Split, Croatia - Day 5 {Trogir}

our last morning in Croatia dawned beautifully clear. our flight back to Rome wasn't until late afternoon, so we planned to spend the day exploring the nearby town of Trogir. i had spent quite a bit of time researching the easiest, most cost-effective way to get to Trogir and settled upon the city bus. you could buy tickets for the bus online, but for some reason, tickets for the departure time we wanted were unavailable, so we went into the main bus station to inquire. the lady behind the desk spoke enough English to tell us, "yes! hurry! buy your ticket on board the bus! it leaves now!" and pointed out front. after a scramble to collapse the stroller, put a tag on our suitcase, and climb aboard the bus, we were off! once again, we were completely amazed by how clean and spacious the bus was. a far cry from some of the decrepit 64s that shake, rattle and roll around Rome, that's for sure!

i have a feeling wanderlust will be a part of this girl's makeup for the rest of her life.

we commandeered the very last row on the bus, much to the
relief of the other passengers, i'm sure

even the highways are beautiful here! 

about half an hour later, we arrived in the ancient town of Trogir, whose origins date back to the 3rd century BC as a port city. in the year 1000 AD, Trogir fell under Venetian rule, which is reflected in much of the architecture of the city. beyond the history, the town is a feast for the eyes, with the ochre rooftops thrown into contrast against the glittering blue-green water.

walking across the bridge to the city

walking into the historic center

approaching the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, with the clock tower of St. Sebastian's across the square

terrible lighting, but i love this shot of an airplane skimming across the medieval square

 as we stepped inside the portico of the 13th-century Cathedral of St. Lawrence, we suddenly heard a group of people singing Croatian folk songs, a sound that instantly transported us back in time. the Cathedral of St. Lawrence is perhaps most famous for its carved doors, completed in 1240 by the native artist known as Master Radovan.

Eve stands above the lion on the left...

while Adam stands on the right. the perimeter of the door shows scenes from the life of Christ,
while the interior shows various hunting scenes and labors of daily life.

typical Venetian-style windows seen from inside the church portico

interior of the Cathedral. the original church was destroyed by the Saracens in 1123.
rebuilding of the church began in 1213, with most of the exterior construction completed in a Romanesque style,
but the interior was built in a Gothic style in the 1400s and was not completed until the 17th century.

incredible detail on the choir stalls

the Blessed John Chapel, containing the tomb of St. Ivan Orsini, Trogir's first bishop
and patron of the town

beautiful painted wood crucifix from the 15th century

the best memento mori altar i've ever seen

15th century altar

baptistery, with baptismal font dating to the mid-1400s

Nick and i then took turns climbing the bell tower, as it was not permitted for children under the age of 14. at first we thought that sounded a little ridiculous, and since no one else was around, we thought about just taking them up at least to the first level. but the climb was definitely not for the faint of heart, so the girls were happily allowed to frolic around the outer portico of the church while he and i had our respective solo adventures. 

the first set of steps

looking down on Master Radovan's portal

okay, i see their point about not being safe for kids...

view of the tower from the first level

looking down into the square. the loggia of the town hall is on the right

entering the bell tower

looking up the inside of the tower... okay, okay, definitely not safe for kids

not too difficult going up... a little trickier coming back down

looking down

um, i'd say the climb was worth it

after Nick and i had each had our excursion to the top of the bell tower, we were all ready to move on to the other side of the square, where the girls did some kind of interpretive dance under the loggia of the town hall, reluctantly moving to the side when some other tourists came by wanting to take pictures. ;) 

plaque on the wall of the loggia

the loggia used to serve as a public gathering space and the official place where
laws were proclaimed. the relief on the wall was carved in 1471, including St. Lawrence and
Blessed John of Trogir and the Venetian lion in the center, which was removed in 1932.

 

view of the square from inside the loggia

a photo of the original relief on the loggia wall before the Venetian lion was removed

 

more Venetian windows and balconies

the clock tower of St. Sebastian

back to the loggia for more calisthenics

a somewhat perplexing sign advertising Trogir's famous chocolatier.
alas, the shop was closed.

then it was time to find some lunch! i had researched a few suitable prospects, but again, being here in the off-season came back to bite us as everything i had listed was either closed for the season or only operating a dinner service. we finally sat down at a slightly overpriced casual restaurant with an unbeatable view. 

walking out to the Riva

the Dominican church, under construction

the quadrangular Fortress of Kamerlengo at the far end of the Riva was built in the 1400s

"I sure do like pizza!"

Nick and i split this deliciousness 

after the bill was settled, we had about ten minutes left before we had to walk back across the bridge to the bus station and catch the bus to the airport. just enough time to duck into the Dominican church, we thought. well, unfortunately the church was completely closed for renovations, so we had to content ourselves with staring at the outside. 

the bell tower of St. Michael's

 

everything looks like it's out of a storybook

statue of Blessed Augustin Kazotic, bishop of Trogir in the 13th century

yes, we tried the doors, and they were locked. boo! the lunette above the door
shows Bishop Augustin Kazotic on the left, the Madonna and Child in the center,
and Mary Magdalene on the right.

the bus ride to the airport was a little hectic because we weren't sure exactly where the bus would let us off. the Split airport is relatively small, and i almost made us get off at the wrong stop (in the literal middle of a corn field) because i thought it was the closest one to the airport. Nick's cooler head prevailed, but when we did finally get off at the correct stop, we still had a good ten-minute walk to reach the airport entrance. after all that hubbub, we walked right up to the desk, checked in, and still had about an hour to spare before our flight departed. so the girls got one last taste of Croatian deliciousness in the form of popsicles. 

goodbye, Croatia! 

 and so we headed back to Rome, although Croatia is going on the short list of places i would love to visit again (right up there with the country of Slovenia and the city of Prague).