Zadar, Croatia: My escape from the cold
9:21 PM I remember going to Dubrovnik, Croatia when I was younger. My family took this huge van with my Ninang and Ninong on a road trip through various countries. I remember it being one of the most uncomfortable, yet most beautiful rides I'd ever taken. We drove through the mountains of Italy, along the coast of Bosnia into Croatia. I was a very fortunate child, indeed. This time around, I went with a group of friends to Zadar, Croatia. Not quite as South, but still just as lovely.
 |
| Zadar's Bell Tower |
Zadar, Croatia was small to say the least. We had walked the main part of the city a total of six times in one hour. I wish I could say that I was planning on getting my steps in for sight seeing, but it felt like I had just walked the span of the hospital instead. Zadar is a beautiful city though, even for being so quaint in size. The owner of the Airbnb we stayed at was very kind, and she was very knowledgeable on what we could see around the city. She had given us a map with places to visit, places to eat, and other things to do outside of Zadar. Her apartment was located about a 15 minute drive from the airport, with a 5 minute walk into the city. The transit system was easy to understand, and even better news, they have Uber! We didn't use it, but every time a city has Uber accessibility, it makes it a little less stressful to call for public transportation.
 |
| Fishermen at the pier in Zadar |
We were fortunate with the weather during our stay. It hadn't started storming until the end of our third day there. The first day was beautiful and warm, the second day was a bit chillier, but we were at a higher elevation, and then the third day was partly cloudy when we were driving along the coast. Our first day was spent exploring the peninsula of Zadar. Luckily, our Airbnb was located right across the street from the Saint Anastasia and it's Bell Tower. The view from the top that day was amazing. You had a view of the city, and the blue waters that surrounded it. The walkways throughout the city reminded me of when I was in Venice. They were small, and filled with livelihood of people and restaurants.
Our first night, we ate at FOŠA, a seafood restaurant. I have many comments that could go into explaining my dining experience at this restaurant, but I won't bother. The food was good, the wine we had was delicious, but there had been a mix up with our dinner orders, and it didn't pan out too well after that. Although the server that waited on us was kind enough to apologize and treat us with a dessert complimentary of the restaurant.
 |
| I didn't listen to TLC when they said don't go chasin' waterfalls |
Our second day was spent at Croatia's largest UNESCO National Park, Plitvice Lakes. We took a tour bus here from Zadar, which took about 2 hours. We spent the entire day here walking through and admiring the large lakes and waterfalls that were scattered throughout the park. There was an entrance fee of 55 Kuna which is a little less than 8 Euro, and it was well worth it. The first part, you walk down a hill with a few switchbacks, and it leads to this very large wooden boardwalk passed the lakes and to a waterfall.
 |
| The view from the beginning of our day hike |
As you continue the walk, you come across various caves, smaller waterfalls, and a picnic area. The picnic area has two restaurants that serve the same menu, a WC facility, and a souvenir shop. I would recommend buying your souvenirs at the shop at the end of the hike, because after this halfway point, you take a ferry across the large lake to the second part of your hike. The second part is a little more rocky, and has smaller waterfalls. The entire "C" hike was about 7 miles. At the end of the hike, you reach a point where you board a trolley that takes you back to the start point.
When we got back from our trip, we went to a restaurant we found in one of the alleys. We were indecisive of where we wanted to eat, but the host had reeled us in with her bright pink dreads, and completely sold us on the affordable three course meal they had that night. Our dining experience at this restaurant was much better than the night before. Needless to say, we enjoyed conversation over a few good bottles of Croatian wine and food, and our hostess was very pleasant the entire time with her recommendations.
 |
| Such still waters |
 |
| Admiring the sea from afar because it was too cold |
 |
| I absolutely loved the greenery that took over this stone city | Primosten, Croatia |
Split is the second largest city in Croatia. We didn't see too much of the "modern" city, but we did explore the old town part. We walked by Saint Dominus' Cathedral, which also has a bell tower. We didn't go up this time because the weather wasn't as promising. Diocletian's Palace is also located in Split, and we were able to admire the ruins as we sat with our espressos on the stairs of the entrance. Split has very small alley ways for you to walk through, and I could only imagine how scary it would be to get lost without a map in all of the madness.
 |
| Old apartments of Split, Croatia |
 |
| Bokeria Kitchen and Wine Bar |
We stopped for lunch at a place called Bokeria Kitchen and Wine Bar. I must say, it was a fantastic choice for food. First of all, the restaurant was so clean, and the interior design was so well done. Even the uniform of the server's matched, and I absolutely loved it. I had ordered their "Catch of the Day" soup which included a mussel (I don't normally eat these either, but I enjoyed it!), small shrimp, and fish. I normally don't eat fish soup because I agree with my dad to a point, "once the fish is out of the water, why put it back into water?" Then I had to do it. I had to be that American. I ordered their burger. I'm glad that I wasn't the only one on a hunt to find Europe's best burger, and I'd have to say that their burger ranks pretty high on my list - needless to say, I finished my entire meal.
After getting back to Zadar, we went out one last time. We grabbed drinks at La Bodega, which turned out to be a chain bar/restaurant. Then we grabbed dinner at a small pizzeria. It was anything fancy. We went back to our Airbnb, opened a sh!tty bottle of wine, exhausted from our Croatian endeavors, and rested up through the thunderstorm for our journey home.
All photos were taken by myself, Flickr album [click here]. No, I don't edit my photos because I'm too lazy. Sorry, not sorry.
All photos were taken by myself, Flickr album [click here]. No, I don't edit my photos because I'm too lazy. Sorry, not sorry.
0 comments