The Road Less Travelled...

Today was a packed day of driving and sightseeing. When we first woke up we could hear it pouring rain, but it stopped as fast as it began....this seems to be a common occurrence so far in Croatia. We were on our way by 9:30am and headed on our journey toward Zadar, 145km toward the coast...without a real map!  We decided to stick to a non highway route in hopes of seeing some countryside...and avoiding any more tolls!!...and we were not disappointed.

stopping for a look

Our drive consisted of mountainous and rugged terrain...it was quite nice with the low level clouds hovering over the mountain tops and we also came across the odd valley and rivers. 

road less travelled

At times we felt like we were the only people on the road until we would come upon some form of road construction...there seemed to be lots of this during the first part of our trip...or some car would appear out of nowhere and zoom right past us.

a little surprise below

I think one of our favourite parts of this drive was when the sun came out and the temperature went from 13 to 19 degrees in about 30 minutes...bring on the sun!  

We arrived in Zadar around 12:30pm and found the peninsula area after navigation through a downtown detour and trying to find extremely unfamiliar street names we could never remember.  While looking for a parking spot, we came across a small boat ferry that would take foot passengers across the water to the other side of the peninsula…very cute.

ferry anyone??

Our main reason for coming to Zadar was to hear and see the Sea Organ.  The sea organ is an architectural object located on the shoreline of Zadar's peninsula and is the world’s 1^st experimental musical instrument which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large simple and elegantly carved white marble stone steps. The waves create somewhat random but harmonic sounds. 

found it!!

When we found the organ we decided to enjoy our lunch while listening to this unique instrument...it actually sounds a bit like a whale at times. The sounds change depending on the waves strength and at one point it became very loud after the wake of a boat hit the shoreline. 

enjoying the music

After we finished our picnic lunch...and before the weather changed...we decided to tour around the peninsula for a bit before heading on our way. What  a lovely couple hours...and completely unexpected. 

standing over the Sea Organ

We strolled along the waterfront, walked by the Zadar University, admired the architecture and even took a few shots of laundry hanging from shuttered windows...a popular sight in Zadar. 

look up

We also arrived at a local park/garden that had some lovely views of the city...I even managed to loose Lisa in there for a brief moment and thought I might be heading on a solo trip from that point forward!!

views from the park

Parts of the peninsula are walled in with many entry gates and a beautiful marina on the inside inlet. Before leaving, we also found a sweet little shop/gallery that sold handmade and painted ceramic jewellery...Croatians appear to be very artistic and creative people I've discovered. 

heading out the gate

At about 3:00pm we made it back to our car and headed off for another 125km toward Trogir. I must say, Zadar was an unexpected surprise and a city I would recommend to anyone to visit if coming this way. 

enjoying Zadar

Our drive to Trogir was another pleasant surprise...beautiful coastal views, rural countryside and extremely snaky, mountainous roads. The view of the cities of Trogir and Split as we came down the mountain was spectacular...no pictures though since the road was too narrow and full of sharp turns and traffic.  

We arrived in Trogir, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, around 5:30pm...only to be locked out of our apartment complex!  The parking attendant was kind enough to call our host Marija who quickly arrived to greet us and check us in. 

Where or where is our host?

We were worried we might loose the good weather and the sun was going down, so we headed out right away to explore the area...that is after we figured out how to lock and unlock our apartment door.  I'm not sure what they are trying to keep out of our place with a 4-point deadbolt, but we certainly shouldn't fear anyone breaking into our place any time soon!

the main entrance

Tiny Trogir is medieval like, with streets that form an incredibly complex maze...good luck finding a shop after you leave!  I think I could wander around Old Town for hours on end. 

first view of the Trogir

We wondered around looking in shops and being asked by several of the restaurant staff to join them for a meal...it appears very quiet this time of year, but I'm certain over the summer months this little city is packed with tourists from all around. 

a view inside one of the many restaurants

After travelling through alley after alley, finding some "coffee to go", and taking some photos of the Cathederal of St. Lovro, we arrived at the seaside promenade. 

beauty everywhere

Cathedral entrance

lit up at night

The promenade is full of restaurants, caffe/bars, the Kamerlengo Fortress and many yachts at the marina. I loved just walking along this palm tree lined promenade..especially in the evening as the lights come on and everything comes alive.

promenade by night

the marina

the fort

After getting our fill of touring around, we decide instead of eat dinner at a restaurant, we would buy some delicious ice cream and sit and relax under moonlight before heading home...to our surprise we came across the music of a local marching band practicing upstairs in one of the buildings by the Cathederal, so we sat and listened while enjoying our dessert. 

we know you're in there

We arrived back at our apartment around 9:30pm, finished up some of the food we brought with us...and our famous 2L of wine...and finally settled in for the night. We are only here for one night, so it will be a short visit, but definitely worth the stop. Tomorrow will be a morning shopping trip in Trogir and then off to Split for a couple days. 

beauty by night

Here's to another memorable day full of new adventures, beautiful sights and lots of sunny warm weather.

Until tomorrow...

Lisa & Lisa