Blogs from Zadar, Dalmatia, Croatia, Europe - page 8

I had reserved place on a smaller boat to take me on an excursion yesterday to the Kornati Islands. At 8.30 in the morning when all 45 people had boarded the boat, we went off still half sleeping, mostly wishing not to have spent 270kn for getting pulled out of bed on an early Sunday morning. As the boat, which was a nice small wooden boat (I know nothing of boats), left Zadar harbour, we were served coffee, juice and wine, while the speaker system at the boat started playing Waterloo followed by Dancing Queen and most of the ABBA-Gold collection. Alongside a nice fresh breeze, the music woke me as we sailed under the bridge of Ugljan and Pakšman and on to Dugi Otok, where we had a look at the very tall cliffs. ... read more

Trogir exhibits strong architectural evidence of its association with the Venetian Republic through the Cathedral of St. Lawrence, the Camerlengo Castle overlooking the harbor and an interesting Italian-style loggia in the cathedral square. Despite Greek and Roman beginnings, Trogir was destroyed in the 12th century. Most of the historic old city dates from the 13th century forward. The Historic City of Trogir was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Zadar was a Roman town, though its origins date further back than that. Its history since Medieval times has largely been influenced by Italy, especially by the Venetian Republic. Despite being a heavily contested site throughout history, Roman ruins remain standing in Zadar as do pre-Romanesque and Romanesque churches. From Zadar, we turned inland, crossing the rough-hewn Dinaric Alps on the way to Plitvice Lakes ... read more