I'll admit finding my "Zen" wasn't actually my original plan for Zadar, after all I'd be finding my "zen" later in my trip when I reached my last stop in Rovinj, but how many words can you come up with that start with "Z" that would go along with Zadar to create a catchy title?
September 16th, 2020
In retrospect my time in Zadar ended up being different than I'd planned leaving me with an entirely unplanned day that became a blessing in disguise as it forced me to slow down a bit and take in everything around me. I arrived in Zadar late in the afternoon and found my quaint hotel in the pedestrian part of the city. While it provided no views from my first floor room, I chose the Teatro Verdi Hotel simply for it's location based on the thought that I initially planned to only be in Zadar for two evenings as I had hoped to take a day long trip to Plitvice National Park on my only full day in the city the next day. It was simply to be my pit stop, a place to grab a few relaxing meals for two nights in between sightseeing as I made my way up the coast. But, as I had learned two days before the day trip I had pre-booked to get me to Plitvice would not be running due to lack of tourists. So, this left me with a whole day in Zadar, a place I'd done little research and reading about, to see what I could get into. Another change in plans, and one I welcomed easily because after all, I was just happy to be traveling safely and easily around a beautiful country during a time when travel was so rare for most.
The little I did know about Zadar was that it was best known for it's incredible sunset, viewed from the infamous sea organ. So, after getting a map and recommendations for dinner from my hotel reception, I set out to find my barring's and check out the sea organ first. After years and years growing up as a musician, music continues to be something I'm drawn to. It has been a calming force, a distraction, and means for relaxation, all of which I found as I discovered the sea organ. As I sat on the steps listening to this odd cacophony of sounds, I did what most do in Zadar, wait for the sunset. And, it was well worth the wait. Despite the fact that I was starving, I couldn't tear myself away from watching the sun go down while listening to the waves lapping the steps causing the sea organ to "play it's music." After the sun set, I made my way along the seaside promenade to Restaurant Brushetta, which had come highly recommended by my hotel reception for a leisurely dinner before settling in for the night.
September 17th, 2020
As we had figured out my backup plan to get to Plitvice, Hrvoje, my driver for the first leg of my trip around Croatia, had also provided me with suggestions of things to do and see during my full day in Zadar which provided a great starting point. I also decided to check out "Get Your Guide" to see what else I might see, but quickly determined I was more in need of a day of aimless wandering as opposed to any sort of guided tour or time constraints. You see, that was one thing I'd learned in my years of solo travel, a day without anything scheduled was often needed to break things up, recharge, and reset. Those often were the days I'd find something I hadn't researched or planned whether it be a fantastic hole in the wall café or having hours long conversations with strangers. While the endless tours, or reservations of things to see always kept me organized and ensured I saw all I had planned to see and do, I'd learned that having a day with no set plans was always welcome. So, after a leisurely breakfast on the front porch of my hotel, I made my way to the harbor side of Zadar, wandering along the many boats docked, noticing many larger tourist boats with few tourists around to book them for tours. While there were certainly more people milling about in Zadar, in fact, probably the most I'd seen in any place I'd been so far, it was still clear that the tourist season was winding down and far from usual for September. But the summer-like weather, sunny and in the mid-80's made it perfect for wandering around.
From there I found the "gate" entering the pedestrian side of the city and unsuccessfully tried to find the "Museum of Ancient Glass" likely due to road construction and perhaps because I enjoyed wandering a bit more and was not that set on finding it! Ultimately, I made my way through the winding pedestrian streets back to the seaside and settled on a bench to read my book for a while and just relax. I'll admit, I wasn't overly impressed with Zadar, perhaps because I never really found the one place like I had in so many cities around the world that I could relish in the beauty of my surroundings and settle in with a book. Though I certainly tried!
After a bit of a break, I did a little shopping (something I realized later I did very little of this entire trip) and made my way over to the Forum, which I had wandered around a bit the night before. Looking back I never really read any of the history of it's significance (perhaps maybe a walking tour should have been in my plans) but still enjoyed taking in the various sites and ancient buildings. Feeling the need to work off the indulgence of my mid-afternoon gelato, I made my way to the bell tower to climb to the top for views of the city from above. I climbed the spiral staircase, taking in the views of the city from the top and got my essential photos before making my way back down. I wandered around the cathedral nearby, noting a nun standing in a doorway getting some fresh air., aiming to get the picture without her noticing. By now, it was late afternoon so I made my way over to the sea organ for a few glasses of wine at an outside café to relax, read, and wait for the sunset once again. Because...when in Zadar, this is what one does. And once again, the sunset did not disappoint.
After the sun set, I wandered over to the sea for one last listen to the sea organ and strolled along the promenade taking in the Greetings to the Sun light show embedded in the walkway near the sea organ. The 300 photo-sensitive glass plates absorb the sunlight and light up in various colors at night once the sun sets.
As I made my way back to my hotel, I realized that while I hadn't loved Zadar as much as I had my first two stops in Croatia, it had been nice to have a quieter, unstructured and peaceful day and relaxing few evenings. By this point in my trip I had been in Croatia for nearly a week and while I hadn't forgotten about the pandemic enveloping the world, I continued to be relaxed in ways I had not been for months. I was still riding the high of a trip I stressed about for months that, despite a few unplanned changes along the way was going better than I could have ever dreamed or hoped. I had stopped "waiting for the axe to fall" so to speak, and just relished in the joy of doing something I'd grown to love; traveling and exploring new places. So maybe as I reached the near midpoint of my 17-day whirlwind trip in Croatia, I did find a bit of my "zen" in Zadar. And there is still so much more to come in the days ahead. To be continued...
"The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time" - Bill Bryson
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