Lubertadventure: Zadar

He looked directly into my eyes and said, “Tell me what is the deepest desire in your heart.” Sweet Lorraine and I had been touring the old town of Zadar for hours and had decided to have a light appetizer and a drink before dinner. We were sitting in a charming little cafe with seats right on the street, so we were overlooking the crowds strolling along the gleaming white stone, polished to a sheen by the passage of millions of feet over the centuries.

“Um, sorry, I am not sure exactly what you mean?” I responded to our waiter, a very nice man who had been friendly and jovial. “In the deepest part of your heart, what is it you wish for?” our waiter repeated. I looked to SL for help or guidance. She was neither.

“Well, I guess we love to travel and so far we have been lucky enough to see some beautiful places and meet wonderful people. We have spent three months in Mexico...”. I continued in this vein for about 5 minutes while he listened intently, and when I paused he clarified, in his own way, that his shift was ending and that he needed to know if our hearts desired any wish from the bar, because he needed to close our tab. SL and I almost cried with embarrassed laughter, and then I said that my deepest wish from the bar was to end hunger and bring about world peace, at which point he understood what was so funny and joined in the merriment.

Driving in to Zadar we were concerned as the streets andsurroundings got more and more industrial, but we needn't have worried. Our B and B – Guesthouse Pegla was ideally situated steps away from the Old Town. A high wall surrounds Zadar on the harbour side, built in the 16th century by the Venetians. A Venetian lion still stands guard at the entrance gate.

The city has a very understated sense of history: You turn the corner and there is an ancient Roman column or a cornice lying in a patch of grass, stones with thousand year-old carvings of gods and deities, presented unceremoniously, as if to say, “History? Yeah, we rock that, no big deal...”

Unfortunately, Allied bombing destroyed much of the historic centre which was rebuilt after the war only to suffer more attacks by Yugoslav forces in 1991, but you can still admire the defensive walls that protect the city on three sides. They were built first by the Venetians in the 16th century as a defense against the Turks, then reinforced at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

At night, we walked along the obala Kresimira IV, the western quay. We ate at Konoba Toromonto, situated along the tree lined waterfront promenade. It was here that Alfred Hitchcock once remarked that Zadar's sunsets were among the world's finest, and we would second that opinion.

At the end of the Western Quay is Zadar's most unusual feature, the Sea Organ. This unusual instrument is powered by the wind and the sea. When the sea pushes air through the whistles, a series of melancholy chords are played, with the sound emerging through the perforated stone stairs. You have to hear it to believe it!

Next to the Sea Organ is the Sun Salutation. This circle of glass collects the sun's rays by day, stores the energy, and emits it as a flickering light show after dark. Extra energy is used to power the lights along the waterfront.

On our first night, we stayed up to catch a free open-air concert featuring a number of acts, including Croatian folk singers and a rock/blues duo from Texas.

The history, architecture, food, ambience and mystery of Zadar made it one of our favourite spots so far.