Enjoying Split, Croatia

We have spent The past week in the coastal city of Split.  The combination of the Adriatic coast and an impressive old town, with structures dating back to Roman times, makes this a worthwhile place to visit.  However, what has made Split memorable for us is the home that we've rented and our host, Zarko.

I must admit that before arriving in Split and hearing that someone named Zarko would meet us at the train station I had visions of meeting a violent end at the hands of a mafia henchman.  Instead, we were greeted by this charming and enthusiastic fellow who couldn't wait to help get us settled in.  Educated as an economist and previously employed by the local government as a project manager, Zarko realized that his passion was in creating economy, so he went to work for himself managing the family rental property, growing organic figs, and starting-up a landscaping business.  We hired Zarko to take us out on his boat and we had a great time out on the water.  He pointed out properties that were owned by Tito and tennis great Goran Ivanisevic (Goran's is nicer) and took us to a couple of nice beaches.  It was almost like boating with my friend Craig on Kalamalka Lake except instead of packing beers Zarko brought us freshly picked fruit from his farm.

The house we stayed in was Zarko's childhood home and it was great.  It had most of the comforts of home (well, a sports channel would have been nice) and a large outside deck engulfed in plants.  Alex enjoyed giving the local kitty cats bowls of milk each morning.  We were only a few minutes from the ocean and a park with playgrounds for Alex.  The main town was about a 20 minute walk away.  Some days we didn't even make it into town.  We were so comfortable we could have lived here forever.

We still have more than half of our trip remaining, but I suspect that Split will be one of the high points.  However, nothing lasts forever (just ask the Romans) and it is time for us to move on.  Tomorrow we head south to the city of Dubrovnik.