In this video I’ll show you around the Croatian city of Nin. It’s said to be the oldest Croatian royal city and boasts the smallest cathedral in the world among other great tourist attractions. So, let’s check it out! Nin is located 18km from Zadar main bus station where you can catch regular buses to the city, although less frequent on a weekend. The city has two parts, the old town, situated on an artificial island said to be in the shape of a heart, kinda, maybe, stretching it a bit.… but it has become known as the city of love. The other parts of Nin are on the mainland here and here, and there’s large salt fields between the two, with a salt factory and museum - I’ll get to that later on. We arrived by bus which drops you off here. It’s then just a short walk down this road to the old town. By the way, we had pizza here and would definitely recommend it if you’re hungry. Anyway, let’s get on with visiting Nin. Greeting you as you approach one of the two pedestrian bridges into the old town is a statue to Duke Branimir credited with ruling the first state of Croatia after it was created right here in Nin. We cross the south bridge where you can find a replica of the Condura Croatica. It’s an 11th century boat that was found in the lagoon. It’s now preserved in the Museum of Nin Antiquites. You can’t fail to see the historic Town Gate, so let’s pass through and enter into Nin old town. Along the Main Street you’ll find the Church of St. Anselmo in the centre of Nin. Originally built in the 6th century, Nin’s troubled past saw it being damaged many times over the years, with its current form being from the 18th century. Its striking bell tower dominates the city and its many bells ring loud at mid day! Close by is a statue to Bishop Grgur Ninski, head of the church in Nin around the year 900, and this meant head of the church across the whole of Croatia. He was a great advocate of the old Slavonic language and national script. We saw a much larger statue of the bishop when we visited Split, but never the less it’s great to see Gregory again in his wizard like pose. Just round the corner is the Church of the Holy Cross, built in the 9th century, in the Early Christian period. As mentioned, it’s the smallest cathedral It is the only religious object in Nin which has remained untouched since its construction. Of course, the Romans were here in the past, and the remains of this Roman temple is our next stop. This is the biggest temple on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea with a length of 33 meters. It dates from the second half of the 1st century. There’s no entrance fee, and you can climb all over the stones which we thought was quite surprising really considering its significance. There’s also the remains of a large Roman House close by that features a rare mosaic floor dating from the 2nd century. The simple Church of St. Ambrose in its Romanesque-Gothic style sits close to the upper city gate. This leads you across another footbridge out of the old town and towards the salt museum. Here you can find out about the production of salt and of course buy some of it in the gift shop. We weren’t so bothered about this museum so went back into the town to enjoy the beautiful views. Support me on Patreon! : https://www.patreon.com/TravellingTourist Share a coffee : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TravelTourist #travel #touristattraction #tourism #touristplace #touristspot #traveltips #traveltipsandhacks #travelvlog #holiday #holidayseason #holidaysineurope #holidays #croatia #croatiatravel #croatiafullofmagic #croatia2023 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNFXJ9mBBuE

Exploring the remarkable landscape of the former St. Ninian's Open-Cast coal mine in Fife, Scotland. Find out about the history of this area, it's connections with Sir Sean Connery and the Scottish village that was abandoned and then destroyed by the St Ninian's Open-Cast coal mine. Learn about coal mining in Scotland and it's effect on the landscape, and how this once eye sore has now been transformed into a wonderful grassland walking parkland with nature to discover. Within easy access from Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland, this is a wonderful destination for a great day out where you can enjoy hiking, cycling or relaxing. Support me on Patreon! : https://www.patreon.com/TravellingTourist Share a coffee : https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TravelTourist #travel #touristattraction #tourism #touristplace #touristspot #travelvlog #holidaysineurope #holidays #scotland #scotlandtourism #scottish #scottishhistory #jamesbond #seanconnery #fife https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fife-stirling/st-ninians-loch-fitty.shtml https://sobt.co.uk/walk-st-ninians-fife/ Fife Council Buses STOP CODE: 34325858 Just north of Dunfermline in the heart of Scotland there is an unusual public parkland that is a wonderful place to explore. Hidden here is a story of a lost village, a connection with James Bond, and a mine that consumed it all. Today this peaceful landscape full of wildlife and great walking paths, hides a very different past. This is the sight of the once unmissable Saint Ninian’s open-cast coal mine. Evidence of coal workings remains scared across the landscape and coal can still be easily found across the surface to this day. It was as far back as 1859 that coal mining began here. Workers were provided with a number of houses nearby, becoming known as Old Rows. As mining activity increased, this row of houses was joined by two more, and together they formed a new village. It was given the name Lasodee and continued to grow in size, with a school, a church, a post office and even a brass band, and football team. As a young boy, Sean Connery is known to have gone to Lassodie often to visit his grandparents Neil and Helen McLean. Sir Sean was son to Joseph Connery and Effie McLean and Effie’s brother Neil Mathieson was one of four people from Lassodie killed in the Second World War. His name is inscribed on the Lassodie War Memorial which you can find close to the car park. More on that later. The original mining activity was in decline though, and in the 1920s and 1930s, strikes and rising costs increased the decline. By 1931, constant flooding of the mines forced their closure. Without employment in the town, residents began to move out, until the village fell into ruin. Yet in the 1960s, mining returned to the area when open cast coal mining began. This dramatically changed the landscape, and consumed all trace of the ruins of Lassodie. Mining continued here till late 1990s and since then, work has continued here to landscape the entire area and transform it into the wildlife rich parkland that’s free to visit. The site offers a number of unusual features. Here we see a causeway of hewn rocks, with one solitary stone engraved with Danzig and Gdańsk. Why? Don’t know! Perhaps a reminder of the strong trade connections with the Polish city? And close by, another stone engraved with a French proverb that translates as “Proud like a Scot”. Perhaps a reference to the old alliance between Scotland and France? Don’t know! We had a great time exploring this area and enjoying the wildlife and unusual landscape. If you’re interested in visiting too this is a short drive from the M90 motorway junction 4 and there’s a small car park near by. You can also get here by bus. You get off at Lochfitty Memorial that we mentioned earlier. But, check the bus times, they don’t run that often! Images by drobotdean on Freepik ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFmllvAYcKo