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.

Day 6 – Split

Split, population 178,000 seems to have an equal number of tourists.  A slight exaggeration, however, it seems that way.

Although the ‘Old Town’ is not what we experienced in Dubrovnik and Korčula, it was worth a visit.  The harbour and the marina(s) here are spectacular, and it must be a boating mecca with the number of yachts, motor yachts and catamarans we see moored here.

The one thing that continues to be very obvious to us is that the Croatians are tall and have to be second to the Dutch for the tallest race in Europe.

While Pat and Des took it easy this morning, Eloise and Kathy took in the St. Dominius Catholique Cathedral.  It was difficult to view because of the many tours but they managed to work their way around the crowds to take reasonable photos of the interior.  The layout is quite different to most churches with the altar in the centre.  They then went below to view the crypt of St. Lucia, now converted to a chapel.  It comprises several arches which remain empty.  There is one lonely arch which holds a small statue of St. Lucia.  They then moved to the Baptistery, known as the Temple of Jupiter, dedicated to the ancient roman god Jupiter.  This is a small enclosure with a statue of Jupiter and a baptismal font.

Cathedral Pictures

Crypt Pictures

Baptistery Pictures

We then all proceeded out of the Diocletian Palace and located a marketplace filled with stalls selling clothing, vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, etc.  It was very extensive and busy.  We found it was then time to have lunch so we chose a restaurant with a view of the harbour.

After lunch we parted company with Pat and Kathy as D & E headed to the Mestrovic Gallery which was Mestrovic’s private residence converted to a museum displaying his many sculptures in bronze, marble and wood.  Some are displayed within the museum while others are outside in the extensive garden.  To arrive at this gallery we walked the length of the harbour and marina plus about another kilometer, about an hour.  It was quite the workout in 27°C heat but worth it.

Mestrovic Gallery Pictures 

We returned to Old Town and met up with Kathy in time to enjoy a cool beer, in the shade, overlooking the harbour.

Scenes around Split

Old Town marble pavement

Diocletian Palace ruins

Along the Riva Promenade

Flowers, shrubs and greenery everywhere

Harbour and marina

Bronze plaques honouring Croatian Olympian medalists from all Olympic Games embedded in the sidewalk along the harbour walk.

 This was a fitting end to our Split visit which we thoroughly enjoyed.  It’s appropriately a case of “Split Ends!”

Day 5 – Korčula to Split

 Today's Voyage

Well, what a day yesterday was.  For those who didn’t see the news from here in southern Croatia, yesterday the area received about 4” of rain and from what we hear, the first rain in about 90 days.  The streets of Dubrovnik were flooded far worse than where we were in Korčula.

Here the store owners were still mopping up from last night although some restaurants were up and running serving breakfast.

Our ride on the ferry was comfortable and uneventful with a full complement of passengers possibly 350 to 400.  Each of the islands we passed seemed to display a mixture of modern and ancient architecture.  They were well populated and appeared to have a healthy boating scene.  Sailing catamarans seem to be very popular.

Upon docking in Split, we took a taxi to our accommodations and were met by Anna and learned her brother lives in Toronto, Canada.

After Anna’s tour of the apartment, our priority was food which we ate at a restaurant nearby, unremarkable! Restaurants here are mostly very small so seating is soon full or in the sun so not where you want to be sitting in this hot weather. We moved on to eventually find the best under the circumstances as it was now 3:00 and we were hungry.

The rest of the afternoon we spent wandering the streets of Old Town, Split. It is the largest city on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. It was founded by the Greeks then occupied by the Romans, Venetians, French, and Austro-Hungarian Empire. At first glance, it has a lot to offer and very obviously it’s a tourist destination. The roads and alleys are pedestrian only. On first observation, Old Town Split appears more modern though some buildings do appear older. The map indicated a large block suggesting perhaps a walled area, so we headed in that direction. This indeed was where we found Diocletian’s Palace which was built in the 4th century. It is the oldest continuously-inhabited Roman palace in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It still has residents. It has very narrow alleys within tall walls. It is indeed within a large square enclosure. As we’ve found elsewhere, it has many shops selling jewellery, clothing and souvenirs. As we continued ever deeper, we found the ‘Piece de Resistance’. The alley opened to a large square and in front of us stood ruins with columns and a very tall tower which, upon closer observation, we noticed people climbing to the top. This area was in various stages of decomposition though some part of it did look like it had been rebuilt. It was quite impressive.

The square had raised seating around the edges with randomly scattered pillows. A notice indicated there were nightly free concerts.

At one side, there was a tunnel which led out to the port. We walk along it to the port side to take a couple pictures before finding some shade and heading back to our apartment for a break.   

We eventually headed out for dinner which we followed by our, what has become, routine game of cards to finish our evening. We spent another very rewarding day experiencing yet another city in Croatia. 

Plaza with restaurants

Fountain which receives water from the overhead spout in the wall 

Mural close to our accommodation - not Banksy!!

The beginnings of narrow alleys

Kathy & Eloise looking for Split souvenirs

Beautiful old architecture - Roman?

Bell tower and alley

The Bell Tower at St Dominius Cathedral

Ruins within the old Diocletian Palace

Harbour front and Riba Promenade in the background.

Day 4 Monday, 09 Sep -Korčula

 Korčula in the rain.

Today, as threatened, we awoke to heavy rain. It formed rivers running down the sidewalks and dripping from the various umbrellas and canopies the many restaurants have set up as few have indoor seating. We headed around the corner to where we ate last night but decided it wasn’t dry enough so continued under our umbrellas, up the street where they had large canopies under which we could eat while keeping dry.

While Pat and Des found a semblance of eggs with ham or bacon and toast, Kathy chose a variation of ham and cheese on toast and Eloise enjoyed a fruit salad with yogurt, walnuts and honey, an excellent choice.

By the time we’d finished breakfast, the rain had stopped so we took our chances to wander a little more. We decided to split up so Des and Eloise headed towards the harbour front and as we enjoyed the scenery, we realised we were on the path Filip had suggested would take us up and around to a summit lookout of the Old Town. It was a main road which wound ever upward at a gradual incline, a distance of about three kilometers. We could see the coast and houses along the way as well as a dense forest towards the interior.

We finally arrived at a clearing and saw below us the entire Old Town in all its splendour! The walk and climb had definitely been worth the effort. We walked back a short distance and found stairs that took us back along a more direct route close to Old Town. The staircase was not too difficult as there were only three or four stairs followed by a long stretch of sloped pavement. We were soon at the bottom, back in Old Town.

We soon spotted Kathy and Pat and walked around a little more before deciding it was lunch time. We were able to find another restaurant with a large canopy near the sea so we could watch the yachts and sailboats cruise by.

As the rains started, we headed back to our rooms for a little R&R and a chance to play some cards and write an early Blog.

The rain and thunder have continued into the evening with a considerable amount of rain accumulating throughout the area.  The alley in front of the entrance to our apartment is impassable. We're on the second floor and have experienced some leaks in our apartments' ceilings.  We've informed the owner.  Hopefully tomorrow will be finer weather as we set sail once more on the inter-island ferry to Split, about a 3-hour journey.

ADDENDUM:

The rain finally stopped around 9PM so we ventured out in search of a restaurant for a late dinner.  All of the premises in our alley including restaurants, beauty parlours and markets were flooded and owners and staff were busy using whatever they could find to bail the water out. Some of the places Des saw had 6" (150mm) of water throughout the store.  Wow! What a storm.  We bought fresh buns, ham and cheese at the market and ate in our apartment.

Rain cascading down the stairway outside our apartment

A park scene adjacent to our breakfast restaurant

One of several catamarans moored around Old Town Korcula - note the clear water.

Bailing buckets of water from his boat after the rain

View from along our hike to the lookout

From the lookout - Old Town in the background

Old Town from the lookout 

Interesting interconnections over the alley