Old Town Sibenik

"Sibekik is the youngest town in Dalmatia, first mentioned in 1066 as Castrum Sebenici. It is located on steep slopes, surrounded by city walls and crisscrossed with narrow streets, stairs and squares. The old town was flourishing under the Venetians in the Renaissance and lots of palaces and forts date from that period along with the landmark of Sibenik, the Cathedral of St. James- the main architect was Juaj Dalatinac. Parts of the city walls were dismantled during the Austrian rule in the 19th century, but the old town has largely preserved its Renaissance spirit." Get to Know Guides.

Seeing Sibenik is one thing, walking the entire old town is quite another way to experience this remarkable city. We parked at the marina and hiked to the top of the 70m hill, upon whose tops sits the Fort of St. Michael. This journey required the climbing of narrow cobbled streets, many, many, many sets of ancient stone stairways and more winding narrow alleys than it seems possible to imagine. Each street was a cornucopia of delightful surprises from expensive clothing and jewelry boutiques to an ultra modern Nike Store tucked into an ancient stone building. Check out my FB page for a photo of one of the clothing displays in a tiny boutique of hand made designer clothing by Kobe. Each piece is unique and is a collage of various prints, fabrics and adornments.

Fot: Old Town Sibenik, Aneta

Aneta tried on a cute little dress and bought it! She said, "something no one else in Gliwice will have." She also found the beautiful black leather handbag she has been searching for since our official tour ended on September 27th. This new handbag was to be her personal reward for a job well done and she has at last succeeded in finding the perfect bag and parting with her hard earned money to own it. Alicja also found a cute little cardigan sweater in a nice tourquoise shade and an eclectic black and gray neck scarf to wear with it. Okay, I didn't come away empty handed either - but it wasn't clothing. I found a beautiful all leather, black and tan handbag, large enough to hold my iPad, a wallet, two cell phones, a camera, my sunglasses and a tube of lipstick for 120Ku or $20! It really is the perfect bag and I am thrilled with it. The leather is fine and soft and the design is Italian, although the bag was made in Croatia according to the attached tag.

We moved slowly onward and upward toward the landmark St. James Cathedral and was it a stunning surprise. I've visited a great many cathedrals in Europe over my life of travels but this was the most beautiful I think I have ever seen. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001 and well deserved.

The Cathedral in Sibenik, Aneta

The Cathedral is a splendid blend of Gothic and Renaissance styles and stands as an architectural masterpiece dominating the main square of the old town. The building is made entirely of stone without the use of any mortar! The stone masons cut and chisled each stone to perfectly fit together. The Cathedral was constructed between 1431 and 1536 under the watchful eye of master sculpter and architect Juraj Dalmatinac, who personally sculpted the 71 human heads that adorn the outside of the building. The Cathedral is surprisingly light inside with skylights and a glass dome towering over the three story high Sanctuary. Of course no photos were allowed inside the Cathedral but I will take away some incredible memories in my mind's eye of this beautiful place.

We continue our climb toward St. Michael's Fort the current version of which was built in the 18th Century. Archeological explorations at the site indicate that this site was used during prehistory of the late Bronze and Iron Ages as well as in Ancient times associated with pre-Christian worship. It is first mentioned in a decree by King Petar Kresimir IV in 1066. The fort dominates the skyline of Old Town Sibenik and the climb up is worth it for the views alone. On the way we passed St. Anthony's Cathedral and Ancient Garden where we stopped to rest and get a coffee at the sidewalk cafe. It was a welcome respite after such a long and difficult climb up the East side of the fortress hill. 

Old Town Sibenik, Aneta

Apparently there is easier access from the West side of the hill but you miss the old town that way. While we were enjoying our coffee a little mother cat - black and white like my grandchildren's cat, Socks - came over to visit and ask for something to eat. Alicja got our her stash of bread and broke off a few small pieces and offered them to the cat. This cat was so hungry she literally gulped the bread down and looked up hopefully for more. The young woman running the coffee bar saw what was happening and poured a bowl of milk for the cat and set it out on the walk in front of the cafe. The cat immediately began drinking and was still at the bowl when we gathered our belongings and continued on our path upward. Of course news travels fast in a small village and an absolute army of cats was making its way down the hill toward the restaurant as we walked up. We encountered one group of five pure black cats, four kittens, probably about 12 weeks old and their mother, who was still allowing them to hang out with her for the time being. They attached themselves to us and followed us all the way up to the Fort. One of the kittens was missing one hind foot and the four wrestled and chased each other tackling and hissing and rolling along as we worked our way up the hill. They were awfully cute and acted like most brothers and sisters of about 4-5 years of age! They were so hungry and so hopeful that we had something for them to eat. It made me feel bad not to have anything to offer them.

Fot: St. Anne's Cemetery, Aneta

We reached St. Anne's Chapel and Cemetery just below the Fort, which is sometimes called St. Anne's Fort because of its close proximity, and climbed another billion stairs to get up into the cemetery to see the tombs of prominent citizens throughout the ages who are buried here. I can't say as I recognized a single name since they were all chiseled on the marble in Croation! By this time the wind had risen to a fever pitch and a good storm was blowing in off the Adriatic Sea. The sky was filling quickly with dark black clouds and I wasn't even wearing a coat. The Fort was another long climb up many more stairs and it was getting colder the higher we went. Alycia had gone back down to find the cafe and get a juice for Ania but she got lost and couldn't find the cafe. She was waiting for Aneta and me at the bottom of the stairway up to St. Anne's Chapel. We walked on to the entrance to the Fort and realized that if we continued we were going to be caught unprotected in a bad storm so we abandoned our trek at this point and made a hasty descent into Old Town. We found a Pizzaria that also served spaghetti (absolutely nothing else, however) and settled into the warm cavern, made to look like a ships interior, and ordered a nice meal. The spaghetti was good and Aneta had a Margherita Pizza, which she pronounced "good" as well. Alycia had spaghetti in a cream sauce and I had spaghetti Bolognaise. Both were quite good. Full and warm, we continued our long walk back to the car. The storm hit just moments before we reached the car and the rain came down sideways carried by a strong wind. We hurried into the car for shelter and warmth and started our short journey back to Skrodin.

I was anxious for some quiet time at the end of this day and took my sore muscles and tired body into my bedroom where I promptly fell asleep, fully clothed, and slept for 3 hours! When I finally crawled out of my haven Alicja had prepared a light super, the baby was asleep at long last and a tired Aneta came downstairs to join Alicja and me at the table. We had a nice conversation with Aneta interpreting between Alicja and me all evening, poor thing. If Alicja and I could actually talk to each other I think we would be good friends in no time. We agree on most things and genuinely like each other to the extent we are able to communicate! The topic tonight was child development related to some of the frighteningly torrid tantrums Ania has been engaging in of late. Poor Aneta is beside herself as to what to do. I told them about Dr. Harvey Karp's theory for breaking the tantrum moment so communication can occur and Aneta is anxious to give it a try tomorrow.

Off to bed to rest my weary head and listen to the storm pound the daylights out of this old stone fortress we are staying in.

Linda