In the Footsteps of the Martyrs

One day on our recent visit to Split, Croatia, we took a city bus to the late Roman city of Salona.

Salona, a city of 70,000 people, was the birthplace of the future Emperor Diocletian in the fourth century. You can see the modern city of Silon in the background.

A city of 70,000 people requires a major sewer system.

Diocletian was the last pagan emperor, responsible for a major persecution of Christians. As I walked across the grassy floor of this area where several died, I though how great a cloud of witnesses are there to inspire my faith.

The city was sacked by the Avars and Slavs in the 6th and 7th centuries. Survivors settled inside the ruins of Diocletian's palace in nearby Split, where we stayed on our holiday.

When we passed the fish market, I had to check out what they looked like before the cook got a hold of them--significantly less appetizing.

We ate some new and exciting foods during our month in Croatia. This cuttlefish seasoned with its own ink in a tiny cafe beneath the wall of Diocletian's Palace was my most spectacular.

Split is first and foremost the sort of resort where the locals spend their summer vacation, and the sea is what they go for. It was too chilly for us, although I have no doubt that my grandchildren would have been happy to join the swimmers who braved the waters of the Adriatic even in late October.

Our two and a half days in Split inspired us to want to return and explore more of this fabulous coast. Who knows if we ever will, but we certainly enjoyed the time we had.