Since we are home now and I am catching up on the last places we visited, I am just going to document our excursion by using the captions on the photographs.
Since it is windy today we have not been able to park the boat near the city center. We use the tenders to ferry the people on our boat back and forth. Here is our driver. Her badge reads that she is an “Able Seaman.”We board buses for the short ride to the Sibenik bus station. We pass typical seaside vacation homes.The bus station is in a rather dismal looking part of town. Our tour guide points out the ugly Soviet architecture and makes jokes about the terrible Yugo cars.Walking away from the bus station we go along the attractive promenade next to the Adriatic Sea.Like most Dalmatian cities there are fortifications facing the sea to try to ward off marauding Turks, Venetians, and others. This part of Croatia has seen many conquerors. The Hungarians, Venetians, and Turks ruled multiple times.We mount a staircase that leads to Sibenik Cathedral dedicated to St. James the Greater. Construction started in 1402.the front facade of the cathedralA statue of Giorgio de Sibenico, a Venetian architect, who was responsible for the design of much of the cathedral.The carved front tympanumThe Baroque inside of the churchWe walk into the square that flanks the north side of the church with the so-called Lion’s Gate.The Lion’s Gate is flanked by two lion’s, one male and one female. They both have manes because the sculptor had never seen a lion. Also of interest are the statues of Adam and Eve above the lions on pedestals. Eve was carved with a belly button which conflicts with her having been made out of Adam’s rib.Also interesting are the heads carved on a protruding apse. There is no record of who the people are or why they deserved the honor of having been put on the church. It is thought that the circled head is of Giorgio himself.After walking around the town a little more we board the bus for a trip into the countryside for a visit to a farm and lunch.The farm has an olive grove.They raise pigs and also grow grapes for wine.John enjoying a glass of rakija. Rakija is the Serbo-Croatian name given to an alcoholic drink made from the distillation of fermented fruit. It is a clear-as-water kind of drink, with a percentage of alcohol that can range from approximately 40% to 65%.I have some too. It tastes sort of like grappa.they have a dining area where we are served a very tasty bean and pork stew with delicious rustic bread.The stew is followed by a platter of cured meat and cheeses.Here’s our group at the restaurant. We sit with a bunch of people from near where I used to live in NJ. They are very into being from the same place in NJ although they are not as bad as another couple from NJ who insist on smoking every chance they get.During lunch we are serenaded by a folk combo.We also had this dessert which has cherries in it. I ate it to be polite.Later, because we had not had enough to eat, LOL, we had this yummy fish dish at Manfredi’s.
