2 On the Road: Zadar, Croatia

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I think this was the only time during the trip we had another cruise ship along the same dock as our ship.

Zadar had quite the cruise terminal and it looked like they were ready for a bunch of ships.

I started the day with a different tour and my camera battery gave out before I got to Kadar, so the following photos are from my sister and friends.

This 180-foot tall tower of the Cathedral of St. Anastasia dominates Zadar's skyline. The ground floor and first floor were built in 1452 and the tower was finished in 1893. Upon paying a fee, visitors are allowed to climb the 183 steps to get to its top

The Cathedral of St. Anastasia was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, upon an older building from the 9th and 11th centuries, and which was erected on the site of an Early Christian Basilica, so the Cathedral’s first stages date as early as the 4th and 5th centuries. The Basilica was dedicated to St Peter the Apostle, but when the Zadar bishop Donat got the relics of the Sirmian martyr St Anastasia, in Zadar known as Stošija, at the beginning of the 9th century, the Basilica was named after her. The cathedral has a richly decorated facade and an impressive three-nave interior with the remains of frescoes in the side apses. The cathedral was badly bombed during WWII and has since been reconstructed.

The altar in the left apse.

The Church of St. Donatus, an imposing rotunda and one of Croatia's and Zadar's most important historical monuments, is more famous than the cathedral. Don't be misled by its simplicity – it is a pre-Romanesque structure built as early as the 9th century. It is named after the Zadar Biship who brought St. Anastasia's relics to Zadar.

At 88 feet high and 72 feet wide, it was impressive for its time. The Church has been deconsecrated and today serves as a cultural venue. The interior acoustics are said to be fantastic.

Across the street from the Church of St Donatus, is St Mary's Church

Located in front of the church of St. Donatus, the heart in Zadar, you can walk this square from the Roman era. It was built from the 1st Century BC to the 3rd Century AD and is 49 yards by 98 yards in size.

Fountain in the forum.

Zadar's most popular attraction is the Sea Organ. Constructed in 2005, the 35 underwater pipes stretching across 76 yards interact with the waves and create random but harmonic sounds.

What I found even cooler than the Sea Organ, is the Salutation to the Sun. Located on the seawall above the Sea Organ, this installation is composed of glass panels underneath which solar modules charge during the day. At night, it is connected to the Sea Organ whose sound is converted into a light show. The "Sun" is 72 feet in diameter and if you look above the "sun" in the photo, you can see the rest of our solar system is also represented and in the correct ratio of size and distance.