Day 7 - Split to Zadar

We have finished one of two weeks of our Croatia holiday! Time flies when you’re having fun!

Today we left Split first thing this morning by catching a previously booked van to the airport to finally travel using a rental car the rest of our trip. The van took us well north of Split, so we were soon on our way northward towards our next destination.

We chose to follow the coastal road since we didn’t have a long way to go and were interested in seeing the scenery. We wove in and out of the beautiful bays and watched the Dalmatian coast change as the weather intensified with its deep clouds though we received little rain. The waters at times had many whitecaps but there continued to be many sailboats and watercraft toing and froing on the water. We drove through many villages which changed little from one to the other though one thing we noticed that was definitely in common was the rocky terrain throughout, as well as much dense forest, despite little fertile soil.

Scenes from the car along the Dalmatian Coast ( Eloise & Kathy)

Threatening skies followed us north along the coast. Contrasting beautiful water

Threatening skies and deep blue sea.

One of many marinas we drove by today

More boats, more marinas.

So many beautiful coastal scenes along the route today but so few pull-offs.

We eventually stopped for lunch along the highway where a roast pig was being prepared on a spit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ready to enjoy. It was an interesting restaurant frequented by many biker groups.  There was even a sticker from a biker group in Wales.  The owner was an interesting young man.  He had 3 hunting dogs in a large run on the property.  These were specifically a Croatian breed.  He was a hunter of primarily wild boar of which there are large numbers hereabouts.  On occasion he had also hunted wolf and frequently rabbits.

We were just a little too early for the roast  pork😒

Hunting dogs. A specific Croatian breed, we think Posavac Hounds.  Such beautiful dogs.

We finally arrived at our destination in Zadar. After a short break to recoup, we headed into Old Town to see what might be of interest. Despite what may have been a problem parking, we quickly found a vacant spot opposite the sites we’d come to see.

The first item on the agenda was the Roman Forum which had been established by Emperor Augustus at the turn of the first century. It was damaged by bombing during the Second World War. All that remains are fragments of  the foundations, colonnades and pillories.

St Donatus Church- built in 800 AD

St. Mary's Church- a Benedictine monastery- founded in 1066

Roman Forum remains

Church of St. Anastasia

We viewed St Donatus Church from outside, built in the 800’s. It is in near perfect state of preservation.

We then wandered back outside the walls to the waterfront to hear the sea organ. It is located at the tip of the peninsula. It was devised in 2005 by Nikola Basic. It takes the form of a series of large marble steps leading down to the water. Beneath each platform is a tube that creates a musical note generated by the power of the waves that break underneath. The outcome is random but very effective ranging from soft to louder tones.

Thanks to Google we can see the apertures where the sea enters to create the organ sounds 

Holes which provide sounds/notes from the Sea Organ

After having experienced this phenomenon, we headed for dinner before the rains hit as the skies once again were threatening rain.   The restaurant specialized in fish dishes as well as sushi and sashimi.   A note here,  30% of the Tuna caught here is exported to Japan.

Our delicious dinner

PS

This evening in Zadar, after our return to the accommodation there was the most severe lightening storm with torrential rain.  The lightening was constant across the sky and heavy continuous thunder.