| Page Views: 5,168 Last Visit to Croatia: October, 2008 I Visit Here Frequently | Idyllic Croatia by TheWanderingCamel - last update: Sep 1, 2009 |
Could it be more beautiful?
do you wonder that since that we keep coming back to this loveliest of places?
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| Brac -looking down on Bol and across to Hvar |
|  | Dalmatia I had great memories of Croatia - time spent there in my salad days, driving from Italy to Greece with three friends and a crate of Spanish brandy in the boot, but that's another story. Then this beautiful country was part of Yugoslavia, now it's one of six nations that have gained their independence since the breakup of what was always a unhappily cobbled-together alliance of wary and untrusting neighbors. Thirty years and more later, the death of a dictator, a brutal war and now more than a decade of peaceful recovery find Croatia claiming its place as one of Europe's favourite holiday destinations.
On my first visit, we drove the full length of the coast from the Italian border to Dubrovnik then headed over the mountains of Montenegro (on horrendous roads and through some of the most stunning scenery you could possibly imagine) to Titograd (now Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro), north to Belgrade and eventually down to Greece. I've never forgotten that journey - the good and the bad - and always wanted to return to this beautiful country.
I finally made it - we won't count how many years later. There was no time to reprise the whole of that first visit (no Spanish brandy either), so we confined ourself to the Dalmatian coast (with a nod to that first mountain journey on a side trip into neighboring Montenegro).
Flying into Dubrovnik and out of Split, in between those two jewels of cities we found our way to lovely small towns and villages, gorgeous beaches, serenely beautiful churches and historic ruins on both the mainland and the island of Brac; we ate our way through daily rations of delicious fresh seafood, yummy icecream, cherries and apricots bursting with flavour; and drank lots of very drinkable wine, cold beer and local fruit brandies as we whiled away balmy evenings sitting out on balconies and restaurant terraces by picturesque small harbours. We also took side trips into Montenegro ( to the Gulf of Kotor) and Bosnia-Herzogovina ( to see the famous bridge at Mostar), both places well worth the detours.
As a holiday destination it really is hard to beat - and that's why we went back the following year - extending our visit to the gorgeous island of Hvar.
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| | This could become a habit 2008 saw us returning for our third visit in three years. This time we came via Sarajevo in neighboring Bosnia and Hercegovina. A marvellous train journey brought us down to the coast, then it was north to Split and across to Brac. Mid-October found almost all the tourists gone, the island blissfully quiet under still sunny skies. Once again, we settled into the easy pace of island life, each day beginning with a golden sunrise, and a lazy breakfast on a terrace with a splendid view across the Hvar channel. Long walks, short swims (autumn was advancing!), visiting friends, revisiting favourite places, discovering new ones - only a few days but each one a delight.
All too soon it was time to head for home, our flight from Dubrovnik giving us the opportunity to visit the beautiful lakes near Ploce (thanks Boris [VTer, croisbeauty], for the tip about them) and the little towns of Ston and Mali Ston.
And next year ... we're thinking - a springtime visit, Brac for sure, Zagreb maybe .....
leyle |
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 Comments for TheWanderingCamel about Croatia | | | | |
Trekki Sat Jul 18, 2009 08:55 UTC
Oh, lovely updates since I've read it (almost 3 years ago..). I love your off path tips and would like to see the salt industry remains on the other side of Adriatic Sea. Haha, funny story about half of Freemantle's Croatian assembling at Makarska :-) | Redang Sun May 10, 2009 16:57 UTC
Excellent page, I'll be there in less than 3 months! | Pawtuxet Thu Jan 29, 2009 13:15 UTC
Croatia is looking more and more appealing as I read more pages and see those sumptious coastal towns, red tiled roofs, stucco buildings... lazy sunshine days.... | jumpingnorman Thu Dec 18, 2008 15:23 UTC
I also like Saint Nicholas...and also St Therese and Bernadette...nice tip! Thanks for sharing, Camel...Norman :) Is there a saint assoicated with a camel??? |
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