Croatia – Zadar
Feb 27th, 2007 by Ian
After our brief stay in Zagreb, we caught an early morning bus to Zadar. Our limited Croatian meant we had no idea how long the bus ride would be, so we stocked up on cheese burek and water before getting on the bus. The ride was a very smooth one, on the recently opened toll highway. The scenery was gorgeous, but our view of it was interrupted frequently by really really long tunnels. I think the longest tunnel was almost 6 km!
It was nice to get back to the Adriatic coast, where the weather was significantly better than in inland Zagreb. Although it wasn’t quite up to summer standards, it was nice to enjoy several 15°C sunny days. In Edinburgh you’d have to be a nutter to not wear a jacket outside right now.
Outside of Croatia, Zadar is renowned for its sunsets and Afred Hitchcock’s description of them (supposedly more beautiful than California’s). I have to admit that the coast is very nice and the sunsets were spectacular even at this time of year. The old town is separated from the rest of the city by a foot bridge over an inlet, but you can also get rowed across at a more convenient point by a boat man. Oana and I were lucky enough to experience this. According to the guidebook the boat crossing has been run by the same 3 families, in shifts, since 1200 AD! The boat itself wasn’t as romantic as the notion but it was cheap and a nice change from walking.
Once across the inlet we checked out the sea organ, a pipe organ that consists of 35 pipes ending in whistles that each produce a different note. The organ is installed under marble steps that descend into the water along a sea wall. Little holes perforate the treads of the uppermost steps and vertical grooves notch the topmost risers. The sound made by the waves and the wind is quite nice and was well worth the time spent finding it and getting though the construction going on around it.
Within Croatia, Zadar is renowned for its cherry liqueur called Maraska, and known elsewhere in the world as Maraschino. It was quite tasty but unfortunately we could not bring any back to Edinburgh with us (grrr shampoo bombers.)
Technorati Tags: Zadar, Croatia, Adriatic, Maraska, sea organ, Hitchcock