We started yet another day with a 7:30am tour, today RZ14 Tastes & Panoramas of Dalmatia. We boarded a bus and headed for the town of Sibenik. This was an hour and a half journey through low laying plains. Upon our arrival we began a walking tour of Sibenik seeing the sites with an inside visit to the Cathedral of St. Jacob. Unfortunately, the church was under heavy restoration. As for the rest of Sibenik, it seemed subdued after all of the places we had visited thus far. Nevertheless, it was a nice town and the people seemed friendly enough. We both thought that had our itinerary been reversed and we had visited here before sailing the coast of Italy perhaps we would have been more excited.
After our town walk, we stood in the baptistery of the Church of the Cathedral of St. Jacob which we were told was one of the prettiest in all of Croatia. Sunday mass was in progress so we waited here for about 15 minutes before heading in. After a few photos our guide quickly set us on our own for the next half hour. We all met back up in the square outside the Cathedral of St. Jacob and headed back to the bus.
The bus returned us to Zadar (pronounced zah dah by the locals) via the highway. We had planned to take some pictures of the coastline on the way back because we sat on the wrong side of the bus (left side) on the way up. Since we returned by a major highway we were unable to get those photos. After proceeding through a tollgate we immediately stopped at a rest area where everyone else seemed to be stopping as well. There was a café inside that served us a croissant, either plain, with nuts or chocolate, and offered water, tea, coffee or apple juice. If you wanted anything else food, beer etc. you had an option to purchase that on your own. We found that few merchants in Croatia accept the Euro so make sure to have the Croatian Kuna available should you want to make any purchases.
After getting outside to the tables you are quickly going to realize the one particular amazing aspect of this stop. The scenic overlook of the Croatian town of Skradin. It is the most picturesque stop of the entire day!
Back on the bus we are headed to Zadar. In Zadar we had about a thirty minute walking tour that included the sundial, planets and water organ which unfortunately for us was not working because the pipes were being cleaned. Next we entered the walled city and saw the ancient remains of what was not bombed and destroyed during WWII or the Croatian War of Independence. The rest of the buildings were restorations, or restorations in progress. My understanding is this prevents the site from being listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Register. Within the walled city is also a trendy street of upscale shops and services. There are many souvenirs and street vendors in town to bring an end to your Croatian day.
Steps logged: 8,538.