Wednesday was forecast to be the one good day, weather-wise this week, so we decided to go to Zadar by bus. However, as soon as we woke up, we had our no wind window, so at 7.30, before breakfast, we were running the new reefing line and putting the mainsail back on. This time we managed to get the sail up and down in perfect conditions and the sail is now safely furled inside the boom again.
It’s a less than 10 minute walk to the bus station in Biograd. The bus left bang on time and we enjoyed the 40 minute ride along the coast to Zadar. It’s interesting to get the different perspective of seeing the coast from the land.
Zadar is a busy city and an important regional centre.
The area around Zadar has been inhabited since Neolithic times. The Romans
built a town on the peninsula, which they called Jader or Jadera. The present
street plan is basically the same as that laid out by the Romans. There are
ruins of the Roman forum near the cathedral.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Zadar changed hands several times and became an important trading centre. In the 12th century, the town came into conflict with the growing power of Venice and was captured by crusaders at the request of Venice in 1202, but Venice only obtained absolute power of Zadar in 1409, when it purchased the town. The Turks became a growing threat to the town and to Venetian trade, so Zadar was heavily fortified. Many of the walls are still intact.
Venetian control lasted until 1797, after which the town
was ruled by Austria, until 1920, with a brief period of French occupation
during the time of Napoleon. Zadar was ceded to Italy in 1920, then, during
WWII, was occupied by the Nazis after the defeat of Italy. Yugoslav control
came only in 1944.
The town was badly damaged by air aids during WWII but incurred little further damage during the 1991-1994 war.
We enjoyed our stroll around the old town, then headed out to make the 40 minute walk through the suburbs to find the yacht chandlery shop, which we were hoping would be large enough to get some of the spares we need. We came away with a small bag of jubilee clips and a can of textile cleaning spray!
Having walked over 15,000 steps, it was great to get back
on the bus and enjoy the ride back. Despite the high winds and intermittent
heavy rain, it’s still warm enough to enjoy sundowners on deck and watch the
sun go down.
Miles Today - 0
Miles 2022 – 1319
Tricia (and Steve)
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