We took a ride for about an hour to arrive at the city of Starigrad. It is past Seline where we go to the beach. Starigrad has its own beaches but we've not been to them yet. But I have heard about a very old cemetery that I wanted to see. Mirila is a place of rest for people from the 17th to the 20th centuries. When the people from the Velebit mountain passed away they were brought down by their loved ones to the foot of the mountain and by the sea where they could say goodbye to the sun. It was a strict custom that the pallbearers were permitted to lay the corpse down on the ground only once during the entire long and treacherous journey. At the designated spot, people would measure the body of the deceased. They used a flat stone tablet at the head as the headstone and another at the feet to match the exact height of the individual. The headstones were engraved with shallow, rustic carvings. These symbols represent a fascinating blend of ancient pagan beliefs and early Christianity; solar circles, crosses and human like figures. This was an interesting place for my sister and I.
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