Hello lovelies,
If you have yet to see my many posts over the last month or so on my Instagram page, I did my first solo trip holiday to Croatia. The trip was so incredible that I wrote a blog about it and told you about my favourite moments in Zadar.
Spoiler: watching the sunset at the Sea Organ was my favourite moment!
I had such a fabulous time in Zadar. It's a beautiful place with so much history and friendly locals. The trip was five days in total. It was enough time to explore the old town and have a cute beach day. I was there during a heatwave; the coolest during the day it got was 30 degrees. As someone used to 17 degrees at best, it was boiling!
On my first full day, I explored the old town and got to know the bus systems well. I wanted to travel around like a local, and even though at times it was hard- there are no bus times or timetables online, you just had to turn up at a bus stop and see if a bus was due and was going where you needed. It only took me a day or so to work it out.When you're in the old town, everything is quite close. It was so lovely to have a wander. If I were to go back again, I'd look for accommodation much closer.
My first bit of Croatian food was a deliciously sweet baked good. I was waiting for a random bus hoping to get somewhere close to town. My hostel was out of the way, but the most gorgeous bakery was across the street. I chose a Makovnjaca, a poppyseed role, and it was terrific. Very sweet, so I couldn't finish it in one go! This was one of the fantastic foods I tried on my trip, although looking back, I don't remember eating a lot of food, but that's because of how hot the weather was. I ate a lot of cold food.
In the old town, I found this cute little spot I returned to every day of my trip: Coffee&Cake Zadar. With the hot weather, I often when in for an iced latte, breakfast, and to cool down with their AC. It was so peaceful to just sit with my Kindle reading and relax. One of my favourite things about doing things independently is that I can mooch around and go at my own pace.
On my first full day in Zadar, I explored the Roman Forum and wandered around, finding cute souvenirs. I picked up some gorgeous notebooks, some artistic magnetic bookmarks, magnets for the fridge at home (naturally), and some other bits that now clutter and brighten up my desk.
My favourite moment in Zadar was watching the sunset on the Sea Organ. So many people came to watch it too, it was beautiful. We are just admiring the view, and it is such a captivating hour of total strangers taking the beauty of the view. It wasn't all sunshine and ice cream. There were a few terrifying moments. Like, getting stranded for a little while and having a panic attack, no one could understand me. That was tough, but I managed it, returned to my hostel, and slept like a baby. After a rough night, the next day, I took the stone beach where I sunbathed, petted a neighbourhood cat and read my book. There were so many lovely cat's around Zadar, I had the pleasure of meeting three, and they were so friendly- it did make me miss Solstice a lot.
The scariest and perhaps my braves moment of the trip wasn't getting stranded. No, it was climbing the clock tower. It was terrifying. There were 180 steps, a very narrow one-way
entryway, and spiral staircases with only handles on one side. Did I mention I also have a fear of tight spaces and heights? As a slightly mentally unwell plus-size woman, it was a lot to deal with. Climbing the stairs, especially when someone came down them, with only one side with a handrail, caused many panic attacks. I was grateful that every so often, there was a landing you could sit at and look out. I did on every landing because I was very close to breaking down, my heart raced so much, and I honestly thought I would fall at some point. I knew there were many steps beforehand, but I didn't anticipate the small spaces or steep, steep stone stairs.
Had it been any other time I wasn't feeling so determined, I would have turned back and not bothered. But the view from the top of the Clock Tower was legendary, and I had to see it for myself. It was such a relief when I reached the top. With my heart pounding, I was so proud of myself for facing several fears, and the view was most definitely worth it.
These are some of my favourite photos I took from the Clock Tower. Even though I was scared and had several panic attacks on the way up (and back down), it was worth it.
When the days got too hot, I visited Gray Bar for a cocktail or two. It was so lovely to just relax, people watch and cool down. With every order (from anywhere), I got a glass of water and ice to stay hydrated. In the past, I've not done so well in hot countries- I'm very prone to heatstroke, but I took all the necessary precautions this time around, and I was fine.
If you've not made a solo trip before, I'd recommend planning some places you'd like to return to. I had done some social media scanning and had a lot of what was out there. It helped a lot. When you visit a new place, it's easy to become overwhelmed; having a rough idea of what you want to do and places you'd like to see can help with that.
Zadar is the perfect place for first-time travellers. It's so beautiful and quite calm. The locals were lovely, and the people who ran the hostel I was staying in were ever so sweet! They shared with me the shortcuts and recommendations on cool places. Everyone I spoke to was charming.
My spontaneous three-week turnaround trip was a success. Even now, a month later, I feel so much more relaxed and not so desperate for another holiday. I've learned from my trip to be more prepared for public transport, always do the scary thing because it could lead to something amazing, and try to find closer accommodation to the city centre. I didn't mind staying in a hostel, the one I was in, I only had one roommate, and we barely saw each other, but I did struggle to sleep the entire trip. I kept having nightmares every night, so when I plan to make another solo trip, I might skip the hostel and do a hotel or apartment for a bit of peace of mind.
I am looking into making more solo trips around Europe next Summer. I want to visit Italy, France, Prague, and wherever my heart takes me! If you'd like to see more of my holiday snaps, or video content from my trip, I have a highlight and some feed content on my Instagram page!
Have a lovely day, and see you soon!
