Home -> Europe -> Croatia -> Travelogue 2003 -> Wednesday 2 July

In the burning heat we visit Zadar

It is still early when we go to the beach and there is somewhat less wind than yesterday, so this time we feel how our skin is getting burned. Now and then we walk into the sea for a swim, then lay down to dry in the sun with the salt still on our skin. After 2 hours we are wise enough to go out of the sun, but we feel our skin glow.

In the afternoon we feel it is time to get active a bit and we go to the nearby town Zadar, approximately 13 kilometers from the campsite. The old centre is situated on a narrow peninsula.

Around the central square are a church and a kind of castle, but we can't tell anything more about them since we haven't got a travel guide for Croatia. A group of people is busy reconstructing some Roman monument, probably the forum or maybe even a temple. This coastal area is facing Italy so it is not surprising that they had a town here.

We go all over the peninsula, but we often have to look for the shade to prevent that we start boiling. The heat is intensified by the very smooth, white stones which form the pavement in the inner town. Fortunately for us, the sea is never far off and we can feel the gentle wind.

Part of the town is still surrounded by an old city wall and there are more old buildings and monuments than we had expected. It is a really nice town to walk through, although we spend a lot of time sitting in bars to have a drink, since the weather is not exactly inviting to be too active.

Zadar clearly is a harbour and a ferry leaves from this place for Italy. There are also many cruises where people try to lure tourists for a trip to the islands before the coast. We find it tempting, but not on a boat with 100 or more other people and a scheduled program.

At the end of the afternoon we return to the camp and have another hour of sunbathing to torture our red skin a bit more. I (Teije) sit some time at the bar, talking to the friendly waiter Joško. We exchange stories about our lifes and we agree on the fact that enjoying life is more important than a good job or having money. But to enjoy life it can be very easy to have some. He has this job to earn some money, but in his heart he is a musician. Tomorrow he has a reunion performance with his old band for the first time in 11 years and we are invited to come.

Late at night we both go to the bar and talk a bit more with him. It is still thirsty weather and I drank one too much, I think, since I stumble a bit when we return to our tent.

Travel through Europe and Africa

with Elisabeth and Teije