Out of Bounds: Croatia

Fall is upon us. The leaves changing colors, the children running around in costumes, and the great Pumpkin Blaze are all things that I truly miss about being back home in New York. Nonetheless, the thing I miss above all other fall traditions is football. American football. I’m a big NFL fan and always have been. I enjoy the sportsmanship, the egos, the record defying feats of the athletes, and the spirit of the underdogs. I don’t have a favorite team, but I do have favorites and decide who I will cheer for depending on who’s playing. Always cheer for the Broncos or the Steelers. Never cheer for the 49ers or the Redskins. I enjoy the sport so much that to the chagrin of my husband’s friends, I joined their fantasy football league, where I regularly place quite high or even win. I love whippin’ their tails (yeah, I said it!) and have learned to talk crap with the best of them.

The Riva: Palm Trees in October.

Being in Croatia, where the temperature is nearly seventy degrees every day, this doesn’t quite feel like fall. In Split, people spend their October days watching the sailboats and ferries on the Adriatic coast, fishing, drinking coffee, and chatting on the Riva. The Riva is the waterfront promenade and the heart of Split. It is filled with coffee shops, nightclubs, restaurants and stores and is quite a busy place with its “Green Market,” where they sell flowers, fruit and vegetable of all sorts. The Riva is the place to be in Split’s old city and the fact that it lines the fortress walls of the Diocletian Palace makes it a major tourist attraction as well.  Yes… I said 'Palace'.

Roman Emperor Diocletian

The Diocletian Palace is an enormous place built for the Roman emperor, Diocletian, in 305 A.D.  It’s so big that they say that at one time it housed 9,000 people. Nevertheless, when the Romans left, the people of the town essentially just moved in. So buildings that at one time were used for religious ceremonies or built for the emperor’s usage are now coffee shops, bookstores, or a neighborhood grocery store. The Palace, which is now essentially a small town surrounded by fortress walls, is amazing and I actually spent my days taking self-guided tours through massive chapels and quaint museums on the palace grounds and through the basements corridors underground to see the guts of the place.

Wandering through the narrow cobbled walkways, I could imagine bringing my children back here one day and letting them roam around town creating their own adventures. The streets on the grounds are comprised of small nooks, crannies and alleys leading you all over the Palace and as such cars are not able to drive, nor are they allowed, on the grounds. I literally would walk, taking a new direction, each day and get lost arriving at some awesome square of cafes, jazz clubs, some massive fountain or statue with historical roots. Although the environment is relaxing and surreal, I must say that with the water as a backdrop, the birds chirping and the people milling around with sun glasses and shorts on, this didn’t feel like October. It definitely didn’t feel like fall either.  It didn’t help that, in Split, the word “football” only means one thing: Hajduk.

Narrow alleys running throughout palace grounds

I will be honest and tell you that I know nothing much about soccer or “football”, as it’s known to the rest of the world. However, being in Europe I felt that I should at the very least attend a game, so I placed it on my bucket list. While sitting in a restaurant, I was excited to read that Split’s professional soccer team, Hajduk, was playing while I was in Croatia. I asked the restaurant staff where I could buy tickets and they showed me where on my handy map. The men behind the bar overheard our conversation and immediately offered additional suggestions. “Don’t sit on the north side of the stadium,” “if they are losing the game, then leave early,” and “don’t wear colors of the opposing team.”  Now, I may not know much about the game of soccer, but I have heard about Europe’s hooligans, so I took what they said to heart.

I went to the store, told the sales girl that I wanted a ticket and that I didn’t want to sit on the north side. She started laughing, but suddenly asked, “Have you ever been to a Hajduk game before?” Shaking my head, I replied “No. This is my first ever professional soccer game.” Her smile faded slightly and she reached into a drawer for a promotional DVD that was being stored there and placed it in a bag with my ticket. “This is about the history of Hajduk. You should probably watch it before the game,” she suggested. The DVD was in Croatian, so I decided to do some research on the Hajduk team myself.

Garage Door! Die hard Fan!

Here’s the thing… The Hajduk team is pretty standard, in terms of professional soccer teams. There was nothing that stood out about them or their history that I found strangely out of place or even captivating. Their fans on the other hand… whoa!

Forget Raider Nation! The Torcida fans, which are the Hajduk mega fans, are one crazy set of people. I read story after story of riots, fights, charging the field, and assault attempts on refs and opposing fans. There were stories of their notorious use of flares and smoke bombs to intimidate the other teams.  There were also stories about their adoption of the confederate flag as a symbol of their rebellious pride in being from “southern” Croatia, as opposed to their rival team Dinamo in the north.

I feel like I walked onto the set of Dukes of Hazzard

Smoke bombs, riots, confederate flags…. I’m completely out of bounds!

  

The Sunday of the game, I again found myself listening to Kirk Franklin’s “We are conquerors.” For some strange reason this song has become my anthem in preparation for stupidity and I bumped it loudly like Mel Gibson going to battle in Braveheart. Dressed in all black, like a ninja, as not to be associated with either team, I headed to the game.

 



The celebration started fantastically!

I’m not sure if it was the caravans of policemen outside the Poljud stadium putting on riot gear…. I’m not sure if it was the hordes of fans entering the game, some with confederate flags in hand and t-shirts that said “white boys” across the back… What I am sure of is that at some point, I really considered going back home. If I’m going to get hurt or worse die on this trip, it can’t be at a soccer game in Croatia!  I wonder if I can return my ticket…

(Singing) “We are conquerors! Con-que-rors…”



The flags waving and singing... great!

The salesgirl wisely chose a section of seats that was filled with families and children and I had a fantastic view of the game, so I sat down. The game began with the Torcida fans singing a song that I assumed might be the national anthem and brandishing an enormous flag that covered the entire section of the crowd. It was a very organized and massive display of love for their team and I was impressed. Throughout the game they sang, banged drums, chanted and clapped and I thought, “This isn’t so bad.”

I’m not sure if it was the opposing team scoring in the first minute… I’m not sure if it was the back to back yellow cards issued… What I am sure of is that at some point, the Torcida fans did not appreciate the score AT ALL!

How did we get here?!!

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to see a hundred or so flares light up in a stadium, simply buy a ticket to a Hajduk game. I snapped a few photos and took some video, but when the Torcida  started throwing the flares onto the field and the game came to a screeching halt, I immediately started collecting my things. Cause we run! The smoke was so thick that you couldn’t even see the other side of the stadium. The chanting, drumming, stomping, and blowing up of cherry bombs in the midst of a thick, grey, smoke cloud is really quite unnerving.

White-out! A smoke filled stadium!

(Singing) “We are conquerors! Con-que-rors…”

Thanks God for the "family section"!

The game started again after the smoke cleared and I settled back into my seat. However, ten minutes before the game ended, it was apparent that Hajduk was going lose. When the mother’s with babies and families with children started a mass exodus from the stadium early, I took that as my clue to leave as well.

Walking back to the Palace that evening, I took a moment and just looked around at all the people leaving the stadium with their bright Hajduk scarves and jerseys. I’m not sure if children dressed in soccer regalia will ever remind me of fall, more than children dressed in Halloween costumes... I’m not sure if the sight of flares falling from the sky can compete with colorful leaves falling softly in the New York backdrop…  What I am sure of is that at this point, this will be a football season to remember.

Go Hajduk!

View from the Riva

Ancient Fortress Walls = Roman Ruins

At the Green Market

Diocletian's toe! Rubbing it is supposed to bring luck.

Entrance to the basement of the Palace

Exploring the basement... I'm probably leaning against an old sewage drain! Who knows...

Beautiful churches throughout Split

The Cathedral on the Palace Grounds is awe inspiring

This is a Wednesday afternoon!! So many people at the Riva.