Ugljan and Pasman Islands to Sibenik

 June 4, 2025

We set sail from Zadar early today, and headed towards the small port of Preko on the Island of Uglian.

Jadrolinija ferries arriving in Preko at the same time, one for cars, the other not. This is one of a couple of ferry lines serving Croatia.

Our ride, the longest of this trip so far, took us 33 km down Uglian and the adjoining island, Pasman, where we rejoined the ship at Tikon. This was my favourite ride by far, taking us along the shoreline on narrow roads, up into the hills a bit, then through villages and neighbourhoods. This reminded me of my previous trips through France and through Portugal. We even stopped for refreshments, and I had a 0.0% alcohol beer like Elly and I used to have daily on our Portugal ride. It’s the perfect, refreshing drink on a hot day for someone who doesn’t want anything sweet. 

A sample of part of the day's route. Waiting for someone whose chain came off.

The bridge that joins the islands of Uglian and Pasman

Tour boat from the bridge. Ours is much nicer than that

Cheers to Elly!

We were well ready for lunch when we got to the ship. I’m learning to pace myself with eating — taking smaller portions, and mostly skipping dessert. I’m also learning the art of napping, and here’s the trick: set an alarm for 30 minutes, because a 20-minute nap is ideal, but it takes some 10 minutes to settle in to sleep. Done early enough in the afternoon, it doesn’t seem to interfere with my night’s sleep, and it sets me up to enjoy the evening.

It was a sail of some five hours to Sibenik where we berthed for the night. There was a swim stop along the way, and I was almost tempted. Someone said the water was warmer today than it had been, so maybe tomorrow!

Sibenik from the water. Note St John's Fortress on the hilltop

We were offered a guided tour of Sibenik, and since I knew nothing about the town, I joined it. The guide, Ante, was delightful, giving us a thorough but upbeat history of the old city. The streets were thel tangle of narrow, stone-paved alleys typical of Medieval towns. This was the case in Split and, less so, in Dubrovnik, but those cities have become, as our guide said, Disneyland, whereas Sibenik is a living town. There were plenty of tourist shops, restaurants, and accommodations, but there were also regular clothing and shoe stores, shops where locals would pick up supplies. The streets were pleasantly busy, but not crowded. The consensus was that we would have been happy to have more time there.

A monastery couryard

Ante, our walking-tour guide

St Michael, protector of Sibenik town

Once known as the Wide Street

A 24-hour clock. I don't know how to read it.

I tried to get a good shot of Sibenik's most famous landmark, the Cathedral of St James, but the light was all wrong, and my phone couldn't get the entire facade. You can look it up if you really want to see it, but suffice to say it's rather plain looking, and the most remarkable thing about it is that it was built entirely of limestone blocks fitted together without the use of mortar, including it's barrel-vault roof. Or maybe the most remarkable thing about it is that it was the first completed building anywhere in the Renaissance style. I did get a shot of some of the faces around the outside of the cathedral, and of the baptistery, which was more beautiful than I could capture.

 

Note expressive faces. Before the time of the cathedral's construction (from 1431 until 1536) emotion was not expressed in art, according to our guide

The Baptistery, The accoustics in this small stone room were fantastic!

One of the best things Ante told us was that the people of the city love the city's cats. There is an organization that makes sure they're fed, given veterinary care, neutered and spayed. That was a relief to me, because there are cats everywhere in this country, as you might gather from the daily kitty pics. 

Medieval stone pan built into a wall for dogs (and kitties) to get a drink. "Love of dogs"

Ante recommended a harbour-side restaurant called Bronzin, and so some of us chose to have dinner there. We were served by a waiter who had spent several months in Calgary! The food (mmm, sea bass en papillote) was fantastic. After dinner, we met up with most of the rest of the ship’s passengers at a salad and wine bar called Negreena. We were served by its owner, a colourful character named Alexandra, who was from Montenegro and spoke with an accent more Italian than Croatian. Recommended!

Negreena, after most of us had gone

Night neighbourhood

Most of us wished we had more time to explore this unspoiled city, but we were sailing early in the morning. Tours are like a tasting menu. You want to go back to have a proper meal.

Today's kittie, a scaredy cat: