and top heavy looking. We had a queen sized bed, and onsite with shower, which after travelling from Singapore was most welcome. There was not a lot of room for bags! Ferry Crossing As our photos show we had a magnificent sunset that evening and set off in the dark. It was a great nights sleep - where lying flat for sleep was such a luxury. Was only woken at 3.30am by what I accessed as a 5.2 magnitude shake as the whole boat shuddered; otherwise a very smooth pleasant sailing completed with breakfast delivered in our room at 5.50am. We both recommend this ferry as a great way to get to Split. Split Well what a surprise Split has been. A revelation we had not appreciated before we left NZ. We have had a full day exploring the old town and palace complex dating back to 350 AD. Much of the original palace complex is still intact, including the walls of the palace. We hired a guide and spent 90 minutes exploring the he history and getting some local insights into the more recent Croation/Serbian history. These more recent events are hard to understand when you meet the people, who are all friendly, and largely English speaking (which was another surprise). I shocked the locals by being out in shorts and short sleeve shirt. I struggled to find anyone out in shorts - not even the tourists. Everyone was wearing longs and jackets, and we thought it was a beautiful summers day temperature in NZ. I received a lot of attention this day for such attire, but I think of myself as the first Godwits returning for the summer. (Postscript: the weather this week in Croatia has been amazing. It has turned to warm spring weather, unlike last week which was very cold across Croatia apparently). Michelle enjoyed some shopping, and I explored some of the older buildings including the cellars and plumbing of the Romans. I was fascinated by the pipe work they created out of blocks of stone where they carved out round tubes through the middle and created a lip at one end to allow two blocks to interconnect. Think very old stone Lego blocks. I also climbed most of the central tower build in the 13th Century, and was again left in wonder as to how did they lift such massive blocks of stone so high up a vertical structure. A structure which unlike most other towers I have experienced before was completely unsupported on the inside - not interconnecting floors, and very open porticos. Having experience a mild sea-breeze from up the tower, I'm very surprised this tower is still intact end as the wind pressure on the structure must be massive, where there is no cross bracing. These were all thoughts after the fact. Whilst I was climbing the rusty steel stairway all I could think about was Cave Creek! There was no regulation as to how many people were allowed in at any one time. The stairs were designed for one way traffic, and I would hate to think what the weight bearing was on some loose steel supports. This and the wind kind of spoiled an amazing view and location. To complete the sense of history, we had a baritone group singing in the square below. This is one of the Game of Thrones filming sites, and there are moments such as the basements which I can recall from the series. I suspect the next week will be like this. We are starting to enjoy a coffee in some public space to soak up the local environments (called resting weary legs). The coffee is cheap and good quality. Think $2 for the most expensive. Dinner was spent at a local restaurant - local in flavour and style, and local to the hotel. Hotel Luxe is a great location and very interesting room design. We have a glass walled bathroom which opens into the bedroom. It's like visiting a peek show in Amsterdam except its your partner you are viewing. one of our more interesting room designs after years of travel. Tomorrow we are off to Hvar for a day trip. More on this tomorrow along with plans for my first drive on the right handside of the road - yes I'm hiring a car in Croatia! This might be the second to last blog from me.