I wasn't going to...

 But I couldn't resist a coffee on the riva in Split, just because I had time, and it's a great place to people watch. I reckon you can tell which country someone is from just by the way they walk on the riva. The young Croatian women sort of glide, effortless. Not so much some of the tourists. I sat beside a group of older Croatian women and listened, just to hear the language. There are a lot of numbers in their chat. 

Great to see that the older women collecting cans are still around.

False eyelashes have arrived in this part of the world too - ridiculously long, crazily false, honestly, it must be an effort to keep your lids up. And e-scooters also everywhere, and I guess where there are pedestrian zones this makes getting to work faster.

For those of you who haven't been to the Diocletian Palace, there are little secrets everywhere. Secret passages to stay out of the sun, secret markings on buildings, secret meanings behind statues. High on a wall on one side of the palace is the Pirja Fountain, a bronze hand with the thumb between the 2nd and 3rd fingers, which shoots water into a funnel/cup below- the hand gesture  (figa) is a symbol of stubbornness and resilience, and the water shoot out into the cup is a symbol of the flow of life.  If you were one who talked politics, it could also symbolise where Split gives the finger to Zagreb... 

The bronze statue with the toe that you rub for good luck. Seems to be working so far..

The oldest clock in Split (in Trg Pjaca) tells the time in 24 hours instead of 12, still haven't worked it out, but it's been telling time since the 15th or 16th century.

The palace is a labrynth of special places - I smelt the fish market before I saw it, it has a new permanent home inside since I was here last, not so much sun shiny on those smelling fish... 

and then the green market of course, who can resist those bossy women telling you to buy something and stop just looking.

I raced back to Balatura to grab my bag to race back down to the port to find the ferry to Brac. It was crowded (I secured a seat because I was an overachiever and one of the first onto the boat (you have to be quick!) and was ensconced in a corner with a coffee before seats became a short supply commodity. Mostly day trippers because the ride to Brac is only 45 minutes. Great air con, great coffee. Always the coffee... interesting new version this year, they ask if you want hot or cold milk in your coffee...(toplo)