Zadar, Bibich winery and Split

It would be hard to match a day like yesterday, our visit to Plitvice, but nevertheless we had a brilliant day full of wonderful, rapidly changing scenery, as in NZ, and interesting visits. Even stops at motorway areas for a break gave us a chance to enjoy the local flora.

Our first stop was the historic town of Zadar, which is overshadowed by its larger neighbour Split, but is starting to attract more visitors and particulatly, more cruise ships. It would be a pity if it gets overrun, but I am sure it will!
The medieval part of the town is crowded into a narrow peninsula jutting out into the Adriatic. It has a picturesque harbour for the locals,

and the big tourist attraction is the recently created and very quirky Sea Organ, loved by tourists, but not so popular with those living nearby because of the strange sounds it emits, very loud when the waves are large. As I was there, the sound was quite pleasantly melodic, but I can see how annoying it might become. The organ consists of wide marble steps leading down to the sea, with tubes and cavities underneath, which create the sounds from the wind and the water. It is an eerie sound from a distance, but according to the guide can be heard all over the town during storms, and of course cannot be switched off! You cannot get any idea of this from the photo - Google necessary!

The other unique artwork is the Salute to the sun, which is just beside the organ and which stores solar power during the day and then radiates multicoloured lights by night. What a pity we could not see it at night.

Actually, before these two unusual artworks were created, tourism focussed on the cultural and historical monuments, such as the Roman Forum dating back to 1 st century AD, only found after Zadar was bombed during the second WW. St Donat's church, which we visited, is just behind the Forum and is from 9 th century
It is now only used for concerts, because of its great accoustics. 

The tour of the little city was interesting - so many churches, cathedrals, cafes, ice cream shops and ATMs!
For a totally different experience, we visited the award-winning winery, Bibich. To be honest, we were rushed through the wines and I hardly had time to taste them properly, but the gourmet canapes we were presented with were absolutely exquisite and delicious.

Drinking mid- afternoon made it hard to stay awake in the coach, and when I woke up we had just arrived above Split, our destination. It is certainly a dramatic entry over the hills into the city.

Our first wander towards the sea took us past an old gentleman feeding some very cute strays. They are obviously used to tourists and were so friendly.

We meandered along the busy esplanade, enjoying a local market and Croatian music, before watching a lovely sunset over the bay.

I am looking forward to exploring the little alleyways of this city tomorrow. But, now it is time to enjoy my rather luxurious room 😀.



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