Day 8

Jessica today! I can’t believe we are already 1 week into our trip. It has truly been the best vacation ever. We started the morning in our little cottage in the countryside near Plitvice National Park. Adam whipped up another delicious breakfast of eggs, bread, cheese, and sausage. We ate and then gathered all of our things together and loaded the car up. Our ultimate goal was to get to the city of Split, which is about mid-way down the Croatian coast. We had several stops along the way to break up the drive, and Zadar was first on the list. After 2 hours or so we made it to the city, found a good parking spot, and headed off towards the tallest building that we could see to climb it. This ended up being St. Anastasia’s Cathedral. We paid our entrance fee and then started the climb the tower. The staircase was a lot better than the tower in Rovinj, more sturdy, less scary. About 2/3 or the way up, it was time for the bell to ring. I will say that it is extremely loud when you’re standing less than 10 feet from it. We finally emerged and were rewarded with great views of the city. Zadar is right on the Adriatic Sea, so we could see all of the little islands just off of the coast as well. We made our way down towards the edge of the water, stopping at some Roman ruins along the way. Zadar used to be part of the Roman Empire. The outline of the Forum (marketplace and meeting place) was still visible and there were many pieces of buildings on display. Just a little further past this was the sea. We walked along the edge until we found the Sea Organ. This was built in 2005 and is system of tubes hidden under the steps along the shore that essentially turns into a musical instrument controlled by the wind and sea. It was a very cool experience getting to hear this. We relaxed for a bit, but then it was onward and back into the city center. The weather was definitely warmer and more humid than it had been earlier in the trip (I suspect that will be the trend) so when we spotted an ice cream stand, there was no hesitation. Adam went with hazelnut, a choice he immediately regretted once he tried the strawberry flavor that I got. We walked through the city streets and took in all of the sights before deciding it was time for lunch. The ice cream had filled us up so we split a plate of fried calamari and French fries. The calamari was so much tastier than anything I had ever had back home. I guess when you are right on the ocean, everything tastes better. We said goodbye to Zadar and went on to our next destination as we approached Split. I decided to take a quick nap while Adam drove, and the next thing I remember was him waking me up and telling me that we were going on a detour to a beach instead! We ended up in the small town of Primosten, about an hour outside of Split. The beach was rocky, but the rocks were more like pebbles, so they were small enough that you didn’t notice. We laid our towels out and inched our way into the water. It was much warmer than Rovinj (but the weather was warmer as well), and it was super clear. We alternated water and beach laying for a good hour and a half before packing our things up and saying goodbye to one of the most perfect beaches. Our final destination for the evening was Split. After an hour of driving, we arrived and got settled into our Airbnb. The description of the place we are is Seagulls Nest. It is about 5 minutes away from the city, up a hill and overlooking the water. When the windows are open, there is a great breeze that comes through, cooling the entire place down. It is the perfect spot! Since we just had a small lunch, it was time to go all out for dinner. Our research took us to a tavern just inside the city center. We ordered a starter plate of cheese, prosciutto, tuna pate, and salted anchovies. I was a little hesitant about the anchovies, but I have to admit, not half bad. Although, after the fact, Adam told me that they were raw...Oh well! For our main courses, Adam ordered homemade pasta and prawns, and I got the traditional risotto with squid ink sauce. If you ever question eating squid ink, don’t! It was excellent. There were even little chunks of squid and vegetables in it. Neither of us could finish our plates because we were so stuffed. We left the restaurant and took a stroll around the city before heading back up to our apartment. The walk down was quick, the walk up took significantly more energy. That was ok though because we were still full to the brim from dinner. Tomorrow we’ll see the city in daylight!