By: Dumneazu

Korcula is as far south as we got in the Adriatic.Located within a day’s sail of Dubrovnik, it was the town that offered the best ferry connection back to Split. We moored in the town marina in the middle of a flotilla of Italian millionaires and their private yachts.

Korcula is yet another of the small Venetian walled cities that make up the Dalmatian coast, yet it plays its one tourist trump card full blast. Korcula claims to be the birth place of Marco Polo, the 15th century Venetian merchant traveller who visited China. Korcula’s claims are not holding water with histoprians very well, and are baqsed on the fact that some families on the island are named “Di Polo” even today. But a tourist trap needs bait, and Korcula dearly wants to be that trap.

Mind you, history has no actual record that Marco Polo was born here. He was a Venetian, and Venetians moved around a lot as traders within their own realm, which included Korcula. But Korcula needed a tourist draw, and so various houses were claimed as “Marco Polo’s Birth House” until finally a particular tower, located conveniently near the church, was designated the official Marco Polo House. Except that it dates from about two centuries after Polo was born.

Tourist trap or not, Korcula remains a pretty honest destinataion for hungry sailors and thousands of British and Australian tourists. Captain Squid and Mate Froggette, looking suitably tanned, await their langoustines.

Above is the pršut station at the Konoba Marco Polo. Dalmatia’s take on prosciutto, pršut is a ham served in transluscently thin slices and it beats all other pig meat to hell. Some of the best is made on the high, dry mountainsides that rim the Adriatic going up towrds Bosnia. One friend of Captain Squid in Split is a sailor who is essentially a vegetarian – except that the only meat he will eat is pršut. It’s that good. Croatian vegetarians make an exception for pršut.

Mussel soup.

Grilled Squid.

Black rissoto called crni rizot. This is prepared from cuttlefish, which is a bonier relative of the squid, and which also has a lot of deep black ink, which flavors the dish and dyes it a jet black. It looks disgusting, I know, but it may be one of the best seafood dishes on earth.

A five hour ferry ride (air conditioning!) brought us back to Split to catch our midnight sleeper train back to Budapest. After wandering around the Palace of Diocletian (the 4th century Roman Emporer best remembered for feeding early Roman Christians to the lions) we took dinner at our favorite Croatian Konoba – the almost invisible Fife’s. Located way down the northern end of the Split Riva, almost on the waterfront itself, Fife is informal, cheap, defiantly local, and possibly the best food in Split.

I won’t be posting much in the next week – I’ll be teaching and performing Klezmer music in Poland. When I get back there should be lots of pictures of klobasa and burek… but it sure ain’t the Adriatic.

Posted by dumneazu

http://www.horinca.blogspot.com/

More wonderful blogs about Croatia’s food and Adriatic coast, from the same author can be found here:

http://horinca.blogspot.com/search/label/croatia

 Home Away From Home
Sanja and her friend Jenn decided to take some time off from the work and all daily routines here in Edmonton, and travel the world for a while. I will publish blogs about their traveling adventures, so return to this site again to read more. They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

Family house in Kraljevec street (Zagreb)

Zagreb, Croatia July 17, 2010

We made it!

After a night in London wide awake wondering what the F** to do, we made it to the Luton airport ready to get to Croatia. We were in surprise as we made it through customs with nothing but a nod hello. Nothing like the London customs where they needed a pee sample.

Hello Croatia! I was so ready to say hello to my new home. Although I couldn’t even say hello but I felt like I was home.

We were not in any mood to take the big airport shuttle to downtown Zagreb, as it was +35 and the thought of crowding on a bus with about a hundred other sweaty people was not worth the 30$ we would have saved. So we used Sanja’s left over Euros from a previous vacation and hailed a cab. We had pretty much lost as many layers as we could, without sitting in the back seat with nothing but our under garments on.

Cathedral in Zagreb

As we drove through the city en route to Baka’s house, I noticed just how different everything was to me. Nothing looked anything like home. The streets were small and narrow, cute little details such as street signs, lamp posts, the patios full with people sipping their expressos and puffing on their 15th cigarette. The rail went right through the middle of the roads, the people filled the streets wearing nothing like the typical fashion we were so used to seeing. Just about everywhere I looked, totally different to what I was so used to seeing as I drove the streets of Edmonton. Unreal to someone who thought she had done much for travel. Well up until now, I had barely graced the surface of the world.

As I sat back and listened to Sanja speak in full Croatian to the taxi driver, finding it hard to not throw in the odd English word as she would with her parents at the dinner table, I started to panic. I didn’t know a word of the one language I was now surrounded by for the next few months. As Sanja turned and explained what she just said, I breathed a sign of relief, I was in Croatia with a Croatian, whew, I was going to be totally fine.

Our temporary home… street side

View from the back of the house

As we made our way to the house we now called home, it was almost a surreal feeling. We had made it. Yes, we were here. We actually did what we talked months about preparing for this exact moment. It was nothing like I had ever felt. I couldn’t ask Sanja what she was feeling as she was directing the taxi driver to the exact address I thought it might not be the appropriate time to have an in depth conversation about our big adventure and a totally new direction our lives were going just from this one trip.

Main entrance into the old house

We pulled up to the big house with the red brick roof. It was exactly how in looked in the pictures that hung on the Kahlina’s wall at home in Canada. It was very homey. Reminded me of my Gram’s place in Ontario. The house even smelled like my Gram’s. It was so neat that our families lived worlds apart yet they were so similar with the way their homes were set up. The little pictures hanging on the walls to the ornaments nicely organized on the coffee table. It was just perfect for the two of us for the next few months. We had left our families to explore the world but felt closer to them just by staying in this home.

We took a mini tour of the place, figured out which room we would have the pleasure of unloading our 140 lbs of items we squeezed into our poor luggage to get it here. It was like a department store, we couldn’t remember all the items we placed in out bags, as closer to our departure, we were taking things out to comply with the weight restrictions. We both couldn’t help but laugh as we unpacked yet another white tank top. Seriously, how many white tank tops did we need… apparently six! Yes, Zdenko, you were right, we didn’t need half of what we brought but we brought it anyway. Laughing away as we neatly placed everything in the cupboards and closets. We were set!

We were both extremely tired by this point that we just wanted to go right to bed, but once again, we didn’t think going to bed at 2 pm on a Friday night was he best solution. Instead we went to the local neighborhood store (or market as they are referred to here) and picked up the basics to get us threw till we could hit up a bigger market to stock the house.

St. Mark’s church in Zagreb

We literally didn’t do much for the rest of the day and night. Went for a nice walk around the downtown area just to get familiar with the city. It was still not sinking in that this was our home for the next few months. I must have looked completely confused when an outsider looked at me. Not understanding another language is frustrating. I was determined to figure out the basics of the language before I left though. I repeated that to Sanja as she tried once again to teach me how to pronounce the address we now lived at. Yep! Still can not say it… Kraljevec 9.

Day 2 started off great. We both rolled out of bed at 12:30 pm all upset that we missed going to the market in the downtown square. Since we now lived in a humid, overly hot climate, we had to make sure that we got majority of our outside activities done by noon otherwise we had to wait until the evening. The heat here is nothing like I have felt. I have been to Hawaii and Mexico multiple times but nothing was like the Croatia sun. Seriously, I was sweating just brushing my teeth.

Park in Zagreb with big trees

Horse nuts trees are everywhere

      The kitchen window and the box of good Cabernet Sauvignon wine!

July 20,2010

So it’s 8pm and we are sitting at a little table under the kitchen window, where the boxed wine is keeping us hydrated. It’s quite the life we have:) We spent all day in the garden, getting all the weeds out and trimming the overgrown plants. It’s a lot of work, that I didn’t think I would want to be doing, but turns out that we are both enjoying it very much. I just wish I could tell the difference between a weed and a plant. There was a lot of confusion as to which greens to remove and which to keep, but we somehow decided what would look best and went with it. So, sorry mom, if you come here next year and wonder where that wonderful plant went that you planted strategically in a special spot…..we may have mistaken it for a weed and killed it. I’ve never claimed to be much of a gardener, but at least we’re trying.

Somewhere in the vineyards of Zagorje region…

Time to finally enjoy our trip with good food and vine!

In the corn field

Anyway, the last few days have finally cooled off a bit, and it has been cloudy, so we spent most of the days outdoors. We couldn’t resist but to go out on Saturday night, so we dressed up and found ourselves a cute little caffe/bar on Tkalciceva street. We ordered our usual, red wine for Jenn, and my vodka with a new favorite, tonic water and lemon. I have a feeling we were the only ones consuming alcohol, as all you could see on everyone else’s tables were coka cola bottles. But at least we weren’t chain smoking like the rest of the crowd. After a few hours of people watching and chit chat, we headed home. Usually in Edmonton we would have stopped at the nearest Mcdonalds drive through on the way home, but here I think we have found something even better. Gelato!!!

icecream – Gelato – Sladoled

As you walk into any one of these wonderful ice cream stores you instantly get a feeling of being a kid in a candy store. There is at least 20 different flavors of ice cream spread out in front your eyes and it looks kind of like clouds of ice cream. Big tins filled with soft, creamy, delicious flavors of all sorts. And at 6 kunas ($1.25) per scoop, who could resist this heavenly treat. So we then strolled down to Britanski Trg where we got on the bus to Baka’s house. I think this was only my second time in my life taking public transport while a little under the influence, but it was quite fun.

Sasa and Iva with Sanja: they were wonderful hosts and guides

Sanja under “attack” by “Neanderthals” from Krapina (Zagorje)

Monday turned out to be quite a productive day, as we did most of our shopping for the week. And no, I don’t mean shoes and clothes, but food and market necessities. Fruits and veggies at the fresh outdoor market, groceries at the Konzum (the local store), and toiletries at DM. All this is located about a 20 minute walk from the house. So after that we went back and relaxed at home. In the evening we met for drinks with an old friend, Martina, and made plans to go to an island with her and her friends from August 11-15. How easily plans happen:) Martina also showed us where the English bookstore was located, and we spent about an hour there, picking out our next reading pleasures. Jenn’s picks are fun, mindless, entertaining books about sex and the city type of stuff. And I am apparently trying to be grown up and pick a few classics, like the count of Monte Cristo, which I’m sure will keep me occupied the entire 8 months as it is 1100 pages long. But at least we can say we are reading books, instead of watching TV.

Ivan i Durda our friends who live in Sydney

Wednesday night we were invited to a family friends house for dinner and of course home made desserts and wine. Mladen ensured that our wine glasses were never empty and the ladies just made us eat. After expressing how much we enjoyed the wine, Mladen explained that it was home made wine that he makes at his vineyard. So Jenn immediately expressed how she has always wanted to learn to make wine, and just like that we were invited to his vineyard in the fall for the harvesting and the making of the wine. And not just a few bottles, but apparently 800 Litres, of which I’m sure he could spare a few for us. Life couldn’t get any better than this but than again, we are only a week into our new adventurous selves.

To be continued…

 Cheers!!

By Zdenko Kahlina

Off The Beaten Path in Croatia – Island of Brac (Croatia).
The diamond is on your finger. It’s a beautiful ring, just as meaningful as the ceremony at which you got it. You’ll never forget that day.

Osibova Bay – near Milna 

The same can be said about island of Brac. On this island man and stone have lived and fought each other from time immemorial. Who knows where a small town of Milna is? Than I’m sure nobody ever heard about Osibova village, which is even smaller! The real diamond in the rough. Vera and I just returned from a glorious week in Osibova Bay on the island of Brac in Croatia. Here you will find unspoiled nature, calmness and crystal clear water.

Island of Brac, Croatia 

This summer our group of friends decided to replace usual vacationing spot in Losinj for something new and different. They picked island of Brac and small village of Milna. This was good decision, as we all had a great time there at a much lower cost. This is a story about our time spent there.

Osibova Bay – near Milna
The Osibova Bay is located about 2 km from the small town of Milna. This is only a 10 minute drive or 30 minute walk. Milna is full of great food, fresh fish to buy and small but adequate supermarkets to get all you need. A hire car is a must if you’re staying in this area because you don’t want to walk 2 km in the summer heat. We had a small Chevy Cruze, but it served us well. If you want to explore the island, which is highly recommended, you’ll need a car. All roads on the island are in good shape, just be careful if it rains. The roads than become very treacherous. In Milna you can also hire a boat to explore Brac or neighboring islands. 

Milna village and Osibova Bay 

The road from Milna is narrow, but pawed all the way to the village of Osibova, however last couple of hundred meters is a gravel road before you reach the villa. Our Šimić villa had parking for several cars and the owners offered additional parking in their garage. Here you will find unspoiled nature, calmness and crystal clear water, stone and secluded beaches or those gravel beaches, appropriate for children, are ideal for the perfect summer vacation.

Osibova Bay – crystal clear water 

We stayed there as a large group of 12 in the Šimić Villa, where we booked all four apartments. This was the best thing we ever did, because it was a great value compared to the other very large villas in the same village.

Osibova bay with villa Šimić

The small Gothic church of St. John (crkva svetog Ivana)
is on the other side of the bay. It can be reached by a walkway.  

Apartmani Šimić, Osibova
The house consists of three floors, with 4 apartments situated on the second and third floor. Single apartments can accommodate maximum 4 persons. The villa had all we needed with great outdoor seating on the patio and cooking facilities (grill) for such a large party. The bay is really stunning, only 50m away and loads of jetty’s to swim and snorkel off and the sea is crystal clear. There is a beautiful view of the bay from each balcony in villa.

villa Šimić in Osibova bay 

Access road to villa Šimić

We met the owners as soon as we arrived. Žarko and Dragica ŠIMIĆ really went out of their way to please their gests. Žarko likes to go fishing with his boat and he provided fresh fish or some other kind of seafood almost every day. One day Žarko caught big octopus and we all had octopus stew for dinner. Just several months ago, he caught big Tuna fish of 301 kg from his 5 meter boat! Sensational!!

Žarko  Šimić with his catch of the year!

Žarko  Šimić and his boat

My friend Mladen was an expert with the grill and we had a great grilled fish daily. The hosts also provided (for free) their own home made wine, both: red and white. What else did we need!? Oh, yes… I forgot about the beer. The nearest shop, restaurant, post office, and bank is about 2 km away in Milna. We brought beer (daily!) from Milna. Since every apartment had a fridge, we always had enough cold beer.

Spacious balconies overlooking the bay

Trail to the beach from villa

Spacious balconies on every level of the house guaranteed a wonderful view of the sea. The beach is very short distance from the house, and it is possible to swim at all sides of the bay. The weather was fantastic: sunny days, warm water and we had plenty of free time.

View from our balcony on Osibova Bay (east)

Grilled fish is almost ready and hungry group is waiting for food

Built in grill on the terrace and Mladen with his family at work

Grilled fish – Croatian way 

Cheers!! Živeli!

I have to say this Villa is not the Ritz, but it has got everything we needed. It is located on great location close to the sea and I would thoroughly recommend Apartments Šimić, in Osibova Bay to anyone. If you want a peaceful holiday, in an idyllic location, (and don’t mind a 10 minute drive along narrow road to get to a closest town with restaurants and shops) then the Osibova Bay is perfect! 

Aerobic on our private beach 

Cycling boys
The “boys” from our group went biking every single day. We were in good shape having just returned from visiting Tour de France and climbing one of the most known mountains in cycling world: Alpe d’Huez and Galibier. The only problem was heat and the 3 km hill right from Milna, which seems to be harder than Alpe d’Huez. Was it the wine or the heat? Once we got ourselves over the top of that hill, it was easer. The roads on the island of Brac are very interesting, with lots of ups and downs, narrow in the villages, but than wide open through the olive plantations. Recent major forest fire in this area has ravaged more than 9,000 acres of pine forest, olive trees and other plants. The firefighters worked hard and they saved all the houses and villages. The smell of burned trees and grass is still in the air, especially when you are on the bike like we were.

Ivan and Mladen described the hills on the island as tough

Road through village of Ložišća is very narrow 

In fact this would be true, if Ivan Čolig wouldn’t dictate a strong pace on the hills, so both of us could hardly endure his speed. When we were left behind him on the hill, he would latter wait for us at the top of the hill, and we would continue to ride together again and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the island. 

All roads around the island of Brac are very interesting, with lots of curves, climbs and descents. Road through the village of Ložišća is so narrow, only one way traffic is allowed and it is regulated by traffic lights. Outside the village road again becomes broad and beautiful. Recent major forest fire in the area, which has ravaged over 9,000 hectares of pine forests, olive trees and other plants, left a large footprint. Still visible is the efforts of firefighters, who worked hard and managed to save all houses. We did not see any house that was destroyed in the fire. The smell of burnt trees and the grass is still in the air, especially when riding a bicycle through the fire affected area as we did. 

Zdenko going through village Ložišća. Here he enjoyed the view of the famous church tower.

Recent major forest fire in the area left a large footprint

Going through the villages

We bike toured the western part of the island. On the path from Milna we passed through villages Bobovišća, Ložišća, Bol, Mirca, Supetar. In Supetar we turned up the hill (the hill again!), And drove all the way to Nerežišća, where we turned right for the Lower Humac, Dračevica and descended again into the village Ložišća. Here we enjoyed the view of the famous church tower which dominates the village. The tower was designed by sculptor Ivan Rendić, and belongs to the parish church which dates back to 1820 years. Ložišća has chosen its site in a very steep stone glade. The stone houses are strung one upon the other along the sloping lanes that stretch from the rather deep valley and reach to the top of the village. The stone, southern fronts are turned to the sun. They are filled with rows of little windows above the large cellar door….

Old stone houses are virtually on the road

These stone houses were recently restored

Oncewe passed through Ložišće and through Bobovišća we returned to Milna. The trail on the way back was much easier because it was mostly all downhill (except for the climb out from Supetar). The round was long somewhere around 60 km, which we covered in approximately 2 hours. I can’t even describe how we enjoyed our cold beer after such a ride. Who was once a cyclist, will know for sure…

In the evenings we usually went with the cars to Milna for a walk and ice cream treat. Milna harbor was full of beautiful foreign yachts, at which all the people from the shore cast envious glances. There were not too many tourists in Milna, but enough to get a sense that it was a full season.

Spend the day in Bol on Zlatni Rat

We reserved one day in a week for a drive to visit town of Bol, the most famous place  on the island, because of its beautiful beach Zlatni Rat. On the way to Bol we turned off the main road into a small forest road that leads to the top of Vidova Gora, the highest peak on the island of Brac. Its beauty is sure to attract your attention and you will be excited about coming to such a beautiful place on this island.

View of town Bol, from Vidova Gora

The only way to really see the ‘Golden Horn’ in Bol is from above – and one of the highest vantage points on the Adriatic islands is from Vidova Gora. There are two ways to get here – by road or by hiking. There is a konoba located at the summit. (Trivia – Winston Churchill’s son was killed on this mountain, while helping local soldiers).

‘Golden Horn’ in Bol viewed from Vidova Gora

Vidova Gora, which is also known as Mountain Vitus, is about 778 meters high. It is also the highest peak of all Croatian islands. It is built of several kinds of rocks and is an ideal place for adventure lovers. One side of the Vidova Gora is covered limestone, which is also very rocky and steep, and the other parts are low and covered with sand. 

Although it was preparing to rain when we reached the top, the clouds just opened for a few minutes for our group. The view from the top made us loose our breath and the view from the top of Vidova Gore was memorable; southern slopes of the mountains are incredible. I will remember this forever. Town of Bol and the most popular beach on Brac “Zlatni Rat” were below us as the images. From here we could even see the islands of central Dalmatia. We were able to enjoy the many landscapes and views of the island Hvar, Vis, and other surrounding islands. Vidova Gora can also be reached by hiking trails from Bol.

Our group on top of the mountain Vidova Gora 

After about half an hour enjoying the beautiful views from the top of the mountain, we went back to our cars are returned to the main road, so we continued driving towards Bol, still some twenty kilometers further away.

The walk along the water’s edge underneath pine trees

How to describe a place where because of the beauty of nature, place has a lot of tourists, everything is expensive and crowded. The walk from Bol meanders along the water’s edge underneath pine trees and takes about 30 minutes. The whole time we were surrounded by groups of people who were moving in the same direction.

The Horn is a triangular shaped, smooth pebble beach that juts out perpendicular from the coast (the only one in the world). You can either just sun-swim-sleep or partake in numerous water sports. The sound of the wind, the waves on the pebbles and the warm Adriatic sun lulled my friends and the two of us to sleep.

‘Golden Horn’ beach in Bol 

We posed for several pictures, rested on the beach a little from walking, and went back to our cars all the time thinking how lucky we are that we are located in Osibova bay, and not here.

The girls in our group (Đurđa, Sanja, Ljiljana, Dragica, Vera, Vikica, Evica, Petra, Blaženka and little Nika) 

Time to leave
A week on the island has quickly passed and it was time parting with the islands, but also with our friends, who extended their holidays for another week in Osibova bay. The conclusion was that everything nice, doesn’t last for long. I hope that we will be back in a few years… back in Osibova bay. 

Zdenko (Edmonton), Mladen (Zagreb) i Ivan (Sydney)

Cheers! Until next time!

By Dumneazu

The most touristy towns in Istria
After spending two days in Pula, we headed north along the Istrian coast by bus. Porec looked inviting – a beautiful Venetian old town occupying a small peninsula jutting into the Adriatic

POREC

Beautiful air view of Porec… 

We were warned it was something of a tourist magnet, which in these parts means crowds of aging fat Teutons and restaurants offering Bavarian sausages. We had a three hour layover to change buses, which was just about enough for Porec’ main sites: the old town and the amazing Euphrasian Basilica.

Begun in the 4th century, the Euphrasian Basicilica was completed during the sixth century, making it one seriously old bit of European real estate.

I have a soft spot for far flung bits of Byzantium, the remnants of late Roman era municipal spending projects that were just as often lost to some horde of Ostrogoths or Avars as soon as they were completed. The interior is remarkably well preserved, earning it a spot on the Unesco World Heritage list.

You can see the old town of Porec in an hour’s stroll… but it was hot and we had a bus to catch. At any cafe or bar, you can order lemonade, which usually comes unsweetened, and is just the thing for a hot afternoon waiting for the bus.

Just about every bakery offers burek, the Ottoman pan-Balkan savory pastry that is our breakfast of choice. Meat or cheese, burek is cheap and fast and damn good. Most Croatian towns have an immigrant community of Kosovo Albanians or Macedonian Turks who specialize in baking bureks. Budapest actually now has two burek bakeries run by a Croatian family who fled from Subotica in serbia after the Yugoslav civil wars.

NOVIGRAD

We had heard good things about Novigrad, a small fishing town on the coast just south of Umag. Novigrad is a bit off the beaten path, but it gets enough tourist traffic in the summer to support restaurants and seaside bars without the feeling that the town has surrendered its soul to the summering hordes.

After arriving at the bus station, we checked with a private tourist office next door, and soon 50 Euros got us a beautiful private apartment twenty meters away from the sea. Air conditioning! Kitchen! Satelite TV! Croatia regulates its tourist business carefully, so you can trust these apartment rentals for quality – the rate per person comes to the same as a dorm bed in a youth hostel. No contest…

Now, I am not the beachiest person on the block, but to be honest, the Istrian coast has pretty but uninviting beaches… rocky, stony, bring a pair of rubber beach shoes. At Novigrad, at least, the beach has a series of stone approaches and child friendly inner inlets protected from the open sea.

And nobody is ever far from a beer. I had my first beer in five months here… and probably my last beer for another five months. Actually, I dropped my low-carb diet while in Istria and was surprised that I didn’t blow up like a puffer fish in response to eating pasta and pizza after months of going without.

I mean, how can you say no to a seafood risotto like this? As far as restaurant dining is concerned, Istria is definately a dialect of Italian cuisine, and the Adriatic this far north is known for its slimey crawly sea bugs. Grilled sardines are an affordable specialty, but almost any other scaled fish will send you to a bank officer before the waitress arrives. The Adriatic, indeed, the entire Mediterranean sea, is slowly being fished out and supplies of white-fleshed fish are at an expensive premium. Seafood, however, is within reach of the average eater, perhaps in a risotto…

Or in a pasta dish, as in this seafood tagliatelle for two (20 Euros for a portion for two) at the Torci 18 Restaurant and (amazingly inexpensive) Hotel, which is open only for a few months a year during the tourist season. The owners started the meal by serving us a basket of bread with a small bowl of bright green olive oil for dipping. check out the olive oil in the pasta sauce. This oil has been rated one of the world’s top 100 olive oils and comes from 1000 trees in the family’s own orchard. the trees themselves were transplanted cultivars from Lecce, in southern Italy, but in Istria’s different soils and climate they produced lovely, rich flavored oil that could almost be a meal in itself. The next day I went to the farmer’s market and bought a liter to take home.

We followed this with a plate of fried squid. Kalamari are always plentiful and are usually grilled and doused with olive oil, or fried in a light coating of flour. The Croatian coast is a paradise for cephalopod lovers… octopus salads, cuttlefish risotto, or squids are on just about every menu. Apparently, the BBC says that squids are now the one species which is the most prevalent biomass of any living critter on earth. And they only live for 180 days. And they can comunicate by varying their skin color patterns and thus show signs of intelligence. And man, they taste gooood….

And then to the town square, where the cafes were all set up with wide screen televisions to watch the semi-finals of the European Cup soccer matches.

Posted by Dumneazu

http://www.horinca.blogspot.com/

More pictures from Istria can be found here:

[Istria, Croatia] – photo thread – SkyscraperCity

By Zdenko Kahlina

The Lim valley – protected area
One of Istria’s most dramatic natural phenomena, the Limski kanal drives a narrow 10 km-long sliver of sea straight into the heart of the peninsula. With densely forested cliffs – rising straight up to a height of 150 metres – and calm, green crystal-clear water below, those who never took in basic geography might well mistake it for a Scandinavian fjord.

  Panoramic view of Limski kanal 

Hollywood certainly banked on the fact. The Limski kanal was the main location used during the filming of The Long Ships, a 1963 film about jolly little Vikings off on their rape and pillage jaunts, and starring the rather Nordic Richard Widmark.  

  Limski kanal 

Richard left his mark here alright. A local family was so chuffed with Mr Widmark’s compliments on the cooking, they vowed to open their own restaurant. The happy result is Viking, one of Istria’s best fish restaurants sited directly at the water’s edge. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have world-class ingredients right on your doorstep. Limski kanal is feted for its oysters which, together with those from Ston in Dalmatia, are among the best you’ll ever find. 

As a protected area, sailing in the kanal is heavily restricted but you can take private guided boat trips from Rovinj.

There is no local public ferry service but private boats can be hired. Anton Crnec (098 254 990 mobile) offers five-hour day trips in summer, with a break for swimming in the kanal itself. The 230kn cost includes live music and refreshments. If you prefer to keep your feet on dry land, there’s a viewing platform by the main road.

Vrsar panorama

In its historical heyday, Vrsar was a highly influential and the seat of the Porec bishopric. The old town itself is perched on top of a high cliff with wonderful views across the bay and the Vrsar archipelago of 18 little islands – all is topped off by its 12th-century castle. Largely unspoiled, Vrsar’s Venetian-style architecture lines a maze of atmospheric narrow streets while down below are a large marina full of foreign yachts and a harbour where most of the town’s modern hotels are sited.

If you’d rather have a holiday au naturel then head for nearby Koversada, one of the world’s largest naturist colonies. With facilities for 15,000 residents, this self-contained holiday town is right on the beach and offers nudists all the facilities they could wish for. Popular with Dutch and German tourists, Istria has a long tradition of nudism but Koversada is the original and probably still the best such resort.

Much of the land surrounding the Limski kanal is under government protection as this large and unique tract of unspoiled land is home to a vast array of indigenous wildlife. One of Istria’s most important nature reserves is Palud Bird Sanctuary. To reach it, take the main road from Rovinj, heading for Bale, and then take the turning for Vestar. Palud is signposted.

In Roman times this marked the boundary between the Poreč and Pula regions – Lim is derived from limes, a Latin word meaning “border” or “limit”; later it became a favourite shelter of pirates, who used it as a base from which to attack the Venetians. An appealing local legend associates the kanal with pirate and adventurer Captain Morgan, who liked it so much he decided still to settle down here with his crew, founding the village of Mrgani (which exists 51km inland from the kanal) in the process.

Mussels and oysters are cultivated here – you can sample them, along with other fresh fish, in the Viking and Fjord restaurants, both expensive but highly rated by locals. If you’ve a car, you can get down to the northern side of the water (and the two restaurants) via the side-road which leaves the Rovinj-Porec route near the village of Kloštar. The best way to see the inlet, however, is by boat. Numerous excursions, often including a fish picnic or a lunch stop en route, are advertised on the quaysides of Rovonj,Vrsar and Porec; expect to pay around 150-180Kn for the trip. 

Occupying high ground near the mouth of the Limski kanal is VRSAR, a hilltop village curled tightly around a campanile-topped summit. It’s quieter than Rovinj and Porec, although there’s a marina and hotel on below. A kilometre south of town on the coast is one of the world’s ist colonies, Koversada. Established in 1960, this was the first of naturist communities, and is nowadays a self-contained mini-city 15,000 residents can dress as nature intended on a 24-hour basis.

Source Skyscrapercity portal

Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a bay of the Mediterranean Sea, separated by the Apennine Peninsula. TheAdriatic Sea got it’s name from an ancient port of the same name. It penetrates farthest into the European continent, giving it a great economic importance.

Old town Dubrovnik

The Croatian coast can be divided into Istria, Croatian Primorje and Kvarner (north of the island of Pag) and Dalmatia, which is south or the island of Pag. The northwestern Adriatic is shallow with a floor of sand and silt and depths generally under 100meters. The southeastern Adriatic is much deeper and makes up more than 90% of total volume. The largest island is Krk, known to its inhabitants as “the seventh continent,” and the largest peninsulas are Istria and Pelješac. The largest bay is the Gulf of Kvarner (many bays, channels and passages). The largest river that flows into the eastern Adriatic is the Neretva, and other Croatian rivers that empty into the Adriatic are the Mirna and Raša in Istria, and the Zrmanja, Krka and Cetina in Dalmatia.

Bol beach on the island Brac

Croatian coast – relief and nature
Croatian coast is large part of the eastern shore of Adriatic Sea. It cosist of the coastal part of Istrian Penisnula (Istra), Kvarner Gulf and Dalmatia (Dalmacija). Dalmatian coast spreads between the island of Rab in the northwest and Privlaka on the Croatian border with Montenegro, in the southeast. The main places along Croatian Coast are : Pula, Rijeka, Zadar,Sibenik , Split and Dubrovnik.

Only the angels know what it looks like in heaven… and all those who have seen Istria at least once!
 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Croatian Coast, which is generally bold and rocky and well known for its crystal clear sea water, consists of hundreds of islands, 66 of which are inhabited. The most popular islands along the coast are: Brijuni, Krk , Cres, Losinj, Rab, Pag, Dugi Otok, Kornati, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Mljet… The island of Cres is the largest island along the coast, slightly larger than nearby Krk.

Old Rovinj town in Istria

National park Kornati

Attractive Croatian coast
The Croatian coast is not attractive just because of its indentation, but also because of the uniqueness of the relief: the steep, carstic mountain ranges of Učka, Velebit, Dinara, Svilaja, Kozjak, Mosor and Biokovo rise above the green of the coast like a magnificent façade. Velebit, the highest and largest of them, spreads for 120 kilometres along the sea. That fantastic mountain, “the pride of the Croatian people,” causes both awe, because of its cruelty, and excitement, because of the diversity of natural beauty.

Cavtat near Dubrovnik

Cavtat near Dubrovnik

Islands of Croatia
Croatiahas more than thousand islands. All of them are dotted along Croatian coast of Adriatic Sea. Some of the islands are larger and inhabited, other are smaller and deserted. Croatian Islands are popular visitor’s destination and they are very well connected by various ferries – ideal for island hopping holiday.  At bellow map of Croatian Islands, we pointed to most popular Croatian Islands – please click on appropriate name on the map of Islands of Croatia to find out more info about particular island.

Island of Hvar

Beaches of Croatia
For many people a summer vacation means one thing – the beach. If you are determined beach-hunters, you’ve come to the right place. Croatia‘s main tourist attraction has always been its beaches. The Adriatic coast and islands are lined with amazing beaches, abounding in natural harbors, with its countless bays, ports and marinas.

Makarska Riviera – Brela beach

Croatia offers 1.778 kilometers (1.103 miles) of seaside and should you run out of the mainland, there are still over 1.000 islands to choose from (66 inhabited) with additional 4.012 kilometers (2.487 miles) of seaside. The beaches along Croatian coast are mostly pebble and rocky, while some of them are sandy. Croatian rivers joining the Adriatic sea from Croatian coast include Zrmanja, Krka, Cetina and Neretva.

Croatia-Beaches.com reveals best Croatian beaches in several categories. Hopefully you’ll find this site interesting and useful, and if you wonder how were this best lists made, read more in about the site.

Croatia – paradise

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Croatia‘s credentials as a sun-lover’s paradise are beyond question – indeed, this 2000km stretch of beaches, harbours and islands has been eastern Europe’s summer playground since the end of World War II. Yet one key advantage of this beautiful stretch of coastline is its sheer variety; if you do become tired of speculating whether the water is more turquoise or azure or if, God forbid, the weather should turn bad, there is plenty to see and do beyond the confines of your sun lounger.

Porec Istria

At any time of year you can take in the sights at any one of the numerous walled cities that stretch down this part of the Adriatic, not least of all the famed Dubrovnik in the country’s south, whose impressive fortifications helped the residents to survive attacks from raiders and enabled the trading outpost to become a powerful city-state back in the days when Venice was the economic capital of the world.

There are numerous ways to explore the Dalmatian coast, with its coastal towns and more than 1000 islands. Ferry and bus services operate frequently during the tourist season (May-September) and you’ll save if you buy a return ticket. Arrive at one of the island towns by ferry and you’re likely to find yourself immediately facing a throng of locals all eagerly offering to rent you an apartment.

The coastal road is breathtaking, particularly throughout the windy four-hour stretch between Split and Dubrovnik. Hewn into the side of vast mountains that overhang the Adriatic, the road’s hairpin turns and sheer cliff face offers dramatic views of the coastline’s startling ranges. The sheer size of the peaks – Croatia’s highest, Sveti Jure (1762m), is on the coastal road south of Split and opposite the island of Brac – dwarfs the quaint towns at their feet. If even the thought of taking this busy single carriageway is a little daunting, you might prefer the increasingly popular option of exploring the islands by sailboat. If you lease a boat and captain with a group it can be an affordable and idyllic way to travel, with your accommodation guaranteed.

On our visit, we hired a car in Split and mixed trips down along the coast with ferry rides out to the islands. First stop was Split, Croatia’s second city and a rapidly growing centre on the coast. Here we visited the palace of the original resort-lover, Roman Emperor Diocletian, who built himself a magnificent retirement home by the water in 295AD. We also took time to enjoy the al fresco culture at the ‘riva’ (harbourside promenade) which, with its numerous bars and cafés, has become the busy centre of social life.

Like many Mediterranean towns, tourism has become the sole reason for the existence of much of the Dalmatian coast. The sheer scale of tourism in these parts means the locals can seem brash when you first meet them, but any chance you have to go beyond a basic transaction and it’s soon obvious they are a warm, friendly people. The close connections these parts have with Australia and New Zealand means that if you’re from those countries, everyone you meet will soon be telling you about their daughter or nephew who’s now living Down Under.

Pula Istria

Split – Middle Dalmacia

From Split we take a ferry to the nearby island of Brac, which is renowned for its beaches and coastline activities. On the ferry we discover a pair of American women with more serious intentions that sunbathing. They’re keen to get their hands on a piece of the island’s famous marble, which was used to build Diocletian’s Palace and, more recently, the White House in Washington. We want some of the marble so we can put a curse on George W Bush,” one explains.

If you’re hoping to catch Goran Ivanisevic on holiday, or want to be seen, Zlatini Rat (Golden Cape), a remarkable shingle beach that juts straight out from the shoreline near the town of Bol, is the beach to be at. But if you prefer a little privacy, you can always head off for a hidden cove. The Dalmatian coast is dotted with villages, which were barely small fishing outposts 50 years ago, but have grown rapidly since. Large concrete block hotels on the mainland are reminders of communism, but the rivas are also packed with Italian-style restaurants and cafés. These towns experience two very distinct times of the year, the hot and sunny tourist season and the wet off-season when you’ll have no trouble finding a seat near the water.

No trip to the Croatian coast is complete without a day in Dubrovnik, the marvelous walled city at the southern tip of the country. The immense popularity of the old fortress means you’re likely to find cruise liners anchored off the coast and accompanying package tourists at almost any time of year. You’ll never entirely escape the hordes, but climb up onto the city walls and the crowds seem to melt away. The thick fortifications with their distinctive chesspiece-shaped fortresses on the corners show just how important architecture was to the cosmopolitan city-state, even in the midst of external threats. Within the walls are a series of church spires and a layer of identical red-tile roofs, unchanged in style over hundreds of years. The newer tiles are a subtle reminder of the damage sustained on the city during the 1991-92 siege of Dubrovnik.

National park Kornati

Beach near Pula – Istria

On our final night we take the ferry out to Hvar, and as dusk falls the elegant medieval town has a delightful vibrancy. The gentle light reveals every worn line of the limestone houses and cobblestone streets, like the friendly face of your favorite grandmother. Fishing boats sidle in the harbor while the gentle mix of cafés, restaurants and bars around the town square begin to fill. We strike up a conversation with the locals sitting at the next table, who insist we share some of their large plate of fish. “London, how can you live there?” one asks. “Such a big city, so crowded, so many people?” Sitting in what seems like the most romantic place on earth, I struggle to find a decent answer.”

Read more here. 

Krk Bridge 
Krk Bridge (Croatian: Krčki most) is a 1430 m long reinforced concrete arch bridge connecting the Croatian island of Krk to the mainland and carrying over a million vehicles per year. The longer of the bridge’s two arches is the second longest concrete arch in the world and among the longest arches of any construction. The bridge was completed and opened in 1980.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krk_bridge

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From The New York Times

Ivan Meštrović is responsible for a lot of public art in Croatia and this was one of my favorites, located in the square that was once carrying name of our Marshal Tito, in lower town Zagreb, next to the elegant Croatian National Theatre.

The Well of Life is characteristic of Meštrović’s early work. Discussions, more often than not, have spoken of the influences of Rodin and Impressionism, at least in terms of the sculpture’s stylistic qualities. Many of Meštrović’s early sculptures bear the impact, to varying degrees, of Rodin’s style. I loved the implied symbolism of the Well of Life: our dependence on water.

The figures in the Well of Life, all thirsting for the life giving waters, are marvellously interwoven, their forms orchestrated around the small well, their surfaces a delight in their tactile quality. Meštrović certainly had the work of Rodin in mind when creating his sculptural group. However, the composition itself suggests that he was not only familiar with, but was influenced by Hans Canon’s ceiling painting called The Circle of Life, painted in circa 1884-85, that is now in the Naturhistorishes Museum in Vienna. Although Meštrović did not borrow figures from Canon, the circular arrangement of figures of various ages are similarly placed like the interlocking links of a chain.

I also found out another interesting fact – that the well was designed / surrounded by a round wall in a way that it could not be easily seen from the street view. The reason why: the human figures positioned around the well are naked, so the wall was raised not to display their nudity to the people passing by on the street (but visible to ones who decided to approach it behind the wall!). When the sculpture was first introduced there were objections to the nudity.  The city buckled under pressure and a low wall has since surrounded the work.

His Well of Life of 1905 was exhibited in plaster form in 1905 in the Secession Building and cast in bronze in 1910.

It was later placed in front of the National Theatre in Zagreb. The Source of Life, dating from 1906, was placed in the City Park in Drniš in 1958. His international reputation was established during these early years through exhibition of his projected Kosovo Temple monument sculptures, a project that unfortunately, may never be realized.

Very enchanting sculpture with great symbolic value. Definitely a Mestrovic masterpiece!

In the fine arts of our time probably the most famous is the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962), who created masterpieces, many of which are dedicated to the history of his motherland. You can see them in the Mestrovic gallery in Split and in Croatian capital Zagreb. He also created

• the bust of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, New York (Croatia Place, Lackawanna),
• the grand “Monument of the Unknown Soldier” and “The Monument of Gratitude to France” in Belgrade,
• the beautiful Mausoleum of Petar Petrovic Njegos, Montenegrin poet and statesman (Lovcen in Montenegro),
• “The Well of Life” in Zagreb,
• “History of the Croats” (symbol of the University of Split), whose several copies are held in Croatia, while the original is in Belgrade (!), capital of the new Yugoslavia. He planned it to be situated in the “Museum of Croatian Antiquities” in Split. One expects the Serbs to return this important monument to Croatia.

His sculptures can be seen in London (Tate Gallery), Florence (in “Uffizi”), Torino, Rome, Prague (in Hradcany), Budapest, Chicago (Chicago Indians, Grand Central Park, see a postcard on the right from 1939 and two photos below), South Bend (Indiana, USA), Rochester (Minnesota, USA), Baton Rouge (Louisiana, USA) etc. He also carved a monument of the most outstanding Slovak writer Martin Kukucin (Matej Bencur) in Punta Arens (Patagonia, Argentina). Matej Bencur spent a part of his life in Croatia on the island of Brac and wrote a book about the life of the Croatian emigrants in South America.

Away We Go…
Sanja and her friend Jenn decided to take some time off from the work and all daily routines here in Edmonton, and travel the world for a while. I will publish blogs about their traveling adventures, so return to this site again to read more. They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

London: Before crossing the street… warning for tourists!

Travelers & bloggers: Sanja & Jenn

They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

London

July 14-16, 2010

We arrived in London separately. Both of us were still groggy from my muscle relaxants (I injured my back a few days before the trip). Since Sanja had arrived an hour prior to me, she was awaiting my arrival past customs.

Sanja seemed to get past customs no problem, yet myself, well lets just say I was lectured for 25 minutes on who the UK allows into he country “I am sorry Miss, but we are unlike Canada and their customs, we do not allow just anyone in”. I got off with a warning and was given 48 hours in the country. I am not sure if he was just giving me a hard time because I stated “unemployed” or that I had no idea where I was going.

Once we collected our 140 lbs in luggage (no, this is not a joke), we proceeded to the trains.  We had been advised the train system was tricky, so we wanted to give our selves plenty of time to get there without rushing. Since I was still injured from my back incident, poor Sanja was responsible for majority of the luggage handling throughout the airport. I must say, the airport wasn’t half as big as I thought it would be. We managed to get to the trains in less than 10 minutes from collecting our luggage, even with the luggage being delayed from being taken off the plane. We had time to rest before taking the train to Downtown London.

We were surprised when our train pulled up completely empty. As I was getting onto the train, I had the pleasure of the door shutting on me. Since I was unable to lift the luggage in time, I let go of my handle and watched the luggage fall toward Sanja. I gave a small wave to Sanja as she stood there in shock with all bags at her feet. I think we both had a mini panic attack.

Once we both realized the train was not going to leave either of us separated, we could both breathe.

We struggled to get on the train with all the bags. Sanja was getting yelled at by some man to get on the train, not even taking a look at all the bags she actually had to get on the train with. We did it though. We came to realize that we work very well under pressure. We rode the train to the last stop, London Victoria. We managed to get our luggage through the huge train station to hail a cab to our hotel.

We have been in disbelief on how not one person would assist us with any of our bags, not that we expected help, but an offer would have been polite. The cab driver didn’t even help us get everything into his cab, he just sat there waiting impatiently as we loaded all our stuff in his cab.

About 5 blocks later and 5 British pounds we were dropped outside our hotel.  Once again removing all our luggage on our own with no assistance from the cabbie. As we looked into the hotel we realized we booked a budget hotel, which didn’t have an elevator nor a bell boy. So once again, there we are struggling to get all our bags up the 2 flights of stairs. We laughed so hard when we tried to open the door to our room to realize the room might have been as big as most of our bathrooms back home. Once again, not joking. As we managed to fit ourselves and our bags into the room we sat in a numb state that yes, we had made it.

We found the nearest pub to our hotel and had some lunch. Familiar foods like nachos and grilled cheese/ham sandwiches. Can’t go wrong. As we were paying our bill we noticed the “snacks” on the bar counter – pickled olives, popcorn, mixed nuts and a scotched egg. (don’t ask).

Since we were both exhausted but didn’t think going to bed at 1 pm in the afternoon would be smart, we decided to go check out some sights. When I say some sights what I mean is one. We managed to make it to Buckingham Palace. I think because we were both so tired, we didn’t get too excited as we stood in front the Queen’s home. We snapped a few pictures and proceed back towards our hotel.

We made a pit stop for the basics, water and chocolate digestive cookies. Then headed straight to bed at 4 pm. We awoke at 10:30 pm well rested and ready to take on London, or at least that’s the idea we had for the first 20 minutes of waking.

As I sat here to type out this first excerpt I watched Sanja struggle to find a plug in to charge her camera battery. She sat there all confused that all our plugins were child proof but soon to realize she just was using the wrong adaptor. Yes people, she was using the typical standard European adaptor but London has their own 3 prong adaptor.

Now we are off to hit up London like originally planned. In true Canadian form – lululemons all the way!

Day 2 (July 15, 2010)

So, turns out, that a combination of muscle relaxants and jet lag is a bad idea. Day 2 started at 13:40 when I finally made myself sit up in bed, look at the time and say, “seriously Jenn, we need to get up”. We clearly missed the included breakfast at the hotel, so in search of a good breakfast place we went. Although, first stop needed to be an exchange office where they would assault our Canadian dollar once again. So, we randomly chose a direction to walk in

search of the nearest exchange office. After 30 minutes of strolling random london streets we finally came across a post office that was a little nicer in the exchange rate, than the previous day at Victoria underground station. Once we stuffed our pockets with the 60 GBP we were off in search of food. But, turns out we accidentally came across all the biggest sights London had to offer, such as Big Ben, the Parliament buildings, London eye, and a few large cathedrals. We kept walking and eventually got a little lost (although my inner compass was definitely guiding me in the right direction), so we stopped and asked for directions to Victoria station just to get our bearings. The guys completely pointed us in the wrong direction, but not to worry, we found our way anyway. We finally made it to an area that was familiar and grabbed a quick bite to eat in a very nice park at Buckingham Palace. Having walked for two hours straight we decided to sit down for a nice coffee and read our books. It turns out we both really enjoy not being on a schedule and having nothing to do. So after about an hour at the coffee shop we strolled back to our hotel to freshen up a bit before dinner.

We decided to treat ourselves with dinner, and by that I mean, actually sit down in a restaurant and order a meal. The sign outside this cute little italian place said “pizza and a glass of wine 10GBP”. So we thought that sounded great and took a seat. Well, one glass of wine turned into a few and of course couldn’t pass up dessert once we were a little tipsy, so our budget went out the door and a credit card came in handy.

So now, it’s 2AM, and we’re both wide awake thanks to our early afternoon wake up. We need to be on the bus to London Luton airport in two hours. I guess we won’t be needing that wake up call we asked for.

To be continued…

By: Zdenko Kahlina

After spending few days in Labin and Pula, we headed north along the Istrian coast. First stop was Fažana, small fishery town, settled amongst numerous pine woods and vineyards. Fažana lies opposite the Brijuni Islands, in the vicinity of Pula. It serves as a starting point for ships and shipping routes, mostly for the Brijuni islands.

Along the western Istrian coast there are several island groups among which the most interesting, the largest and most indented is the Brijuni island group with its 14 islands and islets covering and area of 7.42km².

When the Second World War ended in May 1945 a strong political hick hack erupted regarding the Zones ‘A’ & ‘B’ at the north-west corner of Istria. In 1949 Brioni alias Brijuni Archipelago was nominated the restricted zone and it became the seaside residence of Marshal Tito.

The war ruins on the Islands had been cleared and one had started the restoration and extention works of the whole infrastructure including communications and waterworks. The renovated hotel buildings and the rejuvenation of parks brought back the pleasantness pf staying on the Archipelago again. Two new large buildings were constructed on Veli Brijun western shore known as “White Villa” (1953) and “Brionka” (1957) for the State’s highly regarded guests.

The Yugoslav Government built a single-storey villa on the Vanga Island (Krasnica now) west of Veli Brijun Island for Marshal Tito’s personal use. On southern part of Vanga an orchard and a vineyard had been put up that contained an interesting wine cellar. During Tito’s times Vanga island was a strictly prohibited zone and not accessible to tourists at all.

The present day boundaries of the National Park were set in 1999 and comprise the land, the surrounding sea with the seabed and cover an area of 33.9km2. The length of the coastline of all the islands is 46.8 km. The most indented islands are Veliki Brijun (25.9km) and Mali Brijun (8.3km). The shores are mostly low and rocky but easily accessible due to the horizontal stratification of the rocks, and in some bays pebbles and sand can be found.

The National Park of Brijuni includes the following islands: Veliki Brijun, Mali Brijun, St. Mark, Gaz, Okrugljak, Supin, Supinić, Galija, Grunj, Vanga (Krasnica), Pusti (Madona), Vrsar, St. Jerome and Kozada. (Krasnica), Pusti (Madona), Vrsar, Sv.Jerolim i Kozada. Geologically and geo-morphologically Brijuni are the continuation of western Istria, the so-called “Red Istria”. Since the depth of the channel of Fažana is just 12m, Brijuni were until some 10,000 years ago an integral part of Istria.

Brionska maslina – najstarije živo biće u Hrvatskoj

The islands are made of horizontal or slightly inclined layers of limestone from the Cretaceous, on which in places there are layers of carbonated brown or red soil. The stone that belongs to that formation is white in colour, easily breakable, of marble structure and is abundant in clay and flint. Therefore it is very solid and is an excellent building material. Roman builders appreciated the listed qualities of these stones and it was used to build many towns on the Adriatic.

Climatically Brijuni are part of the northern Mediterranean type of climate and have all the qualities of the western Istrian coast with a relatively high value of dampness in the air (76%). The average yearly temperature is 13.9C, the precipitation average is 817mm, while the level of insolation is 2350 hours per year.

The main characteristic of the Brijuni archipelago is the extraordinary biological diversity given thanks to its geographical location, its geological base and geomorphology, its diversity of the habitat and its island isolation.

The natural biological diversity was enriched by men’s traditional husbandry. Veliki Brijun, as the largest island of the archipelago, which was cultivated into a harmonious landscape of meadows and parks, has along with the rich remnants of architectural heritage also the preserved vegetation types typical for the western Istrian climate. It is important to underline that the sea forms 80% of the protected area of the National Park and has almost all the elements of the marine eco-system of the Adriatic.

Flora

Another characteristic that makes Brijuni even more valuable in relation to other areas of this climate is its vegetation. On Veliki Brijun an extraordinary unity of natural elements and anthropogenesis has been achieved. By taking up the farmlands and by clearing the forests and transforming them into landscape parks with vast meadows, a unique landscape on the Croatian Adriatic coast has been created.

More pictures from Istria can be found here:

[Istria, Croatia] – photo thread – SkyscraperCity

Briuni home page:

http://www.brijuni.hr/en/Home.aspx?PageID=5

By: Dumneazu

We just got home from a jaunt over to Croatia. I’d been to Zagreb earlier this year, so I asked Captain Squid, my Croatian expert, for a suggestion on where else to travel. He popped the idea of a trip to Istria.

At first it sounded convenient – on the map it seems a lot closer than Dalmatia. But close is not close enough – between the train trip and the buses to get to our destination it was a grueling 18 hour trip. We took the overnight train to Rijeka, arriving at dawn, and then headed down the coast towards Pula, the regional capital of Istria.

Rijeka used to be the Austro-Hungarian city of Fiume, and Opatjia, located just north of Rijeka, was where the the rich and benobled spent their summers.

Yes, it is cute, in a Hapsburg way, but farther down the coast Istria reveals its Roman and Venetian history, and I have had enough of yellow Hapsburg houses for one year already. I was ready for something a bit older and more grand. Bring on the Roman colliseums!

Pula used to be the Roman town of Polla, and was later held by Venice, then by the Hapsburgs, the Italy, and finally Yugoslavia. People would wake up in the morning and look out the window to see what flag was flying that day to figure out what nationality they were that day. Istria was a part of Italy until after WWII. Between 1946 and 1953 thousands of Istrians left for Italy – not only Italians, but a lot of Slovenes and Croats to boot – and elsewhere when the peninsula became part of Yugoslavia.

Istrians still maintain a very strong regional identity as Istriani – whether they speak Italian (almost all Istrians do whether they are of Italian ethnicity or not, and most can manage English and German as well) or Croatian at home. It ticks off the Croatian nationalists – Istria consistently doesn’t vote for them, even though there is an 80% Croatian majority population – but Istria is kind of like Italy’s version of Transylvania.

While most of the Italians left – taking their vowels with them – there is still a strong sense of Italian culture. Especially in the cuisine.

Istrian cuisine is based on geography and the seasons – near the coast there is seafood, inland pasta and some of the world’s richest truffle hunting grounds. Truffle season is in the fall, though, so we made do with squid. Finned fish will cost you a pretty high price in Croatia, unless you buy smaller fish at the market and cook at home. No matter, since on a hot day some squids – always available and cheap – roasted with the classic Adriatic garnish of roast potato and swish chard blitva is just fine with me.

The fish market at Pula was tempting, but we have experienced cooking fish inside the small kitchens of rented tourist apartments. It reeks. It stinks up your clothes. It condemns the next innocant renters to fish aromas. Renting apartments is the way to go when traveling in Istria – we got very lucky and had great accomodations, but then you feel bad about leaving fish stench behind for the hosts to clean up. Of all the places we found, the unpretentiously named “Bulldog Fast Food” joint near our apartment offered the best squid plate and pljeskavica in Pula for well below tourist prices – and had a huge TV so we could watch the Euro Cup semi-finals outdoors in their garden (located between the Bus Station and Coliseum.)

Lidia Bastianich, the celebrated Italian chef and cookbook author, was born in Pula and left with the Istrian Italian diaspora as a young girl, settling in New York city and marrying fellow Istriani Felix Bastianich. Her main contibution to the American approach to Italian cooking was to tell Americans to stop opening cans of Chef Boy-ar-di and to look out for fresh seasonal produce at the market. Which, in America, is not actually possible, because almost nothing is really seasonal in the States, although everything is always available in cloned plastic facsimile with natural organic flavor added. The Pula vegetable market, however, is definately seasonal – we are past blitva season and too early for truffles – and is housed next to a huge indoor fish and meat market. The top floors of the market (Trg – oh, how we miss vowels!) are all cafes and restaurants, which are heartily recommended if you can speak enough bad Croatian to impress the chefs at 10:30 pm with your Euro Football cup knowledge. Remembering that we are still, techinically ,in the Balkans, I ordered cevapcici. When in Rome, act like a Yugo…

The chef/owner ran over to demonstrate the proper method of attacking his humoungous cevapcici plate (rip up the bread, which merely serves to keep cevap warm, dip in red pepper ajvar sauce, and eat cevap with fingers,) expressed surprise in our ability to speak a bastard hybrid of Macedonian and Croatian (with far too many accidental vowel sounds) and tried out his gastarbeiter German on us. Astonished that we could actually communicate in some detail – “The Turkish goalie. Very Good! Most Beloved! Yes! He father his from Tetovo!” – he ended up offering us several rounds of free slivovitz. Perhaps more than several. Actually, quite a lot. Ahh, the Balkans. Paradise with landmines.

The classic Istrian pasta dish is fuzi, which is the local Venetian dialect for fusilli, and is essentialy a tube pasta rolled on a stick. Served with Istrian gulash (veal and light paprika sauce) it is a lot like what I tend to cook at home two days a week in the winter. Stew with mac. Just as in Dalmatia, there is always something non-fishy to serve the fishing boat crews who come back to port and don’t want to see another damned fish on the plate for dinner. Luckily it wasn’t too hot while we were in Pula… the old town buildings reminded you that you were, essentially, in a suburb of medeival Venice…

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More pictures from Istria can be found here:

[Istria, Croatia] – photo thread – SkyscraperCity