Tending

It's been important during our stay to get out of the city centre of Zadar at least once a week. Since we don't have a car here - and I have no intention of renting one - that has meant dependence on others or using the bus. Today's bus trip was by far the shortest (just about 15 km), and it was also possible to intercept the bus nearer to the old city, so we didn't have to trek all the way to the bus station, which is hardly the most salubrious place in Zadar.

At this time of the year Nin is completely dead and **nothing** seems to be open, and perhaps just a touch disappointing compared to what we'd read about it. But since the old town - on an island - has been continuously occupied for more than 3000 years it does have a certain atmosphere to it. The aerial photos show that there is quite a lot of green on the island, and even some small fields, and we certainly noticed that wandering around. This old boy was tending to his garden in which he was growing all manner of interesting green stuff (lots of vegetables). He seemed to be doing some work on his well. Presumably, it is the ready presence of a water source below ground that made it such an attractive place to settle originally, and then afterwards to stay. We got the impression that there might have been a greater density of buildings on the island in the medieval times than there are now.

After an hour or so wandering around Nin we'd seen pretty much all there was to see, and ascertained that the plan of having lunch in Nin was just not feasible. So we hopped on the next bus back, and had lunch at Pasta@Svasta as I had a craving for some pasta. It was good, and it was nice that the restaurant wasn't just serving the Croatian standards that you get in any old Konoba. Afterwards, we did the usual wandering around. Coffee, beer (for Mr A) and time lapse photography in the Forum, enjoying the extraordinary jazz saxophonist who sometimes busks nearby. A walk along the front to the sea organ and the greeting to the sea, where I got some really good pictures that I might try to replicate tomorrow.

And now we are back in our lovely apartment enjoying some of yesterday's goodies, especially the 'wine-in-a-chartreuse bottle' combo.

A very pleasant Saturday and our penultimate one here :-((