As this is my blog, it would only seem only fair for me to write a first impression. As a kid I grew up both, in Zagreb and in Zadar, actually a small place called Preko (means across as it is literally across from Zadar, on the island Ugljan), appreciating benefits of growing up in the capital city but still preferring liberty of living in the house on the island. I fell in love with the sea and possibilities to have a pet in my garden or pick various flowers and plants that can be eaten or used as spices or to make tea. I felt deep connection to Zadar as it was the city of my ancestors who had to move to Zagreb during the Second World War. I was spending my preschool days carelessly with my grandma staying at the island as long as possible, waiting for my mom’s visits. I used to cry when we would leave for Zagreb, watching documentary TV show about the life by the sea I would shout “Take me home, to my island! I want to swim” and then listen to, at that point unbelievable, explanations how it’s winter even on the island and it’s not possible to actually swim. Think that was when I first implemented the idea of wanting to move back to Zadar. Of course, long years of education needed to pass, and years spent at the University in Zagreb I wouldn’t change for anything, nothing can measure with studying the thing you care for – in my case literature. Zagreb also provided for me the first encounter with work of a tourist guide. 
As Marc moved to Croatia following the principle of chasing the Sun, he quickly agreed that we should move to the seaside. As he saw Zadar for the first time, he fell in love with the place too, accusing me of hiding the fact that palm trees grow here (honestly, I completely forgot or misunderstood his question, and naively said no, there are no palm trees). Nothing can compare to his excitement of finding out his dream of living by the palm trees finally came true and improvements in lifestyle for our little Ekko. He is, believe it or not, afraid of the rain, and hates to be taken out when it’s rainy. With a lot more sunny days and a pine forest above the house – he gets better and long walks, even off the leash. He likes to swim, too. He is even better swimmer than Marc. We could say that even our Ekko fell in love with this city. So we decided to stay, for now.
Leonina