Croatian Honeymoon - Zadar

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We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel before heading off to explore Zadar. We first visited the Rector's Palace - which was neat architecturally, but it turned out to be more of an art exhibit. Next we went to the 5 Wells Square, which during the 16th century, the Venetians helped the city withstand Turkish sieges by building a large drinking water cistern with five ornamental wellheads. When the Turkish threat ended, a park was built on top of the nearby bastion. We saw the "Pillar of Shame" where evildoers were chained and humiliated in the Middle Ages. We went to the exterior of the city wall and then tried to visit the Church of Simon. I wasn't allowed in because I had a tank top on, but we later came to find out there is where the Apostle Simon is buried! Next we visited the Museum of Ancient Glass, which I loved. We saw a live demonstration of glass making as well as glass as early as the 1st century. There was also a special Tiffany glass lamp exhibit which was neat to see. We had lunch on the water and went to get some items for our hiking trip the next day at the Plivtice Lakes National Park. A friend of mine from college actually has a pen-pal who lives in Zadar and we were able to meet up with her. She took us around and we just talked and she gave us a gift of home made wine. It was such a random meeting but it was great! She will be coming to the states next year to take the NY bar exam and it would be great to meet up with her again. We made a quick stop by the Greeting to the Sun - Next to the Sea Organ is the Sun Salutation also designed by Nikola Basic. This circle of glass collects the sun's rays by day, stores the energy, and emits it as a flickering light show after dark. Extra energy is used to power the lights along the waterfront. I felt like we were at a rave! We had a late dinner and then headed to bed to rest up for our hike. We absolutely LOVED Zadar!

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