Blogs from Zadar, Dalmatia, Croatia, Europe

The pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more on the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to.”– Alain de Botton After a good sleep in our apartment in Sibenik last night, we had a breakfast of coffee and leftovers (cheese, bread, hummus, dried figs, apple). We bought a small container of milk last night and after we used it for coffee this morning, we noticed later it was missing from the fridge. Someone stole our milk – how rude! It was too chilly and rainy to eat on our balcony, but we enjoyed our picnic breakfast all the same. Yes, the weather has indeed changed and the rain has arrived. We walked through the wind and the rain to meet Tamara and the others at the bus station at ... read more

http://www.heygo.com 26th February - From Ancient Zadar to the Newest Installation From the 15th century, internal fights within the Croatian-Hungarian state resulted in its loss of influence in Dalmatia, and Zadar, together with much of the surrounding mainland and islands, were sold to Venice but Zadar remained the capital of Dalmatia under Venice. In the 16th century, Turkey invaded inland Dalmatia, Zadar retreated and became the largest city-fortress in the Venetian Republic but Plague ravaged the city. In 1699, a peace was concluded with the Turks signalling the end of war. A century later, Napoleon's armies defeated Venice, and Zadar and Dalmatia were peacefully attached to the Hapsburg Empire, only to be handed back to the French in 1805. Under the French, Zadar enjoyed eight years of social reform until the Austrians took the... read more

After all the anchoring we have been doing we figured it was time to head into a marina for a few days as there are just some things easier when plugged into power. It was working out well as we had been working our way up the coast of Croatia toward the city of Zadar. We had heard that Marina Preko on a nearby island wasn't too expensive (and even gives a discount for Cruising Association members!) so contacted them and they had an opening for the number of days we wanted to stay. We knew we could catch a ferry from here over to the mainland and the city of Zadar. Only stipulation we were given by the marina was to not arrive before 1PM as that was check out time and they would then ... read more

Our trip’s stated objective was to participate in a “strenuous” hike in Paklenica National Park. By the end of last night, there were only three people who wanted to risk the first half hour of rocky assent, because of all the rain. By this morning, when there was again light rain, Manka cancelled the hike because it is very slippery in the rain. Breakfast was delightful because the hotel restaurant cooked our eggs to order; the ability of Adriatic restaurants to produce excellent sunny-side-up eggs is astonishing. Otherwise, the selections were the usual cold cuts, cereals and lovely breads. Our revised day was a return to Zadar, this time to visit the url=https://www.zadar.travel/en/city-guide/attractions/26-05-2009/museum-of-ancient-glass-zadar#.Xsc50GhKhPYAncient Glass Museum. (Rain fell during the drive and upon our ar... read more

All before 8:30 am I bought a souvenir, bought breakfast, bought snacks and asked the rental car company what would happen if I indeed did got a speeding ticket. They said they'd mail it to me if the police decide to follow through with it. I got a text alerting me that the bus was going to be 45 minutes late. We were supposed to leave at 8:50 and didn't leave until 10:00 am. As I was loading my suitcase onto the bus I almost had a heart attack. I noticed one of the travel locks was missing. Did someone break it? Then I realized I unlocked it last in the hostel throwing stuff in at the last second. I also remember placing the keys on the floor. The keys in the same ring were for ... read more