Balkans Road Trip: Day 6 – Šibenik, Trogir, and Split

It may have been labour day today, but I have consistently been working my butt off as a driver and today was no exception. In the morning, Yang and I travelled to Šibenik, a quiet coastal town overlooked by three forts. The paths in Šibenik are narrow and steep, offering seaside views some in some places and glimpses of churches at others. After climbing to Saint Michael’s Fortress, we walked down to the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Saint James, a multi-levelled structure with wholesome round gables and an elegant rose window.

As we left along the sea to return to our car, a marching band with drums and wind instruments filed out to the promenade playing an upbeat tune. They were dressed in black and white national dress, in what we guessed was a celebration of May 1st. We passed them again as we drove up to Barone Fortress, from where we got beautiful views not only of Saint Michael’s Fortress but of the entire city.

Our next destination was Trogir, whose historic centre is a curious island town just within sight of a dark curtain of mountains. Its narrow, stoney paths wind their way through countless arches like in a medieval Mediterranean maze, occasionally spitting out pedestrians by a bustling town square or by the relaxed seaside promenades. Taken in by the elaborately decorated Saint Lawrence’s Cathedral with its lions and sculptures of Adam and Eve, we bought tickets and climbed all the way up to the top of the bell tower.

After losing and finding our way over and over again in the old town, we also climbed the watchtower of Kamerlengo Castle, which offers great views of the major churches in Trogir on the foreground of Dalmatia’s dramatic mountains. Today was another day when I indulged my love of mussels over lunch, and I would repeat that at dinner with an extravagant clam and mussel risotto.

Having finished at Trogir at around three o’clock, we decided it best to leave some of Split for the next day and to visit Klis Fortress instead. Just east of Split, this building is a popular destination for day trips and takes pride in having been one of the filming locations for the famous TV show Game of Thrones. The more interesting thing about Klis, however, is its long history, with the fortress having changed hands between the many groups that once ruled parts of Croatia: the Romans, the medieval Croatian kings, the Hungarians, the Ottomans, the Venetians, and the Habsburgs. There is quite an interesting interactive exhibition about this history at the fortress museum.

We finally descended into Split towards the evening. Despite having resolved to only walked down the promenade, I ended up being drawn by Diocletian’s Palace and we got sucked into the old city for quite a while. The Roman remnants of Split are quite substantial – the only city we have seen so far that compares in this regard is Pula with its glorious amphitheatre. Its promenades are also very broad, though perhaps to a fault. Those at Zadar, for example, seemed much more comfortable and intimate.

The Cathedral of Saint James
The Cathedral under Saint John's Fort
A clothesline
Šibenik Bridge
The Cathedral of Saint James from above
The view from Saint Michael's Fortress
The views of the city from Saint Michael's Fortress
Another view from Saint Michael's Fortress
The same
Views of the fortress itself
More pictures of streets in Šibenik
The garden in the Church and Monastery of Saint Lawrence
A cat who kept entering my pictures, so I took a picture of it on my own terms
A plaque memorialising the Partisans
The Cathedral of Saint James
The Arcades of the City Hall
Statues outside Saint James' Cathedral
The cathedral entrance
The view from Barone Fortress
The Tower of Saint Mark in Trogir
An archway in Trogir
Saint Lawrence Cathedral in Trogir
Adam and a lion at the entrance to the cathedral
The cathedral entrance
The altar and pulpit of Saint Lawrence Cathedral
A chapel at Saint Lawrence Cathedral
A detail on the altar
The view from the tower of Saint Lawrence Cathedral
The baptismal pont
More streets in Trogir
The Church and Monastery of Saint Dominic
Kamerlengo Castle
The view from Kamerlengo Castle
A broader view
Saint Mark's Tower
Another view from Kamerlengo
The Memorial to the Defenders of Trogir
Klis fortress
Another view of Klis Fortress
Klis Fortress from close-up
A blossoming tree at Klis Fortress
The view from Klis Fortress
The path leading through Klis Fortress
A tower at Klis
More views of Klis Fortress
The same
The view of the mountains from Klis Fortress
Saint Vid Church
A lookout post at Klis Fortress
More views from Klis Fortress
The same
The Palace of Diocletian in Split
The main square of Diocletian's Palace in Split
A dark sphinx at Diocletian's Palace
A lion at Saint Domnius Cathedral
The sphinx again
The Church and Convent of Saint Francis
The Church of Saint Francis on the promenade in Split
The Cathedral of Saint Domnius
The waterfront in Split
Gregory of Nin by the bell tower of the Holy Arnir

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