After an overnight stay in Dubrovnik, we were on our way again the next morning (Sunday 23rd March) to the city of Split in the central coastal region.在杜布羅夫尼克度宿一晚後，翌晨（3月23日）再度上路，向中部海濱城市斯普利特（Split）進發。
Goodbye Dubrovnik, after crossing this bridge.
跨過這道橋，便正式離開杜布羅夫尼克。
The road from Dubrovnik to Split was actually quite memorable for several reasons. Roughly 1 hour from Dubrovnik, the road was split (excuse the pun!) and became Bosnian territory. There was the small Bosnian town of Neum, where the driver of the bus decided to pull over for a 10-minute break. What a bonus for me because I could then visit two countries in one trip! In the 10 minutes, I managed to take a decent scenic snapshot and buy a small bottle of Bosnian schnapps from a service station. I'm certainly qualified to say that I've been to Bosnia!前往斯普利特的道路，原來有一小段是屬於鄰國波斯尼亞，那裡有個城市名為Neum，離杜布羅夫尼克一小時車程，想不到長途車司機選擇在該市停車休息十分鐘，機不可失，我馬上找個好位置拍照留念，亦在油站買了一小瓶波斯尼亞出產的烈酒，總算可「交差」說去過波斯尼亞！
From Neum, the road took us through a mix of sceneries and landscapes through Croatia, from right by the sea to a bit further inland, and certainly away from tourist spots. There was a part of the road which was halfway up the mountain hugging a bay. The scenery reminded me a lot of the TV commercials for European cars.
之後的道路，時而臨海，時而走進內陸，又經過不過的村莊和小城市，總算能看到克羅地亞遊客區外的另一面。中段一段路，我們在臨海的山腰上駛過，環顧四周的山色和海景，覺得很像在電視上看到的歐洲汽車廣告片段。
Countryside with fields 田野
A view to die for (be careful not to take it literally, however!)
一邊駕駛，一邊可想像自己賣汽車廣告！
Some views by the sea 海邊景色一二
Our bus trip was finally over after 5 hours. After a quick bite, we started strolling through the waterfront promenade (Obala Hrvatskog Narodnog Preporoda) and the part of town immediately west of the walled Old Town.
五小時的車程後，終於到達斯普利特。隨便吃一頓後，我們便沿着海濱長廊Obala Hrvatskog Narodnog Preporoda到舊城區西面的地方逛逛。
A model of Split
斯普利特模型
The waterfront promenade 海濱長廊
Trg Republika (Republic Square) - or a Venetian plagiarism of sorts, and the adjacent street.
從威尼斯翻版的共和廣場及毗鄰的小街
The part of town near Trg Republike
共和廣場附近的民居
We took the street beside Trg Republike and reached the northern end of the Old Town. Form there, we entered the Old Town through the Pistura Gate.
我們從共和廣場旁的街，走到舊城區的北面，並經北城門（Pistura Gate）進入舊城區。
The tower, walls and the actual gate at Pistura Gate
北城門（左）及其鐘樓（左上）和城牆（右上）
One thing that took us quite a while to realise was that we were not visiting a historical monument in its purest sense but a kind of history in the living, where the entire Old Town had turned into areas for ordinary people to live and carry out their usual business. Trendy shops and restaurants have made their way into former palaces in and around the central People's Square (Narodni Trg). Had there not been any descriptions on the walls, we would have been oblivious to the historical significance behind the modern slick appearance. Purists may not like this way of treating and utilising a historical monument, but one could also view this as the evolution of the place into a new living entity as opposed to it being just another open-air museum for tourists.
一心以為舊城區是古羅馬皇帝戴克里先（Diocletian）的宮陵，心會看到不少古蹟，但原來看到的是蛻變了的歷史，昔日名門望族之府第，現往往已被普通民居和現代的東西進佔。在舊城區中心的人民廣場（Narodni Trg），四周盡是新潮的商鋪和餐室，若非看到建築物牆上的介紹，也不會知道其歷史和從前的主人，那些新潮商鋪，看來跟歷史格調是有點格格不入的了，但我也不禁想，究竟歷史建築，應原封不動保留原貌，純粹好讓後世（尤其是遊客）景仰，還是讓其隨時間推移而融為當地人日常的一部分？
Historical buildings now taken over by ordinary residences (left) and restaurants (right)
歷史建築中的民居（左）和餐廳（右）
People's Square (Narodni Trg)
人民廣場
The shops (left) and Town Hall (right) at the Square
位於廣場的商店（左）和市政廳（右）
One of the gates to Narodni Trg 通住人民廣場的一道城門
We then went into the heart of the Old Town, where the Roman emperor Diocletian erected his palace (Diocletian's Palace, or Dioklecijanova palača) and the peristyle in front. By then we have truly appreciated what a potpourri the Old Town was, as we felt like walking through different historical eras in no time. The place looked like another Palatine Hill of Rome with the distinctive Roman-style pillars and walls. The Palace is no longer what it was then. Any hint of its former role and glory was only left in the remnants of the original architecture, and like the other parts of the Old Town, the Palace is now occupied by the local residents and souvenir merchants in its basement.
之後走到舊城的心臟——戴克里先宮殿（Dioklecijanova palača）及其前面的列柱廣場（Peristil），在那裡感受到舊城的另一個特色，就是不同年代的建築的大雜燴，在剛才的人民廣場，建築大多是中世紀後的風格，而這個宮殿仍保留了古羅馬的影子，看着一根根的直柱和城牆，就彷如在羅馬帕拉蒂諾山近距離觀看廢墟一樣。跟舊城的其他地方一樣，宮殿如今已燕入他家，祇剩下天井和地庫，地庫已變成售賣遊客紀念品的地方，宮殿昔日的規模和輝煌，祇好由我們想像好了。
The Dioclentian's Palace and the Peristyle. What is a sphinx doing here (right)?
戴克里先宮殿及列柱廣場——怎麼跑來了獅身人面像（右）？
Almost like Rome
古羅馬風格的城牆
The presumably antechamber of the Palace and its basement
宮殿的天井（也許從前是前廳）及地庫
The bell tower was right next to the palace, and what a battle it was to reach the top! To start with, the stairway was so steep and narrow that only one person can pass through at any time. The steps were made of some kind of marble which became rather slippery on a rainy day. Then in the upper half of the tower, the openings of the wall was letting through strong wind gusts that would threaten to blow anyone down if not careful. Eventually we made it nevertheless and we were able to enjoy the whole view of Split to ourselves.毗鄰宮殿是座鐘樓，那天要走到頂層的確頗辛苦，一來樓梯又窄又斜，祇容單人上落，那天下雨，梯級的石面份外滑，到了鐘樓上半部，牆身又開了一個個的窗口，強烈的陣風颳來，令人又要提防不要跌倒，但我們總算捱到上最頂的瞭望層，環顧全斯普利特的景色。
Devices for making the sounds and letting the sounds (and winds) through
鐘樓上的鐘和窗口
Aerial views of Split 居高臨下看斯普利特
A cruise terminal integrated with railway and coach stations - Split is a popular port of call for cruise ships
郵輪碼頭——斯普利特每日都有不少郵輪班次，碼頭又跟火車站和長途客車站相連
The antechamber of the Palace has an open roof!
戴克里先宮殿的天井
The highlight of our day did not end there. We had a treat with the sleeping car of our train from Split to Zagreb that evening. The three of us were put up in a second-class cabin for 3, which came with little luxuries such as a little bathroom corner, a small stool, a place to hang our jackets, as well as a toiletry pack and a bottle of water per person. How thoughtful was that! Half an hour before arrival in Zagreb, we were given a packaged croissant for breakfast. This is certainly the best sleeping car service I've experienced to date, and for 40 euros it's definitely exceptional value for money. Why can't all second-class sleeping cars be like that?!當晚乘火車往薩格勒布也令人難忘，我們想不到二等臥鋪也有那麼好設備和服務，起初還以為上錯了頭等車廂呢！我們三人包了一個房間，內有一個可供梳洗的角落、一張椅子、掛褸的地方，另每人派一盒梳洗用品和一瓶水，真想得周到。臨到薩格勒布前半小時，更有早餐派發，每人一個包裝好的牛角包。40歐元，換來上等的服務，是我坐過夜火車這麼多次以來最好的一次，可謂物超所值，如果所有過夜火車的二等都有如此服務就太好了！
Comments