Kevin Runs Europe: Day 24

Recovery Day

I consider today to be the official start of my recovery period, and I really took that to heart. Most of the day was occupied with lounging on the beach, and the only movement I did was an easy walking tour through the Old Town of Split.

In the morning, Leah, Curtis, and I did a 1 Euro walking tour of Diocletian's Palace - aka Split's Old Town. The guide was wonderful and I went from knowing practically nothing to knowing just enough to impress people if they ever wanted to know why a Roman Emperor would build himself a giant palace essentially in the middle of nowhere (at that time). If you were wondering, Diocletian was the first and only Roman Emperor to abdicate the throne, and after doing so, he occupied his final years with building a giant palace near the village where he grew up. The palace, which was huge, doubled as a military camp, and had several temples within it (the remains of which still stand - one of them is one of the best preserved Roman temples in the world). Diocletian didn't step down from power because he was in over his head, he was actually a pretty shrewd leader. He fixed the empire's finances, separated military and civilan rule, and split the over-extended empire into four parts, each with a separate administrator. However, he was also the biggest persecutor of Christians in human history. Everyone has their flaws, I guess.

Almost the whole rest of the day was spent lounging on the beach and swimming a little. Not much else to say about that.

Also, by the way, my friend Rick (yes, the Rick we met up with in Paris) got engaged yesterday! Congrats man! Couldn't be happier for you and Laura!!!

Peristil Square

Approximation of what Diocletian's Palace might have looked like

Foundation walls of Diocletian's Dining Room - here they would eat ostrich, lion, tiger, and all sorts of exotic foods til they were stuffed... then they'd go into the next room (Vomitorium), throw it up, and eat some more