Lights of Zadar/Svjetla Zadra

When I was a little girl, I didn't travel much, except with school within Yugoslavia. My parents didn't speak any foreign languages ​​and weren't used to traveling, which is a real shame. Those people who travelled to foreign countries back then say that it was wonderful to travel with a Yugoslav passport because it was respected and welcomed both in the West and the East. I started traveling the world in my late twenties when Croatia had just begun to exist and many people hadn't even heard of it or knew where it was in the world. When I visited America in the late nineties, they wrote Costa Rica on our bill because of the CR symbol for Croatia. Of course, we protested, and they vehemently assured us, "It doesn't matter to us, really." Well, it did matter to us.

I did experience summer trips with my parents to the village near Zadar, where my father was from. Zadar itself was about 10 kilometres away, but we didn't go there too often. Still, those trips created a dream place in my childhood imagination. Zadar seemed almost magical to me with its bridge connecting the old town on the peninsula with the rest of Zadar. The lights of Kalalarga, the main street with lots of restaurants and cafes and paved with smooth stone slabs, were like the most beautiful fairy tale to me. Later in life, I saw the lights of many world metropolises, from London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Amman, all the way to the most beautiful in my eyes, Rome. In the wonderful orange-red lights of those cities I left a piece of my heart, and so it was with Zadar, my first love in the world of cities.

This summer I returned to Zadar after many years. I spent a wonderful 7 days with my Sara in the comfortable and pleasant hotel Kolovare. Kolovare has a beach about 10 meters away and the city centre is a 10-15 minute walk along the sea. I enjoyed every moment remembering that little girl from almost 50 years ago and it didn't seem like it was that long ago, and yet it was like it was in another life without my loved ones that I lost long ago.

Kristina

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Svjetla Zadra

Kad sam ja bila mala djevojčica nisam puno putovala, osim sa školom unutar Jugoslavije. Moji roditelji nisu govorili niti jedan strani jezik i nisu bili od putovanja što je zbilja šteta. Oni ljudi koji su putovali u strane zemlje tada kažu da je bilo divno putovati sa jugoslavenskim pasošom jer je bio cijenjen i dobrodošao i na zapadu i na istoku. Ja sam svijetom počela putovati u svojim kasnim dvadesetim kad je Hrvatska tek počela postojati i mnogi ljudi još nisu niti čuli za nju niti znali gdje se na svijetu nalazi. Kad sam kasnih devedesetih posjetila Ameriku tamo su nam zbog simbola CR za Hrvatsku na računu napisali Costa Rica. Mi smo naravno protestirali, a oni su nas žučno uvjeravali “Nama to nije važno, zaista.”. E pa nama je bilo važno.

Sa svojim sam roditeljima ipak doživjela ljetna putovanja na selo pored Zadra odakle je moj otac. Sam Zadar je bio na 10tak kilometrata udaljen, ali u njega nismo prečesto odlazili. Ipak ti odlasci su u mojoj dječjoj mašti stvorili mjesto iz snova. Zadar mi se činio gotovo magičan sa svojim mostom što spaja stari grad na poluotoku sa ostatkom Zadra. Svjetla Kalalarge, glavne ulice sa puno restorana i kafića i popločene tim glatkim kamenim pločama za mene su bile poput najljepše bajkovite priče. Kasnije u životu vidjela sam svjetla mnogih svjetskih metroplola, od Londona, New Yorka, Pariza, Singapura, Amana pa sve do meni najljepšeg Rima. U divnim narandžasto crvenim svjetlima tih gradova ostavila sam komadić svog srca, a tako je i sa Zadrom, mojom prvom ljubavi iz svijeta gradova.

Ovo sam se ljeto ponovo vratila Zadru nakon puno godina. Provela sam divnih 7 dana sa svojom Sarom u komotnom i ugodnom hotelu Kolovare. Kolovare ima plažu na 10ak metara i centar grada na 10-15 minuta šetnje uz more. Uživala sam u svakom trenu prisjećajući se one male djevojčice od pred gotovo 50 godina i nije mi se činilo da je bilo davno, a opet kao da je bilo u nekom drugom životu bez mojih voljenih koje sam davno izgubila.

Kristina

Nedelja, 31. kolovoza 2025.