Solin: Standing in the Footprints of Antiquity

Wanting a taste of Roman ruins we so missed from Italy, we headed to Solin, the ancient ruins of a Roman town once called Salona. Even with only the ruins left, it was clear that this was once an important city and indeed at one time it was considered the capital of the Croatian Provence Dalmatia, and also the birthplace of the Emperor Diocletian. Mostly destroyed in the sixth and seventh centuries the inhabitants then fled to Split and the flourishing area known as Diocletian's Palace. The ruins of course remained, and are magnificent to this day!

 

Walking through the entrance it was immediately impressive as we entered an area known as the Manastirine, where Christian martyrs were buried beginning when Christianity was still outlawed. The sarcophagi which have been uncovered here were beautiful and often intricately carved - it felt rather odd to see them simply lying open to the elements and unprotected instead of the pieces in temperature regulated areas and behind glass protectors as one usually sees in museums. 

Many of the sarcophagi still had their lids on but with huge cracks or even holes in them - I felt sure that zombies were going to break out of them at any moment.  

It was a burning hot day and I was reminded of my last Europe trip, dying of heat and sweating copious amounts while wandering the mountain sides of Greece looking at ruins. Luckily some shade existed and we took shelter under the leafy trees, enjoying the tranquility of the ruins. Although a stunning archaeological site, it appeared to be little known as there were only one or two other tourists wandering the giant site (probably down to Croatia's ridiculously atrocious sign-posting, but more on that later). 

After a delightful wander through the old Roman baths (a truly integral part of any Roman town) we made our way to what was once the city gate where the old Roman road was still visible in places, even with the grooves from where carts trekked their paths long ago. Although roads may not seem that interesting (after all they are simply blocks of stone) they are one of my favourite archaeological features, simply because they never fail to give me that sense of awe and the realization that I am actually walking where others once walked, thousands of years ago, in their very footsteps. It never ceases to boggle my mind.

Past the city gate lay a rather impressive amphitheater, once able to seat up to 18,000 spectators who would sit in the blazing sun and watch gladiators fight to the death (tempting as it sounds I think I would have to pass on the opportunity). Although still impressive to wander around (my hands were itching to find a trowel and start digging at the un-excavated parts like a maniac) it was partially destroyed by the Venetians in the 17th century for apparent strategic reasons. (Damn those conquering Venetians!) Overall I very much enjoyed these ruins, it was an unexpectedly large and impressive archaeological site which was well worth a visit!

Zadar: The Mysterious Humming Noise and other Tales

Zadar was a rather historical port city which we took a day trip to. It was rather busy so we ended up parking a distance away and enjoying a walk through the park to reach the town. Much better than paying exorbitant parking fees! The entrance to the city lay through the Kopnena Vrata, or Landward Gate. It was an impressive introduction to the city-which I am sure was also its purpose in ancient times. I especially enjoyed the winged lion which was a symbol of the Republic of Venice, a throwback to a time when their empire reached so far.

It was a beautiful day and I was soon overheating in the sunshine, squinting up at the ancient buildings. The Church of Saint Donatus was especially impressive, backing onto the well-preserved remains of the Roman Forum! I really liked this church simply because it had such interesting architecture - after all how often do you see a church this shape? Built in the 9th Century it has an interesting history, serving as a warehouse during the Venetian rule as well as the French occupation. 

Inside it was very minimalist and had an airy and light feeling to it that made it one of my favourite churches I've been to. It had a very different feeling from the usual dark and heavy atmosphere of  the churches of medieval Europe; instead this was built of soaring columns and pale pillars. 

One of the really cool things about this church was that it was built using re-purposed Roman ruins from the forum,so in the walls Roman inscriptions, pillars and carvings were recognizable and very rather interesting for me.

Leaving the quiet of the church behind and stepping back out into the blazing sun, we made our way to the ocean not only for the view but also to hear the intriguing sounding Sea Organ we had heard about. Thirty-five organ pipes lay under the concrete at our feet, the only sign of something unusual was the little holes in the concrete (like the one I am listening to below!) from them drifted a cacophony of soothing sounds. Each change in the strength or direction of the wind and waves changed the notes, creating an every changing humming music. It was a very interesting and delightful thing to experience, but I can only imagine if we had stumbled across it without prior knowledge we would have been very confused as to where the noise was coming from!

We finished the day with a late afternoon trip to the beach, soaking up the sun and enjoying this little island reached by a wooden walkway. The church was tiny, gorgeous and very closed, but we enjoyed its charm from the outside nonetheless.

Things only got better at our lovely and extremely cheap apartment. The owners were extremely friendly, greeting us with pastries and wine. From there it only got better as they offered us a discount for the second night and provided us with fresh grapes from their vines - their lack of English only made their actions kinder as we failed miserably in our Croatian language knowledge.