Day 36 : Zadar (Wrap Up)

Zadar old town is really small, and can be easily covered within a couple hours. In fact, I covered almost everything yesterday when I arrived, and basically had a leisure day today and re-covered the sights I saw yesterday plus a little more.

I was rather surprised at how quiet and little people there were in this town. It livened up more on Sunday morning, but by late afternoon, it had gone back quiet again. 

The old town has a lot of Roman influences as seen in the old Fort walls and main entrances, as well as the churches and the Forum. 

The entrance I entered in was the "Land Gate", with the key churches

Cathedral of St. Anastasia a.k.a Zadar Cathedral

Crkva sv. Donata

Crkva sv. Krševan

Forum is located just next to Crkva sv. Donata

The main sight in my opinion is the sea organ. The sound of waves is uniquely different here, as tubes had been perfectly placed underneath the marble stairs, such that when the waves crash onto shore, it creates a unique sound. I could spend hours here just listening to the therapeutic sound, best combined with watching the sunset.

The other main sight located just next to the sea organ is "The Greeting to the Sun", where solar panels emit different coloured lights once it gets dark. 

 

Being here close to Christmas, the Christmas lights up around the old town is really special too, as it gives it a different feel. 

Particularly around the People Square. 

I thought there would be some Christmas markets but I didn't really see any - there was one area which looked like it was a Christmas market but I think it is more a night life spot with live music that only operates in the evenings from Petar Zoranic Square. 

Outside the Fort walls, there isn't much to see other than the boats in the marinas around the walls. 

There's also the Kolovare Beach, one of the closest beach in the area.

I was expecting a sandy beach but realised that the beach was very rocky. It's probably a good thing I am visiting in low season, because to be honest, although the water is clear in most parts of Croatia I had seen thus far, I am not sure if I will really want to swim by jumping off the pier or on rocky beaches. 

Some of the piers had really choppy waters too. I much prefer my sandy beaches so I can lie and enjoy the sun. 

The good thing about travelling in low season is the ability to appreciate places as it really is, without the crowds!