Zadar

 We checked out of the house in Sveti Rok with a sad goodbye to our host.  We loaded up and drove to Zadar, which is on the Adriatic Sea, specifically the old part of the city.  Just outside Sveti Rok, there is a ridge of mountains called the Velebit.  Although there is a pass over them, the convenient 3.5 mile (yes, that long) tunnel through the mountains is a pretty sweet time saver.


Once through the tunnel, you go from Wisconsinlike continental climate to Mediterranean climate, all in a matter of minutes.  From thick greenery and fields to arid, warm, with olive trees, grape vines and palmettos everywhere.  After another 45 minutes we arrived at our hotel and luckily found a parking spot 1/2 block away (nearly impossible odds).  Our hotel is right on the seafront as seen in this photo:





After check-in, we wandered around the city to many of the key sites.  It’s entirely walkable in a few hours.  We got gelato and even bought some handmade lace from a kind old lady who insisted I take a photo with her after the purchase.


We walked beside Zadar Cathedral, to the massive bell tower and paid a few bucks to climb the stairs to the top.  An amazing view, worth the 180 steps.



We walked down to the sea organ, which is a kinetic sculpture using the waves to push air in and out of organ pipes under the concrete shoreline.  Eerie but beautiful.  We headed back towards the hotel and ate at Restoran Bruschetta for a fabulous last formal meal of the trip.  We headed back up to the north point by the sea organ just in time to watch the sun set at 7:10pm.   I can’t describe the beauty in combination with the sounds of the wind, waves and the sea organ.

There is a solar powered ‘disco’ floor that starts at sunset, all built  into the plaza.


Here is the sound of the sea organ, it was breezy, but you can hear it.

Tomorrow morning, we get up and head our way towards Zagreb again.  We will visit Nikola Tesla’s birthplace in Smiljan, and do some shopping in Gospić
Our flight heads out early Saturday morning.  Like all great things, this trip is entering its last phase, and the long route to home begins soon.

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