Vodice, Hrvatska · Foto: Szabolcs Antal / Unsplash

Vodice, Croatia · Photo: Szabolcs Antal / Unsplash

Idemo redom. Put do Vodica krenuo je istom cestom kojom smo prošli put krenuli i prema Murteru, onom koja se spušta niz naš prelijepi Velebit i nudi pogled kakav čovjek jednostavno poželi vidjeti iznova. Prva jutarnja kava popijena je na istoj pumpi prije Benkovca, iz istog razloga (jer je predobra da je preskočimo), a onda dalje, preko Obrovca, Benkovca i Stankovaca, prema moru.

Let's take it in order. The road to Vodice began on the same route we took last time towards Murter, the one that winds down our beautiful Velebit and offers a view you find yourself wanting to see again and again. The first morning coffee was drunk at the same petrol station before Benkovac, for the same reason (it's too good to skip), and then onward, via Obrovac, Benkovac and Stankovci, towards the sea.

Dobro se sjećamo onog križanja na kojem smo prošli put skrenuli prema Murteru. Tik uz njega stajao je natpis za Vodice, i već smo tada, u autu, znali da nam je to sljedeća postaja. Nekoliko tjedana kasnije, evo nas.

We remember well the junction where we turned towards Murter last time. Right beside it stood a sign for Vodice, and even then, in the car, we knew it would be our next stop. A few weeks later, here we are.

Ovaj put nismo ni razmišljali o ulasku u sam centar Vodica. Cilj je bio jasan: parking i more, ništa više. Zaobišli smo gužvu u srcu grada i uputili se ravno prema plaži, gdje smo auto ostavili na parkingu koji se naplaćuje, tik prije Plaže Blata.

This time we didn't even consider driving into the centre of Vodice itself. The goal was clear: parking and the sea, nothing more. We skirted the crowds in the heart of town and headed straight for the beach, where we left the car at a paid parking area right before Blata Beach.

Doslovno s parkinga, u svega nekoliko koraka, ušli smo u beach bar Samo Pomalo i odmah imali svoj kutak, hlad i more na dohvat pogleda. Osoblje je ljubazno, popričali smo koju riječ i saznali da nude pomalo od svega: slano i slatko za prigristi, piće za osvježenje, čak i masažu za one koji žele otići korak dalje od običnog ležanja na suncu. O gastro ponudi Vodica pišemo detaljnije u posebnom članku, ali dovoljno je reći da smo u Samo Pomalu odmah znali da smo na dobrom mjestu.

Literally straight from the parking lot, within a few steps, we walked into the beach bar Samo Pomalo and immediately had our own corner, shade and the sea within view. The staff were friendly, we chatted for a bit and learned they offer a bit of everything: savoury and sweet snacks, refreshing drinks, even a massage for those who want to go a step further than simply lying in the sun. We write more about Vodice's food scene in a separate article, but it's enough to say that at Samo Pomalo we immediately knew we were in a good spot.

Vodice leže u širokom zaljevu na sjeverozapadnom kraju Šibenskog kanala, desetak kilometara od Šibenika i sat vremena vožnje od Splita ili Zadra. Ime grada dolazi od malih voda, izvora i bunara kojih je nekad ovdje bilo mnogo, a u samom središtu i danas stoje bunari uz koje se zadržao običaj bacanja sitniša za sreću. Nekad ribarsko i težačko mjesto, Vodice su se u drugoj polovici dvadesetog stoljeća pretvorile u jedno od najživljih ljetovališta na Jadranu i godinama se drže među najpoželjnijim hrvatskim destinacijama. Stara jezgra to i dalje čuva u kamenu: uske uličice, zelene škure na prozorima, barokna župna crkva Svetog Križa iz 1746. sa svojim zvonikom, stara crkvica Svetog Križa iz 1402. i Čorića kula, ostatak nekadašnjih utvrda. Iznad grada uzdiže se brdo Okit sa svetištem Gospe od Karmela i hodočasničkom stazom, čije je današnje zdanje potpisao Nikola Bašić, isti čovjek koji je Zadru dao Morske orgulje i Pozdrav suncu.

Vodice sits in a wide bay at the northwestern end of the Šibenik Channel, about ten kilometres from Šibenik and roughly an hour's drive from Split or Zadar. The town's name comes from the "small waters," the springs and wells once common here, and wells still stand in the centre today, kept alive by the custom of throwing coins in for luck. Once a fishing and farming settlement, Vodice turned in the second half of the twentieth century into one of the liveliest resorts on the Adriatic, and for years has remained among Croatia's most sought after destinations. The old town still keeps that history in stone: narrow streets, green shutters on the windows, the baroque parish church of the Holy Cross from 1746 with its bell tower, the old chapel of the Holy Cross from 1402, and Čorić Tower, a remnant of the former fortifications. Above the town rises Okit hill, home to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Carmel and a pilgrim path, its current building designed by Nikola Bašić, the same man behind Zadar's Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun.

No zvijezda Vodica je ipak plaža, i to sasvim opravdano. Mi smo izabrali Plavu plažu (Blue Beach), uz ulicu Blata, tek kilometar zapadno od centra, jednu od onih koje nose plavu zastavu, i to s razlogom. More je plitko i mirno, dno je spoj šljunka, sitnog pijeska i bijelih betonskih platoa, a hlad borove šume iza plaže dođe kao pravi poklon usred ljetnog dana. Idealno za obitelji, i to se vidjelo i po tome tko je sve ležao oko nas.

But the real star of Vodice is still the beach, and rightly so. We chose Blue Beach (Plava plaža), along Ulica Blata, just a kilometre west of the centre, one of those that flies a Blue Flag and earns it. The sea is shallow and calm, the seabed a mix of pebble, fine sand and white concrete platforms, and the shade from the pine forest behind the beach feels like a real gift in the middle of a summer day. Ideal for families, and it showed in who exactly was lying around us.

Šetnica koja prati obalu proteže se, čini se, u nedogled, sve do susjednog Tribunja, a uz nju se nižu ponude za pedaline, jet skije, vaterpolo, stolni tenis, odbojku na pijesku, fitness park na otvorenom i vodene tobogane za one s više energije od nas. Ležaljke i suncobrani stoje na iznajmljivanje gotovo na svakih dvadesetak metara. Obišli smo tako par barova uz samu plažu, okupali se koliko je trebalo da se rashladimo, a jesti smo sjeli u Markunu, gdje se, isto tako, pogled na more nije skidao sa stola.

The promenade tracing the coast seems to stretch on forever, all the way to neighbouring Tribunj, lined with offers for pedal boats, jet skis, water polo, table tennis, beach volleyball, an open air fitness park and water slides for anyone with more energy than us. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available for hire nearly every twenty metres. We made our way through a couple of bars right along the beach, swam just long enough to cool off, and sat down to eat at Markun, where, once again, the view of the sea never quite left the table.

Nakon svega, jedno je jasno: Vodice su grad koji zna kako se ljetuje. Jednom kad uđeš u njihov ritam, uz plažu, šetnicu i pokoji bar usput, teško te puštaju da odeš.

After all of it, one thing is clear: Vodice is a town that knows how summer is done. Once you fall into its rhythm, with the beach, the promenade and the odd bar along the way, it doesn't let you go easily.

Vodice na karti

Vodice on the map