Split
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Croatia was a former state of Yugoslavia, and Split is Croatia's second largest city with a population of 227,000 resident. Split is one of the tourist destinations and lies on coast. Split was founded by Roman Emperor Diocletian in the 3rd century AD. He retired from politics and constructed his magnificent palace on the rocky shores of the Adriatic Sea. This scenic area is his birth land and a former province of the Roman Empire. The palace still stands to this day and is located in the center of the city. Unfortunately, it went through several modifications during the Middle Ages. The palace was converted to a fortified fortress. Thus, the palace has elements of architecture from the Romans, Middle Ages, and Renaissance. Furthermore, the Palace has been converted to a shopping mall that sells trinkets and gifts to the passengers of cruise ships that dock on the bay.
Split is a beautiful city with friendly people. Several residents even stopped, and gave a lost traveler directionsr. The only downside is Split is a little expensive, because it is a resort town.
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| The Croatian National Theater. |
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| The Prokurative or Republic Square. The square is adjacent to Diocletian's Palace. |
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Croatia
- Area of the country spans 21,851 square miles, making Croatia the 126th largest country in the world.
- The currency is the Kuna.
- The capital is Zagreb.
- In 2009, the population was estimated at 4.8 million, making Croatia the 123th populous country in the world.
- Zagreb is the largest city, and the financial, manufacturing, and political hub of the country.
- Croatia is north of Bosnia and Herzegovina and wraps itself around the norther part of the country.
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| A surprisingly excellent Archeological Museum in Split. I was not expecting much, but this museum has to be the second best that I have seen. The best museum was the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. Split's museum has many well preserved Roman artifacts. Furthermore, observe the eagles perched on the pedestals at the corners of the buildings. |
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| An exquisite Roman tile mosaic in the entrance of the Split Archeological Museum. |
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| The courtyard and Bell Tower of the Cathedral of St. Duje. The Bell Tower of St Dominius was constructed in the 13th century. This Church was Dioclecian's mausoleum. |
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| Inside the Cathedral of St. Duje. The cathedral was Dioclecian's mausoleum. |
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| In the basement of Diocletian's Palace. The basement was convert to a museum and shopping areas. |
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| A courtyard outside the walls of Diocletian's Palace. To the right of the clock is the dark, aged wall to Diocletian's Palace. |
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| The view of the Old Split and the bay from the Bell Tower of Cathedral of St. Duje. |
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| The view of Old Split from the Bell Tower of Cathedral of St. Duje. |
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Zagreb
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Zagreb is the capital of Croatia and is bustling with over 800,000 inhabitants. The metropolis is very European and is divided into two sections: the old city and new city. Most tourists roam throughout the old section. Tourists have plenty of options for gift shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. Customer service was good, and the people are very friendly. Although Zagreb is very European, its prices are more reasonable. Unlike other European cities, Zagreb has almost no stray dogs and cats, and very little beggars. The few beggars in the city usually roam the bus and train stations, searching for wealthy travellers. The only problem is many buildings are defaced with spray painted graffiti. However, the Austrian-Hungarian architecture dominates the skyline and a modern network of trams crisscross throughout the city, making most the city accessible by rail. If you are in the area, Zagreb is worth a couple of days of exploration.
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| Downtown old Zagreb, otherwise known as Jelacica Square. |
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| The towering Cathedral is visible from many spots in old Zagreb. Church service was wonderful. A chorus and large pipe organ reverberated among the cavernous walls between a priest's sermon. |
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| An obelisk stands in front of the Cathedral. Four angels stand sentry around this majestic monument. |
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| The Train Station Corridor. |
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| A side view of the Croatian Theater. |
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| McDonald's is on the other side of the underground shopping mall. The train station building juts in the background. |
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| The main corridor is the train station, while the underground entrance leads to an underground shopping mall. |
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| A city market in downtown old Zagreb. The Cathedral projects itself skyward in the background. |
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| The steeple of an old church and the twins towers of the Cathedral dominate the skyline in old Zagreb. Hidden paths take strollers up onto the hills overlooking old Zagreb. |
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