Looking back at our first day on the road we noticed how tiring our schedule was. Therefore, we decided to implement a more relaxed atmosphere into our coming days of exploration and learning. Rest was the top priority on our to-do list after our arrival in Split. Without it we could not achieve our goal, so we started our second-day-activities at 10 am.

There is no need for guessing what Split is most known for. The cellars of Diocletian's Palace are also on UNESCO's World Heritage list and were a must-see for us. Reading and learning about them was interesting to some, but exploring them was a thrill for everyone. Even without all the historical facts, one's imagination can do a fair enough job of creating an image of the life and activities that were going on at the time when the Palace was used for its initial purpose - retirement place for the emperor. The ceilings are high, rooms mainly small and windows (if any) are very tiny. That is a description of a very dark place, both figuratively and literally. The big space for imagination was most exciting for all 'Game of Thrones' fans present there.

Group photo in the cellars

For me, the history was the fun and exciting part. Also, I must admit I wish the cellars had more written materials and explanations about the rooms and past activities, but the archeologists can still only guess what most of the rooms were used for. Not all the rooms are excavated, so my hopes are that all needed work will be done successfully.

Witnessing such a grand place with a purpose of a cellar really helps depicturing the harsh reality of a big gap between social classes of those days. A building of those dimensions was finished in ten years by unimaginable number of workers on a building site today, and was used by the emperor, one person and his ‘entourage’, for only eleven which raises many moral questions.

The rest of the day was reserved for exploring other hidden treasures of Split, among which were narrow alleys, farmers market, historical sites, art market and famous beach called ‘Bačvice’. Visit to the beach would not be worth it if we had not taken a swim and relaxed. Yelena and I took a phrase ‘sugar at the end’ quite literally at the end of the day. We stopped at one of the local sweet shops and ate one of the most incredible-tasting cakes. A great ending of an amazing day.

Sugar at the end