Zadar: a Seaside Symphony

The drive from Bale to Zadar was briefly interrupted for lunch in Opatija, where we ate more traditional Istrian food and I began to fully comprehend just how hearty and delicious Croatian cuisine could be. Continuing on, we crossed into the new region of Dalmatia where I couldn't help but make the connection between bushy spots on the hillsides to the popular dog breed of the same name. 

We also stopped for several enjoyable hours at a pebbly beach down a steep track from the road. Though I prefer sandy beaches, pebbles or rocks allow for greater clarity of water and we embarked on multiple swims. We didn't even need goggles as the water was crystal clear and you could see straight to the bottom! 

The rugged coastline was fairly quiet save for a few people who had set out for a day fishing. 

As the sun set over the craggy mountains, the scenery took on an eerie, orange Martian tone and Yannick likened it to Tattooine from Star Wars. It was dark by the time we found our apartment, but it turned out to be even more amazing than the one in Pula! We were greeted so warmly by the owners and even plied with wine, grapes and pastries. Once again it seemed too good to be true, and yet truth will out and we stayed a supplementary night there in luxury. 

Zadar, Croatia (Zadar, Hrvatska)

Relaxing in our apartment, we made a leisurely start to our day in Zadar and needed to find lunch by the time we arrived. On our hunt, everything looked touristy and overpriced or was comprised solely of seafood. 

While wandering about, we found a much better seafood perched atop this pillar: the First Seal. An abundance of ancient Roman ruins were dotted around the town, and we figured that it was such an early representation of a seal that it must be the first. Also, when have you ever seen a sculpture of a seal? Perhaps it is the first and the last. (Disclaimer: the statue is probably not of a seal. It vaguely resembled a poorly depicted lion with wings as well.)

Once we found a place to eat, the waiter presented us with an amuse bouche that tasted way too much like tinned tuna for me to stomach. He cleared the plate, telling me that if I did not like fish, I should shout at him! He asked if I liked cheese, and replaced the tuna with a garnished pyramid of Parmesan, which was very kind of him. "Do not be so nice - life is not" he told me. We inquired about his kiwi bird tie pin, and discussed travel. Chiming in about our accommodation plans, he said "camping is nice, very nice, and then you get attacked by animals - like bears". Good advice, and luckily we stayed in awesome cheap apartments for the rest of our Croatian Odyssey! 

The ninth century church of Saint Donat was built atop the ruins of the Roman forum and was laid out in an interesting circular manner. Before Roman occupation (which took place during the time of Julius Caesar), habitation of Zadar can be traced back to the late Stone Age indicating that the area has long been highly sought after, much like the rest of the Croatian coastline. Preceding Caesar's interest, the resident Liburians were fending off Greek colonisation attempts. After Rome lost control of Zadar, it fell to the Huns, the Goths, the Byzantines and then to the Venetian Empire in the fifteenth century. To summarise, the city has a fraught history that I can't fully delve into here, but if you're in the mood then have a google. I promise it's interesting. 

Now looking very spartan, the narrow windows filled the Byzantine church of Saint Donat with soft light. Pigeons roosted in the rafters, leaving behind mounds of poo on the walkways below. 

The church was constructed using pilfered parts of Roman structures. In places you could see pillars stuck in walls, marble chunks and even altarpieces on which the original Roman inscriptions could still be seen. 

Along the waterfront, we enjoyed the sun to the tune of harmonic organ music playing through holes in the stone steps. An architect, Nikola Bašić, designed the pipe system to play according to wave movements. I admit I thought it would sound discordant, but in fact it reminded me more of a pleasant whale song (except when a cruise ship went past - then the pipes blared a little crazily in its wake). Bašić also designed a light sculpture nearby, which draws in energy from solar panels during the day and projects light at night, but as we were never in Zadar after dark we unfortunately weren't able to see it. 

On our way back to the apartment, we relaxed on a beach until the sun ducked behind a hill. Adorably, a thin wooden bridge connected an island with a lone little church to the mainland. I need to prepare you now for the fact that in my Croatian posts, I will be going on a bit about how much I love chilling on pretty little beaches and accepting the generous hospitality of locals. Also grilled meats, but I'll get into that in my next post. 

The evening was spent on our terrace where we ate homemade burgers prepared in our kitchen, drank local wine, and ate grapes from the apartment's vines. This is the life!

Today's post was almost called: You Should See Z'adar Guy