I am behind on these posts again so let’s catch up a bit with the rest of my trip to Croatia. After visiting the Plitvice Lakes we headed to a house rental in Zadar, Croatia and joined back up with the rest of our group. The place we rented was perfect. Two adjoining apartments on the top floor with balconies overlooking the sea. I roomed with Idil, an awesome Turkish girl who lives in Vienna. After having lunch we walked to the beach and caught up on some much needed sleep in the sun. The water in Croatia is beautiful, turquoise, and clear. The beaches are actually not sand but stone and most of the coast in Zadar is cement. For this reason we planned to take the ferry to some islands to experience the real coastline.
On the second day we first set out for a beach in Zadar only to find that it was similar to the beach from the day before. Half of us decided to take a ferry to an island and the other half decided to stay in that area. I can’t remember the name of the island unfortunately. We got off the ferry and walked along the coast through a village. We stopped in a grocery store for some snacks and drinks and then we paid something like 50 cents to take a boat taxi to this tiny little island with a monastery on it. The boat taxi was rowed by a pretty old man and it was really impressive to imagine how many times a day he crosses the channel to the island. Although the distance wasn’t too far it seemed to be a bit of work especially when the wind picked up and the current was strong. We weren’t so lucky on this day because as soon as we got onto the island the sun went behind the clouds and it got a bit chilly. So there was no swimming but it was still a really peaceful spot to relax surrounded by beautiful waters.
On the third day the whole group took another ferry but this time with cars to another island called Dugi Otok. First we took the cars and headed to the only sandy beach on the island. We stopped in a small village named Veli Rat for lunch and I had a nice walk through the little town. Then we headed to the beach. It wasn’t so much sand as it was stones but wow was the water incredible. And this time it was hot enough for a swim! After a few hours on the beach we decided to head to another part of the island that has a lighthouse and the more typical rocky Croatian coastline. This was my favorite spot by far! And of course if a location has something to jump off of into the water than I am in heaven! That evening we had dinner as a group at a great local restaurant and then explored the old part of Zadar for a bit. My favorite things were a Sea Organ and this light scultpure right on the edge of the water. The sea organ was built so that as the waves crashed into the banks they went through pipes and made music. The were some steps to sit on right above where the waves crashed in to listen to it. Just a few hundred meters away was a giant circle of solar-powered LEDs in the ground which turn on at sunset and create a light show. Both of these installations were created by the same artist. More information and photos can be found here. The next morning we cooked all of the food we had left in the apartments and had a giant family breakfast before parting ways and heading to Zagreb to catch the train home.
Croatia is really beautiful and I wish I had time to take another trip there to explore some other areas. I think you really need more than 3 days for it because it takes the first two days just to familiarize yourself with the area. But, I feel so fortunate to have gone and to have met the people that I did. I love how things are falling into place in my time here. In a post still to come Idil, my roommate from this trip, joins me for a rafting/canyoning adventure in Slovenia… and all this started from signing up on a little website called couchsurfing.com!
(Click the images to open in gallery view)
