Tuesday 30th October 2007

It was a very brief stop at Split, arriving early evening yesterday and leaving early this morning. The journey to the next site at Pakostane was a short one but we wanted to visit yet another UNESCO World Heritage town – Trogir, just north of Split. As normal, the problem was trying somewhere to park and after many more-than-three-point turns, we found a car park 100m beyond where we had turned off the main road!
Trogir was settled in Greek times (380 BC) when it was known as Tragyrion (island of goats). It is a very small island between the mainland and the island of Ciovo and is linked to both by short bridges. A fort and some of the walls are still standing but Trogir's jewel is its main square with the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. The Cathedral has a beautiful Romanesque door with intricate stone carvings dating from 1240 (see photos) and the bell tower was built in three stages, growing from the first floor in the early 15th century (a rebuild of the 14th century tower) to the third in the 16th Century. The town itself is very small but we spent a very pleasant couple of hours exploring it.
Trogir market was in full swing next to the car park so we topped up on supplies buying some of the famous (in Croatia) sheep cheese from the island of Pag, local smoked cheese, dried figs and local grapefruit, complete with leaves and branch – they must be fresh!
A gentle drive followed, stopping at the lay-by with the view over Primosten (see 15th October) for lunch and then on to Pakostane. This part of the Dalmatian coast is particularly pretty, with views over the nearby islands and inlets with many small fishing boats.
When we arrived at the strangely named Camping Nordsee at Pakostane we were greeted by the owner with an enthusiastic handshake and the exclamation “British!!!” whilst he pointed at Henrietta. He was German and every van on the site except one Croatian caravan (probably a chance visit like us) was German or Austrian. The prices were in Euros and the menu was in German – it was a little part of Germany in Croatia! He told us in Germenglish that the restaurant was open that night but was then closed and we discovered later that the whole site closed the following day – we were just in time! We walked into the village centre and were surprised to find that at least 5 cafés and 3 restaurants were still open. This had not been the case in the resorts that we had visited up to now and indicated that Pakostane was probably an important centre for the surrounding area. Even though the weather was not ideal, it was good enough for us to appreciate the fine views from the campsite. This would be a very good place to stop for a few days during the main season.
Photos: The Island of Goats - Trogir; Trogir's Roman Sea Gate and fish market; St. Lawrence Cathedral; Stone carving on the doorway of the cathedral; Clock tower and loggia in Trogir square.