(Split, Croatia and Vienna, Austria)

For my last full day in the former Yugoslavia, I went on an independent day trip from Split to Trogir.  Trogir is a UNESCO World Heritage site (one of several that I have visited on this trip) located about 45 minutes away from downtown Split.  The photo above shows the market along the waterfront in Trogir.

Had I gone nowhere else on this trip, I would have been amazed by Trogir.  However, after recently seeing Kotor and some other ancient towns with narrow, maze-like streets, it didn’t impact me in quite the same way.  It’s beautiful but it probably would have a greater impact on those who aren’t visiting too many different destinations in this fascinating part of Europe.

I returned to Split and went on an inspiring post-dinner “passeggiata” on the waterfront.  The cover photo for the previous post was taken on that walk.  Once again, it was nice to see so many local residents enjoying the pleasant evening.

Just before checking out of my room in Split this morning, I visited “Croatia Records” in Split.  This is a record label and retail concern that seems to play a very important role in keeping Croatian-language pop music alive, together with something called the “Croatian Music Channel”.  I watched a few videos on it yesterday and rather enjoyed it.  Maybe it’s because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of anger:  the music is fun and harkens back to a more innocent age of pop music.

Anyway, I took a chance at Croatia Records.  I asked the clerk to recommend a compilation CD that would be similar to what I watched on the Croatian Music Channel.  He did so…but I have no idea if his recommendation is a good one.  I’ll find out when I get back home and have access to a CD player!

I flew from Split to Vienna today.  I don’t usually fly much within Europe but this was the best way to round out my itinerary without spending too much time (or money) on land transportation.  My only previous visit to Vienna was in 1991 when I was on my post-university backpacking trip.  That was half a lifetime ago!  I remember thinking then that Vienna was the cleanest and most orderly major European  city that I had visited.  23 years later, how does it compare?

Alas, you’ll have to wait for the next post to find out.  Vienna made a lot of impressions on me and I would like to devote an entire entry to it.  I’ll  post that as soon as I can upon my return to Canada tomorrow – stay tuned!