I, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (A.D. 236-316)

Was the last Emperor of the united Roman Empire. Born around the year A.D. 236, on the Dalmatian coast, I was originally named Diocles and was of humble birth.

As a young man, I sought my fortune in the army - showing myself to be a shrewd, able, and ambitious individual. Rising quickly through the military ranks, I received the title of "Duke of Moesia" (an area on the banks of the lower Danube River) along with responsibility for border defense. In A.D. 282, the legions of the upper Danube proclaimed Carus as emperor and under the new emperor I was promoted to Count of the Domestics, the commander of the cavalry arm of the imperial bodyguard.

In A.D. 284, in the midst of a campaign against the Persians, Carus was killed leaving the empire in the hands of his two young sons, Numerian in the east and Carinus in the west. Soon thereafter, Numerian died under mysterious circumstances near Nicomedia, and I was acclaimed emperor in his place. In 285 Carinus was killed in a battle near Belgrade, and I was declared emperor of the entire empire by the Danubian Legions. I took the name Diocletian upon ascending the throne.

Trogir. A Medieval gem.

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roatia. A country that did not even exist when I was born and up until very recently, was hidden from the world behind the Iron Curtain. I now have a wonderful opportunity to visit it.

Our plan is to fly from Istanbul to Split, Croatia and from there, hop a local bus to the town of Trogir (pronounced "Tro-jeer") which sits alongside the stunningly beautiful coastline of the Adriatic Sea.

We will be using Trogir as our home base to see the central Dalmatian coast - including the larger, port city of Split.

The historic icons of Istanbul.

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stanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is Turkey's most populous city and its cultural and financial center. Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both literally and figuratively. More importantly for Lei and I, it's the first stop on our trip through Turkey and Croatia.

Founded by Constantine the Great in 324 CE on the site of ancient Byzantium (going back to 650 BC), Istanbul was the capital, successively, of the Roman Empire (324-476), the Byzantine Empire (476-1453) and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922).

Hamam-a-Mamas.

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'm not a spa girl. I don't do saunas. I don't do hot tubs. So, when Lei said that we would be going to a hamam in Turkey.....well, my initial response was "no way".

What's hamam, you ask? It's a Turkish public bath. Public baths are a centuries old tradition in Turkey, going back as far as Roman times. Today, hamams exist mainly for tourists and there are several very well known ones in Istanbul including Çemberlitaş Hamami.

Public baths became an integral part of Turkish life during the Ottoman Empire and it was because of Islamic belief spousing the importance of hygiene. While hamans started as places for cleansing the body, over time they became social gathering places where one could enjoy the company of friends or conduct business. The haman played an important role in the lives of Ottoman women providing them with a way to socialize in their restricted lives outside the closed doors of their houses. Even the most wealthy women, who had their own private hamams in their houses, dropped by the hamam in their district once a month. Ottoman women celebrated important occasions at the bath such as weddings and birth and that tradition has continued to today.

The Evil Eye.

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sharp glance. A cutting look. A piercing stare. If looks could kill. All actions we attribute to the Evil Eye.

To an American, the "Evil Eye" may sound like something out of a goofy 1950s horror movie but the reality is that the theme of the Evil Eye runs deep and wide in human history. Universally, it describes a look inspired by maliciousness or jealousy and it is blamed for causing everything from garden-variety bad luck to toothaches, headaches, disease and death. It is also believed that the evil eye doesn’t only affect humans, but also animals, plants and homes.

Ancient Wonder. Ephesus.

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ne of the four major cities of the Roman Empire, Ephesus is a "must see" place for any traveller to Turkey - it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located near Selçuk, Turkey, we've planned a one day visit to wander among the ruins. For me, seeing Ephesus will remind me of Lei's and my day spent at Jerash, the Roman ruins located just north of Amman, Jordan.

Seas and straits.

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hen I was trying to come up with the name of this blog, it was images of the turquoise colored waters around Turkey and Croatia that inspired me. The beautiful spectrum of blue and green shades provides a stunning backdrop for the surrounding landscape.