CROATIA - Zadar

16:01 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Zadar is the 5th largest city in Croatia with a population of about 75,000. It is also the centre of its region and the historic capital of Dalmatia. It has a rich history dating from prehistoric times. This is evident in its numerous archaeological findings in the city centre.

After I finished my visit at Plitvice Lakes, I headed to Zadar and checked in to Apartment Andrea at Zadar’s Old City around late noon.

Award of excellence by booking.com.

This was our room which was clean and comfortable.

They even provided a baby cot for my son.

Zadar is a base for ferries to surrounding islands. Within a 5 minute walking distance from the hotel, I could see the ferry harbour.

Further down the road, I passed by the Church of St. Donatus while I was heading for my late lunch.

I settled for a bar cafe called il Padrino.

We ordered a lamb steak and a clam spaghetti. The food was only so-so.

But the cafe is facing the sea. So it’s nice and relaxing sitting there, enjoying our lunch.

After lunch, I walked towards Old City’s main attraction area.

Behind me is the St. Donatus Church (left) which is the most famous landmark in Zadar.

This is the St. Mary’s Church which is located opposite St. Donatus Church.

Besides St. Mary’s Church is Zadar Archaeological Museum.

Roman’s Forum is just in front of St. Donatus Church. In Roman’s times, it’s the centre of civic and religious life, with St. Donatus Church dominating one side of it.

One intact columns stands among the ruins of temples, which served as a shame post where wrongdoers were chained and publicly humiliated during Middle Ages.

Interior of St. Elijah’s Church.

We decided to come back later to visit St. Donatus’s Church. It serves as a concert venue for the annual International Festival of Medieval REnaissance Music because of its excellent acoustics.

St. Anastasia’s Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest church in Dalmatia.

It was best to come here early morning when the cathedral is mostly empty.

Interior of the St. Anastasia’s Cathedral.

Along the street, many ladies were selling their handmade lace product.

My hubby decided to climb up to the tower of St. Anastasia’s Cathedral while I continued to walk around Zadar with my son.

The entrance fees to the bell tower is 15 kuna or 2 euro.

Up to the first floor, the bell tower was built in the time of Archbishop M. Vallaresso (second half o f15th century). This part of tower is without openings. The upper part of the tower was built between 1891 and 1893 after the project by British architect, TG Jackson. This part includes three floors with openings and wall decorations formed in Romanesque style.

The bell on top of the tower.

Panoramic view of the city.

The view from the tower’s top floor overlooking the Old City.

The bronze statue of an angel on a movable stand is set at the top of tower. It shows the direction of the wind by turning around. Together with the statue, the tower reaches a height of 56m.

Heading back down.

The clock tower.

Cafes, bars, shops lined the streets within the Old City.

The crowded main street of Zadar.

We decided to take a break at an ice cream shop near St. Anastasia’s Cathedral .

My son enjoying the blueberry milkshake.

And I ordered a banana chocolate ice cream. Yummy!

After that, I continued to explore the Old City.

This is Church of Our Lady of Health at Three Wells Square. It is located at the western end of the main street.

The sunlight shone right on the portrait of Our Lady of Health, painted by Blaz Jurjev Trogiranin.

The square was named after a cistern built in a mediaval fortress moat in the seventies of the 16th century, onto which three well heads were placed in 1761.

This is one of the well heads.

The ferry harbour.

It was almost sunset. I headed to the Greeting to the Sun, which is the best spot to view sunset in Zadar.

A lot of people already gathered there for the sunset view. This 22m wide circle set into the pavement is filled with 300 multi-layered glass plates that collect the sun’s energy during the day. It collects enough energy to power the entire harbour front lighting system.

My son had a blast running around on the glass plates.

There was a group of street dancers performing the Greeting to the Sun.

Sea Organ designed by architect Nikola Basic was opened in April 2005. The Sea Organ captures the wave energy and transforms it into music.

Waiting for the sun to set.

A kissing couple posing for a selfie by the sea.

The sun about to set.

Someone actually swam in the sea while watching the sun set.

We walked back towards St. Donatus’s Church. It is opened from 9a.m. to 10p.m.

The construction of the church began in the 9th century by Donatus of Zadar. Originally dedicated to the Holy Trinity, it was renamed St. Donatus’s Church in the 15th century.

It is the largest pre-romanesque building in Croatia. The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 meters high.

During the rule of the Venetians and Turks, it was a warehouse, just as it was during the French and Austrian occupation.

It was built on on the Roman forum and materials from buildings used in its construction.

Archaeological Museum of Zadar.

Had a photo with a street performer who was ‘floating’ in the air.

More white painted folks on the streets.

The City Hall.

City Sentinel in People’s Square.

St. Simeon’s Church.

The eastern city walls is the only remains of the ancient Roman and early medieval fortification.

The Land Gate.

After exiting the Land Gate, we headed straight to Fosa Seafood Restaurant which is situated on the very seacoast of Zadar.

The history of Fosa and the eastern city walls.

This restaurant was one of the famous restaurants in Zadar and it was recommended by the Andrea Apartment’s owner, so we decided to give it a try.

We ordered some grilled squids and eggplants. The squids were fresh but slightly salty to my taste. Although it was the most expensive restaurant that I’ve been to in Croatia, unfortunately it wasn’t the best. So I won’t really recommend this restaurant. It’s over-rated in my opinion.

As we strolled back to the apartment, we passed by the ruins of Church of St. Mary.

The Church of St. Mary was destroyed during the construction of new fortification system.

It was a tiring day. We spent the first half of the day hiking in Plitvice National Park and the second half exploring Zadar Old City on foot. So we retired early that night.

The Sea Organ in the morning. You can actually hear an organ like music here at the Sea Organ.

I think the best time to come to the Greeting to the Sun is in early morning. You can have the whole place to yourself.

International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar.

Church of Our Lady of Health.

Pedestrian bridge in the old harbour.

Museum of Ancient Glass.

It opens everyday from 9a.m. to 9p.m.

Park of Queen Jelena Madijevka was the first public park in Dalmatia. It was founded by Austrian commander Baron Franz Ludwig von Welden in 1829, who was a passionate botanist and admirer of Dalmatian flora.

The Captain’s Tower.

The Land’s Gate. It still sports a Venetian lion and part of a Roman triumphal arch and has a memorial inscription of the 1571 Battle of Lepanto.

Nova Riva, the new seafront promenade of Zadar.

Ladder to the sea.

Breakfast time. There’s a local restaurant nearby Andrea Apartment that offers buffet breakfast. We went in to have a look but left. The food didn’t look too appetising.