Monday September 23rd, 2013 Split, Croatia

Today we had an excellent port day in Split, Croatia; the ship was supposed to anchor offshore and use the tenders to transport guests to the dock - but there was a last-minute change and the ship ended up docking in the small harbor. Big ship / small harbor made for some pretty skillful maneuvering by the captain - we stood on the back deck and watched as he slowly guided the ship to the dock. This was the maiden call for the Queen Elizabeth at Split, and she is also the largest ship ever to dock in the port, which apparently garnered some media attention - but we didn't see any.

Split is a small town with most of the buildings arranged around the harbor; there is an interesting mix of very old, and what looked like, soviet-era high rises - the town has been evolving for 17 centuries so you'd expect a hodgepodge. Immediately north of town is a wide mountain ridge, a bit reminiscent of Table Mountain in Cape Town - only a bit smaller. The overall impression of the town is actually quite pleasant. 

The location of the ship's birth was very convenient - literally a 5-minute walk along the dock to the center of town - along the way we stopped at a bank and extracted some local currency from a machine; approximately 5.5 Kuna to the US dollar. The weather was perfect; sunny but not too hot with a light sea breeze - ideal for exploring the port on foot.

Our first stop was at the local open-air market - always a favorite thing for us to do when we visit foreign towns; you can learn a lot about the people and the culture of a country by observing the workings of their local market. The market in Split was jammed with fruit and vegetable stalls displaying a large array of beautifully prepared produce. The density of tourists in the market was quite small, an indication that this was a place where the townsfolk did their real shopping, and they could be seen and heard haggling over the prices and carefully examining their prospective purchases - we loved it.

The center of town is dominated by what used to be the emperor Diocletian's Palace; Diocletian was a 4th century roman emperor and the palace in Split was his summer home. Over the years, and through a succession of owners, the palace was eventually literally absorbed into the town. The effect is amazing; what were once the walls of the palace now contain shops and apartments built into the old structure. Within the walled city are some original structures and others that have been added over the centuries - this has created a warren of narrow cobble stone alleys, great for exploring. The whole palace is only about 100M by 200M, so it does not take long to explore.

The central part of the palace is called the Peristyle - a small open square which was jammed with tourists and a couple of Roman soldiers who would gladly pose for pictures if you crossed their palms with silver - I must say the soldiers had aged very well. We sat on a marble wall which had been seconded by a local cafe into their outdoor section - complete with seat cushions and neat little trays, even though it was crowded we enjoyed it.

We wandered and wandered; see pictures below...

A trip to the sick bay: like many people, I've often wondered what the medical facilities are like on board a cruise ship - today I got to find out. On our last day in Venice I picked up some inspect bites on my left hand; four of them actually - pretty close to each of my knuckles, it was like something crawled across my hand stopping for a snack at each knuckle. Well by this afternoon my hand was swollen up like a small melon, so I thought I better get it examined by a professional. 

The overall experience was not that different from visiting any doctor's office; I filled out some forms and was checked over by a nurse who was most apologetic about the cost - actually at 88 Euros it was cheaper than the rates we pay in the US, so I was feeling happy inside, though expressing deep concern externally. Back in the waiting room I eyed up my fellow complainants, all older couples with small fishing tackle sized boxes of medication in tow - is this what I have to look forward to? Out of boredom I started to try and guess who was here to see the doctor for each couple - I got it wrong every time. Invariably the person who looked the sickest; bent double, white as a sheet, carrying a big box of pills, pushing a strimmer - was there to help their otherwise spritely looking partner into the doctor’s office when they were called.

Finally it was my turn, and I was ushered in to see the senior medical officer - an Irish guy. The doctor confirmed that something had bitten me and quickly prescribed some strong antihistamines and sent me on my way.

Overall not an unpleasant experience - but I was disappointed that the facility is no longer called a Sick Bay, Medical Center is so much more mundane.