A panoramic image of the sea, the sky and the city of Zadar.
After taking those amazing photos of the sunrise, (scroll down to them if you missed that post) we retreated inside the cabin for breakfast – fruit, yoghurt, eggs, bacon, sausage and tomato plus a pot of tea for Sue and a pot of coffee for me – enough for a family of four served to each of us, by our very obliging butler. By the time we finished breakfast and got dressed, our ship 
was approaching land, so we went back to our balcony to take more photos.
Zadar is now part of Croatia but in the past it belonged to Rome, to Venice and to Italy after WW1. It was heavily bombed by the Germans in 1944 and became part of Yugoslavia when Tito moved in later that year.
From our position at sea
Plenty of building activity in the new part of the city
we could see that today Zadar is a bustling modern city with lots of tall buildings and in the distance, the mountains create an interesting backdrop. I had the impression that the people of Zadar enjoy water sports in summer and skiing in winter.
Before going ashore we needed to show our ship’s pass, plus passports to customs officials. As the weather was unpredictable, we had everything from hats and sunscreen to raincoats and umbrellas in our backpacks. Sue had an extra case for her flash camera and I needed my folding walking stick/ come perching seat as well as the usual water bottle, money, glasses etc. It took about half an hour to get ready every morning and even then I forgot the pass one day.
Once allowed off the ship, we were herded into smallish groups and introduced to the local guide for the morning session. That day we had a lively young woman, again a school teacher, who was full of enthusiasm for her city, determined that we should enjoy our tour of Zadar. A good start.
I had never heard of a sea organ before, but she led us to the concreted area on the edge of the ocean and asked us to be still and quiet. I don’t know about sounding like an organ, but there was definitely a sound like music coming from below the opening in the concrete structure. Caused by the movement of the water as it flowed in and out of the rocks, I guess it could be likened to an organ or sounds traveling through pipes of some kind. As it’s under the surface I couldn’t actually photograph anything.
St Donatus Church
Our young guide walked too quickly for some of us oldies, but we caught up with her in the historical centre, beside St Donatus Church. She talked about the Romans as we sat on small ruins, but after our days in Rome itself, this was too insignificant for me to take note. We didn’t get to visit the church, but I since found out that it dates from the 9th century, is regarded as the main symbol of Zadar and is the most famous edifice in Croatia. The acoustics are so good, it is regularly used for musical recitals. Visiting any building that old fills me with awe so I’m disappointed that we couldn’t go inside.
St Anastasia’s Cathedral
We did get to visit the other famous church, St Anastasia’s Cathedral which was damaged by the crusaders in 1202. I have to wonder why Christians would want to destroy a Christian church. If any of you know the answer, please tell me. The church was restored and enlarged and the beautiful facade was added, finished in 1324. At the time I didn’t realise how old it was, partly because it’s in such good condition. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside and unfortunately there was no information in English. I’ll have to read more on Google.
Best for 2016 – banner on what I think is the old Town Hall
Our guide then took us to one of the town squares and talked about modern Zadar and how it is such a great place to live and take holidays. We couldn’t understand why, but this photo shows that it really was chosen as the top tourist destination in Europe for 2016.
We were fairly underwhelmed at the time, but having read about Zadar after our visit, I realise that it probably does have lots to offer, and I’m disappointed that we didn’t see more.
Back on board for lunch, we tried the main dining room, where everything from soups, roasts, casseroles, vegetables and salads are on offer. A couple of bowls of assorted salads went down very well with a glass of white wine for me (can’t be too specific in this eatery) and a diet coke for Sue.
With a casino, art displays, shops of every kind and stuff to tempt anyone wanting to part with their money (and Celebrity Constellation tried very hard to get more money out of its guests) we rarely joined in activities, but that afternoon I dragged my sister up to deck 11 for Cha Cha lessons. I love Latin American dances of any kind, so we had some laughs while doing healthy exercise and I learned a few new moves.
For dinner we went back to the Ocean Liners Restaurant where we met a lovely couple from England and were soon chatting across the space between our tables.