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Published: September 25th 2022
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 about 9:30, Susan picked us up cappuccinos from the coffee shop/bakery, and our bus left promptly at 9:45. This was a much nicer bus that the one from Split yesterday. It is a long distance bus that was very comfortable, and it even had wifi. We enjoyed our two hour ride, passing through numerous small towns and almost continuous olive groves. The rain
stopped after a bit and by the time we arrived in Zadar it had completely stopped and the skies had brightened up a bit. We were picked up at Zadar’s bus station and driven the short distance to the old town, where Tamara gave us a very nice walking tour.
Zadar is quite interesting, a historic old town with Roman ruins next to medieval churches, surrounded by walls and gates built by the Venetians. We saw St. Donatus’ Church (the circular Byzantine style church, dating back to the beginning of the 9
th C), St. Anastasia’s Cathedral (we couldn’t climb the adjoining bell tower because it was closed – it’s closed on Sundays). I was disappointed as I enjoy climbing bell towers for the fun of the climb up the narrow steps and the views from the top. We were supposed to come to Zadar tomorrow, not today, so the tower would have been open, but because of the weather the trip to Kornati Islands was postponed to Tuesday. Can’t do anything about the weather, so have to roll with the punches and be flexible when travelling. But I did grumble for a bit 😂.
We walked through and
around the old town, walking on the top of the town walls (they are nothing like Dubrovnik though!). We sampled Zadar’s famous liqueur, Maraskino, at a shop, and bought two small bottles. It is quite delicious.
The highlight of Zadar was the Sea Organ. This is the most incredible thing. It was designed by local architect Nikola Bašić, and is truly a wonder. A system of pipes and whistles are set within and underneath the perforated stone steps that lead to the sea. Whenever the sea pushes through it, beautiful tones are played, which increase or decrease in volume when the sea is rougher or a boat passes by. The effect is beautiful and quite hypnotic. There are holes in the stones where you can put your ear against to hear the tones better. I did this after I spotted a little kid doing it!
Next to the Sea Organ is the Sun Salutation, designed by the same architect. This is a large circle set in the pavement, containing glass solar panels, which produce a light show from sunset to sunrise. This must be incredible to see, especially while listening to the Sea Organ. Zadar is known for
its sunsets and the beautiful sunset, plus the sound of the Sea Organ and the lights of the Sun Salutation must be absolutely magical.
Tamara, Jade, Susan and I had lunch at “Submarine” where we had draft Croatian beer and excellent burgers. This is a very highly rated burger place and had vegan burgers, and was highly recommended by Tamara so we gave it a try. There were four types of vegan burger, so there were lots of choices for Jade and me. After lunch we walked the walls, and enjoyed more time by the Sea Organ. We were picked up about 4:15, for our ride to the bus station, and arrived back in Šibenik about 6:15. The bus wasn’t the nice long distance type we were on this morning, but it wasn’t very crowded and we had a pleasant trip back.
From the bus depot, Susan and I took a detour through the old town, I got a t-shirt I had noticed in a shop window yesterday, and since we wanted a snack but not dinner we agreed on gelato for dinner. We had cones this time (it was dinner after all 😁). I had pistachio with
chocolate drizzled on top, and Susan had mango. Both were delicious, as expected. We headed back to the apartment, stopping by a small grocery store to pick up some yogurt and juice for the morning. As we got back, the others were heading up to a bakery, so I joined them. This is a well known bakery, catering to locals, that is open all the time (literally all the time, 24 hours a day). It is probably only a 10 minute walk away, but it is all uphill and up lots and lots of stairs. It turned out to be a very nice evening, warmer than yesterday evening and the walk back from the bus station, and then up to the bakery, were very enjoyable. I don’t mind doing all those stairs. I got us some filled buns for tomorrow breakfast (one marmalade and one cheese). When I got back we sat on our balcony for awhile, and shared one of the little bottles of Maraskino. A nice ending to a nice day. 😀
Tomorrow we are off to Krka National Park. It is supposed to be quite beautiful, with waterfalls and gorges, but unfortunately the forecast is for
rain again tomorrow. We are hoping it will turn out like today, much better than the forecast, but we’ll see. It will be more enjoyable if it’s not raining the whole day, but we’ve certainly not let rain stop us in our past travels, and it won’t here either. Stay tuned!
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Joanna
non-member comment
The sea organ and the sun salutation sound super magical; what creative ideas and sure to please locals and tourists alike! I take it you left before sundown? Or did you get to experience the Sun salutation lit up too?