Day 10 - Waterfalls, Washing Machines and a Sea Organ
- SElliott
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
We overnighted in Šibenik and this morning travelled to Krka National Park. This park runs along the 73 km Krka River from the mountains of the Croatian interior to the Adriatic Sea near Šibenik. The park includes the canyons, travertine barriers, lakes and 17 waterfalls of the Krka River.
The coach arrived at the Krka National Park and had to check that it was allowed to proceed to our destination. This is because the road down is only wide enough for one vehicle, so we had to check that there was nothing coming up.
When we arrived at the car park, we had a guided walk along the boardwalk visiting the “washing machine” where local people used to wash cloth made of wool before visiting the old grain mill and finally an exhibition about the hydro-electric station.
The Grain Mill and Pools
We were then let loose to follow the boardwalks between the little islands in the river. It was very green and we could see lots of fish in the water. There were also several small waterfalls. The walk ended at the park's largest waterfall, Skradinski Buk. The walk was really nice, although busy, and mostly in the shade which was a definite bonus!
Skradinsky Buk has an 800m-long cascade which descends by almost 46m before crashing into the lower lake. There was a small shopping and picnic area at the bottom of the falls where we had yet more ice cream before crossing the river by boardwalk and climbing up to the “washing machine” and coach pick-up point.
Skradinsky Buk and other Waterfalls
We got back to the ship in time for lunch before we set sail for Zadar, our next stop. I spent the afternoon in the upstairs lounge, writing up my diary, sewing and reading.
We arrived in Zadar around 5pm and disembarked for our guided tour around Zadar. Zadar was once the capital of Dalmatia and has a history that goes back 3,000 years. Our guided tour was around the old town which dates from the 9th century BCE. The Romans were here in 1st century BCE followed by the Byzantians and Venetians.
We started our tour in Peoples’ Square. This square is paved with white marble-like stone and is overlooked by the 16th century Gradska Straza, the 11th century Church of St Lawrence and the16th century City Loggia. Again it was busy and hot but it looks very clean and fresh with the sun shining off the white buildings.
From Peoples’ Square we walked down to the Roman Forum, a relic of when Zadar was a Roman Colony in 48BC. Only ruins remain, partly due to an earthquake in the 6th century and partly due to enterprising citizens using the readily available stone as building materials – as they did for the Church of St. Donatus which is adjacent.
Our next stop was the Cathedral of Saint Anastasia which was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries on the site of a 5th century Christian basilica. We then meandered through the streets to the Seaside Promenade and the Sea Organ.
The Seaside Promenade is outside the old town walls of Zadar, which were built in the 16th century to protect the town from Turkish attacks. Zadar was the most heavily fortified town on the Adriatic until its fortifications were partly demolished in the late 19th century.
The Sea Organ is a creation of architect Nikol Basic and comprises of 35 underwater pipes stretching across 70 meters. These “swallow” air from the waves creating music that can be heard on the shore. It was beautiful and reminiscent of recordings of whale calls which I have heard.
This was the end point of our tour so we made our way back to the yacht for dinner. After dinner we decided to walk back to the Sea Organ. This was because the tour guide had told us that next to the Organ, there’s another installation called the Greeting to the Sun. This is a monument that shows the solar system with 300 glass panels. During the day, the panels absorb light, only to glow at night.
It was magical, the play of different coloured lights emitted by the Greeting to the Sun with background music provided by the Sea Organ.
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