Dubrovnik to Zadar 8th August

Andrej at the hotel has prebooked our tickets for the bus to Zadar thank goodness because it is nearly booked out. We get organised to leave but Jan wants the contact for an artist that has work hanging in the hotel. She is distracted by the art! I get a bit anxious to catch the local bus and the later bus so I haul her case down the stairs while she is discussing the issue with Andrej. I say you can get the info on the web but she prefers to ask someone which is more useful sometimes but perhaps not right now? Eventually we get moving and get to the stop with about ten minutes to spare. It is a squash getting on the bus with locals and tourists but we squeeze in and arrive at Gruz harbour and bus station. The queue for tickets is long but moves quickly. We get our booked tickets and it is only about 15 mins and the bus arrives. We have to pay 7 kuna extra to put bags in the hold! We are off to Zadar and I am delighted we are taking the bus.  We are following the coast and it is spectacular, with vIews out to the islands and pristine coves around charming little villages. It is quite dreamlike. I bought a pack of cards in Dubrovnik so we tried playing Sevens( Andy and Karen were my teachers and we played a lot on the Camino.)  The winding road makes the cards fall off the little table so after four games we give up. We then go through Bosnia ( about 100km)  where we have to show passport  in and out.) We have a pit stop where we drool over the mussels that must be local.  We have passed miles of mussel farms. The kingdom of Croatia sold this strip of coastline to the Ottoman Empire to secure their independence and that is why Bosnia has some coastline.

We start stopping more frequently to pick up and drop off people so the ride is long- 8 and a half hours.  Jan is feeling the strain and is getting tired. I doze a bit but don't want to miss anything. I am not tired but I did take a Dramamine to prevent car sickness knowing the road was going to be winding. 

The entry into Zadar is quite uninspiring. Zadar seems to be on a plain or river delta so it seems very flat with none of the dramatic mountains that frame the other cities. We have passed some intensive farming which is possible on this flat land.

 Eventually we arrive and get a taxi to the nearest point and find the apartment without delay. It is not too inspiring from outside but the landlady is very friendly and the room though small is quite stylish. It is in a good position only minutes from everything. We get settled and Nada gives us a quick orientation and we hurry off to the esplanade to hear the sea organ and to watch the salute to the sun which is a large circle offload oanels set into the esplanade that start  a light show when the sun goes down. I am staggered to see dozens of people standing or sitting over the lights so there isn't a show. I have to surprises a sense of outrage and the urge to tell them to get off the lights so we can see what they do. The lights seem to flicker and change colours.  The sea organ is booming out  with a rather mournful sound. This is a horizontal construction of pipes under the esplanade that is operated by the movement of the sea.

 Full Moon Night

We have arrived in Zadar at Full Moon Festival so the place is jumping and packed to the gills.Along the esplanade are numerous stalls selling food, drinks and an aray of products hand made by locals.

We are intrigued by the sardines in a bread case, flat pizza like dough fried like pappadums and sprinkled with sour cream or drizzled with chocolate. There are numerous buskers of all styles dotted around so they create a wonderfully fun  atmosphere.

The town is very old with roman ruins and a 9th C church. It si on a peninsula surrounded by water but has been laid out in orderly Roman structure rather than the winding streets of many old towns. As a conseqeunce it seems more open and is very easy to find your way. the new part of town is across the bay on the opposite mainland. The architecture in the new town is pretty average and quite unattractive un fortunately but that doesn't stop the tourists as the place is very busy and there are nice beaches to the south and north of town with flash hotels. There is a distinctive Austrian/German feel to the area which is a hangover from the Austrian Hapsburg Rule. Lots of signs are in German and Croatian and restaurants have menus in Italian, German and English.

 Town square Jan on esplanade