Kliss Fortress from the road into Split. It's quite well camouflaged but if you look close enough you can see quite the long length of stone buildings along the top of those rocks.
The hour to Split did get stretched out a bit as the traffic getting into the city was considerably more than anticipated and we may have taken a few wrong turns. BUT we got there not too long after 1 and thankfully this AirBnb came with free parking cause I have absolutely no idea where we would’ve parked otherwise. The parking was crazy with people literally parking on the side walks. It was a small little parking lot that was a challenge to maneuver in and out of but we made it ! Whew. And it was a nice little apartment again with the SOFTEST bed we had the whole trip! It was so nice like sleeping on pillows! And again had a small kitchen within.Shortly after checking in we hopped back in the car to go check out Kliss Fortress.
Exploring Kliss Fortress
(I had initially planned on seeing this on our way into Split since it was on the way… but traffic made it so we wouldn’t have had enough time to explore) so back on the roads we got and up the hill we climbed. As far as historic sites, this was one of my favorite places we visited. This fort dates way back to the time of the Ottoman Empire as the Croats used it to protect themselves against the Turks. It has since been used in multiple World Wars and my favorite: it was a big filming location for Game Of Thrones. It’s set up on a narrow cliff/ hill with drops on both sides of the fort and incredible views of Split and the surrounding hill side. We spent over an hour just learning about the different spots and taking photos and well… exploring the place as thoroughly as we could.
The first entrance into the fort with views of the ocean and city below
You'll see more of these iconic windows later on. They are quite noticeable in the Game Of Thrones show as well.
Moving up to one of the higher levels. That dome roof behind me is over the small church.
Clearly a devout church goer.
Looking down the top of the first half from above.
The view of the fort fro the backside where you park and then climb the hill to go in.
Braden explored every bit even wandering into the "danger" zone. I made him
get down at that point. haha
Looking down at the cliffs and village below the fort. The panorama-ness of this photo makes it look not quite as far down.. Trust me it was far down.
The very very top of the fort
The surrounding cool rocks and highway that you come into Split via.
I couldn't get enough of that view!
Another sort of hidden place among many in the fortress.
Looking up the many levels of the fort. Switchbacks.. my favorite ;)
The Game Of Thrones Tour room. There wasn't a tonnn of information in here but there were scene shots you could compare to the outside so I took a couple photos of photos for comparison.
Recognize these switchbacks? :P
They added a few structures to the top but the switchbacks and those square windows are still there!
Braden was pretty excited about all the exploring and touring. He hasn't told me a favorite place yet but I bet this is up there since I haven't been able to get him to pose for so many photos ANYWHERE else. He actually ASKED me to take some of him! hahaha
After that it was back in the car and back to the AirBnb. We grabbed dinner at a restaurant 2 buildings down from our place and I had the BEST PIZZA of my entire trip there! It was seriously so delicious with Smoked Ham, mushrooms, and oregano! And even with us drinking 3 Sprites between us and Braden getting a steak, I think this was only the 3rd of 4th most expensive place we ate. After dinner the sun was kind of setting and it was getting late, but we walked down by the wharf to sort out where we’d go the next day and also explored Diocletan’s Palace for a little while. Again our apartment was less than 5 minutes from the historic center so we were in a great spot to explore for a little bit before heading home to hit the sack.
Left: Inside Diocletan's Palace
The main center. There was a cafe that people could sit on these cushions and order from (on the left stairs) It was so busy we pretty much just strolled through but a pretty near area none-the-less.
Part of the ceiling in Dicletan's Palace.
The market underneath the palace. It was a huge area with an amazing brickwork ceiling. Mostly markets but there were a couple museums we were tempted to do but a little too pooped out.
Looking back at the outer walls of the palace from the Marina side. It's almost hard to tell all that history is still in there but people live in those apartments, and work in those shops. It's a very much living, breathing piece of history.
A little further zoomed out view of the city center.
Our little car in the parking area for our Airbnb. So grateful to have it!
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