While a lot of people think that ‘’life’’ in Split starts in April, for us locals, life continues as long the sun is shining, especially during the weekend when people spend quality time with their families. These are some random pictures I took today (17th of February) and it really feels like it it’s the middle of April. People in Split are real coffee people. The duration of our coffee session is generally about 2 hours, but that’s not an ordinary coffee like people enjoy in big cities where people rush around in their business clothes and coffee “to go” in their hands. For us coffee is a time to speak about lunch, problems, job, plans, gossips and also just to relax and receive as much as sun as possible, like lizards in the sun. We need to mention ‘FJAKA’, our traditional state of mind that keeps us slow and with our heads in the clouds, so it’s not our fault you understand …. 😊
During the summer when the temperature reaches 35 degrees, we like to hide in our local coffee bars inside the cool walls of Diocletian’s Palace: https://visitsplit.com/en/448/diocletian-palace
During the winter we fight for an outdoor place/terrace in the coffee bars even though we have a lot of possibilities to choose- from Riva https://visitsplit.com/en/512/the-riva, the West coast https://visitsplit.com/en/1326/the-west-coast or Jadran, Bene, Bačvice, Žnjan beach.
When we see winter photos from other cities with people sitting in cost and jackets in multinational coffee chain stores, the quote ‘Ko ovo može platit?’- Who can pay for this? comes naturally to us. 😊
Split is the second largest city in Croatia, and if we just compare the entire population of Croatia (4.3 million people) with New York city (8.6 million people), you can see that we are just 50% of the total population of a single City. However, when it comes to coffee … we are lucky that we can call our friends and in just 10 minutes organize a coffee and have such a great choice of venues to unravel life with our friends.
We don’t need to rely on public transport or have a driving licence to enjoy a coffee on the beach – we can take a bike and ride just a few minutes and then even take a swim. In Split, we are lucky because everything is so close: villages, mountains, islands, different cultures, different climates. The quality of life in Split is great, and especially on Sundays. 😊
People don’t mind the rain during the week while they are working, but if the rain takes a Sunday from them, they can be quite disappointed, so they rush into one of the many shopping malls in Split. So, if you plan to go shopping in one of Split’s many malls while you are here, a sunny day will guarantee less crowds – a top tip by the Gecko 😊 For us locals, you cannot take a walk during a weekend in the old part of Split without you running into someone you know. News spreads fast here – if you have a new haircut, boyfriend, a problem, we all know people from 8-80 years old especially when you live and work in the old part of the city, who all bring a different perspective. 😊 We love our city because everything seems just so easy here – even if it’s not at all times. 😊
Rina Dodig – Gecko tours, Split
