I know what I was thinking when I made my plans for today, but I still can’t help but wonder “what was I thinking?”
I needed to travel back from Split to Zagreb, and I decided flying would be the best choice. There were 4 flights to choose from. The early AM flight was out – it was just too early, and the noon flight just sat in the middle of the morning. I was concerned that late night flight could interfere with dinner, so I chose mid-afternoon.
I had somehow decided that a mid-afternoon flight would give me enough time to do something during the morning and perhaps have lunch. I recently discovered, however, that my plans hadn’t accounted for the bus schedule, and the bus schedule was going to leave a lot of extra time at the airport (or none at all).
To boot, over the years I’ve also learned that pre-airport time is never used in an optimal way, a fact that I considered but didn’t fully acknowledge.
Even so, this morning I was able to see something new, something I hadn’t yet seen in my time in Split: the Baptistery.
In ancient times, this was the Temple of Jupiter, which is a history that hasn’t fully been erased, with the faces of the gods still engraved above the threshold.
The building is small, and just beyond the threshold stands the giant cruciform tub for baptism, occupying most of the space.
From high above myriad other faces look down from where they have been carved into the surface of the arched ceiling.
I didn’t expect to find the faces there, and they are fascinating to me. I’m honestly a bit surprised that they weren’t completely obliterated during the middle ages, as so many other such symbols were wiped away. Yet they are crude, and perhaps they have been carved out of recognition.
After leaving the Baptistery, I wandered a bit about town. Split is small, and there isn’t a lot to do, especially with a flight looming just as few hours away, but I managed to visit the fish market, the air scented with the intense aroma of the deep sea.
I even sat for a time on the promenade and just enjoyed the late morning sun.
As my time grew short, I walked to the bus station and boarded my shuttle bus to the airport, where I hoped to grab lunch. The bus wasn’t well timed for the filght, so I was left with extra time to pass. The airport here is new with a beautiful arched wooden ceiling, but the food offerings were very limited, so for lunch I had a chocolate bar.
My flight back to Zagreb was a quick hop on a Dash-8. It’s been several years since I last flew on a prop plane, and it was pleasant.
Back in Zagreb I stayed at a different hotel, a bit further from the center of town, but it was clean and beautiful. The walk to places I wanted to see was relaxing, along flowering springtime parks.
I had some time to pass in the evening. Not enough for sites (which were closed by now), but enough to walk the funky, painted streets. Still it wasn’t long before I found myself back in the tourist center, where dinner awaited.
After that, my footsteps guided me back to my hotel.
Tomorrow will be my last day in Zagreb, and I plan to make it a good one.
butterblogger 