Zadar, Croatia (Oct. 21)

You have to pick your spots when visiting the Dalmatian coast.  (Ba-dum-dum.)

We’re docked today in Zadar, a fast-growing city on the shores of the Adriatic.  The ship offered a range of interesting tour choices, including one exploring the history of maraschino cherries (I thought it might be the pits so I decided against it.)  

I opted for an active day, hiking in beautiful Paklenica National Park.  The name comes from the word for the sap of the black pines that girdle the mountain, which people used to help heal flesh wounds and waterproof their boats. 

The ride from Zadar got progressively more scenic as we left the coast.  Besides the usual achingly picturesque villages, there were gorgeous lakes and even a mussel farm (no sign of Squeeze; maybe they were on the consuming end).

We had to sign waivers before boarding the bus this morning, which had the usual legal blah blah blah (Bob Loblaw for any Arrested Development fans).  When we arrived at the park, the guide off-handedly mentioned that the area we’d be hiking was home to brown bears, wolves, and a poisonous viper, but he assured us that “they won’t bother you unless you bother them.”  He also said there were periodic rockslides that could be dangerous but were rather unlikely.

With that less-than-reassurance, we set off on a mostly level, rocky trail for a mile or so before reaching a steep ascent that carried us 800 feet up from our starting point to a meadow.  The hike was breathtaking both literally and figuratively, with spectacular views of the peaks.

The area is a haven for rock climbing, with steep limestone escarpments offering extremely challenging ascents, some of which could take multiple days, including nights spent sleeping in a hammock on a nearly vertical rock face.  (And I felt daring for providing a lunch opportunity for the bears, wolves, and snakes.) 

I’m happy to say our entire group survived without any ursine, lupine, or herpetological encounters (do women keep snakes as pets?) and only a couple of minor falls. 

When I woke up this morning, I looked out the window and saw a long, curving seaside wall that reminded me of a keyboard.  It turns out that when the city seawall was rebuilt in the early 2000s, an architect named Nikola Bašić designed a “sea organ,” where incoming waves enter a series of resonant pipes, producing organ-like tones.  I visited the installation after returning from the hike; the following video shows the ship; the sound in the background is the sea organ.

It was a wonderful end to a magnificent day.  (I may revise my opinion depending on whether I can get out of bed tomorrow, when I’m scheduled for another hike.)