Croatia

Croatia is a beautiful country.

Its coastline, the Dalmation coast, is the "new French Riveria", so I hear.

You know, whats even more amazing about Croatia?

Its cheap! 

So get over there before it is inducted into the EU when prices will easily double

 (these days, with the world economy, it may never happen, although I believe its slated for 2015).

First stop, Dubrovnik. 

Dubrovnik's "old town" is a walled medieval city. 

We "walked the walls" - literally there is a path about 2 km on top of the city's walls.

 

 Next stop, Split, another beautiful city on the Dalmation Coast, overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

Here we toured, Diocletian's palace, the world's most complete remaining Roman palace.

People actually still live and run businesses out of the palace.

It was built in the 4th century AD as Diocletian's retirement home, the Roman Emporer at the time.

Here is the wine cellar, used in the medieval times as a sewer and trash dump, and in the 1970s as a disco until UNESCO shut that down.

Pretty impressive for 1700 years old.

Here is what is looks like above ground, where people still work and live...

Its a mishmash of architecture from Roman to Medieval times...

the Sphinx and column in the above picture were ones Diocletian stole from Egypt

(he was a Narcissist, if you can't tell).

He was a major persecutor of the Christians, and after he died, 

they turned his mausoleum into a church and threw his body into the ocean.

Karma...it'll get you every time.

Anyway, its a fascinating place worth visiting.

We would like to go back to Croatia and do a whole week there, someday.

Next up, Greece!

xoxo- Bethany