Phot-o' the Day: On the Riva, Zadar, Croatia

Three trips to Croatia.  Only one to Zadar.  And, yet, Zadar is probably my favorite place in all of Croatia.  And the Riva in Old Town Zadar, along the sapphire blue Adriatic, just might be the most beautiful spot in all of Croatia. The competition is stiff, but I think it's the winner.  You don't always get puppies to photograph on the promenade, but it's always nice when you do.

Just to the right, outside the shot, would be the wonderful Sea Organ (Morske Orgulje) and the equally wonderful Greeting To The Sun (Pozdrav Suncu).

How do the colors compare to the original living color version of this shot?

Split Decision

The stray cat problem in Split, Croatia, is out of control.
Now the cats are manning (or "catting") the sales booths, selling boat tours to the tourists in town.

On the road again.

And the road was the 8, then the E65, from Dubrovnik to Split, just up Croatia's Dalmatian Coast

But there was time to stop by a roadside stand to buy some fresh fruit. And jam. And homemade booze. Apricot jam and mandarin orange flavored grappa. Because this was in the local mandarin orange growing region and I wanted to buy the local produce in a form that would last through the winter.

The drive was not long and soon we were within Splittin' distance of the Adriatic.

The old city in Split is pedestrian only. And the walk from the hotel, the Azur Palace, to the Riva -- the pedestrian promenade along the Adriatic -- was only a few blocks.  Fortunately, there was time to see a guy soaking his head in the stream coming from the fountain above his head.

Soon were reached the sea.

At the sea, there were birds.

And boats.

And people watching boats.

There was a Spanish galleon / pirate ship in the Split harbor, too. Just like Dubrovnik. Apparently this is now a thing. You probably already knew. I'm kind of slow on picking up trends.

And apparently another new thing that is a fashion trend among those cognizant of fashion trends would be young gentlemen is dressing as Roman Praetorian Guards. For we saw this in Old Town Split.

Actually, they dress that way, in front of the humongous palace of former Roman Emperor Diocletian (I use the word "former" just in case you think that he is the incumbent Roman Emperor), here in Old Town Split, to earn tips from the tourists who want their pictures taken with them. It's a living in a tourist town.

Next stop was the Saint Domnius Cathedral, or Katedrala Sv. Duje in the local tongue, right next door to Diocletian's Palace.

The Cathedral dates from the 4th Century A.D., the very early part of the 300s A.D., as the Cathedral was constructed on the site of the Mausoleum of Diocletian. Diocletian died in 312.

The interior most certainly does not date from the early 300s. But it is quite impressive.

It brings in the tourist hordes.

Of which I was one.

So not to sound all superior and all.

The admission ticket also bought admission to the Temple of Jupiter, which was re-purposed after the decline of paganism to being the Baptistry.

Dinner at the restaurant Lučac was beyond incredible. I had, actually everybody at the table had except for the one person eating the wild boar stew, the beef ‘pasticada’ with gnocchi, described on the menu in English as "beef fricandeau, dried plums, wine, home-made marmalade, gnocchi, vinegar, decoration creams, spices." It was the pot roast that they serve in heaven. But you'll have to take my word for it. No pictures. I left the camera back at the hotel.

Split Day One: Down on the Riva

Yes. This really is Croatia.

Is this heaven? No. It's Croatia.

So we are here in Split, on Croatia's Dalmatian coast. The Adriatic is blue. The palm trees are green. And my skin is getting red because the sun is still hot into September.

After an exhausting few days, where we never really got the chance to recover from jet lag in Munich, today was a "wake up when you wake up" sort of day. I had agreed to meet the Sister and B-I-L for breakfast at 10:30 a.m. I was awakened that morning by loud knocking on my door at 10:40. What a good night's sleep.

Through the narrow streets to the Riva we go

The Azur Palace hotel is only a few blocks inland from the Adriatic.

If you look closely (or enlarge the picture), you can see the Sister snapping a photo of the Statue

After eating breakfast, we decided to walk down to the waterfront to check out our options for the day. Along the Adriatic in the Old Town section of Split is a waterfront promenade called "the Riva."

On the Riva

This is the part of town where the cruise ships and Croatia's massive Jadrolinija ferry-boats land.

Small boats in front, big boats in the back

Small boats in front, big boats in the back (again)

Small anchor in the front, big boats in the back

It's wide open.

West end of the Riva

Not much parking available

This is the part of town where you can sign up for all the fun things us tourists can't get enough of. Excursions to the islands. Sea kayaking. Water taxi. Sister and B-I-L opted for a two-hour Segway tour.

Segway tour stand

They were the only ones of their tour and they had an absolutely great time. I opted to go the museums on the Marjan Peninsula, about a 20 minute walk away.

View of the Riva walking westward toward the Marjan.
The Bell Tower within Diocletian's Palace is the tall building in the center of the photograph.

 Both of us had more fun than a boat tour where we'd be packed onto the boat like sardines. Like this:

Boat cruise

And while we wait for me to write up my museum excursion, I leave you with a picture of the Split lighthouse and a Croatian flag in the foreground.

Lighthouse in Split harbor