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Skradin (Latin: Scardona) is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, with a population about 3,986 (2001 census). It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, 17 km (11 mi) from Šibenik and 100 km (62 mi) from Split. The main attraction of the park, Slapovi Krke, is a series of waterfalls, the biggest of which, Skradinski buk, was named after Skradin. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Skradin was the main reason for going to the other end of Croatia. Brian and Dianne have been there 3 times previously, and it really was the highlight of their trip.
The trip takes us to Sibernik, and then up the Krka river for about 17kms, where we reach this lovely marina deep inside this bay surrounded by mountains. The scenery is breathtaking, and I hope the photo's I have taken do it justice. The trip up the river is very interesting, with two very large and beautiful bridges spanning the river. Along each side of the river are mussel farms. There is even a 'Drive through" for boats to pick up fresh mussels. Going under bridges is rather exciting, and you need to ensure the boat is centred properly, otherwise you could end up with a shorter mast. Again Brian did a great job in manoeuvring the boat up stream. When we arrived we could see Adora moored at the marina. They did well, as they had to stop at Sibenik to get some fuel. It wasn't long before we were moored. The crew are now really good at preparing the boat for mooring, everyone knows their job. All that practice has brought it together.
Skradin is known for it white swans that swim in the Marina. They are very tame, and act just like spoilt children when you do not feed them. At the end of the finger which we are moored on is a great little Restaurant/Café bar. The ablutions are also not very far away and are very well kept and clean, which is common to the ACI mariners. As we had arrived mid afternoon, we had time to have a look around the town, and organise for the laundry to be done. There are plenty of Banks, Shops and places to eat and drink. (in other word all the things women need!) Cheryl managed to find time to buy some towels from the Aqua shop and then a Slam jacket from the Slam shop. My case it just getting larger with HER purchases. Dianne continued to show us all around the town. On the way we ran into Pete and Roz who were quietly munching on a box of hot chips and sauce! Dianne was looking for a restaurant they visited last year. We soon found it and booked both crews in for a meal. Ray and I had enough of seeing our credit cards vaporise, so we decided to take a walk around the back of the town. The buildings are very old and is typical of what we have seen so far in Croatia. The country does a great job of retaining its history, yet inside the buildings they have all the modern trappings like we have back home. The rustic charm is not lost through the extreme modernism that exists nowadays. Ray and I eventually meandered back to the boat, hoping that our credit cards hadn't melted. As it turned out, most people were sitting in the Bar/Café, kicking back, relaxing and swapping stories about the trip so far. One by one we would have our showers etc, in preparation for going out for tea. No long after we sat down, a Jazz band started playing Mack the knife. There I was, sitting in this beautiful marina, having drinks with all my friends (my assumption) listening to this fabulous jazz band. You then realise how lucky you are to be asked to participate in a trip like this. It was a shame we had to leave for our meal, as the band was very good. But we all left for the restaurant Dianne had booked earlier, located centrally in the town.
The table was made up for all 16 of us, and when we arrived the roof had been rolled back, which created a nice atmosphere for the meal. Everybody was dressed up for the night, except me, as my clothes were at the laundry, that is why I figured I was put at the end of the table. (on the way there I did go into the Slam shop and buy a shirt so I could look at least half respectable). The meal was good, and the company was great. The house red got the stamp of approval, as did the white. Again at the end of the meal we received a carafe of red and white on the house, and again everyone made a concerted effort not to offend the owners by not finishing it. We had intended going bike riding to the falls the next day, and I can see this is certainly going to be a handicap. But it didn't stop there.
We made our way back to the mariner. The walk is very pleasant at night, because all the streets are lit up .The shops don't close till late, so we all stopped for an ice cream.
The jazz band was still playing at the mariner, so we all decided to sit down and listen to the great music. One of the local drinks is called crustivic, which is a pear liqueur. It has a great taste! The night was still, the band was playing and Cheryl and Dianne were dancing to the music. It was a perfect time to sit back an enjoy one, or two, or three......or four of these local drinks. Eventually we knew that if we didn't make an effort to get back to the boat, we would not be riding our bikes tomorrow.
It was still quite late, and we all retired, much worse for wear, but at least the band kept playing until we were all sound asleep.
Skradin was the main reason for going to the other end of Croatia. Brian and Dianne have been there 3 times previously, and it really was the highlight of their trip.
The trip takes us to Sibernik, and then up the Krka river for about 17kms, where we reach this lovely marina deep inside this bay surrounded by mountains. The scenery is breathtaking, and I hope the photo's I have taken do it justice. The trip up the river is very interesting, with two very large and beautiful bridges spanning the river. Along each side of the river are mussel farms. There is even a 'Drive through" for boats to pick up fresh mussels. Going under bridges is rather exciting, and you need to ensure the boat is centred properly, otherwise you could end up with a shorter mast. Again Brian did a great job in manoeuvring the boat up stream. When we arrived we could see Adora moored at the marina. They did well, as they had to stop at Sibenik to get some fuel. It wasn't long before we were moored. The crew are now really good at preparing the boat for mooring, everyone knows their job. All that practice has brought it together.
Skradin is known for it white swans that swim in the Marina. They are very tame, and act just like spoilt children when you do not feed them. At the end of the finger which we are moored on is a great little Restaurant/Café bar. The ablutions are also not very far away and are very well kept and clean, which is common to the ACI mariners. As we had arrived mid afternoon, we had time to have a look around the town, and organise for the laundry to be done. There are plenty of Banks, Shops and places to eat and drink. (in other word all the things women need!) Cheryl managed to find time to buy some towels from the Aqua shop and then a Slam jacket from the Slam shop. My case it just getting larger with HER purchases. Dianne continued to show us all around the town. On the way we ran into Pete and Roz who were quietly munching on a box of hot chips and sauce! Dianne was looking for a restaurant they visited last year. We soon found it and booked both crews in for a meal. Ray and I had enough of seeing our credit cards vaporise, so we decided to take a walk around the back of the town. The buildings are very old and is typical of what we have seen so far in Croatia. The country does a great job of retaining its history, yet inside the buildings they have all the modern trappings like we have back home. The rustic charm is not lost through the extreme modernism that exists nowadays. Ray and I eventually meandered back to the boat, hoping that our credit cards hadn't melted. As it turned out, most people were sitting in the Bar/Café, kicking back, relaxing and swapping stories about the trip so far. One by one we would have our showers etc, in preparation for going out for tea. No long after we sat down, a Jazz band started playing Mack the knife. There I was, sitting in this beautiful marina, having drinks with all my friends (my assumption) listening to this fabulous jazz band. You then realise how lucky you are to be asked to participate in a trip like this. It was a shame we had to leave for our meal, as the band was very good. But we all left for the restaurant Dianne had booked earlier, located centrally in the town.
The table was made up for all 16 of us, and when we arrived the roof had been rolled back, which created a nice atmosphere for the meal. Everybody was dressed up for the night, except me, as my clothes were at the laundry, that is why I figured I was put at the end of the table. (on the way there I did go into the Slam shop and buy a shirt so I could look at least half respectable). The meal was good, and the company was great. The house red got the stamp of approval, as did the white. Again at the end of the meal we received a carafe of red and white on the house, and again everyone made a concerted effort not to offend the owners by not finishing it. We had intended going bike riding to the falls the next day, and I can see this is certainly going to be a handicap. But it didn't stop there.
We made our way back to the mariner. The walk is very pleasant at night, because all the streets are lit up .The shops don't close till late, so we all stopped for an ice cream.
The jazz band was still playing at the mariner, so we all decided to sit down and listen to the great music. One of the local drinks is called crustivic, which is a pear liqueur. It has a great taste! The night was still, the band was playing and Cheryl and Dianne were dancing to the music. It was a perfect time to sit back an enjoy one, or two, or three......or four of these local drinks. Eventually we knew that if we didn't make an effort to get back to the boat, we would not be riding our bikes tomorrow.
It was still quite late, and we all retired, much worse for wear, but at least the band kept playing until we were all sound asleep.
- comments
Rhonda Di I can actually see you moving. This photo catches your dance style exactly.:-))))
Kate all I can say is what a fantastic trip you are having. I am very jealous.