We have had a busy day of sightseeing and acquiring bits and pieces and provisioning for our trip which starts on Monday. We have sorted out a route with our guides , Dejan and his Partner Drazen who have a business called RED ADVENTURES. They are providing ongoing logistical support including weather updates and advice on camping spots and problem solving as we go.

We also started off with a look at this ancient old city. It was already occupied by the Greeks at the time Jesus was practicing his great party trick – turning regular water into fine wine.Later by the turn of the fourth century it became the capital of Roman empire under emperor Diocletian.

Great pic of Gregory of Nin ” flipping the bird” at the Pope. Read on

Gregory of Nin (Croatian: Grgur Ninski, pronounced [ɡr̩̂ɡuːr nîːnskiː]) was a medieval Croatian bishop of Nin who strongly opposed the Pope and official circles of the Church and introduced the national language in the religious services after the Great Assembly in 926, according to traditional Croatian historiography. Until that time, services were held only in Latin, not being understandable to the majority of the population. Not only was this important for Croatian language and culture but it also made the religion stronger within the Croatian kingdom.

Local tradition has it that if you touch – rub Nin’s big toe it may bring you luck. The lovely luster attests to the belief of many people.

Diocletian built the massive palace ( 1700 years ago!!)in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast, four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. A lot of the stone and marble columns came directly from Egypt.

After the Romans abandoned the site, the Palace remained empty for several centuries. In the 7th century nearby residents fled to the walled palace to escape invading barbarians. Since then the palace has been occupied, with residents making their homes and businesses within the palace basement and directly in its walls. Today many restaurants and shops, and some homes, can still be found within the walls. It is unusual in being a Roman ruin that is still being lived in today.