Croatia's Zadar Stoked All Senses
Zadar stoked all senses.
We arrived in Zadar nearing sunset--the perfect time to get to know this city. Though I rushed to the boardwalk--anxious to see the Greeting To The Sun at the optimal time--I found myself stopping, smelling, wondering about a scent I couldn't escape. Zadar's summer evening was dressed up in perfume. Light, sweet, and ever-present, I kept looking over my shoulder for patch of exotic flowers.
As we realized the next day, a tourist can get to know Zadar's old town in a day. Less than half an hour is all you need to walk from one end of the city center to the other, and all the history, religion, and touristic highlights are compactly squeezed into the tiny historic center. A wide boardwalk stretches the edge of the old town, providing a city periphery and vista to the sea beyond.
It was to that boardwalk we rushed on the first night to see the Greeting To The Sun, an artistic light display embedded in the concrete. As the sun begins to fade, the anticipation simmers with everyone standing around the circle in the floor, waiting for something to happen.
As the sun kisses the horizon, a few lights dart back and forth across the floor, escalating slowly but surely until the sun is fully behind the ocean horizon and in the darkness everyone can witness the full light display in action.
Throughout the day and into the night you can always hear the Sea Organ, an artistically carved set of pipes in the boardwalk, designed to be played by the sea itself. A set of steps descend into the sea--with the highest steps perfect for enjoying a view and the lowest for citizens and tourists who are brave enough to swim in the chilly waters. (I dipped my toes in, swirled my fingers around in the water, and realized I was not one of those people.) As waves roll up to the steps, the sea pushes air through the perfectly-tuned pipes to create an everlasting song:
We arrived in Zadar nearing sunset--the perfect time to get to know this city. Though I rushed to the boardwalk--anxious to see the Greeting To The Sun at the optimal time--I found myself stopping, smelling, wondering about a scent I couldn't escape. Zadar's summer evening was dressed up in perfume. Light, sweet, and ever-present, I kept looking over my shoulder for patch of exotic flowers.
As we realized the next day, a tourist can get to know Zadar's old town in a day. Less than half an hour is all you need to walk from one end of the city center to the other, and all the history, religion, and touristic highlights are compactly squeezed into the tiny historic center. A wide boardwalk stretches the edge of the old town, providing a city periphery and vista to the sea beyond.
It was to that boardwalk we rushed on the first night to see the Greeting To The Sun, an artistic light display embedded in the concrete. As the sun begins to fade, the anticipation simmers with everyone standing around the circle in the floor, waiting for something to happen.
Greeting To The Sun
The Sea Organ
After a late sunset we walked back to our hotel for dinner. Typically my family and I like to explore and try interesting restaurants, electing to sample as much local fare as possible--far away from hotels, museums, and highly touristic neighborhoods. As it turned out, however, one of the city's best reviewed restaurants was in our hotel, so it seemed silly pass on the opportunity.
The scent? Zadar is full of jasmine.
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