Split to Hvar - Day 9

Split to Hvar - Day 9
We spent the morning walking around Split. This is an old Town which got bigger in Roman times. The emperor, Diocletian, made the palace huge with room and more rooms. He live in the 300s. Much of the original structure is still intact. He was buried on the grounds in a large mosaleum, but was subsequently moved when the Christians took over and turned it into a church. They removed much of the inner structures of the palace, and built dwelling spaces. People still live there, but barely. Most of the buildings were nationalized during Tito's time and homeless people moved in. After independence in 1991, these people had basically a "life estate" as the buildings reverted to their former owners. The landlords are now waiting for the tenants to die off.
One of the subterranean rooms was where Daenyris Targaryen kept the dragons in chains. Or at least, where it was filmed.
After the castle, we wandered in the rest of the town. It is quite quaint, and reminded me of the old city in Jerusalem, just less noisy and dirty. Lunch on our own with a quick pizza.
We got on the ferry to Hvar, a 2 hour ride. My seat companions were some Canadians with their dog and cat who were cuddling with each other.
Our hotel here is lovely with a wonderful view of the water. Lavender is everywhere.