A 2 hour drive up the A1 from Split had us arriving in Zadar at superb accommodation in the Old Town
The district of present day Zadar has been populated since prehistoric times built on a small stone islet where the old city stands and tied to the mainland by a narrow isthmus.
Across the Adriatic is Italy so it is not surprising that at some time the Romans sailed across and established life in this area.
A feature of Zadar are the Roman remains within the Old Town and dominated by the Church of St Donatus which was built in the 9th century
The interior of St Donatus is relatively well maintained and is circular in shape
The city was once a wall city but today only small portions of the wall remain part
of which is the Land Gate.
Like Dubrovnik the streets within the city have been superbly restored and
maintained but spoilt (if that is the correct word), in my view, by the proliferation of high street shops.
Outside of the city is Riva (a promenade) which is well used by locals and
tourists - later in the afternoon we went for a swam from the concrete pier in the background.
Across the Zadar Strait are numerous islands which appear well populated and the
fishing vessels that were coming and going suggest a fish meal is a possibility for dinner tonight.
Zadar is also well known for the sea organ which plays continuously as it is driven by the movement of the sea and there is also a solar powered light show, known as Greeting from the Sun which we will have a look at around sunset tonight.
Dubrovnik, Split & Zadar have been delightful places to visit and have a real holiday feel about them because of the fact that they are coastal cities and it will be with some disappointment the day after tomorrow when we move inland as we continue travelling north to our next major stop, Vienna
No comments:
Post a Comment