Just before the summer the refurbished riva (sea promenade) of Croatia's Adriatic metropolis Split was ceremonially opened. The feedback, it seems, was generally disenchanting. Westy, an eyewitness and Splicanin, writes: "Take away the palm trees and the Palace and it could be in the centre of Milton Keynes or Birmingham, all very modern with it's large slabs of concrete [pic], uncomfortable chic benches and very trendy bins. The worst thing, though, are the lights. They are huge ... and completely ruining the view of the Palace. A really terrible mistake, unbelievable." As part of the "harmonization" of the area, Split's main public space, all cafes have been ordered to purchase the same kind of chairs (expensive, and reportedly not bearing more than 85 kilos). The 11-Million-Euro project was designed by the Zagreb architects 3LHD also responsible for the recent "Memorial Bridge" (really Most hrvatskih branitelja, i.e. "bridge of Croatian defenders") in Rijeka. Pictures here (including an aerial) and here.