Day 2 | Vodice and Dalmatia

We arrived to Vodice around the lunch time. It was very hot. Then the familiar street with our house and neighbours. Sound of the motorcycles down the street and of people walking towards the marketplace and the beach.

We brought the baggage inside and Madoka met with the rest of our family including our dog Sangria, the Scottish Bearded Collie. After showing Madoka her new room during her stay with us we went to the balcony and enjoyed the view over the marine and riva (promenade along the sea), the blue Adriatic sea and the islands. After having some quick snack we decided to show Madoka a little bit of the place before we lunch so she can get the first impressions. And I am going to tell you a few things about Vodice as well.

Since this was her first time to see Croatia during the day, she was again surprised by the buildings with mostly orange roofs whereas in Japan they are gray or black. However, here on the coast there is a special style similar in other places and countries in the region - the Mediterranean. Thus being said, the (traditional) houses and the architecture here is primarily built from white stone. Some of the characteristics of the coast are surely these houses built from the white stone, mostly green and sometimes blue windows, orange roofs and narrow streets with cables and ropes for the washed clothes connecting the houses.

So firstly I'd like to share some information on Vodice and its surrounding. Since many students nowadays prefer to discover more than one place during their trips, I will write you a bit more.

• Central Dalmatia & the surroundings

  Vodice are located in Central Dalmatia near the town of Šibenik which is also the administrative center of Šibensko-Kninska county. Vodice are the third largest settlement or town in this county with the population of around 10 000 citizens.

  The other nearby places that you can reach within 30-40 minutes by foot from the center are Tribunj to the west and Srima to the east. The first island you see from Vodice that has two houses on the side that looks towards us is the island of Prvić (Parvich). And we were going to visit it on the third day. The other islands surrounding Vodice are Tijat, Logorun (so called 'donkey island' and Lukovnik right in front of Tribunj. The other one close to Vodice and Šibenik also being the largest one in this archipelago is Zlarin. It is famous for the red coral jewelry. But more about the islands in other article.

  Relatively close to Vodice, around 20-25 minutes by car is the island of Murter with two important towns - Tisno and Jezera. Tisno is a little town on both the coast and the island connecting the land with the island with a movable bridge that moves up and down twice per day. Murter is a pretty clean island (just like the most of the surroundings that has not been inhabited by too many) with a clean surface and bottom. You can tell that always if you see the sea-urchins! They are everywhere on the islands and a good indicator of the sea quality. If you see them, you're gonna enjoy the clean water. However though, try not to step on one of them.

  I already mentioned the river Krka and its mouth between Vodice and Šibenik. There are few more interesting things you might like to know. At the very end of this mouth there is the fortress of St. Nicholas which was built in the 16th century to protect the canal of Šibenik and the town itself from the possible attacks and invaders from the sea. It was very important during the wars with the Ottomans when they conquered the region in north of Šibenik and represented threat to Vodice as well. But the fortress is on the other side of the river. It looks pretty close from our side and you think 'Oh, there must be some road right around the corner to get there'... but the truth is, you have to either use the boat (or swim) or... if you're in the car or on a bike, you will have to go looong way around, first to reach magistrala road and then over the famous huge Šibenski most (Šibenik bridge) where you can do the bungee jumping btw... and then through Šibenik all down the road to the mouth of the river.

  Speaking of 'our side' (the western one) of the river mouth and bank there is this small resort called Jadrija. It has been generally used for decades primarily by the citizens of Šibenik as Šibenik had not had its own city's beach until recently. You can find the sand beach and also one place with wooden docks (small bay) where the river and sea meet and we used to jump there a lot. My favorite thing there for sure. If you do not like the crowds and want to escape it, go to Jadrija and enjoy the nature and the view over the island and the fortress.

  River Krka and its surroundings is also home to the National park 'Krka' which seems to be like some oasis in Central Dalmatia with lots of forests, lakes and waterfalls. It is an hour away by car from Vodice and a very popular destination among the tourists. The prices of the entrance tickets are a bit too high (for the locals) but they include the ship tour on Krka to the town of Skradin and further, the entrance to the park where you can walk on the wooden plank road between the lakes and enjoy swimming at several places in the river. It's crazy as the water is so fresh and clean that you could even drink it there. And there you can find some traditional settlements or better say museums and see how the local population lived there in the previous centuries. The museums include also the regional folklore (clothing), rooms (when people were a bit shorter) and tools.

  The other unique place close to Vodice are the National Park 'Kornati'. But to get to them you are going to need to use the ship. Because Kornati are the islands. It takes approximately 2 and a half hours to reach the destination which is Dugi otok (Long island) and the Nature park 'Telašćica' with the Salt lake where you can swim or just relax in the shadows. It is also to be mentioned there are lots of donkeys there so do not be surprised if 3-4 are walking around you. Again, be careful not go get hit. It might hurt. You can also explore the island and climb up. Yes, climb up. Because one of the most impressive things you are going to see there are the cliffs of the island with forests and the lake behind you.. and in front of you... the horizon (and Italian coast). Since there are no more islands to be seen it is an open sea and you just gaze at the center of the Adriatic. Speaking of the Italian coast and their side of the Adriatic, when the sky is clear and you have a good eyesight, one can see Italy. Personally I was not lucky to see it. It also goes the other way round where people can take the photos of our mountains (Dinarides or Velebit) from Italian shore. So if you are nature lover you should pay a visit to Kornati and enjoy the route with the ship (passing by the cliffs and rocks) and the island and nature park themselves.

  I have almost forgotten of one destination that might be around 40-50 minutes away by car. It is Vransko jezero (Vrana lake) and the popular medieval festival being held there. We went there once in summer and enjoyed the knights' evening, the show with the fight, food and drink and medieval games for visitors.

  The last thing some of you might see is the hill with a church on top of it some 15 minutes away by bike or car from the center. The hill is called Okit and the Church of St Karmela. You have a road that goes spirally around the hill few times and then you can enjoy the beautiful view towards the islands and Šibenik far away, even the windmills. And behind to the north mostly... well, nothing inhabited.

  I am going to leave the Northern Dalmatia (Zadar) and the Southern (Split) for other posts.

• Tourism

  So, Vodice have become very popular tourist destination in the last 6 years. And they are among the most popular ones on the coast, especially Dalmatia. I remember being in elementary school noone had any clue where Vodice were or what they actually were. Nowadays, everybody wants to go to Vodice in summer. I would say that I am personally not fond of it since thousands of mostly teenagers and young adults come for few days because of parties or some festivals and then leave everything in mess. Because of tourism Vodice have suffered with pollution, not just generally related with environment and garbage but also with new cheap/bad looking architecture not typical for this area. And that recently numerous bars and discos have been opened in favor to attract this kind of tourists on the beach making too much noise for the locals. As some places the music has been restricted to use only until 1 or 2am, especially in the town center not to disturb the locals.

  However, Vodice are home to many events, festivals and concerts during the summer but also to a few throughout the year. One fo the most popular and symbol of Vodice is the 'Vodiška fešta' (Vodice's festival / night) which is certainly the biggest event in this part of Dalmatia when not just people from Šibenik and other places come but also Zadar and the islands. It is being held as a tradition for years on 4th of August. And Madoka was lucky to come the same day when this festival occurred.

  Close to Vodice is the controversial club Hacienda with lots of parties and concerts. However, there are some problems... accidents/fights that occur every summer and the police has to intervene so I am not going to suggest you going or not going there. Personally, I have never been there and after hearing all the stories from my friends who had negative experience I surely am not going to set my foot on their doorway.

  Because of the tourism you can find lots of restaurants and bars in Vodic, there is at least one in every street or sometimes several of them next to each other, especially along the riviera.

• Population and economy

  As already mentioned Vodice have around ten thousand citizens but this number increases drastically during the season in summer when in total with the tourist this town has around 50 to 60 thousand people. If you want to escape the crowds, come after this Vodiška fešta event as then it will seem like 60% of the population suddenly disappeared. It is still nice in the late August as the sea is warm. However, after mid-August there are not so many interesting events.

  Being on the sea for centuries you can guess that the sea is an important factor in the everyday of Vodice's citizens. But it is not only fishing that is important but also the production of olive oils and other vegetables & fruits in the area. Okay, agriculture would be the better word. You must have noticed on the road (as well as Madoka... I hope) that there are lots of walls built from the white stone. This can be seen throughout whole Dalmatia but also Northern coast and the islands. People have been using the stones as a material for centuries due to following reasons. Since fire breaks out every summer in this part of Europe in general on the fields...using wood has always been risky and in the end - very difficult to find. This is one of the oldest and simplest "architecture" and technique in the area. You will not find it outside the South-Western Croatia (or the coastal part). If you go on Google Earth you can see "the maze" from above.

  However though, tourism is of big importance for the local population and what many earn with their apartments and rooms during the season is going to be used throughout the year until next season.

• Transport and connectivity

  Vodice have a pretty good network regarding the public transport. There are the local buses that go throughout Dalmatia. For example, you can go to Zadar or to Split, or the longer journeys to Dubrovnik far to the south or to Zagreb in the north. There is a bus station near the market place and the buses come and go every 5-10 minutes. The local buses of course are much more frequent than those for the long trips. I guess I do not see many people at the bus station only in late August... otherwise it is always 30-50 of them.. mostly young tourists who probably move to another place every few days.

  To reach Vodice from Zagreb or some other bigger cities you can use the highway and then maybe 30 minutes away from Vodice switch to the local road. The main one that connects many places on the coast is the road called Magistrala. In general, it takes around 3 hours on relation Zagreb-Vodice (and vice versa) when you use the highway.

  If you want to use the train you will have to go to Šibenik and then use the local bus (or a friend) to reach Vodice. Šibenik might be 20 minutes by bus away from Vodice (speaking of the main station in Šibenik... to the town itself takes maybe a bit more than 10 minutes).

  Some of you might be willing to use the bikes. Well, there are both good and bad news. The bad news is that there are not exactly bike routes along the main roads so you have to be careful (especially if you go on magistrala, it can be dangerous). Besides magistrala there are other local roads between the towns and villages that are not that dangerous and I used it once to go to the island of Murter and back. My mom still believes I was making the circles around Vodice for an hour and half. You can also go to Tribunj and Srima this way.

• History

  If you know a little bit of Croatian or Slavic languages you might have guessed that the name of Vodice is related to something with voda ("water"). And that's right. In the local language it means 'the spring of the drinking-water" and the town had back in the past an important role of transporting the drinking-water to the area around. Some might also tell you that the name is related to the wells in the town center (people mostly now throw coins inside and wish for something). All in all, all of the stories have the same roots.

  Interestingly, Vodice have already been inhabited before Croats (as Slavic tribes) settled in the area. Apparently it has some Roman roots 1500-2000 years ago and you can feel it in some streets in the historic center (narrow streets and the floor with the shiny and slippery floor).

  Just like everything in Dalmatia there has been a huge influence of the Venetian Republic. There is this "universal" Mediterranean (or Adriatic) architectural style as you will see on the photographs. The influence is still preset in the local dialects with numerous words originating from the Romance languages. As you might know Dalmatia was for a long period under the rule of Venice and later relatively short within the Austro-Hungarian empire (whose influence is more visible in the north).

• Mediterranean climate & the no-rain phenomenon of Vodice

  Warm and sunny weather. Lots of sunny days in the year. Not that much rain though which can be a problem sometimes. Oh, I might also add that it's very hot too. The temperature rise up to 40'C sometimes in the last years so be smart and avoid doing anything stupid during the day. (Also easy to distinguish tourists from the locals where the latter ones stay at home during the day and do not exposure themselves to the sun).

  As I mentioned in the title here there is this local phenomenon where it rains everywhere else except for Vodice. I remember going many times to the beach when the sky suddenly darkened and the gray clouds appeared. And you could tell it that it was heavy rain everywhere as you couldn't see anymore the hills behind, everything became grayish and 'blurry'. The islands as well were covered with rain. But not Vodice. Apparently there is always some hole up in the clouds and we enjoy the sun. Sometimes it is difficult when there is no rain and when it falls it is usually heavy rain that keeps falling for an hour at least or half of the day. Then the town can turn into a big swimming pool. Storms are not happening often during the summer but there can be a few days when it just breaks the rule of the hot weather and makes it easier to breathe.

Okay. Now you have got a grasp of Dalmatia a bit. You will see it all on the photographs soon.

Let's go back to our pre-lunch tour.

We went first to the market place which is located in the hmm "eastern center" where the other facilities and buildings such as the post, two Konzum shops, the hospital and the bus station are.

Now, at the market place our Japanese guest had the opportunity to see what it looks like shopping there in Croatia and what kind of food do we have. But I guess the more interesting part was right behind with the souvenir shops so we headed there. You can find many stores selling towels, hats, sandals, t-shirts and other handmade souvenirs there. Another problem that popped up was... she had no cash in Croatian currency (HRK or simply kuna). We went to the exchange office but they couldn't change the Japanese Yen into kuna. The same happened in Šibenik and some other exchange office in Vodice... luckily, when we visited Split we succeeded.

Next to the market place and the souvenirs there is also one Konzum shop where you can buy ingredients, drink and other products. There are also several bars and the restaurants as it is all situated right few meters away from the sea and there is a promenade (riva) which is very popular during the day. If you want to drink a coffee I suggest Cafe bar Macando. We just traditionally always seat there and you can enjoy the view over the marine and the islands. There is a club upstairs but I have never been there. The last part of the building is the post where you are going to send your postcards from.

So, leaving the building or the passage and now approaching slowly the old part of Vodice or the historic core. On the left to us is the sea and to the right lots of restaurants such as Pizzeria Toni (but be careful, they can be very tricky with the prices the other day... I recommend you to go to some other restaurant there where you can get the same order for cheaper price) and the disco club Makina. If you are going to spend a few nights in Vodice I am sure you will end up in this club at least once. Though now the more popular ones seem to be those newly opened on the beach but Makina is pretty open to all kinds of people whereas those new ones (such as Hookah bar and some other) seem to be trying to be perceived as 'more elite'... I think you even have to pay there just to see the half-naked girls dancing and some guy who pretends to be DJ.

There are again some souvenir shops but also something much more important. The fast food restaurants and the confectionery! There is no person who would not like to get a slice of delicious pizza or try some of various tastes of ice-cream. Especially in summer! Speaking of 'slastičarnica' (the confectionery) one of the most popular ones and highly regarded ones was this Molaga which was often suggested by the locals. Or at least our neighbour haha. But the other one (Korzo) was a bit cheaper but nothing less in the quality when compared to Molaga. So... you don't have to go to Molaga.

Now all along to the end of the marine where the Hotel Punta is (on the foreland) and where the beach starts you can find lots of 'slastičarnica' every few meters and makes it difficult to pick one.

I would stop before telling you what we saw next. To the left where the sea is there are now two docks where you can walk but then you will have to return back as it's only maybe 50m long each or a bit more and then nothing. But before them some people will notice that in front of the 'slastičarnica' there is a column with the flags. But what matters is below down on the floor. It is the wind direction indicator. You have all the direction of the most important winds written down in the arrows on the floor and they surround the column with full circle. My friend says (the same one who praised Molaga) that the real wind and the directions shown below are not correct and mixed. Anyway, these are Maestral, Tramontana, Bura, Lebić, Burin, Pulenat, Jugo and Oštro. When it's Bura then the things get serious, it's a cold strong NW wind. Maestral is from the west and comfortable, warm.. Jugo is from the south and also warm but the older people complain about it because it affects them in a bad way.

If we go into the streets to the right and follow the road we will end up next to the narrowest street in Vodice - Kinkležova street. It might be a meter and half broad and you can go through it and will come up next to the restaurants in the old part of the town.

Following the street up and climbing a little bit we end up next to another affordable shop (Market Djelo) and now heading to the left or straith towards the park, one of the rare if not the only one in Vodice. It is the square of Knez Branimir and also a nice place to come and rest, sit on a bench or the stone wall, walk with your pet etc. when wanting to hide under the trees' shadows. There is also one playground for children.

The cinema or Kino Vodice is just 3-4 minutes away from the park. It is actually part of the Cultural Center of Vodice but you will not care much about it. As Vodice have their own cinema (with one hall) you can find movie posters with dates around the town. And there are always interesting films to be seen and they are pretty much up-to-date with everything going on. My record was to go maybe 9 or 11 times in one summer to the cinema! But hey, you must be shocked as it might sound too much, not just by visiting it but the tickets must be expensive? Maybe but not here. The price for each ticket here is 20 kuna which is almost 3 Euros. Now how cool is that? And the best part is also you can bring your own food and drink from home. Or just pay a Euro for cola and a bit more for the popcorns there. After everything, you can seat anywhere you want (so be fast haha) and enjoy the film for more than an affordable price.

There is a road next to the cinema (which is a bit on the hill) that goes straight down to the beach Plava plaža (Blue beach) which is a sand beach mostly and used to be number 1. Now the other side prevailed (but that's gonna be seen after lunch). I will talk more about Plava plaža later. The other road leads also down back to the old part of Vodice next to the Library.

But let's return back to the wind signs. Now we continue further on and come to the main square with the wells where you can throw some coins in. This place is usually crowded in the evening. And there can also be some mini concerts but rather street artists who have been doing portraits of the people for years. Sometimes I see the new ones but there have been those since my childhood. You are here surrounded by the good old original stone houses and there is a church and a tower (belfry). And lots of souvenir shops, bars and restaurants.

We are now walking to the church and Madoka had her first experience of entering the Christan church. It must have been interesting for her since it's slightly different from the Japanese Buddhist temples (which I love and were exotic to me). On the other side of the entrance there is an artistic installation or sculpture of Jesus on the cross created from wires. Again, we have now several options or directions where to go next, which street to choose. We headed in the direction of home now as we became hungry and wanted to go swimming as soon as possible (I wanted actually). I forgot to mention another popular cafe with good music and it's called Sunčani sat (Sunny hour) right before the church, you can reach it from the main square or from some other street. The main square is also naturally right next to the port of Vodice which is one longer dock built from huge stone blocks. There are the interregional ship lines stopping by and sailing further, lots of boats offering excursions to the islands and many luxurious boats, yachts etc. Owned by the rich foreigners.

What I like about this dock (we call it 'mol') is that there is a 'lighthouse' or actually just a bigger red column with a light on it signalizing the ships that they're approaching the port. The best part here is that you can come and jump into the sea. If you are into this things. We used to go earlier every summer there and spend one or two hours just doing acrobatics, running and jumping off the edge on our head, making salto and so on... there is also a 2m high wall (called 'parapet') where those more ambitious ones (and with more courage) can climb up and jump from there into the sea. I jumped from up there only once on my head and was scared later... it hurt a lot as I didn't do it regularly. Plus, it is almost 5 meters from my eyes till the surface of the sea so it doesn't feel that much comfortable if you are not used to it. If you jump on your feet it seems like it takes forever to touch the water whereas it might be not more than 2 seconds in the air haha.

Another thing you might want to see in Vodice (and with Madoka we didn't have opportunity and forgot though have been personally there few times) is the Aquarium house. It is not that big but can entertain you or children for around 15-20 minutes, depending on your interest maybe even more. There are of course fish on the first floor with murena, shark, ray or devil-fish, different crabs and many more. On the second floor you can find some pots and models in general found in the Adriatic sea that date back to Romans and Ancient Greeks. Including jewelry. On the third floor there is a collection of the models of the ships, the Croatian ones, the Ancient Liburnian / Illyrian, Roman and some modern that sailed in our waters in the last centuries. There might be something else but cannot remember at the moment.

Back for the lunch and then preparing to go to the beach. While in Japan we went only once to the beach and swam in the Pacific Ocean (sounds cool) which was pretty warm at that bay. But I also could not wait for the opportunity to be 'in my own'. Now taking showers and the sunscream and heading to the east.

This part of Vodice became very popular and is being renovated or reconstructed every summer. Literally. Every new year and summer I come there I am like "Whoa, this was not here before?! " or "Where did that thing disappear now? ". Basically, they are cutting the trees (which were providing an excellent protection from the sun and people enjoyed relaxing or sleeping under them). They also try to use concrete now everywhere which sometimes help but also does not look nice (specific cases). What i noticed that at the first stone "dock" there has been more and more people every new summer. And the entrance into the sea (for seniors and children) has been expanding and overloaded with the fake sand and small stones. We continued further to the part the locals call Hangar.

To get there you walk a few minutes along the coast and try not to step on some of the people lying everywhere (which annoys me). And once you reach Hangar then you see the ocean of tourists sitting, lying and walking everywhere. I personally do not like it when I am forced to go there. It seems impossible and takes forever to enter the sea and get over the tourists. But okay. It is maybe 200 meters long beach with fake sand and small stones not to hurt your feet... but since it is a bit 'artificial' you can feel it once you get into the water there and after 3 meters the depth suddenly changes and even if you are a big person over 1. 9m you cannot touch the bottom anymore. The whole area is protected and encircled by the buoys and people should respect it (if you don't want to go among the scooters and speedboats). One of the symbols of this beach you are likely not going to miss is the water slide or toboggan. It might not be the craziest thing but it's still fun. Maybe for children now, I had not tried it last 2 years and my opinion might have changed meanwhile.

Oh yeah, so along this beach at Hangar and before the toboggan there are lots of new clubs that been put there recently. As said, they try to be more elite and you can see lots of the stereotypical 'party-like tourists' walking around. If you are looking for different kinds of fun, maybe while walking with you friends in the evening, there is a small roller coaster park or better luna park. Next to the toboggan there is a bar and fast food restaurants + souvenir shop. Also the place where you can jump on trampoline and some air-filled thing for children (such as castle where you can slide or just jump).

After swimming and diving in the really warm sea, we walked with Madoka behind the toboggan towards Srima to show her a bit more of the beaches and what it looks like. Then came back and used the public locker room. Being hungry and tired again we went home to eat some cakes and prepare later for Vodiška fešta. There were going to be some concerts that night at several spots in the town. It was actually linked to celebration of one war event called Oluja (The Storm... but I wish not to talk about it) and besides the concerts, food and drink on every corner one of the unforgettable things surely was the firefox around midnight.

After having something for dinner we dressed ourselves to go out and headed to the center and being accompanied by thousands of others on the road. We bought something to drink and listened to the concert which was next to the library. As said previously, this is one of the biggest events in this part of Dalmatia these days and people from other towns, villages, the islands etc. come here to enjoy. You have a feeling that the population of the town is 80 000. And finally, the firework started. It is usually from the lighthouse on the dock or they put the rockets on the boats in the port. Afterwards we headed home to rest as on the second day we had a plan to go on the island of Prvić.

The problem with this festival is that there are so many drunk people and the town the other day a bit messy and dirty.

Anyway, this was our first day in Vodice and on the coast. Surely something new and different for our Japanese guest. And for my friends as well as I kept them updated over Facebook and shared the experience with lots of photographs.

So thanks for reading and looking forward to Day 3!

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