We spent the night in Preko. After breakfast we rode to Kukuljica and back, a total of 32 km. At one point we stopped at a re-creation of how olive oil was made in the past. It was on the same land as an olive farm dating back to the first century. Olives were put into cylindrical forms and stacked on top of each other. A large weight at the end of a long beam was then lowered to press the oil out of the olives. Since it was a slow process olives waiting to be pressed were stored in sea water. It kept them as fresh as possible and added to the flavor.
We lunched on the YOLO while we sailed to a quiet spot and dropped anchor to give everyone a chance to swim. We then moved on to the town of Zadar. Zadar has a history going back 3,000 years. It was invaded and conquered many times by the likes of the Venetians, Romans, Greeks, Ottomans, Turks, etc. Zadar was once the capital of the Dalmations. It is a walled city that was breched until the wall was fortified by a combintation of stone with an earthen center. The reconstruction created walls up to 24 meters thick in some places and were able to withstand cannon fire. The city was safe until the 1940s when the Nazis invaded. The allies bombing campaign liberated Zadar but destroyed 70% of the city in the process. Italy was given the city after the war and released it when it became part of Yugoslavia.
Zadar has a population of about 70,000. Inside of the "old town" area there is a grid of streets forming perfect 90 degree angles with all streets going east/west or north/south. The precision of the roads were thanks to the Romans when they occupied Zadar. The streets are much wider than those we saw in Trogir. The buildings seem more solid. There are remains throughout the city which are kept for historical reasons. There are the remains of a Roman market place showing where small buildings were built side by side.
On the modern side there is a creation called the Sea Organ. It is a set of pipes which have one end into the sea and the other end coming out under a set of marble steps. There is a series of round holes and retangular holes in the steps which allow air to pass. As the waves go in and out, it forces air through the pipes and creates a never ending series of tones from the pipes the same way a church organ produces music.
Our day ended with an interesting walking tour of Zadar.
1 comment:
The Sea Organ is fascinating! Your details, history and perspective have been educational and fun. I think swimming in the waters must be different than Florida.
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