Vintage Finds in Split: A Chaotic Travelogue
so i'm in split and i've been here three days and i still haven't seen diocletian's palace because i keep getting distracted by *vintage stalls and the smell of grilled fish. the weather's sitting at 21.26Ā°C, feels like 20.33Ā°C, humidity 34% - basically perfect for thrifting without sweating through your finds. i just checked and it's... there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the ground-level pressure is 763 mmhg, which is a tad high, so i'm expecting clear skies and zero drama. the sea level pressure matches at 1011 hpa, so all is calm.
i landed with a backpack that zips from one side to the other, which is weird but functional. my mission: score a 70s silk scarf, a pair of leather boots that've seen things, and maybe a hat that makes me look like i belong in a francesco carrozzi painting. i heard that the riva promenade is full of tourists during the day but at dawn the local vendors set up with boxes of buttons and broken jewelry. someone told me that the flea market near the train station is a goldmine on sundays, but i heard from a local that the real gems are in the back alleys of the old town after 6 pm when the tourists clear out. i took their advice and found a wool blazer for 50 kuna that smelled like lavender and old books. score.
if you get bored, trogir's just a short drive away, or you can hop on a ferry to solta and get lost in the vineyards. i tried to call this number 1887135215 that a drunk guy at a bar gave me - he said it's for a 'private collection' but it just went to a pizza place. classic. i also learned that the postal code for the old town's thrift district is 76184, but don't rely on the mail; it's more of a legend.
i've been hanging around the marjan hill area too, where the locals jog and the pine trees smell like resin and memory. there's a lady there who sells linen shirts dyed with plants from the hill. i bargained her down from 200 to 120 kuna because i told her i was a 'starving artist' which is a total lie because i ate three cevapi for lunch. Check out the best cevapi on Yelp - some places have queues longer than my patience. the pressure is 1011 hpa, which apparently means stable weather, and the humidity is 34%, so my hair doesn't frizz. small mercies.
the sea... man, the sea is that weird turquoise that looks photoshopped but it's real. i tried to swim but the water was cold enough to make me reconsider my life choices. the ground-level pressure being 763 mmhg might explain the chill; it's like the air is denser up close to the sea. whatever, it's all a science experiment to me.
i met this guy who claimed he was a botanist and he showed me some wild herbs growing between the cracks of the diocletian's palace walls. we talked about how the city is built on top of itself, like a layer cake of roman stones and yugoslav concrete and modern tourist traps. he said if you dig anywhere you'll find something older than your grandparents. i believed him because he had dirt under his nails and a twinkle in his eye. he told me that the wild rosemary on the hill is used locally to repel moths from wool coats - perfect for vintage lovers. i bought a sprig for 5 kuna and now my bag smells like a garden.
overheard at a cafe: 'the best vintage shop is actually a storage unit behind the fish market. you need the code 76184 to get in.' i never found it, but i did find a button with a dolphin on it, which i'm taking as a sign.
anyway, i'm gonna go search for more treasures before the sun sets. the light here is golden and lazy, and everything looks like it's covered in honey. if you come, bring cash, wear broken-in shoes, and don't trust anyone who says they have a 'rare find' for 20 euros. it's probably stolen.
ps: i've compiled a list of top thrift spots (shh, it's secret) on my local board. also, TripAdvisor's forum for split has some decent intel on hidden beaches. and if you need a coffee snob* recommendation, hit up the place behind the cathedral - they roast their own beans and judge you silently. bring a book, order a double espresso, and pretend you're writing a novel.
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