Chewy clams and a lucky escape
Laden with enough fresh tuna for every meal for a week we continued north through the myriad islands off the Croatian coast. Our next stop was Zadar, a place with plenty of living history and an interesting modern twist!
Zadar was another of the many towns first built by the Romans. What is surprising is just how much Roman stuff is still around, particularly town walls with impressive arched gates. Other bits have been put to good use over the ages. This Byzantine church, built in the 9th century, has used lots of Roman bits. Stones from an old Roman forum were used as its foundations and paving, if you look closely you can even see bits of old pillars in the base layers!
There is also a big cathedral with a rather nice story behind it. Back in the day this whole area was run by the Venetians. Zadar was Roman Catholic which the Venetians didn't like. A gang of crusaders visited Venice and asked for the loan of some ships to go and do their thing in the Holy Land. The Venetians agreed with the proviso that, on their way, they should stop at Zadar and beat up the Roman Catholics and destroy their church which they duly did. The majority of the people were killed but those who survived decided to cock a snook at the Venetians and built the largest Roman catholic church in Dalmatia!
The modern twist can be heard rather than seen. Holes have been cut into the sea walls at the water level and organ pipes set in them; as waves hit the sea wall they enter the holes, compress the air and play the pipes with the sound coming out a few steps up above the water! Beethoven need not feel threatened however.
We left the boat anchored in Zadar for a night and hired a car for a trip inland to the Plitvice lakes. A stunningly beautiful world heritage site, it is a series of lakes each cascading into the next down a big river gorge. Board walks were laid all along the lakes and waterfalls; the only downside was that it was heaving - the trouble with world heritage status!
Back in Zadar harbour we spotted some funny looking clams in the water. I couldn't identify them on the internet. We had been told they were razor clams but they are nothing like the UK razor clams, long thin shells often found on the beech. I pulled up 4 and opened them up to find only a small round piece of meat in the centre, very like a scallop. All that shell for that tiny thing! We cooked them up with a little wine. They tasted wonderful but they were as chewy as rubber!
Croatia is not at all as I had imagined. I expected a second world country rather like Greece where the wheels have fallen off most things but the people are laid back and friendly. In fact Croatia is very first world with an infrastructure every bit as good as the big European economies. Roads, super markets and shopping centres just like home. And how about this for a bit of 21st century technology? This isn't just a pretty face; the pretty face is sat on a solar powered bench that is a wi-fi hot spot and usb charging point! Clever stuff, the only thing they have missed is that the solar panel gets too hot to sit on!
Sadly the people are another story. They are unfriendly, bordering on stroppy. Mostly we come across them in shops where we have found them unhelpful and bolshy, what a difference to the super friendly 'can't do enough for you' Greeks. Prices are high, often considerably more than home. Most notable are the marinas where it can cost up to £250 PER NIGHT for our boat, thats more than a very nice hotel! Needless to say we stayed well away. They apparently also often charge to anchor in popular places, again we stayed well away in more remote spots They also hit those cruising with a navigation tax, a light tax and a tourist tax; all up it costs well over £1500 per year to sail here. We only discovered all these taxes recently by accident. We haven't been collared for them because we haven't been into a marina; we have decided to keep our heads down and hope we don't get caught as we are nearly out of Croatia! They say boats are leaving Croatia in their droves, I am not surprised. Go to Greece instead I say.
The islands are becoming a bit samey but we did find the delightful island of Losinj just north of Zadar. Green and tree covered it was much prettier than many of the more barren islands.
We had a lovely day walking and biking and had a lucky escape! I had left the dinghy tied up to another rope as the steel eye was too small for my rope as well. When we got back I turned the boat round to get something out and the next thing I knew it was drifting away resulting in an unplanned swim to recover it! The knot making the loop of rope I had tied to had come undone, if the wind had been blowing off shore I am quite sure that would have happened much earlier and we would have lost the dinghy! The moral - don't trust someone elses' knot!
It is getting very warm at night, just the job for sleeping out under the stars.
We are now back on the mainland with just 70 miles to go to Trieste. The mainland is very gently rolling, green, treed and very pretty. Next stop Trieste!
Zadar was another of the many towns first built by the Romans. What is surprising is just how much Roman stuff is still around, particularly town walls with impressive arched gates. Other bits have been put to good use over the ages. This Byzantine church, built in the 9th century, has used lots of Roman bits. Stones from an old Roman forum were used as its foundations and paving, if you look closely you can even see bits of old pillars in the base layers! 
The modern twist can be heard rather than seen. Holes have been cut into the sea walls at the water level and organ pipes set in them; as waves hit the sea wall they enter the holes, compress the air and play the pipes with the sound coming out a few steps up above the water! Beethoven need not feel threatened however.
We left the boat anchored in Zadar for a night and hired a car for a trip inland to the Plitvice lakes. A stunningly beautiful world heritage site, it is a series of lakes each cascading into the next down a big river gorge. Board walks were laid all along the lakes and waterfalls; the only downside was that it was heaving - the trouble with world heritage status!Back in Zadar harbour we spotted some funny looking clams in the water. I couldn't identify them on the internet. We had been told they were razor clams but they are nothing like the UK razor clams, long thin shells often found on the beech. I pulled up 4 and opened them up to find only a small round piece of meat in the centre, very like a scallop. All that shell for that tiny thing! We cooked them up with a little wine. They tasted wonderful but they were as chewy as rubber!
Croatia is not at all as I had imagined. I expected a second world country rather like Greece where the wheels have fallen off most things but the people are laid back and friendly. In fact Croatia is very first world with an infrastructure every bit as good as the big European economies. Roads, super markets and shopping centres just like home. And how about this for a bit of 21st century technology? This isn't just a pretty face; the pretty face is sat on a solar powered bench that is a wi-fi hot spot and usb charging point! Clever stuff, the only thing they have missed is that the solar panel gets too hot to sit on!Sadly the people are another story. They are unfriendly, bordering on stroppy. Mostly we come across them in shops where we have found them unhelpful and bolshy, what a difference to the super friendly 'can't do enough for you' Greeks. Prices are high, often considerably more than home. Most notable are the marinas where it can cost up to £250 PER NIGHT for our boat, thats more than a very nice hotel! Needless to say we stayed well away. They apparently also often charge to anchor in popular places, again we stayed well away in more remote spots They also hit those cruising with a navigation tax, a light tax and a tourist tax; all up it costs well over £1500 per year to sail here. We only discovered all these taxes recently by accident. We haven't been collared for them because we haven't been into a marina; we have decided to keep our heads down and hope we don't get caught as we are nearly out of Croatia! They say boats are leaving Croatia in their droves, I am not surprised. Go to Greece instead I say.
The islands are becoming a bit samey but we did find the delightful island of Losinj just north of Zadar. Green and tree covered it was much prettier than many of the more barren islands.
It is getting very warm at night, just the job for sleeping out under the stars.
We are now back on the mainland with just 70 miles to go to Trieste. The mainland is very gently rolling, green, treed and very pretty. Next stop Trieste!
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