Advent 2017 in Olde Town Zadar!

Well we decided to paint the town red and headed out on Friday night to Old town Zadar.  Woo Hoo!

Zadar

Zadar is great because, most usually cheap parking near the center is easy to find, but as it so happened, there were three live outdoor concerts within a five mile radius – so it took a bit of doing, even so we did manage to find a good place.

Zadar as an attractive place to visit / tourist destination

Zadar gives the impression of a kingly welcome. So regal, when I approach its thick walls and arched gated entrances, complete with Venetian lion and other stone decor, I almost transpose into a fine lady in silk and satin seated upon a fine steed.  It really gives this kind of dramatic feeling.

Advent 2017

We came to the place near Pet Bunara (that means Five Fountains) where the women used to draw water for their daily needs.  Now it’s an open area ideal for exhibits.  The weather wasn’t all that cold – around 12 degrees C , I was warm enough in my leather jacket with two thin sweaters underneath and a woolen scarf in case it got breezy.  It didn’t. There were tons of vendors selling mulled wine, popcorn, fritule (a nice fried dumpling with bits of apple, raisins and nuts inside, depending on the baker) and dusted in either powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate.  You can also find lots of homemade ornaments, other nic-nacs, and its always refreshing to see couples of all ages out on the town with their families or just on a date together.  Yeah for holiday socializing!  The place is decked out and the feeling is fine 🙂

Music

Well – as much as I love Croatia, the music here does leave something to be desired.  I told my teenage son that with a population of 4-to 41/2 million, it’s easy to beat the competition because there really isn’t any (ha ha .. sad to say but true).  Anyway, we made the most of it, enjoyed the lights and spectacular fireworks display -a bit over the top – the mood was festive.

Fashion

Girls are wearing flesh colored thicker pantyhose with ankle boots – a nice look – people here are very fashion conscious – and it was nice to see crowds of people coming out to enjoy the kickoff of the Advent season.

Christmas Culture

Here in Croatia it is not quite as insane as the US as far as shopping and presents. There are many Black Friday sales going on everywhere – the most I saw was 70% at JYSK – but yes, it is happening here too 🙂

Shopping

I am a fan of internet purchases – and Etsy is one of my favorites for interesting, cool gifts at a good price.  There is a consumer service now that will check out any shopping link you may wish to buy from called www.scamadvisor.com – Amazon is 100% safe – so it is a good service to know about.

Staying Healthy

So – the craziest time of the year is soon beginning – and I will be drinking lots of warm drinks (like tea, and warmed lemon water) to keep flushed, hydrated and warm, eat as much fresh ginger, black cumin, garlic, fresh spinach and other greens to avoid too many empty calories, and take the dog for a brisk walk once a day to keep the blood a-pumping and calories a-burning.

Stress Levels

What do you do at this time of year to stay unstressed and not let your health take a back seat?

Feel free to comment and thanks for reading the Amerikanka in Croatia!

Happy Holiday (The fun has just begun!!)