Zadar and the magical sea organ

So my main reason for going to Zadar is the amazing sea organ I've seen on Facebook. It looks to be the coolest thing. I didn't really look into anything else, figuring I'd just enjoy it spontaneously. Well, I wish I had done a bit more research because Zadar was so beautiful and I might have spent a few more days there!

 

My visit didn't really start out that great. The directions from the hostel said to take bus #2 to the last stop. When I left the train station, the bus was waiting there for me! Haha...I asked the driver and he said no problem that he would tell me when to get off. So as we headed off I enjoyed the views of a canal laden with giant yachts and on the other side of me were old walls of the city. I figured it would soon be time to get off, but he didn't say anything so I stayed on. We did a little loop and ended up back at the bus station. I thought it was pretty weird but, not everyone got off so I figured there was more to go. Well we repeated the canal and the wall section but then did a different route afterwards...I had asked the driver how long it would take me to get there and he had said 7 minutes, but I figured he'd misunderstood and meant that's how long until we left. Well, I was sitting there, almost an hour later and guess what? We are back at the bus station! Omg! I asked the driver if it was the last stop and he said yes. I then said, this is where I got on! And he looked at me and realization sprung into his eyes and he said oh no! So sorry. He looked at my little map and told me it's not far. So the stop I needed....at the canal and the old wall...so yep, 7 minutes into the bus journey. I had been on the bus about 60 minutes longer than necessary! Ugh. The directions from the hostel were ridiculously vague "once you get off bus, we are 150 metres away". Ok...which way, where, how do I get there??? So the driver, feeling guilty, walked me to the old gate to enter where I needed and pointed down a long road. I walked and turned randomly down another street and was just about to sit down and cry when I turned and there was a tiny sign on a door with the name of my hostel. Seriously? A tiny little name on the doors! Anyways. It already seemed like a pretty cool city since everything was so ancient and beautiful, despite my adventures getting there. The hostel guy was so friendly and the room, even though it had a psychedelic ceiling and orange carpet, faced the coolest ruins ever!

That's seriously out my window! And I didn't even get a good shot! Since I had spent the morning walking, I decided to have a quick shower. Omg...the shower was smaller than me. The shower head was huge, which might be nice if you have no hair, but if you're trying to either not get your hair wet or actually shampoo it, it was impossible. Every time I moved, something stuck out of the shower, my elbow, a foot, even my butt when I bent down to reach for my shampoo. It was just ridiculous! Aw well, it makes a good story and is only one night so I'll survive! My first plan was to go and see the sea organ. I'm really sad that you can't see my videos! It was such a beautiful sound!

This is their greeting to the sun. It's lit up all night and also provides all the power for the other lights on the pier! Since it was after 7 at this point, I headed to grab some food! I went to the place recommended by my hostel but it was so expensive. I decided to find my own place. I found one, right behind my hostel, with a nice terrace with heaters. I ordered the same traditional dish, Cevapi, I had had in Zagreb. But it wasn't nearly as good. It was twice the price but came with French fries. There was no bread or cream sauce. It did come with a veggie sauce but I didn't know which veggies so I ate it sparingly. After that, I headed back to the room to rest and do some research for the rest of my trip. All I had decided was to go to Split next. At about 10pm, I realized I hadn't gone to see the greeting to the sun at night and this was my only chance! I googled to see if it would be worth going or not....yes, definitely! I was already in my pj's but since I'd be wearing a jacket over it, I didn't bother changing. They're black bottoms anyways! It was spectacular and totally worth going in my pj's! 

I met two really nice Croatian men, both from Zagreb who gave me tips on where to go and what to see. The second one, there with his wife, showed me some cool tricks for my camera! They were so friendly! I enjoyed the quiet walk back to the hostel, the place was deserted, and went to bed. I did not sleep well at all! So far, this bed was the comfiest, but I was so sore from all my climbing that finally at 4am I got up and did some stretches for my legs and hips. That helped and I slept for a few more hours. My plan was to get up and eat a good breakfast (it was included in the hostel) and then go on a walking tour. I ate my fill of meats and cheeses, and finally enjoyed a proper tea (apparently they don't ever drink tea in the morning). I still had some time so started at the museum. It was really interesting and showed tons of artifacts from the area. While waiting for the walking tour to begin, I met a couple from Boston who now live in London. They were so nice so we chatted a bit before the guide arrived. The walking tour was outstanding! He knew so much about the history of the town and the buildings and it was fascinating to hear him tell the stories of the place. The city is even more breathtaking then I thought, once I'd been shown all the hidden gems.

This church is now a cafe. It's protected so they don't use it every day, but you have to walk through the cafe to see it! 

You can see the marks on a lot of buildings from grenades during the war.

These are not the huge yachts, by the way! Haha

The main gate of the old city.

And that was my quick visit in Zadar. The walking tour ended up being well over 2 hours and I had to run back and get my bag before catching the bus! Off to Split!