A dramatic fortress

Today we had arranged to visit Klis Fortress so after breakfast we walked to the bus station, about ten minutes away. We had plenty of time to buy our tickets from the ticket office (half the cost of paying on the bus) and to take a few photos.

It was quite a long journey so when we arrived we stopped for a cold drink before starting up the path to the ruins high above us.

Klis Fortress

We paid our 10 euros to enter at the first gatehouse and were given a small leaflet with a brief history and 3D map of the site. However for the most part we chose simply to wander around, absorbing the atmosphere. The history can be read up later; better to focus on enjoying the place while you’re actually there, I feel.

When I did read about it later I learned that there had been a stronghold here since pre-Roman times and was a significant part of the Roman defences in this region. The site commands a strategic position above the mountain pass leading to Salona, the Roman capital of the region prior to its move to present-day Split under Diocletian. Later it became the seat of Croatia’s rulers and withstood an Ottoman siege that lasted more than twenty years before finally falling. After more than a century under Ottoman rule, in 1669 Klis was besieged and seized by the Venetians who restored and enlarged the fortress. Later it fell under the Austro-Hungarian Empire until it was abandoned in the 19th century. The last military occupation of Klis Fortress was by Axis powers during World War II.

Once inside there were still plenty of fairly steep paths to negotiate but we were rewarded for our efforts with wonderful views of Split and the islands beyond. And as we climbed higher the views got more extensive.

There were also beautiful flowers to photograph and on one wall a vivid green lizard.

We spent some time up here enjoying the beautiful weather and mountain setting. But eventually we felt we had seen, and climbed, enough so we retraced our steps and found a cool and shady cafe terrace for more refreshments.

Lunch in Solin

The rest of our group reached the bottom in good time for the bus back as far as Solin, where Marit had booked a table at the lovely River Restaurant. I enjoyed my sea bass and 'blitva' (chard with potatoes) very much and everyone else seemed equally happy with their choices.

Back to Split

After this late lunch we took the bus back to Split and returned to the hotel for a short rest before going down to the waterfront for an ice cream from the same place whose ices we had enjoyed so much yesterday. This time I chose 'brownies and walnuts' which was very good though maybe a little less so than the pistachio and the fig and ricotta. Some of my friends stayed outdoors to do some shopping but I went back to the hotel again to shower and change before the evening, taking a few photos on the way of course

Evening in Split

We all felt we'd eaten quite enough at lunch time (and with the ice cream!) so just met up for drinks. We started in a small local-feeling bar near the ruins of Diocletian’s Palace which was cheap and had good views of the port. But it wasn’t especially friendly nor scenic so for a second drink we went back to the bar in the square where we’d been yesterday afternoon, Narodni trg. That proved a great choice with a lovely setting and some interesting drinks - I had a great cocktail made with gin and the local basil and ginger soft drink. Such a pleasant end to our day.

Drinks in Narodni trg