When it comes to shopping and local specialities, I went to 2 places - 1 was planned, 2 was not
1st place is the Marsha store to get some famous local specialities






The 2nd one is the sort of a local fruit market, located inside the "touristy" part. Got some local olive oil and figues there.






Prices are OK - 1 kg of dried fruit - 8 Euro, small olive oil (gifts ) 5 Euro, 1 L I plastic - 13 Euro.

With taking much needed relax time and no rush, it's time for first booked trip - sail cruise on a boat from 1904.




2 islands and 1 swimming spot to visit, total time about 4,5 hours. Water, juices and white wine included.





Also, it was time for the refreshment. I ordered a smaller beer, got bigger, well, who I am to not accept such mishaps?


No pictures at the swimming spot, which was rather basic. 2nd stop and lunch





Time for a walk





Overall, nice experience. Can recommend.

OK, this post will, or at least should be, photo-heavy. Booked a trip to Lake Plaintive National Park, about 2 hours by bus from Zadar. It's really one of the most beautiful places that I have been.

But - before that - quick stop for a lunch.





The main was more soup than regular version of dish, but still OK. The trip started shortly after.





It's a really lovely place. Many waterfalls, many lakes, different colors of water. Everything that you may expect.




At some monet you can take a boat trip (included in your ticket) to get from one place to another. After docking, there is a place where you can eat something.





Prices are higher than lower, and yes, this was a burger. Interesting, but OK. Next, the biggest waterfall. And some other things on a way to it.






Unfortunately, many picture were too heave to be posted here. But trust me, it's a place to go.
Quick summary:




It's like a full day trip from Zadar, but absolutely go for it!
Plan for tomorrow: Krka, some town, winery etc.

So, the next tri - to Krka National Park. It's also a waterfall, but the longest, not the highest, and located on a river Krka. It's about a 75-minute drive from Zadar.

The trip start with about a 25-minute boat cruise





And the first glimpse:




Climbing up, you will find a small church



And the scheme of the waterfall



Also the exhibition about a water mill from the past:





More scenic views when walking down:







Unfortunately, something really bad is on it's way here


And here it is. Not the finest end of the trip. But we joked, that we were able to swim in Krka, which is officially not allowed since 2021.


On the way to the boat a big frog, with some dots, signaling that's is not a good idea to touch it.



Next stop of the tour - winery.

Winery - a visit at Sladić. It's a maybe 15-minute drive from Skradin. Being soaked after the rain, wine was something really expected.
Not that complicated interior.


Bread and some (acceptable) cheese to start




There was an option to buy additional board of Prsut and cheese (8 Euro for 1 person, 16 for 2), I went for it. Cheese was the same, as offered, but Prsut was really great! No regrets with this purchase!


4 wines to be served - white, rose, red and dessert wine, all in the same glass.





Wines were rather bland, no real stories or explanation given, maybe 10 sentences in total were spoken by the serving employee.
There were some bottles for purchase, but once again - no explanation, no info, no pricing. So, after hesitation, I voted with my wallet, and decided to leave empty-handed.


Summary - disappointing experience. Really average wine and person that wasn't really interested in providing a nice experience.

Next stop - Skradin. For a lunch and quick tour.

What a shame when a wine tour guide is disinterested. Perhaps some feedback to the owners would help motivate for the next guests?

Unfotunately, everything was booked as one trip. So there Is always a question, how one part should affect the overall rating. Will think about this.

The final part of the trip was visit to Skradin. With slightly more than an hour there, I decided to go for a lunch. I followed the recommendation of our guide, and went to the Restaurant Skala, to try a local risotto.


When I saw, than they have only the wines from the winery, the I just left, my first idea was that the cruel and unusual punishment should be prohibited. But, after a careful lecture of the menu, I found some other wines, than presented during the visit. So, better than nothing, in the worst case scenario, I know, that I would hate them in full size. Of course I ordered the Skradinskie Risotto.






Guess what? The wines were far better, than those offered in the winery. Which makes the experience even more shameful.
The risotto was very interesting, really, really meaty. Can serve also as a meat dish, rather than classic risotto. Very good dish, very comfort flavor. As far as I remember the bill was something around 35 Euro in total. Absolutely acceptable.

Time to have few steps around the city of Skradin






Finally, it's time to head back to Zadar.

Being slightly tired (and still somehow wet) I decided to turn on the washing machine (that's really useful!) and find a place for a dinner. After some brief research, the Bistro Padrone got my attention. It's less than 20 minutes from my apartment. I had some noce Plejskjavica with wine.








A piece of meat, filled with cheese and topped with more cheese. Lovely dish, nice wine, good and spicy sauce. Please be careful, the Scorpion kicks slightly later than other hot peppers. Really happy with this dinner, can recommend the place.

The last day of my trip (last full day) was focused on just wandering around and enjoying the city. For a midday snack I had a Burek with meat, which you can purchase in every bakery for about 2,50 Euro. That's a really good value for money, as Burek is quite big.



Also had a quick stop with some slightly obstructed harbor view.


For a late lunch/early dinner, I followed the recommendations from the tour, and went to Labrax. It's not a cheap place, but opinions were very good.


For others it was a nap time.


For a starter I went with oyster and a scallop. The scallop was in Bernaise sauce with pork popcorn. Combined with a local sparkling wine, made with traditional champagnese method.







For the main, I went with a blue crab pasta, with a white wine.




I was quite full at this point, but I followed the recommendation, and ordered a dessert - described as "cottage cheese with some pear". Combined with some local muscat dessert wine.





Overall, it was an excellent and memorable meal. The food was top quality, full of flavor. One mishap - on that day they did not have the lamb, which was my first idea. They also have the tasting menu - 3 and 5 dishes. Total bill with tip was 80 Euro. Absolutely worth it.

It's slowly time to summarize this trip. Zadar is a nice place, not very big. If you're quite a walker, than you can go everywhere in one day. If you wish to enter museums etc., double that time. Disadvantage - there is no real beach there. Inside the old town, people use to "beach" on a promenade, or similar places. Slightly away from the city centre, you may find some places, but still rocky and small. For me it was absolutely OK, but if you're a beach person, that's something to consider.
Advantages: they did not went crazy with prices. As you can see from my posts, food is reasonably priced. Beer in the pub is 2.30 for 0,33 and 2,90 for 0,5. Coffee is quite expensive, which was a surprise. Expect 1,6-1,80 for a single shot of espresso.

Finally, some pictures of the city:










The only limitation is not that wide flight offering if you don't want to fly there with LCC. And also the airport itself is not that impressive, but will report this later.

Zadar is probably the place to go if you want to visit Croatia but aren't willing to pay the crazy prices in Dubrovnik and increasingly also Split. Also well located for daytrips, as you note.

Fun TR - thank you so much :-)

So, due to some urgent sport activities just after my return (and some flu after, thanks to Polish "summer"), it's time to conclude this trip. Let's start with Zadar airport.
You can reach it by bus for 5 Euro, or via Uber for 11,5, which I did. It's a 20-minute ride. The airport is relatively small - only 12 check-in desks.
I was 2:40 h before my flight (due to early check-out requirement in my apartment), and of course, nothing was open. The airport in LCC-heavy, so 3 Ryanair desks are open. Finally, about 2:15 before the flight, the check-in opened. Quickly dropped my bag, and let's go to the terminal. Or terminals. Or container. Or even tent. And that's not a joke.
Only a few gates, at first you have a regular building with no gates, the second section is a container with 4 gates (AFAIR), and the tent with all other gates. Like, you know, literally a tent. With floor jumping when you walk, some holes in the "walls". And a big crowd.



I was lucky enough to fly from the container, but now, it's time to have something in the lounge. Not the most inviting entrance.



It was really hard to get any good pictures there, as the lounge is the size of a bigger dormitory room, with seating place for about 11 people, so it quickly went crowded. And no others were allowed, so there was a line outside. Not a happy scenario for someone coming an hour before the flight. At least you can have a coffee there (Illy capsules machine), some wine and a sandwich.







Really interesting place to be, but not for long, as you may block seat for others. 1 shop and 2 cafeterias to complete the airside offering.

As you may suspect, it's not a great airport Boarding started on time, just to be boarding-not-boarding, new level.



No jet bridge, no bus, no plane. We were just kicked out from the terminal and we stood there like idiots for good 25 minutes. In a full sun. At least you can search for your plane



And observe Eurowings flight departing just before us



Finally, it was time to walk (guided! Follow me, please!) and reach our bird for the first leg of my trip



Typical 1A for me, nothing to write stories about.



Discover is a leisure airline owned by LH, so my expectations were rather low. Wouldn't be surprised to see paper cups etc. (greeting to Brussels). But, to my surprise, as soon as I took my seat, I was offered a PDB - water of juice, much needed after the wait.



And the menu was quickly given. Well, that looks promising!




As it's a cold meal, it was delivered quickly. Looks good!






I went with white wine (later switched to sparkling with the cheese plate) and a water




Oh boy, what a good meal it was! OK, the main was just OK, but the cheese plate was great. really. As we can see, a lot can be done even on a short flight. Definitely can recommend Discover after this experience. OK, someone may complain about limited alcohol selection and no refreshing towels, but really, I prefer better food.