Yesterday was a day of rest and relaxation and most members of the team (me and Basil) did plenty of both. Sarah, on the other hand, spent much of the day giving Melek a wash, cut and blow dry.
This morning we left Camping Rozac with a slightly sour taste in our mouths. The ACSI scheme, which we use for virtually all the campsites on which we stay, sets a price in Euros for a place on each site in their scheme. Campsites are then allowed to charge extra for dogs, local taxes and special pitches. When we arrived at Camping Rozac we were directed to a pitch, which was not next to the beach or the sea, and to be honest was nothing special, and were assured that it was on the ACSI rate. This morning when I went to pay, the reception staff told me that although I was not next to the sea, the pitches we were on were listed on their map as “sea side” and there was a supplement to be paid. I, of course, refused and there was a slight “debate” before they agreed to waive the supplement. This is the first time this has happened on the many dozens of ACSI sites on which we have stayed, but we will have to be careful in future to make absolutely sure we are not put on a pitch with a supplement.
Today we travelled first to the small town of Sibenik, another UNESCO World Heritage site on the Dalmation coast. It was very pretty stone built town which could have been in Italy, which is not surprising, because like Split and Trogir it was under Venetian influence for hundreds of years. The main attraction is St. James’ Cathedral and although it is not an imposing building the carving on the various doorways is absolutely exquisite.
Sibenik is a further town which rewards just wandering its narrow streets and alleyways, although if you were in the town for a day or more there are at least three fortresses set high above the town which may be worth exploring.
One aspect which let the town down and which, if I were mayor I would want to improve, was the waterfront. Like Split and Trogir the town sits on a beautiful seafront location, but unlike the other two towns Sibenik has not pedestrianised its best resource. The whole area between the sea and the old town is clogged with vehicles either driving or parked. Pedestrianising the waterfront would, I would have thought, boost tourism to the town considerably.
After lunch we made our way further north to Zaton Holiday Resort (42.233590, 15.161830 €20 on ACSI). It is situated near the town of Nin, although the campsite’s claim to be only 1km from the town is a considerable untruth.
To be frank, we have never been on a campsite anything like this before. It is essentially an enormous holiday camp. There are 1,500 camping/mobile home pitches; another area with apartments; 6 restaurants; a shopping mall; and every leisure activity you could imagine is available to the extent that the campsite even has its own small submarine!!
My initial reaction has not been particularly positive, but to be fair our pitch is very quiet. I suspect that I will not grow to like it because it is not my idea of camping, even in a motorhome. Sarah seems more upbeat, not least because there is a riding school somewhere on this vast property and she has already gone to try out the extensive swimming complex.
It would be a fantastic site for children, young and old. Unfortunately ours have flown the nest!
It looks like we may have rain tomorrow. I have not seen an advertisement for a nobbly knees competition so maybe I’ll spend the day playing the slot machines!!
* For non British readers Butlins were a brand of holiday camp, particularly popular in the decades after the Second World War.
