A Trip to the Dalmatian Coast

by Ben Bruford (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Croatia

I always find that the most surreal, magical memories are made at the most unexpected places and this couldn’t have been more true when I took a trip to the captivating city of Zadar. This tranquil destination can be found quietly perched on the northern coast of Croatia. By chance my flight arrived was arriving just as the sun was slipping behind the horizon. From the plane window I watched the sunset. I had never in my life seen a sunset like this, the sun was huge, a mass ball of colour and excitement that illuminated the sky in such a perfect way that it looked fabricated. Little did I know this sunset didn't even come close to the beauty that erupted from the sky the following evening. Zadar Old Town is rich with history thanks to a sprinkle of Roman, Byzantine and Venetian architecture. You instantly fall in love with sparkling marble and cobblestone streets, we spent several hours wandering around the maze of alleyways and getting lost in the most romantic of streets. It is here in the Old Town where we sat down for our first taste of the fantastic food Zadar has to offer. I had an Adriatic black risotto which may have looked like a black hole of gloop but once I tasted the perfect combination of cuttlefish with the rich rice, it wasn’t long before an explosion of flavour hit me. Once fed and having drank a few ludicrously cheap beers we ventured down towards the Dalmatian coast. It was very short stroll until we were greeted not by a white sandy beach but by something rather more unique. As we etched closer to the coast, we could hear the wailing and whistling of what we assumed was the Adriatic Sea. We were wrong. Instead we discovered Zadar’s Sea Organ which stretches out beneath the concrete seafront promenade. It has pipes hiding under your feet creating unusual whirls, whoops and musical notes as water manoeuvres its way in to fill the pipes. We stood for a while as the sounds sent us into a transient state of relaxation, we stood in awe of this strange yet mesmerising giant harmonica. The Monument to the sun, a huge glass circle of lights on the promenade floor added to the ambience. As we moved along the promenade the sun began to fall off the edge of the horizon. We had thought that the previous night’s sunset had been dramatic, but tonight’s was on another level entirely. I may sound slightly crazy, but the size of the sun seemed to increase by over one hundred times in size, painting an eminent red and illustrious orange sky. The peacefulness and tranquillity of this hidden city was evident and there was an incredible atmosphere of calm and relaxation as we watched the sun slowly fade from view. Alfred Hitchcock once describe the sunset in Zadar as “the most beautiful in the world” now who am I to argue with a cinematic legend? All this topped off a day where we had travelled several hours by coach to the picturesque destination of Krka Lakes. We arrived and hopped on a boat to cross a lavish lake taking us to a collection of hundreds of waterfalls all pouring into small pools with a whole host of impressive colours from emerald green to deep blues. You simply won’t believe the deep blue colour of the lakes, a blue so blue even the colour blue struggles to recognise it. These waterfalls were so immense and vast, culminating in the terrific turquoise lakes. They really were magnificent. We followed the boardwalk trails and along the way saw a school of huge fish swimming furiously against the river. All the while appreciating and awing at the unreal landscape surrounding us, an unimaginably dramatic setting. The mixture of the intense greenery of the forest contrasted by the deep blue of the spectacular lakes and falls truly was astounding. Zadar is a hidden gem, not only did I witness the most spectacular sunset of my entire life, but I also experienced a natural beauty that was simply unbelievable, a place you have to see to believe.