The mad scientist of an architect

It had dawned overcast but not raining and quite a bit warmer than the last couple of days. Still, there is a bit of a breeze so I continue to wear a long sleeved top - don't want the head cold that Donna has so generously shared to develop any further. After a light breakfast of muesli with banana and an apple, we head into Vinjerac to have a drive through look at the town - that takes all of 3 minutes! It is a lovely looking little fishing village that has grown to accommodate those summer people who have discovered it with its magnificent Adriatic coast location.

The Aparthotel Buratovic sits just outside the city centre with lovely views over the water and the Velebit Mountains across the inlet. Their facilities are great and I imagine that they would do a roaring trade in the summer months. There are a couple of other guests here as well so they do some trade in the colder months which must be good for the family.

We took a drive over to Nin - only went there because of the remnants of the Roman salt flats but instead found the most significant archaelogical site in the Adriatic corridor. You drive to the town which, for all intents and purposes is an island, over a causeway that has been developed over one of the salt flat ridges. The salt flats themselves are well, flat and shallow. The walls are more earthern than constructed of stone as the ones at Ston. And it was then that we got a bit of an eye-opening.

The town of Nin, like many in this area is walled. Here, the town has spilled out of the walls to the shore on the opposite side of the inlet and a bridge with three narrow arches (really just for water flow - no boat would get through!) connects the two sides. There is a lot of reconstruction work happening and as we drive around the outside of the wall, there are lots of pieces of the original wall still standing, some being braced and one piece being worked on - well, the men were there, sitting and contemplating the wonderful view, but hey why shouldn't they!

We park the car and walk back to have a look at the surviving City Gate. This one dates back to the 16th Century but when we walk in, there is the remnants of a much older one dating back to the 1st century and the roman occupation. There is hardly a soul around. The old town has been well restored and underfoot is all that beautiful white stone polished by the feet of the millenia. Some of the buildings have ben constructed using the rubble of previous buildings in the area. So we see bits of carved portals inserted into building walls and decorations from previous royal properties now having the pride of place above new entry ways and doors. We walk a little further into the town, heading for the campanile (bell tower) - still deserted, they was one older man sitting against a wall - the only person we saw while we walked through the main area. Much of the old town has been restored or reconstructed and it looks like someone really cares about the town and its place in history.

We pass the sign to the 'Smallest Cathedral in the world' and really need to check this out! The church was called the Church of the Holy Cross and dates back to the 9th century. And yes, it is t-i-n-y. It has been de-consecrated but an the archaelogical dig around the building exposed a whole world of interred bodies in the adjacent necropolis. Very interesting. Across the road from the cathedral was a Statue to Grgur Ninski (Gregory of Nin), a 10th century bishop who defied the Pope and introduced the Croatian language into the church here. Rubbing his toes is said to bring good luck, so we rubbed away (hmmm - don't know if it worked - it has been raining ever since!)

Back around in the main square, the Museum was closed but when walking through their courtyard looking at the capitals, column remnants and grave steles, the curator kindly opened it for us. It was so much more than we could have anticipated with items dating from 100,000 BC (pre-historic times) through the modern day - 1600s. There are examples from every age of occupation including three boats and remnants dating back to the 11th century! With the timber still fully intact on one of them!!! Lots of the displays relate to burial sites and the materials that they found in with the bodies - jewellery, earthenware and girdles. All too soon we had been right through the displays. We also learn that the seawall also sheltered a necropolis with hundreds of bodies that were later discovered. And in the watercourse that separates the town from the salt pans there is another old Croatian boat.

From Nin we are heading into Zadar and stop en-route so that Michael can have a walk over to the very unsual and interesting St. Nicolas Church in the Prahulje field. Legend says that seven kings were crowned in Nin. After the coronation each king would go on horseback to this church and present himself to the nation vowing to defend his homeland.

And so, in to Zadar - the Cathedral and St Donats are still closed we are told come back at 4. Went back, still shut. We strolled the back streets and by chance happened upon the open doors for restoration works into the Fransican monastery and its quite beautiful cloister complete with deep well. We are sure that the boss was berating his worker for leaving the door open so that people could get in - but now that we were there, we are determined at least to have a peek outside. The buildings are locked up tight - and there is supposed to be an amazing library of manuscripts somewhere here behind those closed doors.

From here, we could hear intermittent blast of mournful music and remembered that there was something written in Donna's book on Croatia about a Sea Organ in Zadar, so we went to investigate. This was amazing and like nothing any of us have ever seen or heard before. If you would like to hear what it sounds like, this is best video I could find (we didn't have the video camera with us!) - but it was much more active today with choppy water and a stiff wind. The water and wind belted out a lively tune that chased up and down the organ keys! And if you look up behind the steps that lead into the waters of the Adriatic, you will see the marble and timber seating that is reminiscent of a keyboard!

Not only was there the Sea Organ on the waterfront, there was also a very new monument titled 'The Greeting to the Sun'. Set right out on the point where Zadar juts out to welcome the Adriatic into its embrace, this innovative work is by the same architect who designed the Sea Organ. It encompasses a huge disc comprised of lots of solar cells that put on a light show at dusk in sympathy with the sea organ. Too bad we only found out that little bit of information tonight - because we could have gone back to see it. Bugger.

Around the outside diameter of the 21m disc is engraved with the names of the saints after whom the city's churches were named and the delination and time of the sunset on their date of birth at this place. It connects outer space (galaxy) with past space (history) with present space (here and now) with wet space (sea organ) and with deep inner space (bloody mind boggling)! The architect must be crazy to have all that in his head space and making these connections!!! That little gem all came from Donna! Maybe he had a couple of cans of Mad Bat under his belt! And leading away from the installation there is a solar line with all the planets bar Pluto (Michael walked way up the promenade but couldn't find it - although as it is to scale, it could be miles away.)

Now being 4:20 pm we returned to the Cathedral to try to have a look at St Donats but the man on the door was adament that it was closed. After asking some youngsters in the seminary across the square they suggested in broken English to try closer to 7 pm. So off to have a drink before the museum opens at 5 pm. The Archaelogical Museum of Zadar is closely connected to the one at Nin - primarily because this is where much of the finds were made. Many of the items referred to at Nin are on display here in Zadar and we can take photos to our hearts content here! Michael drools over the statue of Ceasar Augustus on display opposite the entrance door. Most of the collection mirrors the set out at Nin, so we don't spend quite as long here - oh, and the roman collection is still being set up - we did see lots of segments of mosaic floor leaning against a wall!

Michael goes around to check and finds the Cathedral open! It is quite plain and unadorned, but does have some truly beautiful altars. We only have 10 minutes before it is closed (I think it was only open for the Rosary that is being said by some local parishioners). We can't get into St Donats - it appears that it is only opened for concerts after I do some net research. This is really disappointing, especially for Donna, as this was the initial purpose of our visit to the City. It is architecturally very interesting and partially constructed from the ruins of the earlier roman forum on which site is stands.

Dinner at Seafood Restaurant Foša around at the marina that is set in the last remaining piece of the former moat around the city.
Appetiser - a prawn and salsa
Entrees:
Blue Fish Platter - svježe sardine na krevet od krumpira i zelene salate od graha (Blue Fish Platter - fresh sardines on a bed of potato and green bean salad) Michael
Dimljeni losos sa krem sirom i losos kavijar (Smoked salmon with cream cheese and salmon caviar) Donna
Teleći terrine s Pistacija u svitak Dalmatinski pršut s biser luk u Acetto Balsamic (Veal terrine with Pistachio in a roll of Dalmatian ham with pearl onions in Acetto Balsamic) Maria
Mains:
Lignje na žaru Jadranu krevet dalmatinskog stila blitva lišće (Grilled Adriatic Squid on a bed of Dalmatian style Swiss Chard leaves) Michael
Baby biftek s tartufima služio na krevetu u pire od krumpira s tartufima sos (Baby beefsteak with truffles served on a bed of mashed potatoes with a truffle gravy) Donna
Žaru Adriatic Dory sautéed s povrćem (Grilled Adriatic Dory with sauteed vegetables) Maria
Desserts:
Rožata - puding od karamela (Rožata - caramel pudding) Michael
Voće minestrone sa Sorbet od limuna (Fruit minestrone with lemon sorbet) Donna
Limun krema s javorov sirup (Lemon cream with maple syrup) Maria
We finished with coffees before waddling back to the car via a short stop to admire the city walls by the lights of night!

Stonewalled!

Woo hoo the sun is out and the thermometer has pushed through the 6°C barrier! Breakfast was good - though down three flights of outdoor stairs to the restaurant and back up after brekky. Watered down Tang, cereals, eggs scrambled and/or fried and little frankfurter sausages as well as cold meats and cheeses. Yoghurt and coffee finished us off. The Germans were in for brekky too - some before us, some after. Anyway, it was well before 9 am when we had finished and we are out the door right on 10. Villa Nova was a nice introduction to Herzegovina. Neum is quite a surprise - there are literally hundreds of apartments and hotels. It is a lovely spot on a finger of the Adriatic Sea, but just not what I had expected!

Given that the sun is out and the wind is not, we are headed back to Ston to walk some of the walls and have a little look see. Now, when we get there, those walls look might long and very very steep. Michael is brave, Donna and I are not!!! So off he sets. Its not long before we see him as a mere speck in his bright orange jacket - if it weren't for that, we could not have seen him at all. Donna and I head off to have a look around Ston - and are done in about 20 minutes! I guess that it is their off season and not much is open - although it really doesn't look like there is much to open. There are quite a few restaurants, although we only see one open at this hour of the day. A couple of old buildings that house the remnants of rescued masonry from others that are either in ruins or no longer exist are all else that hold any interest. There is an old church, but it is in ruins and boarded off.

We walk through the only standing city gate to see the salt ponds across the road. While the ponds still exist, they do not appear to be the ones that are actively being used at the moment. However, on the rusted rail line at the front of the closest pool is a rusted and timbered salt cart - full of salt. It is dirty and caked and neither of us are keen to taste it, but it can be nothing else. Guess that before it would be used, it would be washed. This however is here as a display I would imagine.

(Michael here) Seeing the walls from a distance one could be excused from assuming they looking at a section of the Great Wall in China. This is no exaggeration, until you get closer to this wonder. Like the Great Wall, the walls of Ston scale the steep incline of the mountains and meet at a higher fort.

Before climbing the walls, you get a feeling that this amazing feat of engineering evolved through a siege mentallity. The whole structure possesses all of these elements: a Barbican, bastions, redoubts, listening posts, interconnecting towers and crenulations. However, it's these snaking walls which takes one's breath away.

Maria and Donna opt out from taking a stroll along the walls, albeit, I part with 30Kn for the priviledge to do so. As I hand over the fee, the ticket seller instructs me which sections of the wall I can explore and asks whether I suffer from a heart condition. It is sufficient warning to alert me for the type of exertion I can expect! Regrettably, I'm restricted to the lower walls, as those which snake upwards to the summit have been closed to the public due to ongoing repairs.

However, I set forth and brace myself for the upward climb. I must admit the climb is quite arduous, considering I have scaled towers with over 800 stairs during our travels. The acute gradient is not realised until see the angle of the incline and indeed walk it. 'Rest' stops are positoned at regular intervals which allow us 'wayfarers' to admire the view.

Upon arriving at the central bastion, you get clear image of the expanse of the fortress (and at the same time providing a respite for one to catch their breath). In the 'baillie', between the bastion and the old town, the foundations of mediaeval buildings can be discerned amongst the undergrowth. Many of the foundations have been converted into gardens by some residents. The vista rolling out beyond the old town also took in the broad acreage of the salt ponds. Anyhow, I continue with the downward journey which had taken me to the lower bastion and outer barbican. It is apparent that quite a large amount of consolidation and restoration work is ongoing. The outer barbican appears to have had extensive work completed on its walls and parapets.

It is at this juncture where my excursion along the walls ends...well, not quite, as I do an about turn and retrace my steps along the wall.

In the meantime, Donna and I have headed back for the car - the breeze is cooler still now. There is a dog who has taken a liking to us. I'm not sure whether he has been abandoned, or lives somewhere else in the town. He has definitely been trained to heel and sit though, and to follow - closely!! We can't shake him off. Anyway, we stop for some souvenirs and when I call in to the Tourist Information office the only book they have on the area is in French - ah well, guess I will be brushing up on my French again - just when I thought that I had finished with it for the moment. All good! Back to the car and we have to get in in a hurry as the dog goes off to check out a tour bus that has just pulled in - phew! We are not there long when we see Michael coming back. Talk about good timing.

So we leave Ston and head north back through the border crossing between Croatia and Herzegovina where this time we are stopped at both sides for passport checks. Sometimes I think they just like to see who is driving a car from the other 'side'. Anyway, back through Neum and we are back into Croatia headed north past the turn off for Split towards Zadar. We reach Zadar in good time after a trip of 3½ hours that included one fuel stop and a few brief stops for photos. Again we are surprised at the landscape both of this area of Croatia and of Bosnia Herzegovina that we are skirting. It is (all in the one vista) rugged mountains and broad open fertile plains. As we come down onto the delta of the Neretva River that is the main tangerine growing area, we stop to buy some at a roadside stall. They are a variety of mandarin and peel like a mandarin that we would regularly know, but have way way more flavour - more tart as well.

A lot of the trip was on the motorway that has been partly constructed that when finished will run the length of Croatia. There has been some comment on the local news lately about it with interviews with we think the Croatian Transport Minister with lots of signs that seem to indicate that it would be finished by 2008 with sad smiley faces. Don't know the full details - it was all in Croatian and double dutch to us.

Anyway we get to Zadar about 2 pm and went to have a look around. We found the Church of St Donat that brought us here, but it is closed. There are a number of other churches (all closed) and the ruins of a Roman Forum that we look at and Michael makes a foray up the Campanile. So, planning another day here tomorrow, we head to the supermarket for some supplies for tonight and then plan Kate to take us to Vinjerac where we are staying. It is about 40 minutes away, on the other side of the peninsula.

And as we are driving down there (onto yet another promontory that juts into the Adriatic Sea) we are greeted with the most amazing sight of the setting sun reflecting off the Velebit Mountains on the opposite side of the water - all pinks and greys. Oh yes, and bright whites where SNOW has fallen over the last couple of days - yes, winter is well and truly on the way! And again we share the road with a herd of sheep being moved to another pasture - in fact, judging by the amount of spoor on the road, these sheep are moved frequently - as they would need to be, the pickings are only some very slim shrubs.

We have booked accommodation at the Aparthotel Buratovic and when we arrive (thankfully it is well signposted as Kate cannot find any of the streets in Vinjerac!) we are greeted by Martjia who is very very warm and friendly and tells us that after watching 'McLeods Daughters' on TV she has wanted to visit Australia. She presses us for information while showing us the apartment. It is very comfortable and thankfully equipped with an air conditioner as the temperature drops.

The last light is fading as we cook up some rice with chicken in thai sauce and veges and tuck in. Tomorrow we are heading back into Zadar.