Fri Sept 26, 2025 Zadar, Crostia

 We had a busy full day today. It started with getting up early! Who gets up early on vacation?!! Well, we did. So did Robert and Janet! Mike and I got up early enough to eat breakfast and then buffet and meet at the starlight theater by 7:15 a.m. are very large group of about three or four bus loads of people went to Krka National Park here in Croatia. We docked at Zadar.

We had a really good tour guide who narrated our bus trip out to the National Park, about an hour away from the dock. The park is basically water cascades and lots and lots of water and waterfalls and more water and more cascades and lakes that are small but deep and lots of trees. We followed a wooden walkway throughout this part of the park. It was very informative and beautiful and cool. There was also some ethnological sort of things that they educated us about. The people who lived in the area used the water for milling their grain. And doing laundry, too! And of course there are some  hydroelectric plants there. Lots and lots of rocks in this area. Robert knew what kind they were. The type of limestone. 

Mike and I bought gelato at the stop before our climb up the stairs and out of the park area. The walking sticks or hiking poles that Katie sent to me were a lifesaver. We walked down a lot of wooden boardwalk paths, and some stairs typical of national parks. But once we got to the bottom and had our little rest and gelato, then it was climbing up and out by way of the stairs. The hiking poles definitely helped me. 

After we rode the bus back to the cruise terminal, I decided to buy a shuttle ticket and go into the Old Town of Zadar and see and hear the sea organ. I did, walked around took some pictures, saw Liz and Alex, Barbara and Kelly, then headed back to the shuttle. On my way THERE, there were 5 of us on the shuttle bus. On the way BACK to the ship at 2:30 or so we filled three buses. and then we rode a shuttle back to the ship! Pictures follow.

Samples of wool Croatian weaving.

Typical national dress and typical American tourist.

The water mill stones. They had quite a collection of  mill stones leaning against the wall outside next to this mill.

They washed the newly woven wool fabric, not just every day laundry, here. 

Cyclamen? They are just 4 to 5 inches tall and EVERYwhere! Fields of them!

This little area is full of tiny flowers, too. So pretty!

The board walk. Uneven, rickity in places, and few hand rails. The wooden walks were NOT all level.

Educational signage about flora and fauna, mostly. 

Swans at our rest stop before the big

Climb up to the bus. 120 steps? 

Tired Robert and Janet. We were tired, too!

Zadar old town photos will be in another post