Am I hearing things, or is the sea speaking to me?

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Geo: 44.0584, 15.2916

Waiting for my laundry to dry ... 7 Euros for laundry and no dryer! Turns out that they have one but apparently don't want to use it for guests' laundry. They air dried it all night and dried it in the machine for 15 minutes because they knew I was in a rush to leave. Then they left my laundry bag in the washroom ... had to wait a while for someone to finish showering before I could get it.

Was worried that I would miss my bus but it turned out fine. Hopped the tram to the bus station. Good tram system in many ways but bad for tourists. It's crowded so you can't see where you are going and they don't announce any of the stop names.

Almost walked into an open manhole near the station. Luckily for me a worker yelled and brought my attention to it. I decided to skip Plitvice lakes - it's supposed to be beautiful but I was in Bled a few days ago and it might be very inconvenient and expensive for me to stay there.

I tried booking ahead but the agency wouldn't tell me if it was within walking distance or accessible by public transport. They couldn't "give me the address" without a credit card number. That's not what I asked you, you fools! Later, I found out that I could've just showed up and found a decently-priced place that I could have walked to. Oh well, maybe next time!

Bus to Zadar - I was so very happy on the bus. Almost giddy. It's the indescribable joy of traveling, I guess. So at peace ... maybe it was the exhaust fumes causing it?

Ate a banana and listened to some trippy electronic music that was being played. I miss my music! Between work, commuting, and at home, I normally listen to 9-10 hours per day. I want an IPOD!!!

Grabbed a ham, cheese, tomato, cucumber sandwich at the rest stop. Prices were similar to grocery stores in Zagreb. The last time I ate in a rest stop was last year when the four of us stopped in Portugal for fuel and food. The sandwich was much better this time.

Some good music was playing on the bus - a little Hard-Fi! Did I mention that I miss my music? I've realized that I need to get back to chilling out like I did in San Sebastian - drinking coffee and relaxing while writing in my journal (though I had good inspiration back in San Sebastian!). I'm not sure what happened, but I need to get back to it.

An old guy in the bus station was selling his rooms. 100 kn per night. I think he's in trouble with his wife because she later asked me for 150 and I told her that the man offered 100. Anyway, what a bunch of liars! The place was NOT 5 minutes from the beach and 10 from the old town. Try 15 and 30 minutes.

Zadar is nice .. great outdoor cafes. I needed some fruit so I had some blueberry ... gelato! A little tart but refreshing. As I waited for it I heard Seal's "Crazy". It's been ages since I've heard that. Much better than the insipid re-make that Alanis Morrissette recently did. Give it up, your career ended years ago!

Zadar is a bit like a mix of Granada, Toledo, and Cadaques (or maybe Levanto). I like it. Off to see the Sea Organ (it's not a whale penis, you sickos!) I raced over so that I could eat the gelato as I listened. I barely made it ... gelato usually lasts no more than a few minutes with me.

Basically, the ocean is playing a song for you. It was soothing, incredible, and indescribable. A highlight of the trip. It truly sounds like a whale song. I've been inspired to build my own toilet organ! But not a bath tub organ ... that would interfere with the sounds of my rubber duckies.

True happiness is eating gelato and sitting there listening to the song of the sea. It doesn't seem like much but it was a priceless moment. Who ever would have thought that the ocean had a voice and could speak to you?

Walked to the beach - gravel and concrete. The water is beautiful but the beach is terrible. Used the free internet at a place called "Arsenal". Would be a great place to relax at during the night. A giant room complete with restaurant, wine bar, lounge, and book store. The internet was painfully slow, however. But only my terminal. No one else seemed to have any problems.

Dinner - fish soup - an oily, tomato-based broth with bits of fish and rice. Bland - much better after I added a ton of salt. Warm/cold salad - shrimp, mushrooms, onions all sauteed then placed on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, and served with triangles of toast. Good - very flavourful shrimp and the olive oil and balsamic vinegar was the perfect complement.

Back to the Sea Organ. I wanted to stay a while but it was windy and cold (I had forgotten my pant legs at the house). Off to the house ... a very challenging and dangerous walk in the dark. There were no lights on many streets - I was afraid of being run over. It's a good thing I drew myself a tiny map when I left the house earlier. Many streets are actually alleyways.

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Photos

a
How lovely ... two plums stuck together so that they look like a heart ... or an upside down butt crack.

b
Thought this was a funny statue - it's like he's staring at the empty shell saying "Please sir, may I have some more gruel?".

c
One of the gates into the old city - neat architecture.

d
They say duct tape can fix anything but apparently bungee cord works too!

e
You can see some Roman ruins in the front (pillars). Apparently local children race little cars around the ruins at night.

f
f

g
Ahhh ... what could be better than eating gelato, staring at the ocean, and listening to the song of the sea? Doing it while sitting next to a beautiful Spanish girl, of course! Then that would truly be a transcendent experience!

h
There were little slots just under where I am sitting - not sure about the purpose of them but they definitely are a part of the organ.

i
The sounds from the organ emanate from these holes.

j
j

l
My private accommodation in Zadar (Croatians call them "sobe"). I had to take a picture - the red light in the room made it feel like a brothel. It was kind of fun, but a little disturbing at the same time.
When I arrived, the old man gave me a school girl uniform to put on and told me that my new name was "Yuki". I told him to screw off, that I already had a school girl uniform, and that I preferred to be called "Mika" instead.