Ancient Salona: Where Gargoyles Go to Die

Member of our tour tries out a grave at ancient Salona

If there was ever a place that gargoyles would prefer to die, it would be the ancient city of Salona. I went there on a tour that included ancient Salona and medieval Trogir while cruising on the Norwegian Jade. Founded by the Romans and very close to Diocletian's Palace at Split, Croatia, the ancient city is amazingly well preserved. It had all the requisite Roman city items: walls, a forum, a theater and an amphitheater. But what makes this site so wonderful is the amount of preservation. After having been to Olympus, Greece where all the good stuff is in the museum, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the ruins in their natural state.

Map of the ancient Salona site

Well preserved Ancient Salona near Split, Croatia

Ancient Salona became the capital of the Roman Province of Dalmatia, according to Wikipedia. More information on this gargoyle-inspired and spiritual place can be found here. We spent about an hour walking around. 

Detail of the ruins at Ancient Salona

I could have taken a few more hours without the other tourists. We had a unique crowd on our tour bus, a large group of retired military and their wives. They fought over seats on the bus like we were going to war. It was embarrassing the way they hogged the front seats.

Our group including retired military men and their wives

But the place was awesome and I just did what I always do, made the most of it. 

St. Lawrence Cathedral of Trogir

Portal of St. Lawrence

Closeup of the Lion from the Portal of St. Lawrence

 The Portal of the St. Lawrence Cathedral at medieval Trogir in Croatia has to be one of the most impressive portals I have ever seen. The only one that comes close is the Portal left in Lisbon. I say left as the rest of the Church was destroyed by an earthquake, and the Portal is all that remains. The St. Lawrence Cathedral has a pleasant interior, although quite small. But what remains with me almost a year after I saw it, is the amazing entrance.

More detail of the Portal of St. Lawrence Cathedral

More information can be found on the St. Lawrence Cathedral by clicking this link ... Trogir Cathedral. This information is from Wikipedia. Remember to donate to Wikipedia, if possible, as it is operated solely on donations and I like that. No advertising!

Wonderful gargoyle-inspired creatures

Trogir is an amazing place. It is easy to feel as if you have entered a medieval world while here, and I liked it so much better than Split. 

Little girl from our cruise

One of my favorite shots is of a little girl I photographed throughout the day on our tour of Salona and Trogir. What a beauty! 

I highly recommend Trogir for a truly gargoyle-inspired day!

Graffiti at Split, Croatia

Graffiti at Split

I was so torn before I left on my trip that I would have enough time to see all that Split, Croatia had to offer. I had a tour out of town to visit an ancient site and a medieval city. Both were great and I will report on those later, but my concern was to get back to see Split.

More graffiti at Split

I had time luckily to get a quick walk around the Diocletian Palace, but it really was not what I expected. Split is filled with so much graffiti, it is hard to appreciate the Roman Emporer's Palace, which by the way, is all underneath the town. It is nothing like Dubrovnik, which is beautiful and graffiti-free.

Split graffiti

Graffiti on every downtown buildng at Split

I can appreciate what I call urban wall art, but what was at Split was really not appealing. The sad thing is it is everywhere. Split is a pretty large city and has the look of urban poverty I find so sad. Lots of people with troubled faces patiently waiting for buses was the common theme all around Split.

But I loved Dubrovnik even more than the first time. Go figure!

Back to Croatia: Part of Eastern Europe

Map of Eastern Europe

I don't know about you, and maybe it has a lot to do with when I grew up(the old Cold War era,) but I really don't know that much about Eastern Europe. Many of the countries were part of the Soviet Bloc. In school, it was more about fear than it was about knowledge as far as Russia was concerned, so I don't remember learning about the history or geograpy of this area. 

On my upcoming cruise, I will be stopping at two places in Croatia and one in Slovenia. I have been to Dubrovnik before and was struck by the beauty of the Adriatic Sea. More information on the location of these countries can be found here.

Old town Riga, Latvia

Aerial view Riga, Latvia

I only hope that Split is as beautiful as Riga, Latvia, which I did on a Baltic cruise in 2010. I think it will be. As much as I loved Dubrovnik, I'm not too keen on revisiting a place, so I picked a tour to the countryside this time when we port at Dubrovnik. I am sure it will be fun!

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Hopefully I can continue to explore all these countries and make up for what I didn't learn in school!

Split About Split (Croatia)

Diocletian Palace street at Split from Wikipedia

It's about time I finally got down to checking out the areas of my cruise next month. I already signed up for excursions, and honestly I am really glad I did, as most of them are already closed out. It will probably be a big free-for-all on the Norwegian Jade the first day trying to sort out everybody's shore excursions. 

One place I was really happy to get away from and see some medieval towns was Split, Croatia. Little did I realize the town itself has so much to offer. The Diocletian Palace, built at the turn of the 4th century by Roman Emporer Diocletian, looks spectacular. I found some photos on Wikipedia today that blew me away. Gargoyles would sure be comfortable here!

So I got out my cruise docs, checked the time of my tour and lo and behold, we get back to Split early enough, I should be able to do a private trip to see the Palace. Those are usually the best parts of my days. Traveling solo can make visits to places by myself a little daunting, but by going with a group in the morning, I usually befriend some kind soul who is willing to trek around the town with me in the afternoon. That is my hope.

Spinx in Split from Wikipedia

There is an underground area of the Diocletian Palace that looks like it has great shopping as well.

Underground the Diocletian Palace from Wikipedia

More information on this magnificent Palace can be found on Wikipedia here.

Hopefully I will get to see Ancient Salona, Medieval Trogir and the Diocletian Palace at Split all in one day. Gargoyles, here I come!

Dubrovnik: Gargoyles Found

Dubrovnik was the first stop of our Holland America cruise, Roman Empire. It  is a hidden gem on the Adriatic Sea. The color of the sea reminds me of where I live, Cozumel, with its clarity and color. I believe the water is a lot colder though. Add mountain vistas, gargoyles and medieval buildings - you begin to see why I loved Dubrovnik. This is definitely a gargoyle post, with a definite lack of graffiti. 

In the middle ages, it was known as Ragusa, and rivaled Venice for maritime activities. Some more info on its history can be found here 

Gorgeous fountain on our walking tour

Dominican monastery courtyard

We did a walking tour of the old part of the city and went to an outdoor cafe afterwards for lunch.

Fort Lovrijenac

One of our stops was at Fort Lovrijenac. It can be seen from all over. More information on this fort can be found here

A great day was had by all in our group, but in all honesty, other than the fort and the view from the vantage point on the bus tour, all of the city of Dubrovnik was very accessible. If I go back, I would definitely do Dubrovnik without a tour and just walk around and soak up all the gargoyle effects.

Our tour bus

Dubrovnik & Corfu: Heavenly Sea Views

Corfu, Greece

On our Roman Empire cruise, our first stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia. Second stop was Corfu in Greece. I was hard pressed to decide which has more magnificent sea views, the Adriatic Sea near Dubrovnik or the Mediterranean Sea near Corfu. Both are so amazing because the hilly or mountainous terrain on these islands creates lookouts for Heavenly sea views.

You decide. Which do you like more?

Dubrovnik Adriatic sea view

Paleokastritsa Beach in Corfu

Vlacheraina monastery at Corfu

View near Dubrovnik

In and around Dubrovnik, the Adriatic sea is a deep blue and on Paleokastritsa Beach in Corfu, the water of the Mediterranean is so clear, it reminds me of my hometown of Cozumel.

Where is this? Answer at end of post.

Corfu pier

More information can be found on Corfu here. Info on hotel options by Paleokastritsa Beach, in my opinion one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, can be found here.

Information on Dubrovnik, Croatia can be found here. Personally, I think they are both magnificent and would be thrilled to go back either place.

Lastly, no post would be complete without some art or architecture so here goes.

From Achilleion Palace in Corfu



Answer from above: Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Dubrovnik Croatia: A Medieval Delight

The last few days I have been reminiscing about a Holland America cruise I went on with my niece called Roman Empire on the Holland America Noordam. We visited Croatia, some ports in Italy and Greece and Malta - from Rome to Rome. I remembered how beautiful the Adriatic Sea was in Dubrovnik, but I hadn't fully appreciated the old medieval buildings. Looking at the photographs again, I am struck by their beauty. This is definitely a gargoyle post!

 First for the gorgeous scenery ...

So lush and green

Sarah and me (on the right)

Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea

We took a bus tour through the countryside and the views were awe-inspiring. When we returned to the town, my niece and I took a stroll around and bought some paintings made by local artists and had lunch at an outdoor cafe. In all sincerity, I don't remember what I ate but I do remember the town. It is delightful!

Now on to the medieval streets and statuary:

Mix of old and new!

Beautiful courtyard

More information on Dubrovnik and Croatia can be found here