12/31 Sibenik

Sunrise on the way to Sibenik

At 6am, the boat left the harbor for our next stop, Sibenik and we got up and went to the sundeck in time to get some good sunrise photos.  We docked at Sibenik as preparations for  New Year’s Eve in the town were getting underway. Almost immediately, we headed out for a city tour and voila, there was Marina again! Apparently the planned guide had a problem and she was called in to help.

Streets of Sibenik

Sibenik is an old town by our standards, but young to Croatians as it has only been around for a 1000 or so years. It was never a tourist site and has maintained much of its medieval character. We wandered in and out among the lanes and finished at the Cathedral of St. James, a domed building with a very impressive bapistery, where we were not allowed to take photos. In Croatia, only baptized people were allowed in the main church, so this was a small lower room with a separate entry and a very elaborate set of friezes and statues along with a red marble basin and decorative touches. Three cherubs formed the pedestal of the basin. After lunch, we took a hike up to the fortress of St. Michael, which dates back to the beginning of the city.

View from fortress of harbor and 'secret' exit

We walked around all the ramparts and could see the ‘secret’ get away – really an open stair between 2 walls – so it looked like it was only a fortress wall, but there were really two parallel walls. At midnight we went up on deck to watch fireworks and I tried taking photos, but they weren't as impressive on the computer as on the tiny camera screen.