This façade is on the first building we saw along the pedestrian boulevard in Split. In many Croatian cities, the walking streets are paved in stone blocks and have been worn down by many shoes over many years into a fine polish like marble.

Art visited Split about thirty years ago and remembered the narrow side streets and the beauty of the architecture. He wasn't disappointed when he returned this time.

The shopping street boasts a multitude of cafés, shops for clothes, books, and electronics, and a stand where we bought slana pita, a phyllo pastry covering slightly sweetened soft cheese.

Diocletian's Palace in Split was built between 295 and 305 AD for the Roman emperor Diocletian. No expense was spared for this palace intended to house his mausoleum. The palace was built with stone from the island of Brač (also used for the White House in Washington, DC) and imported stone from Egypt, Greece, and Italy.

The sphinx shown here is in the Peristyle, the antechamber to the Emperor's quarters. It is from Egypt and dates from 2000 BC, so it was already quite old when the Emperor put it there.

Diocletian is well known for his persecution of early Christians. Thus it is ironic that in the seventh century, his mausoleum was converted into a cathedral, dispersing the Emperor's remains and storing instead the relics of saints, some of whom had been martyred by Diocletian.

Hvar Island gets more than 2700 hours of sunshine every year, more than anywhere else in Croatia. The main town of Hvar is a medieval village, with a large fortress overlooking the harbor and a wide promenade along the waterfront.

Today the waterfront is an endless line of shaded cafés. There are no cars in town, so there is the hum of an electric cart whenever supplies are delivered. The town is so manageable that there aren't even any street names.

On Hvar's main square, there is an old arsenal, built in 1611, once used as a repair facility for warships. The next year the community added a theater to its upper floor, claimed to be the first theater in Europe open to both aristocrats and peasants. While the theatre is still used for some performances, some of the outer rooms house a gallery of historical objects. This zvir was the figurehead of a ship, taken from the Hvar ship St. Hieronymus. The ship took part in a famous 1571 battle against the Turks.

The cultural history of Croatia is rich with the folk music of groups like this one we saw in Trogir. Here the singers have two guitars and a tamboritza, a Croatian mandolin. Another group we watched used an accordion instead of one of the guitars.

The music is rhythmic and mostly somber, with the voices blending together in harmony.