Pag and Nin

15 September 2018

For our last day with the rental car, we drove down the coast to Zadar, stopping at two small towns and an old fortress along the way.

First was the town of Pag, described as having around 8 000 inhabitants who tend to three times as many sheep. The town lies on a barren island (the sheep have eaten everything), and it's claim to fame is sheep's milk cheese it produces. We wondered around the historical part of town, and visited the lace museum; lace-making being Pag’s other claim to fame.

We also popped into the salt museum, which was rather underwhelming. The curator wistfully told us that the process of salt making had been automated “because the young people don't want to work so hard anymore, they want to work as receptionists in hotels instead". As if previously people loved raking salt pans all day in the glaring, baking 30+ degree heat for less than minimum wage.

The next stop was Nin, a small but historically fascinating town. It was the residence of early Croatian kings, and the seat of an archbishop from 879 AD. In the 1600’s, the town was burnt and evacuated by the Venetians in attempt to resist Ottoman advances. There are a number of Roman remains still scattered about Nin, including “the smallest cathedral in the world”, the Church of the Holy Cross. We had an interesting walk around town and the Archeological Museum.