It was time to say goodbye to Vis and at 6 am,we boarded the Jadrolinija ferry and reached split around 8am. From Split,we took a bus to Zadar. It would take 2-2.30 hrs to reach Zadar via road,so we had some breakfast at the bus stop and boarded the bus.(It was a direct bus with no stops in between).
Ferry Cost: 55 kuna/head
Bus Fare: 90 kuna/head
Day 9- Zadar
By the time we reached Zadar and checked into our apartment it was around 12 noon.Here, we were joined by one of our friend from Germany who was on her weekend trip to Croatia.
Apartment : Blue Ivy(Like all the other apartments we stayed ,this too had all the amenities)
Cost: 54 Euros/night
Friend's Stay: Downtown Boutique Hostel(Bed in a women's dormitory with 6 beds)
Cost: 23 Euro/night
I was too excited to meet my friend and as soon as we reached called her up to come to our place.After chatting for a while ,all of us wandered into the street as we were starving by then.My husband settled at The factory bar where football was being screened so we left him to it and settled at a restaurant on the street.Here,we ordered fungi(mushroom pizza),french fries and lemon radler.The food here was really delicious but alas I do not have the details of the restaurant.
I am addicted to desserts,so after our lunch I wanted to go to a dessert shop and found Art Kavana on google.This place is famous for its stunning cakes and hence we ordered a vanilla bean cake with puff pastry top and took a chocolate based one to go(for my partner!).We felt the cake was a little dry but the chocolate one was moist and wonderful.
After our fulfilling lunch ,we headed back to join my husband at the bar and later headed into the town.
Attractions of Zadar: Sea Organ, Greetings to the sun(dial with light settings), Church of St.Donatus,Cathedral,The Roman Forum,The Museum of Illusions
First,we visited the St.Donatus church.There is an entrance fee of 20 kuna if you want to go to the top of the cathedral.(FYI-5 stories of circular stairs).The view from the top is remarkable as you can see the whole town and the sea,especially during sunset.
Our next stop was the most phenomenal natural musical instrument located on the Zadar's Riva called the Sea organ. The music is created when the sea waves hit the pipes located below the marble steps. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone who visits Zadar. You can feel the wind,the sun,the sound of the waves along with the music being made by the organs.Its very thrilling,breathtaking and at the same time soothing too!Also, a great place to click cool pictures and take videos(especially shadow one's like we did!)
Funny story worth sharing: My friend suggested that we sit on the last step(near to the shore) and so she and I went to sit in the front while my partner remained seated at the back.At this moment in time,we did not realise the effect of the movement of boats on the waves.By the time we did,the waves hit us and we were completely drenched!!To our luck,the german couple sitting at our backside captured this entire thing and my partner immediately transferred it to his phone!
Before we moved to our next agenda, we had to go back and change our clothes. Then we went to see another art installation, the sun salutation.The show starts at sunset,its a disk shaped glass panels with solar cells underneath. These cells absorb the solar energy from the sun throughout the day and then convert this energy to light, lighting the disk throughout the night which multiple colours and patterns. After clicking some pictures,we lay by the seaside for a while before joining the city crowd at the center where a musical performance was underway.
Many tourists gathered around St.Donatus church for the musical performance and several of them were even dancing to the tunes.We settled here for a while ourselves to enjoy the show. Following the show,we went to the adjacent street for dinner and strolled for a while, till we found something we wanted to have.After the street food dinner and ice cream,we wandered through the streets some more before winding up for the day.
Day 10 - Zadar-Pag
Next on our agenda was to visit the Island Pag which is about 50 kms from Zadar. Since it is a short distance,we decided to rent a car and go by road. After completing all the formalities, we were on the road.(It's my partner's first time driving on the right side of the road).Initially we had trouble with the signs and the rules but soon got a hang of it and enjoyed our ride.
Car Agency: Pop Car
Vehicle: Volkswagen Up
Cost: 45 Euros/day
Our first stop was for lunch and we had it at Taraca Grill.The ambience of the place was beautiful with both indoor as well as outdoor seating.The lamb and fungi pizza that we ordered were mouth watering and delicious.I would recommend visiting this place for all the people traveling by road to Pag.
No one would be able to miss the beauty of bridge Paski and its surroundings on the way to Pag,which was naturally our next halt.
Next, we went to a remote beach in Kolan and spent some time here before heading to Simuni Camping Village.( We could explore places which normally we will not be able to had we not rented a car!).We heard of camping in Pag(though we would not be staying here) and so decided to check the place out.Here,apart from guest rooms,one can bring their trailers and camp too!There are some restaurants as well as water activities here(scuba diving,kayaking etc.)
You can enter the premises even if you decide not to stay there by paying an entrance fee or if you do any activity inside, the fee is nullified.We went inside to see the place and decided to go for kayaking.We spend around 1-1.30 hrs on the kayak(for 3) and had pancakes on our way back.
After spending the whole day on the road,by 7 pm we reached our stay for the day Apartments Ivita.(the apartment had 2 beds,perfect for a stay for 3 of us) and the best of all,there's a swimming pool!!(I can safely say that this is the best stay in our whole trip).After stretching our legs for a while after the tiring journey,went out into the city for some dinner and came back home with some wine and dessert.We went out to the pool,chilled there for the night!
Cost: 58 Euros/day
Day 11- Pag-Zadar
Our day started late and after checking out of the apartment,we headed into the city for a brunch.Pag is known for its beach parties(though we couldn't go) but it is also still one of the family-friendly islands.This island is also known for intricate lace work which is handmade by the inhabitants.
There a small lace museum located in the town where one can see the history of the handicraft,samples and can also purchase some as souvenirs.
Entry Fee: 10 Kuna
As we had buses to catch from Zadar in the evening,after purchasing some souvenirs for ourselves,we headed back to Zadar.On the way,there are many vineyards where you can sample as well as purchase local wine.So,we halted for a while here and got to sample several wines and even bought 2 of them back home as gifts.
We had a meal at McDonald's near the bus station and by evening,my friend left for Germany and we were headed to Rijeka, our next destination. Zadar to Rijeka is around 240 kms(shortest distance) and we started at around 7pm and reached Rijeka by 11 pm.The apartment was about 1 km from the bus stand and as we were tired, we took a taxi that day but it's an easy walk in a general scenario.
Bus Fare: 140 kuna/head
Apartment: Number 1 Apartments
Cost: 41 Euros(3200/-)/day
The next one talks about our secluded hike through the Risnjak National Park.Stay tuned!