Zadar, Croatia: All You Need To Know

As you will hopefully know thanks to my recent #SplashedByGeorge post, I spent last weekend in the beautiful Croatia. It's such an up and coming country and I fell in love with the stunning scenery, fantastic food and friendly people. I wanted to share some tips to get the most out of trip, as it's somewhere which I spent some time researching before we travelled there. 

How to Get There
Ryanair is one of the few airlines to fly to this more unusual part of Croatia, as most people fly to Split or Dubronovik. The benefit of choosing somewhere more unusual is the price - we paid just £32 for return flights from Manchester. We caught a taxi to and from the airport, which costs between 150 and 180 Kuna and takes about 20 minutes. The Croatian currency is the Kuna, and £1 is equivalent to about 10 Kuna. This means that everything is fantastic value - we drank Kir Royales for 25 Kuna and large bottles of still water were about 3 Kuna in the local supermarket. 

Where To Stay
We knew that we wanted to stay in the old town, where we were amongst the shops and restaurants and could easily explore our surroundings. We found Apartments Donat on Hotels.com and it was just £60 each for three nights. The owner was so friendly, even heading over to find us and show us where the apartment was when we got lost! She was always on hand to offer advice and recommendations for the area and made our stay so much more comfortable. The air con and small kitchenette were both massive bonuses, allowing us a clean and comfortable base for exploring the town.

What to Eat
Food in Zadar is cheap and good quality. A three course meal with a bottle of wine for two cost about £20 each. One restaurant I would particularly recommend is Trattoria. We shared a bottle Spanish cava for 120 Kuna and I started with some fantastic marinated and salt anchovies, accompanied by freshly made pitta bread, for 35 Kuna. My main was orecchiette al forno, a oven baked pasta with homemade salsa, tomatoes and cheese which cost 50 Kuna. I was far too full for dessert and my meal cost me 145 kuna is total - just less than £15, which is amazing for a two course meal including alcohol. I'd also recommend for going for a drink at Ledana, a bar near Fosa. The drinks were so cheap and the setting was amazing. Think of a trendy garden party, with hidden areas, paths to explore and great music, all set in the historic old town of Zadar. 

Where to Go
The Sea Organ and the Greeting to the Sun are the two main attractions in Zadar. The Greeting to the Sun is a nighttime attraction; a light-up floor powered by solar energy collected in the daytime. If you sit on the nearby steps, you can hear the Sea Organ. This series of pipes plays music dependent on the sea's waves. It's fascinating and ever-changing - I could have sat there for hours. I would recommend this in the daytime, as you can listen to the sounds of the Sea Organ as you sunbathe, paddle, people-watch or swim.
In the rest of Zadar, I would recommend simply walking and exploring. To walk from one side of the old town to the other takes about 15 minutes, if you are walking slowly, so it is easy to explore. The streets are simple to navigate and outside of the old town there is also a marina and the 'new' town if you want to explore further afield.
If you want to explore further than Zadar, I would recommend the bus. We consulted Bus Croatia for all our bus times and prices, but bought our tickets on the day at the Zadar Bus Terminal. A trip to Plitvice Lakes cost just 165 Kuna for a two hour journey to the beautiful national park and was well worth the money. Entry to the Lakes was 110 Kuna (or 80 Kuna if you are a student) and I couldn't recommend it more. Read a more detailed post on what I got up to at the Plitvice Lakes!

Have you visited Zadar or elsewhere in Croatia? Do you have any other tips?

Jess

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Pupdate with Preloved

I love dogs and as a family we have always had a dog as part of the family. My current dog is called Meg and we acquired her from a website you may not expect - Preloved. After my previous dog sadly died after a long and happy life, we started looking for a puppy. Previously, we have always rehomed male rescue dogs but we decided as a family that we wanted a female puppy. After some searching, we discovered Preloved and their 'Pets' section. You can search my area and we quickly discovered this adorable picture of some Chesapeake Bay Retriever crossed with a Bedlington Terrier puppies listed in our local area. 

I love scruffy dogs, so the puppy on the right quickly stole my heart. We were looking for a cross breed which wasn't too big, so this cute little puppy met our requirements perfectly. We quickly contacted the owner and arranged a visit. We all headed over to the owner's home, where we were met by three gorgeous puppies. We also met the mother, a pure Bedlington Terrier, as well as the Chesapeake father, which is really important. I distinctly remember my brother sitting with Meg in his arms, and simply saying "this one." We took her home with us that very day, By choosing Meg in the school Summer holidays, we had six weeks to toilet train, bond with and generally spoil our new puppy. It made the whole process much easier and meant that Meg could spend time exploring our garden as well as the house. 

Meg aged 9 weeks.

I would highly recommend that you take your dog to 'puppy school.' We took Meg to a 6 week course with Charlie's Dog School, where Meg learnt the basic commands needed for your dog. We could all attend, meaning that my parents and us children could all be involved in the training and learn the commands necessary. We didn't attend any more classes after the initial puppy level, but Meg still knows the basic commands she needs.

Meg aged 16 weeks

Seven years later, and the brown smooth haired puppy has somehow transformed into a big bunch of curls! Despite her mix of retriever and Bedlington, she definitely resembles a Labradoodle and is often confused as one. She's a lovely natured dog who sleeps on my bed every night and is always there for a cuddle! Check out the transformation over the last seven years - she looks much older than she is!

Thank you Preloved for allowing us to discover our perfect pet!

Jess

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#SplashedByGeorge: Three Ways to Wear Crochet

I'm back from Croatia! I can't wait to share some details of my stay with you but, in short, I fell in love with the country and cannot wait to return. I loved spending my days exploring the old town of Zadar, eating cheap but delicious food and reading in the sunshine. Today, I wanted to give a sneak peak of the country and also show you a snapshot of my holiday wardrobe. I was challenged by George at Asda to style a piece of clothing from them three ways, and I has great fun experimenting with this crochet tassle top.

Crochet top, bikini top, shorts: George at Asda* Headband: Primark. Sandals: House of Fraser*

Outfit One: Casual Exploring
For my first look, I chucked the crochet top over a simple bikini top and shorts combo. I love these shorts and they have quickly become a staple in my wardrobe. They are so flattering and the elastic waist means that they are really comfortable to wear. The length is a great length for walking and exploring and I love the floral embroidery detail. The bikini I chose from Asda is also amazing. After seeing it in Hayley's #SplashedBySummer post I knew that I needed it for myself. I chose to mix the strapless bralette with a pair of plain black high waisted bottoms, underneath the shorts. I love that you can see the pattern of the bikini top through the crochet, without exposing my stomach to the world! 

Crochet top, wide leg trousers, white necklace: George at Asda* Vest: Primark. Headband: Primark. Gold necklace; Primark. Sandals: New Look.

Outfit Two: Evening Meal
For an evening look, I layered the crochet top over a vest and trousers combo. I've recently discovered trousers for summer, as I normally live in dresses and skirts. I love these wide legged trousers, once I'd turned them up by a couple of inches! However with a pair of heeled sandals I don't think I look too short, as the high waisted trousers lengthen my legs. I wore a basic vest top underneath the crochet to keep me covered and I was covered enough, yet cool in the warm Summer evening. Throughout my holiday, I kept my fringe held back with a floral headband from Primark. I love my fringe, but if you want a tanned face for summer, it isn't ideal so although I look a little different, it was a pretty way to fulfil a practical purpose. 

Crochet top: George at Asda* Dress: Topshop. Headband: Primark. Sunglasses: George at Asda*

Outfit Three: Lakes Adventurer
Finally, I used the top as a cover up from the sun when exploring the national park Plitvice Lakes. If you ever go to Croatia, you need to visit here as it is just so beautiful. I picked up some comfortable, if not exactly fashionable, diving shoes for just £6 to wear for the 5 hour walk and they were such a good decision. For the rest of my outfit, I wore a dress from Topshop which I had previously worn in very different weather conditions at Ox Pasture Hall. By adding the crochet top, I made the outfit summer appropriate whilst also protecting my shoulders from the exposed sun as I explored the stunning lakes.

Before I tried this challenge, I didn't own anything crochet and had avoided the trend as I didn't feel 'hippy' enough. However I am now in love with this top - it is surprisingly versatile, a pretty and vibrant colour and easy to style over a huge amount of my wardrobe. I now feel much braver about trying to the trend and loved every look from my holiday wardrobe. This challenge also reaffirmed my love for George at Asda - I buy a lot of my clothes from supermarkets and their summer clothing is seriously impressive, looking a lot more expensive than they are and bang on trend. 

How do you wear crochet? Which is your favourite of my three looks?

Jess

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