The View From My Beer
A frothy glass of Birra Moretti looking towards the majestic Bari Cathedral. Today’s beer is dedicated to my good mate Shane Horton who’s celebrating his 65th birthday today. Cheers ‘H’.
Zadar
Stop number five, the final stop on my seven-day cruise of the Adriatic, Zadar is Croatia’s oldest continuously inhabited city. With a population of 75,000, it is also Croatias’a fifth-largest city.
My Walk
Today I opted to take the shuttle bus into town and bypass the 4km walk from the cruise terminal. I didn’t see a lot on the ride into town, confirming my choice was most likely a good one. On arrival, I took a stroll along the coastline before heading into old-town for a look. Later I would wander across the bridge into the newer area of Zadar before returning to old town and then the shuttle back to the ship.
Coastal Walk
I didn’t have a firm plan for today. The shuttle bus dropped us off next to a sculpture known as ‘The Greeting to the Sun’. Nearby was a sound sculpture known as ‘Sea Organ’. Plastic pipes produced sounds based on the motion of the sea. Unfortunately that doesn’t present well as a photo. There was a nice boardwalk along the side of the water. It was an enjoyable stroll, not too crowded, a sunny day with temperatures in the low 20s, and a nice breeze. Eventually I decided to take the opportunity to enter into the Old Town.
Old Town Zadar
Each city we have visited on this cruise has had a long history. Being coastal cities, they have all featured walls surrounding the original city, often with fortresses to provide defense from naval attacks. Within the walls of each city were narrow windy lanes where people lived, worked, and shopped. Christianity has also played a big role in local life with each city having many churches, some having very high steeples that dominate the landscape. A walk around these ‘Old Towns’ has provided the chance to walk back in time and get some insights into how life might have been hundreds of years ago.
Zadar was no different on the basics. One notable difference was that there were a lot more Roman ruins.
Each of these cities had at least one landmark that dominated begging me to take photos from different angles. It was not unusual for me to end up with 10-20 photos featuring the same building. Zadar was no different with the Zadar Cathedral and the Church of St Donatus located side by side. I was lucky enough to find a small cafe that served cold beer right next to these two prominent landmarks. Perfect for a view from my beer!
Across The Bridge
Later, I headed over the bridge in search of a KFC for lunch. It turned out the KFC wasn’t there any more. It often works out when you go seeking a specific target, you take a path you may not otherwise take. In this case I found myself well away from the tourist areas, giving me the chance to get a better glmipse of how the locals live. Their stores, their restaurants, their homes, and even their petrol stations were all interesting to see.
Return To Old Town
My next priority became finding a bathroom. I really don’t like the idea of having to pay to pee. Unless the situation gets desperate I usually try to find a way to take a free pee. SO I headed back into the Old Town.
The Old Town of Zadar differed from the others I had visited in that it had a series of gardens within the city wall. I didn’t find the bathroom I was lookin for, but I did get the chance to sit and relax for a while under the shade of some nice trees. Nature was still calling so I decided I would hop on the shuttle bus and head back to the ship.
I considered my voyage around the Adriatic to be complete. I had learnt a lot about the history of this area and thoroughly enjoyed the many chances I had to walk around the five walled coastal cities we had visited. In a way it was fitting that the cruise had started in Vencice, as the Ventians had been very influential in this entire area.
