Lynne Hyland
It was golden hour on the Dalmatian coast, and as the sun sank towards the Adriatic, I could hear the sea singing to me. Not as some whimsical fancy of my imagination, you understand.
The big blue was literally serenading me – and no, I wasn’t under the influence of one too many happy hour cocktails.
My family and I were in the Croatian city of Zadar, once a Roman settlement and now home to one of the quirkiest seaside attractions I’ve ever encountered: the sea organ.
Picture, if you can, an enormous wave-powered harmonica, playing away in the key of sea major.
The mechanics are hidden below the waterline, in steps cut into the Old Town’s promenade. These conceal a labyrinth of pipes playing ocean-powered music which ebbs and flows in time with the tide.
(Top parenting tip: if travelling with gullible kids, DO tell them in advance about the famous Invisible Busker Of Croatia. They’ll see the funny side, I swear.)
Charming as the sea organ is, it’s just the warm-up act for Zadar’s
The historic centre of Zadar, left, Lynne and children, below, Nin’s cobbled streets nightly headliner. A few feet away is the Monument To The Sun, a solarpowered “dance floor” that fires up after sunset and treats us to a, rainbow-coloured light show.
You might not expect to find modern eccentricities in a beautiful old place like Zadar, but the city is very much a historic pick ‘n’ mix. Its walls date from its days as a Venetian stronghold, but within you’ll find everything from Byzantine churches to Roman relics.
My husband Ian and I paused to admire the old Forum while Connor, 10, and Cara, nine, pelted for the market stalls and swooned over the Beanie Boos. Heathens.
To burn off some energy before lunch, we walked around the peninsula on which the Old Town sits, then caught our breath over the catch of the day at 2Ribara (2ribara.com).
The seafood platter for two was so colossal we feared fishing quotas had been breached.
Having blown the diet, it was time to blow the mind. Our next stop was The Museum Of Illusions (zadar. muzejiluzija.com), a fun place packed with tricks of the eye. The LUXURY At family resort on outskirts of Zadar