By IBIP Students Will and Emma

Another early morning started at 8 am with a quick breakfast, and then we were off to walk around the historical city of Split. As we walked the streets of Diocletian’s Palace, we learned about the deep history of the living museum. What was originally built as a residence for the retired Roman Emperor with tributes to Diocletian’s victories and Roman gods, transformed into a Christian city. After Christianity took over, most of the pagan tributes and monuments were destroyed with only few remaining. Today, there is one sphinx remaining of what is thought to be among of 12 originally. Having never been abandoned over the centuries, the Palace is still inhabited by residents and is open to tourists for exploring.

After our tour was a meeting with the Split Department of Tourism. With tourism being such a big contributor to the Croatian economy, these local, regional, and national boards are looking for ways to improve experiences for both travelers and locals. Split is in the Dalmatia region which is second in the country for tourism, and the tourist board works to promote the Dalmatian way of life, culture, and heritage for all to see.

Leaving the building occurred a crazy coincidence as we just so happened to be wearing Illinois IBIP polos and ran into the former Dean of ACES David L. Chicoine!! It’s wild how being on the other side of the world we run into someone so close to our program!

After our meeting, we had a bit of free time before boarding a ferry heading to the island of Brac. The ferry provided a beautiful view of both the island and of Split. Upon our arrival, we checked into a new hotel and enjoyed some much-needed relaxation in the sun and pool with an amazing ocean view.

Our day then continued with a tour of one of the main sources of income for residents of Brac, olive oil production. We were welcomed to the olive oil museum taking us through the labor-intensive steps to production prior to more mechanized presses. The hosts were also generous to give us a tasting of their product that is made on site. Many of us even bought some, and hopefully it makes it back to the states without anything breaking!

We then made it back to the hotel and enjoyed more swimming before dinner. The buffet even included sea bass which is a staple in Croatian culture. We continued more conversation telling stories and laughing about of adventures thus far.

Though we always stay up much later than we should, we are soaking up every minute of this trip with new friends. The conversation only ceases with short naps on the bus and when we finally realize how late it is. It’s hard to believe we have less than a week left on this trip with so much left to see, but we are so excited to continue exploring.