It was still drippy when I awoke. My bus would leave at 2330. I have decided to skip the section of the Croatian coast between Zadar and Rijeka as there isn't much to see unless I go to an island, and I've had quite a few of those already. However, Croatia is not a large country and if I were to alight at Rijeka I would only catch a few hours of sleep, so I've decided to go all the way to Pula, on the west side of the Istrian peninsula and arrive around dawn, then work my way back to Rijeka. I'll sightsee Zadar during the day and pick up my backpack in the evening, and have dinner before going to the bus station.
At the markets I bought some cherries and apricots, using German. Zadar was modernised in the Tito years, however it suffered during the War of Independence and has not quite recovered its former relative prosperity. But it still attracts tourists; I saw quite a few Germans, Americans and French. Direct budget flights into its airport might also help. Perhaps I wasn't seeing it in the best light, during a rainy day, but it seemed to me that Zadar was looking for better days. Like in Šibenik, there were pro-Ante graffiti on walls.
The St. Donatus' church from the 9th century is the most prominent landmark. The old city has many narrow streets. Notice the tourists toting umbrellas.
I came across a laundromat but unfortunately they would close at 1800, which was too early for me, as I would have to spend several hours in the city before departure. But I used the Internet terminals there. An email from the niece said that she had reached Split airport ok, returned to London pfft, and missed the warm weather. Well at that moment it wasn't so great in Zadar either. A strong storm front was sweeping across Europe and was crossing Croatia. While I was sitting at the terminal it started hailing, showering the pavement with ice pellets.
At the botanic gardens I met a fellow Australian but I couldn't have a conversation. That was because it was a Wollemia (Wollemi Pine). A sign explained that this was one of several gardens around the world to receive a specimen to raise, to reduce the risk of the species going extinct should some disaster befall its home.
By mid-afternoon I had seen all I wanted of Zadar, and the cold was sapping my energy so I returned to the hostel. I napped for a while in an armchair in the reception area.
Towards sunset I took a walk around Puntamika. There is a nice view back towards Zadar across the channel. I was also looking for a likely restaurant. Unfortunately Borik, the large tourist complex in Puntamika, seemed to cater for most visitor needs inside, and the few restaurants outside of the complex got only scraps of business, so there wasn't much choice.
At 2000 I caught the bus back to the city. The self-service place mentioned in the guide didn't exist anymore. Eventually I found a grill restaurant that I liked. The waiter was quite accommodating to a single diner with a backpack. The decor was nice. There are photos on the wall from the days when the city was called Zara, under Italian rule.
I finished dinner around 2200 and caught another bus to the station rather than walk along deserted streets to save 1€. A hour of waiting, we were off and then I tried catch as much sleep as a bus seat would allow.
