Boatmen of Zadar

A major hub of the Roman Empire, later ruled by Byzantium, Venice, and then the Turks, Zadar is a city that’s seen more of its share of destruction. Part of fascist Italy in the Second World War, the Allies bombed it heavily and again it came under attack in the Serb/Croatia conflict. Although restored, its scars are easy to see. The historic walled city sits on a peninsula. From where we stayed, there were two practical ways to get there: on foot across the only bridge, or by grabbing a ride in a boat.

St Donat in the Forum

Zadar has a short cut across the mouth of the harbour. An old man rows you across in a rowboat. Little more than a dinghy, it holds about eight people, and the oarsman (Barka) stands up all the way. There are plenty of seats but, here's the strange thing, despite the buffeting of waves caused by seagoing traffic, almost all of the patrons stand up too. It's a thing to behold seeing a row boat filled with adults, many in suits and the like, standing as the rowboat edges its way across the channel, dipping and swaying as it goes; and, all for a dollar (50p) each way.

From Women’s Gallery in St Donat’s 

The centre of the city is the old Roman Forum but is bordered by churches and monasteries, among the Roman ruins. I went to town early one morning and crept just inside the door of the Benedictine Monastery. A choir of nuns sat at the other end, to one side near the altar, chanting – it sounded so beautiful it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The spell was broken when a large man in a black habit, tied with rope round the waist, pulled open the door and looked at me before striding down the aisle. I left.

Cathedral of St Anastasia facade

Across the Forum is the church of St Donat, a striking, circular building constructed using Roman remains – you can see the embellishments on the stones. No longer used for religious services, it is now used for concerts. It has wonderful acoustics – Carol and I sang as we walked through it.

A tower stands next to St Donat’s and, of course, I climbed it; revealing great shots of the city and of St Donat’s. No fear here though, the staircase was enclosed. The tower dominates the Zadar skyline and is actually part of Saint Anastasia’s Cathedral. This cathedral, containing its saint's relics, is another beautiful Catholic creation. It has a spectacular façade: look for the lion (St Mark) and the bull (St Luke) protruding from the top, at the base of the roof.

Soccer fans

The Croatian team was playing soccer in the UEFA Cup and its evidence was everywhere. We went for supper in the city at Restaurant Groppo and there was a table of fans – I had a picture with the most outspoken guy. Typically, this guy engaged with other diners, even offering his hat to a young lad he clearly didn’t know (the boy wanted to ask his dad before accepting it). We watched several of the games on TV while we traveled through Croatia, sometimes in Croatian, sometimes Italian, but mostly in German.

Listening to the Sea Organ

Modern Zadar is famous for its Sea Organ – it’s not what you think. Several holes, tubes really, are set in a promenade along the seafront; these tubes go down into the sea and as the waves go back and forth the water level changes. And it’s windy, so as the wind blows along the top of the tubes – like blowing across the top of a bottle. It sounds lovely. I crouched to get closer although you could hear it half a mile away.

But, it was time to head for the Barka and home; standing room only!

Zadar from the sea with Dinaric Alps beyond