Is summer really almost over?
To think that we are now in the final days of August and that the peak season is finally nearing its end is baffling. Where did this summer go?
Here I am, feeling as though the season has escaped me for the first time in years. Waiting for the first storm in months to hit this weekend doesn’t help (but please, do your rain dances, we need it).
Maybe it is because of the incessant bustling crowds, or maybe it is because of the endless summer activities and events, but I know that I have never been more ready for a much calmer and less cramped city center this September.
Today on my afternoon walk through the city, I encountered a Riva reminiscent of June. While there are still packs of tourists pushing their luggage to bus stops, there is a feeling in the air that summer holidays are coming to an end – a feeling I can come to peace with.
Through Diocletian’s Palace, however, throngs of tourists still fill the tight alleyways, and the aura of the peak season is still very alive while travelers make time for their mid-day photo shoots at Peristyle.
Are there still tour groups? There are plenty. Is it still hard to make your way through the tourist mobs? Yes. Have the selfie sticks become less prevalent? Definitely not. But is September right around the corner? Oh, we are just a few days away.
Here is a look at my time in the Old Town today, through the peace, through the crowds, and through the final days of the peak season in Split.
All photos by Daniela Rogulj
