Woken by the intensity of the rising sun, a glare so fierce and blinding.  Mac n Tosh are already pacing the motorhome, so I quickly dress and step outside. But it’s bright rather than hot, and in the shade outside is rather cool. The bora winds are still blasting everything is sight.  Its probably fair to say, this part of Croatia is a windy region with a hot sun.  Vin starts to rock and creak and with that a particularly fierce gust picks me up and hurls me in the air. I yell, which startles Mac n Tosh and they run like the clappers. Like a human kite I sail through the air before I flop to the ground like a sack of spuds. And on that note we leave Nin.

South of Nin the main road remains well maintained and quiet.  Until you approach Zadar and it slims down to a poorly surfaced single carriageway, choked with trucks and buses. We crawl through the traffic, the first congestion we’ve seen in a long time. Once out of Zadar we continue along the D8 coastal road with fetching views of the blue sea and uninhabited islands. 

Quite suddenly, south of Pakostane, the landscape undergoes a transformation. Maybe I did my nodding dog routine and fell asleep? We are driving along a long thin finger of land between a lagoon and the sea. Having water around is such an weird experience and the further we drive the thinner the finger. Thankfully, the land opened up just short of Pirovac and saved Vin from purchasing an outboard engine.

Sibenik in the distance

A quick stop to admire the view of Sibenik and then back in Vin to continue our journey. Within ten minutes of leaving the coastline, we find ourselves ascending into a lush, lost world of orchards and fields, lakes and woodlands. Quaint farmhouses with fields of hay cut and gathered hay by hand. A woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt walks by with scythe slung over her shoulder. Closely followed by a horse drawn cart full of wooden pitchforks.  Elderly women dressed in black, with scarves around their heads, selling local produce. 

We wind our way inland to Lozovac and pull in to ASCI Camp Marina. Immediately, a middle aged woman runs out from reception, waving her hands, smiling and ordering us in to a parking slot. What a nice welcome, we thought. Little did we know that she expected us to stay there, a space right next to the main road? Inside the reception was run by what appeared to be her son. It was orderly but unfriendly and full of snorts and gollies. After check in we asked if we could move to a quieter patch. We took the grunts and groans followed by a nod, as a yes.

But our selection of patch, in a perfectly fine location between 2 other motorhomes was met by disapproval. The son told us to move in a very unfriendly manner. At that point, I wanted to tell him were to stick his manners and move to the Krka camping next door. Thankfully, Craig remained cool and collected. We moved to a spot just at the side of the shower block and I chilled, muttering expletives under my breath. 

Our Bumble paid camping spot Krka N043.799428, E015.942799

Our view of Sibenik and the fort

After lunch we ventured in to Sibenik on Eor our motorbike. What a beautiful surprise and by far the best cultural city on our trip through Croatia. The city fell on hard times after the 1991 war, and from an industrial point of view, it is still struggling. However, as coastal towns go, Šibenik offers a real change from any other place we’ve visited because it is pure Croatian and not Italian influence (click on the photo to enlarge). 

Much of its charm comes from the warren of steep, winding streets and passages. We spent hours winding our way through alleys draped in washing and looking out to the harbour below.  Climbing our way up the hillside to the ruins of city fortifications and then back down the stone steps all the way to the water. 

Scaffold and seating scatter the city. Azimut is a cultural centre that provides a events during the festival months. It’s situated right below the Cathedral in what looks like an enormous medieval vault. The space used to be the source of the city’s water supply and if you look up at the roof, you’ll find four 16th century wells. The space holds concerts, exhibitions and events, which attract people from far and wide. However, when it first started attracting young people to its concerts, the town bishop banned them due to inappropriate noise levels.  I am not sure if he just gave in to the crowds or he became stone deaf.

The centre is crowded with churches and monasteries which for us, is an architectural delight. We wandered in and out of all the numerous churches. As well as stone dwellings on narrow, covered streets that open to a series of interior town squares. With 24 churches and six monasteries, not many other cities can ring bells in harmony like Šibenik. And non more prominent than St James Cathedral. 

The cathedral is the most important architectural monument of the 15th and 16th centuries in Croatia. This impressive building was built on the site of an old Romanic church next to the Adriatic sea. It took 105 years to build out of nothing more than stone blocks. During the Croatian war of independence, the cathedral was bombed. It caused severe damage to the dome, which had to be disassembled and restored. The cathedral is decorated externally with sculptures of men, women and children. 

The stone detail of the exterior is by far more impressive than inside with the exception of the baptism room, which is rather special.

Beautiful Stone Ceiling

After a busy day touring Sibenik what could be better than a relaxing dip in the pool. The campsite owners were preparing for tonights dinner and mood inside seemed a lot better than when we arrived. Smiles and happy faces from the son who enggaed in polite conversation. I guess we arrived at just the wrong time.