Capital of Croatia Zagreb

Posted on 14/02/2025 by ainarsbl

This is one of blogs concluding our experiences of traveling to Croatia in the summer of 2022. There is also something else to write about. I have written this year about such wonderful places in Dalmatia as Split, Omis, Grebastica, Sevid, Rogiznica and Primosten. Some time ago I also wrote about Dubrovnik and Dalmatia.

Before that, we were in Zagreb quite a long time ago, but it is the place where our great interest in Croatia began, when we drove there with our car from Riga. So this is very good reason to end where it all began. In addition, the city has many places for tourists to see and exciting entertainment opportunities can also be found.

About Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia with a population of less than 800 thousand people. Zagreb is the largest city in Croatia. City’s surroundings have been inhabited since the time of the Romans, but the city was founded in 1242, when the Tatars arrived in the region. The king took refuge in the city from the invaders and in gratitude allowed it to maintain its judicial system and granted other benefits.

Some numbers about Croatia purely for information, so that it is clear what we are talking about. Croatia has a total of around four million inhabitants, of which around 90% are Croats. The population has decreased significantly over the last 10 years, mostly due to emigration (many are looking for a better life in European Union countries or Switzerland).

About Croatia

The territory of Croatia is 56.5 thousand square kilometres, comparable to Latvia or Lithuania. Interestingly, in terms of GDP per capita, Croatia ranks around no. 70 in the world, but around no. 50 in purchasing power, which means that prices there are still not insanely high (thanks to the tourism industry, Croatia has never been at cheapest end).
Zagreb has an interesting climate in some ways. Something between sea climate (it rains a lot, foggy in autumn) and continental (there are four real seasons). For a couple of weeks in summer, the temperature can be above +30 degrees, but in winter, it will snow for a month and low temperatures in minus degrees will not surprise anyone.

Getting there

Zagreb is one of the European cities worth flying to just to spend a weekend. Zagreb airport is only about 15 kilometres from the city and there are different options for getting from the airport to the city and back – a special airport transfer bus (a ticket costs less than 5 euros), a regular shuttle bus (it’s slower, but cheaper – it takes about 40 minutes to get to the city) and taxi (prices are relatively not high). The airport is also not overcrowded, as it handles well under 5 million passengers a year.

As in a big city, Zagreb is the centre of the country’s economy and finances, and it is also a significant transport hub. From Zagreb you can easily get to other places both in Croatia and beyond. It should be noted that Zagreb is relatively far from the sea (it is at least 150 kilometres by road), so many Croatians have summer houses near the Adriatic Sea, where they go to spend their summer vacation.

I just realized that I intended to write a story about something completely different – Zagreb as a gateway to the rest of Croatia and especially to the Adriatic coast.

If you arrive in Zagreb by car or fly in, the city has a wide range of accommodation options. Of course, if you drive your own car, it is possible to find something located on the outskirts of the city, but at a lower price. On the Internet, you can choose from nearly 500 different types of accommodation during the winter season, the prices of which vary between 30 and 600 euros per night for two persons. If you’re lucky, you can even find a simple two-bed apartment in the city centre for as little as 40 euros.

One thing must be noted – as I have already written about Croatia, hotels must be booked well in advance for a stay during the summer season. Otherwise, you may simply not get an accommodation.

Grebastica in Croatia

Posted on 15/12/2024 by ainarsbl

Dalmatian town Grebastica

Grebastica is a small town or more precisely a town-type village by the sea some 15 kilometres from Croatian town Sibenik.

When it comes to Croatia, in general, especially about Dalmatia, most of the seaside settlements are villages, but the impression that it could be a city. It’s because the houses are very close to each other and these villages have relatively good infrastructure to serve tourists. They usually have several small shops and a lot of bars, restaurants and cafes located along the seaside. They also have many private hotels, some larger but a lot of small ones.

Grebastica is quite well-known tourist destination because of the sunny weather, the clean sea, which is actually a bay, and its beaches. The beaches, of course, as in most of Croatia, are with small stones but not rocky in Grebastica.

It should also be noted that this place is especially attractive to Germans, Swiss and Austrians and you will hear a lot of German language around.

Our final destination for this trip was even more remote seaside village of Sevid, but for all the above reasons we decided to spend a couple of nights in Grebastica. It is located on the way to Sevid as we arrived at Zadar airport. Grebastica is located about 60 kilometres from Zadar, so we were able to see many beautiful scenes on the way.

Getting there

Getting there is very easy. There is practically only one main road D8 along the coast and the main thing is not to miss the right turn. Actually, driving on the D8 is very slow. In rare parts you can drive at 80-90 kilometres per hour, but mostly all the time there are speed limits of 50, 40 and even 30 kilometres per hour, even in places where there is no apparent reason for it. In addition, speed limits tend to change every half a kilometre, so it requires additional attention all the time.

Speed cameras are often installed on the roadside, which makes driving even more nervous. In addition, Croatians have a habit of driving very close to the next car, no matter what speed you drive, and you can’t really enjoy the surrounding views without stopping. It must be said that there are quite a few places to stop on the side of the road and the uncomfortable driving is forgotten practically at the moment you reach your destination by the sea.

We had already booked apartments at Apartments Holidays Roko many months in advance. If you ever think of driving to this hotel, be aware that the hotel is marked in the wrong place on Google maps. This is not uncommon in Croatia, but the owners are usually very responsive and give all directions on how to get to their place.

Arrival

Our arrival coincided with the very beginning of the hot season, so if you want to find a good accommodation, it is practically impossible to do it a month in advance. Regardless of how much you are willing to pay for it – there are simply no vacancies.

Just being curious, we checked when this hotel would have free rooms and it turned out that it is only in November (we were in Grebastica in the middle of June). That’s a reason you need to plan all these things very early. We do it usually before or at least around New Year.

Accommodation in Grebastica

The owner welcomed us with white wine. He immediately understood that we needed wine after the exhausting journey (he didn’t ask to pay for it, it was complementary, although it’s a common thing in Croatia). When we had finished with the wine, we went to our apartments, the host showed around everything we needed.

The apartment was very good. Clean, renovated to the best standards (the house didn’t look new from the outside, but the interiors, including the staircase and corridors, were posh). Spacious bathroom, bedroom, large dining room with kitchenette and a terrace with sea view.

Food and joy

Since we liked everything very much, we also decided to go to the owner’s small restaurant for dinner; the restaurant is located on the other side of the street by the water. That’s another common thing in Croatia. We were not disappointed with our choice at all. Menu was with huge choice national dishes, fried and grilled seafood and many other things. The prices were good for what we ate.

Before our arrival, the weather was windy with thunderstorms, so the water in the sea was quite cold, even though we went there for a swim on the first day. For the next day we had originally planned to drive around the nearby area, but when the host showed us the pool on the roof terrace of the hotel, we quickly made the decision to stay. To relax on the roof terrace, sunbathing and soaking in the pool. It was planned to go to Sevid on the next day.

Split in Croatia

Posted on 08/12/2024 by ainarsbl

Dalmatian city Split

Split is the second largest city in Croatia and you can see it from far away as you approach the city. It is also the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest Croatian city on the Adriatic coast.

The city has become popular with tourists, especially in recent years after episodes of the well-known TV series ‘Game of Thrones’ were filmed in the city.
Split was founded by the Greeks several centuries before Christ, but a Roman imperial palace was built in the city already a few centuries AD. Around the middle of the first millennium AD, Split became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia.

In the following period, the city passed from the Byzantines to Venetians, but also existed as an independent city-state, so its cultural heritage is impressive.

Today, more than 160 thousand inhabitants live in Split, but together with the suburbs, the number of inhabitants reaches almost 350 thousand.

Places to see

Most of the sights are located in the old town near the seashore. The most important objects are Diocletian’s Palace, Cathedral of Saint Domnius, Fruit square, Temple of Jupiter, Golden gate (Porta Aurea) and of course the harbour promenade with a view to many passengers ferries and cruise ships.

It should be taken into account that there are strange smells near the sea – something like hydrogen sulphide. I don’t know if they occur naturally or as a result of human activity. However, these smells can only be felt near the water at the beginning of the promenade.

If you are traveling by car, there are parking lots in the old town, although finding free spaces during the tourist season may not be easy.

We were in Split in the middle of June, which is the very beginning of the tourist season in Croatia. We were lucky because we could drive up to the promenade and leave the car in the small parking lot of the promenade (Parkiralište Sveti Frane, Riva Solurat ul. 5, 21000). After a couple of hours of walking around the old town, there were no more free spaces in the parking lot and cars were queuing up to enter (it was around nine in the evening). A parking space costs a few euros per hour and payment can be made without problems with a bank card right there at the exit.

What else to see around?

As it is common in various tourist destinations, people are able to figure out surprising things. For example, while walking around the old town, we saw a Christmas shop that offers Christmas tree decorations and other related things even in the middle of summer.

I already mentioned the Games of Thrones; a whole museum is dedicated to them – the Game of Thrones Split Museum.

It should be noted that the city is active both day and night. This is due to both tourists and the fact that Croatians have this way of lifestyle. As in the hot southern countries, people become more active around sunset, when the air temperature is much more pleasant – around and slightly above +20 degrees Celsius.

The old town has a large number of cafes and the food on offer, especially seafood, is tasty and of good quality. Also, the ice cream is similar to real Italian ice cream.

Another interesting thing – if you are staying in the city and have to wait until the plane departure in the evening, or you have just arrived there with your suitcases, there are many luggage storage facilities in the city where you can leave your belongings for a small fee. It makes life much easier as you do not have to carry your luggage through the narrow streets of the old town. A little thing, but make life more enjoyable.

My favourite place was probably Fruit Square, because there is enough space, even though there are many people. Musicians often perform there, you can buy delicious ice cream and you can find a place to sit down. It is also located practically on the promenade – you don’t have to wander anywhere far to find it.

The second most interesting object for me was the Temple of Jupiter. Relatively, a very small but very old building and a restaurant is hidden on its side down the stairs serving food in a special atmosphere.

Sevid in Dalmatia

Posted on 01/12/2024 by ainarsbl

Sevid was our destination for a summer vacation on the Adriatic coast in Croatia. I already wrote before that we arrived at Zadar airport and spent a couple of days in a small town Grebastica and on the way to Sevid we stopped in Dalmatian town Primosten.

Sevid is great place for quiet vacation, the nearest town with an active tourist life is Trogir, which is about 20 kilometres away. The beaches of Sevid, of course, have many people like everywhere else in Croatia, but they are not overcrowded. People go there with their private cars, because the village is located a short but not walking distance from the D8 road, there is no motorway nearby, and it is difficult or even impossible for tourist buses to pass through narrow local roads.

Another peculiarity, why there are no bigger hotels in Sevid is that the village does not have a central water supply. Houses use their own boreholes for water, but in many places water is even supplied by vehicles in water tanks. We lived in a villa that had its own well, but the landlady suggested that it is better to buy drinking water in a store – just in case to be on safe side.
In the part of the village located by the sea, there is one shop, one pizzeria and one (expensive) restaurant. It is not much, but it is quite enough if you have your own transport to go to the city when necessary. We had already bought everything important on the way to Sevid stopping in Šibenik, where there are large shopping centres and you can buy practically everything you need.

Sibenik is located 45 kilometres from Sevid, the journey takes less than an hour. The city is interesting with a rich cultural heritage, episodes of the Game of Thrones series were also filmed there. If you’re around, Sibenik is worth a stop.

The small villages have another good thing – every morning, local bakery products are delivered near to your doorstep, so we could eat freshly baked croissants and other similar products for breakfast.

Roadside restaurants

From time to time we also went to explore the surrounding area. One of the most interesting things seemed to be the large grill ovens at the roadside restaurants.

Every morning a lamb, piglet, or goat is impaled on one or more skewers, well-roasted for lunch, and offered to passing riders. During holiday season it is better to book a table in advance, because there are a lot of people who want to eat. It is interesting that meat is not sold in portions but in kilograms. For example, order a kilogram for three people and in addition order portions of side dishes.

It is also possible to order meat to take away, what we also did, so that we did not have to prepare lunch ourselves.

On weekdays, only pork is usually offered, but lamb is roasted on weekends. It must be said that all kinds of meets were very tasty – they really know how to roast it. The chefs said that they do not raise livestock themselves, but buy from farmers in nearby mountain villages.

Boat hire

If you are at the sea, one of the options difficult and even unwise to give up is a trip to the sea by hired boat.

We found a phone number right on the beach board advertising where you can rent a boat and called that number. We agreed that we will take the boat for half a day, which also means half the price. The deal was agreed and the next morning around ten we were already sitting in our motorboat.

Traveling by boat has one major benefit – you can drop anchor almost anywhere near the shore and swim. No need to worry about the sea urchins that are common on the rocky beaches of Croatia (for this reason, we always used the water slippers we brought, which protect quite well from accidental injuries).

We also decided to go out into the open sea and went to the nearby island. We found a nice beach there and had a great time before heading back.

Looking at the map, we travelled only about six kilometres all together, but it felt much more. Swaying in the waves of the sea and humming from the cargo ship, whose path we would had to cross was fun.

It should also be mentioned that the locals left a very pleasant impression. Returning home I noticed that I had left a pair of sunglasses with a relatively large amount of money on the boat. When we slowly went back to the villa, the guy with the scooter caught us up and returned the left property – many thanks to him for that!

Croatian towns Rogoznica and Primosten

Posted on 24/11/2024 by ainarsbl

The city beach is considered one of the ten best beaches (depending on source) in Croatia and even has stationary sun umbrellas for holidaymakers (such thing is not very common in Croatia). The surrounding region is famous for its wine, and there is a vineyard right near the town. which is even included in the UNESCO world cultural heritage list.

Just outside the city on the other side of the bay is another interesting sight, the statue of Our Lady of Loreto, which can be seen from the city if you have climbed to a higher place. We did climb on the hill of St. George’s Church and saw the statue from there.
Walking around the town was nice, especially the part of it that is on the island. There are many cafes, restaurants and small shops – as usual in a real resort town.

Statue of Our Lady of Loreto

Lady Loreto is associated with Catholicism, it is a statue of the Virgin Mary that was found in a holy house, but not about religion here. The drive to the statue on a rocky road was interesting, the statue itself was quite impressive, but the best view around was from the very top of the hill where the statue is located.

The weather was brutally hot when we got there, but fortunately there is also a bar with shady space and you can buy ice cream there (I find the name a bit funny – Madonna’s bar and shop). It is really up to you how much time to spend there and observe the surrounding landscape. There is a good (asphalted) free parking lot next to the object. From there there are a couple of hundreds of metres to climb to the statue.

Rogoznica and fish

We drove to Rogoznica next day after arriving to Sevid. That is another small town by the sea, however the purpose of our trip was very practical this time – to buy some seafood for lunch and dinner.

In the centre of the city there is a market where both agricultural products and seafood are sold. We were unlucky because the seafood season had not started in mid-June, so all the fish stalls were completely empty.

Locals told that something might arrive in the market in a week’s or two time.

We didn’t bother much and took the opportunity to at least buy local tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries and other tasty things.

We had researched before that there must be a fish farm in the nearby area where seabass and similar fish are grown. Without thinking much, we went to the other side of the peninsula to ‘catch fish’ ourselves. The farm is called Klismar ribogojilište Zečevo, I can only guess that it is something about catching fish.

The ride was quite extreme. One lane that can be used in both directions, the road is rocky and unpaved, not to mention the bends, serpentines and steep slopes. And all this within just a few kilometres drive. However, this event turned out to be a complete success.

When we arrived, we found a shed where a couple of local individuals were staying with some fish boxes in the stall. The fish were very fresh, kept in boxes on ice. I don’t remember the price, but it was really fair deal, so we paid, collected our purchase and headed back to the place of residence with a small detour through the outskirts of the already mentioned Rogoznica town.

I should add that we decided to grill fish for dinner and it turned out very tasty!

Croatian town Omis

Posted on 17/11/2024 by ainarsbl

Seaside town Omis

Omis is a small town in Croatia at the estuary of the Cetina River into the sea, about 25 kilometres (30 minutes) south of Split.

Omis is known for being used by pirates around the fourteenth century. The river is surrounded by mountains and was a good place to hide to rob the sea-going merchant ships that operated between Dubrovnik, Venice and Naples in Italy.

Not only the ability to hide played a role, but also the fact that sea vessels could not navigate the river. The pirates had even built a fortress and concluded an agreement with the surrounding villages on non-aggression and ‘cooperation’.

There isn’t much to do in the town itself, although it has its own charm and a large parking lot, which is essential when traveling by car. However, we did not go to Omis to look for pirates – the purpose of the trip was to ride one of the longest zipline tracks in Europe. The track consists of seven descents of different lengths with a total cableway length of more than two kilometres.

Zipline

The cableways are divided into eight sections, the longest of which is 700 meters, while the others are much shorter. The good news is that each run is different – one steeper and faster, another flatter, but with better views around. The whole event takes place at an average height of 150 metres above sea level.

The price of the attraction is 400 Croatian Kuna (about 45 euros) per person, but children under the age of six are not allowed to participate. It should be noted that it is not possible to leave children nearby, as you will be taken to the starting point in the mountains and later collected to go back to the town from another location.

It all starts in the town centre, where Zipline Omis Croatia has an office. Before that we left the car in the parking lot about a five-minute walk from the office. When we arrived, we had to sign documents and pay (payment can only be made in cash in local currency, but from January 2023, according to the latest news in the summer of 2022, Croatia will join the euro zone, so the inconvenience of currency exchange will also disappear).

After a short wait, while all those who wanted to go to zipline gathered (about 12 people), we went to the parking lot nearby, where two buses with instructors and equipment were waiting for us. Each group is accompanied by two instructors, the first of whom goes to the destination and the second as the last of the group joins everyone else for the next ride.

When we went up the hill, everyone was given equipment and about half an hour was spent on briefing and test drives on a 20-meter-long training track. Those who failed the short practice run the first time were given the opportunity to repeat until they did succeed. After all that, we went further up the mountain to the first real ride.

The first ride was the longest and the view was spectacular. The good news is that it is relatively flat section and the speed is not high. It’s a bit nerve-wracking that the wind moves the riders while riding across the canyon, but the view around is fantastic!

You can see everything else on the Zipline website. I can only add that the instructors were professionals and the whole event passed so quickly that one could only wonder where the time disappeared. After the ride, we all took pictures together and the buses took us back to the town centre.

Lunch near Omis

After a job well done, you need to also rest well. We asked the locals where we could eat and went to the recommended Restoran Radmanove Mlinice on the banks of the Cetina River, some five or six kilometres outside the town. In general, this place was something very similar to a recreation complex.

Rented boats with passengers and rafters with kayaks were going back and forth along the river. By the way, rafting is the second most popular form of entertainment in Omis area and agents offer rafting on the sides of the streets near their small shops.

The restaurant is impressive in size and the service is very fast. The prices are also very good; looking at what the actual demand is and the food offered, I even would expect being asked paying a little more.

After a good lunch, we went back to our home in Sevid using different route; we drove through the mountains. To sum up, the whole day was really successful!

The capital of Greece Athens

Posted on 10/11/2024 by ainarsbl

Greece

Greece is one of the countries I have been to many times, on business, leisure and in transit. However, I have never written about this country so far, so here not only about Athens, the capital of Greece, but also a little bit about Greece in general.

To be honest, there isn’t much that can be said about Greece that is unknown to everyone, so at least a few figures and a little bit of history.
Greece is located at the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, covering an area of almost 132 thousand square kilometres. This is comparable to countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, which are slightly larger than Greece and North Korea and Nicaragua, which are slightly smaller. Compared to the United States, Greece is two times smaller the size of the state of Colorado.

Greece owns 227 islands, of which at least 166 are inhabited. The largest Greek islands are Crete, Evia, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. The area of Crete is just over 8,000 square kilometres, larger than Palestine and slightly smaller than nearby Cyprus. Crete is 260 kilometres long and 12 to 60 kilometres wide.

According to 2020 data, a bit less than 11 million people live in Greece, of which more than half a million live in the central part of Athens.

The capital Athens

Athens is the capital of Greece and, like many other major cities, form a conglomerate of around three million people living in the area.

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, historians say it is about 3,400 years old. Names such as Plato and Aristotle are associated with Athens.

Athens is associated with such things as ancient temples, amphitheatres and, of course, the Acropolis. Athens has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Acropolis of Athens and the Byzantine monastery of Daphne (Daphni or Daphne), which is much less well known than the Acropolis.

Acropolis

The Acropolis is a complex of buildings on the top of a cliff in the centre of Athens, the most famous object of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a temple (more precisely, its remains) that was built in honour of the Greek goddess Athena. The temple was completed more than 400 years BC.

Athena is the daughter of Zeus, one of the gods of Olympus, the goddess of wisdom and war. The Roman equivalent of Athens is Minerva, although Mars is more widely known as the god of Roman warfare.

The word acropolis means the highest point, as it actually is when you climb it. At the foot of the Acropolis you can find some parking lots if you are there with your own or rented car. We parked our car ate Rovertou Galli street 39 parking lot. And the climb is worth it – from above there is a fantastic view of the city.

Entrance to the Acropolis Museum is for fee. Tickets start at 12 euros and more, up to 80 euros for a of ancient Athens, both privately and in a group tours (I didn’t spent money on this, so cannot say if it’s worth it and any better than cheaper option).

Accommodation in Athens

We chose accommodation outside the city centre closer to the sea – Tropical Hotel, which is located a little more than ten kilometres southwest of the Acropolis.

In Google reviews I wrote about hotel that it is in a very convenient location, the rooms are clean and tidy, the staff is welcoming and breakfast is good. It should also be noted that we also were lucky to have a wonderful view towards the sea as our balcony was on that side of the hotel. Overall, a very good hotel at a reasonable price, especially when you need a place to stay for a short time.

One more thing I wanted to add about Athens. We tried to drive early in the morning and late in the evening, because driving around Athens during the day can be a nightmare, especially if you are in a busy populated area.

I remember that during another trip I was waiting for a bus quite long time, which did not arrive at all. In the end, I decided to walk on my own several kilometres and it paid off because traffic jams were heavy and many cars I left even behind.

Dalmatia – food and drinks

Posted on 30/09/2024 by ainarsbl

As usually in all our trips, Dalmatia in Croatia was no exception. Enjoying local food and drinks was an essential part of the trip.

We did this both ways by preparing at home products we bought on the market, sea urchins caught by ourselves in the sea, and also by visiting restaurants, cafes and vineyards.

Testament winery

It sounds strange – to go to Croatia to visit a business run by Scandinavians. But as it turned out later, the drink we had bought there ended up being the best on the trip.

Testament winery is located about 3 kilometres from the main road of the region D8, the nearest town is Zaboric. The basic idea of the winery is to combine technology with the knowhow of the best winemakers to create rich and complex drink from the Dalmatian region.

We had written down their address before travelling, just in case, but we did not plan to visit it; the tasting of three drinks costs more than 13 euros, which is not that little money at all. However, it happened to be the only chance to buy something to drink with dinner in the late afternoon.

The drink was of very good quality, we took it without tasting; just told the sellers what we are planning to cook for dinner. As it turned out, our purchase was very successful. In any case, we liked the grapes grown in northern Dalmatia better than the ones cultivated in the middle part, although, probably, a lot depends on the method of fermentation (more on that below).

Saricevi Dvori country pub

For a special and more substantial dinner, we chose the Saricevi Dvori country restaurant, which is located further from the sea between Grebastica and Rogoznica (you have to drive at least three kilometres along mountain roads with a beautiful view towards the Adriatic coast).

Like most restaurants in Croatia, this is a family restaurant. It prepares Dalmatian dishes according to traditional methods, using cooking recipes proven over the centuries. And of course, hot dishes are prepared in the large ovens that are found in every self-respecting restaurant in Croatia.

The restaurant is proud of the gold medal won for the particularly high quality of the food. And what’s positive, high quality in this case does not mean a high price – after a well-enjoyed dinner, the bill was very reasonable.

It is offered to wash down everything eaten with the local famous Babic red fermented grape juice, but we were not particularly excited about it.

Two things I especially like about the Croatian menu – they eat a lot of seafood, a lot of meat and even more meat. The main dishes are prepared (fried) in the oven in large dishes, the name of the dish would normally include word ‘peke’ at the end.

If you happen to be nearby, I recommend you to try the oven-baked octopus (‘Hobotnica ispod peke’ in their language), veal (Teletina ispod peke) or mutton (Janjetina ispod peke). The mutton has a lot of fat, this should be taken into consideration if you want to order it; pork is also tasty, of course, but you can’t get octopus everywhere across the country. Usually you can order fried or grilled squid and mussels – almost in every restaurant in Croatia.

You can also taste different types of goulash and meat platters, but it’s all too much for one occasion, unfortunately. This restaurant also does their best for the well-being of the vegetarians (but not vegan) audience by including a couple of appropriate dishes in the menu, although we didn’t even notice such audience in Croatian restaurants – majority are enjoying seafood and meet dishes.

Matosin vineyards

Of course, it depends on everyone’s taste and habits, but we prefer French and Italian drinks. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try something else, so we went to the mountains for a drink tasting.

In one of the evenings, we decided to go to the Matosin vineyards, which are located quite far in the mountains and the driving is on country roads, even with only one lane in both directions. The place is remote, so we didn’t even meet anyone driving towards us.

This was probably the longest trip away from the regional D8 road, more than 10 kilometres. I have to say right away – the drink is okay, but not in our style. However, the place is fantastic. We also saw the sunset there. The sun setting in the Adriatic Sea over the grape gardens – something fantastic to watch. It also contributed to the positive memories about this place.

I mentioned earlier that I would say something more about the drinks of this region. The main difference is that local Babic grapes are grown there. They may be very good, but as we found out, the juice fermentation methods differ from those usually used in Europe. The main difference – the juice fermentation process takes place in barrels, which by its nature is a closed container (I don’t remember what this method is called).

As a result, the drink smells and tastes a bit like hydrogen sulphide. To be honest, it only has been worse in Japan, where the drink had a definite acetone smell.
As I said, it’s about personal taste preference. I know there are people who really like this type of drink.

Istria and Krk island

Posted on 16/09/2024 by ainarsbl

Istrian Peninsula

The Istrian peninsula is one of Croatia’s many peninsulas, but it differs from many others because it is located in the north of the country. It borders Slovenia and Italy. In general, the territory of the peninsula is shared by these three countries, but the majority (almost 90%) belongs to Croatia. Italians call the peninsula Istria.

The Istrian peninsula is the largest peninsula on the Adriatic Sea. In order to understand more about its dimensions, I will just mention the distance from Pula to the Slovenian border is around 60 kilometres, and to the Italian border 80 kilometres in a straight line (it will definitely be much more when driving on the road). Istria is also known for the fact that truffles grow there – mushrooms that are used as an addition to food, especially pasta dishes.

The largest city in the Croatian part is Pula, located in the very south of the peninsula, but the Slovenian city of Koper and the Italian city of Trieste are even larger.

Pula has less than 60,000 inhabitants, it is best known for the ancient Roman buildings that are still there. The Pula Amphitheatre is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres.

We didn’t spend much time on the peninsula, but we found a place selling truffle oil and other products made from truffles. It was worth a look and the prices were pleasantly different from those elsewhere in Europe.

Island of Krk

I started this story with the Istrian peninsula, but the trip itself on this occasion was to the island of Krk. Croatians love these combinations of letters; a popular tourist attraction with a similar name is the Krka National Park in Dalmatia, known for its impressive cascades of waterfalls.

The first, one might even say shocking, impression was driving across a huge bridge to the island (this bridge has tolls). The view and the feelings were grand. Although there were no less impressive views before the bridge, when we went down the rocky serpentines to access the bridge ramp. The only thing that can be said is that people with imagination worked hard to come up with such an engineering masterpiece.

The island of Krk differs from many other Croatian islands because it is a very green, it is also the most populated island in the Adriatic Sea. About 20 thousand people live on the island.

Like many territories in Europe, Krk was once part of the Roman Empire, but later it was included in the Byzantine Empire. At the beginning of the eleventh century, the island was conquered by the Venetians and, with a short break at the beginning of the 12th century, it was part of the Republic of Venice for the next seven centuries.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Krk belonged to Austria and Italy for a while, but since the Second World War it belongs to Croatia.

The aforementioned bridge to the island of Krk was built in 1980 and is one of the longest reinforced concrete bridges in the world (its length is 1.4 kilometres).

Although the beaches are mostly rocky, the island of Krk is very popular among tourists. It is located in the north of the Adriatic Sea, so tourists from Germany and Austria can get there very quickly (less than a four-hour drive from the south of Austria).

Rijeka Airport is located on the island, although Rijeka itself is on the mainland. Rijeka is the third largest city in Croatia.

The island has quite a long and interesting history, but the main purpose of visiting it is to relax by the sea, so this time, that’s all – pack your suitcase and go yourself to enjoy it.

From Riga to Croatia by car

Posted on 09/09/2024 by ainarsbl

I have already written quite a lot about traveling to Croatia, but here I will summarize how to get there by car from Latvia.

Even though we have been flying everywhere for the last decade, we have mostly driven by our car to Croatia. We have also seen other cars with Baltic and Polish license plates in Croatia, so we are by no means the only ones and this information may be useful to someone else.

The usual route is as follows: Riga – Warsaw (Poland) – Bratislava (Slovakia) – Graz (Austria) – Maribor (Slovenia) – Zagreb (Croatia). This is also the option offered by Google Maps. What happens after arrival to Zagreb is entirely up to you, depending on where else you have decided to go. There are people who prefer to drive through the Czech Republic, but staying overnight in the Czech Republic (not to mention Austria) can be quite expensive.

If you are going to relax by the sea, then you should take into account that it is practically impossible to visit all the regions of Croatia at once. The country is stretched from north to south and there is a highway that connects it all. But once you get off the highway, driving is very slow.

I would say that there are three main regions in Croatia that are worth visiting – the north, the Istrian peninsula and the island of Krk, the south of Dalmatia, including Dubrovnik, the Peljesac peninsula and the island of Korcula, and central Dalmatia – Split, Trogir, other smaller towns and seaside villages.

Driving from Riga

We started driving at the time when it was a habit to drive through Poland during night. Now a lot has changed in Poland, so you can drive through it during the day. Driving at night has the advantage that it is possible to drive a longer first part of the distance. On the first day, we usually tried to drive at least 1200 kilometres.

In any case, it will take at least ten hours to get to Warsaw from Riga, so if you leave around midnight, you will be in Warsaw around ten in the morning. We usually chose hotel or apartment somewhere in Slovakia. You still have to drive quite a long distance from Polish capital, about 500 kilometres, which is at least 6 – 7 hours. It should be noted that it is also necessary to stop to eat, relax and stretch.

We usually took thermoses with hot water and dry soups with us, so that we didn’t have to only eat dry snacks. Although, we usually got off at least once in Poland to have a late breakfast or lunch at one of the roadside restaurants.

Overnight stay in Slovakia

We used the accommodation to stay at night because we were traveling with children and it would have been quite cruel to ask them to spend the night in the car. After driving more than 1000 kilometres, you need to sleep in a normal bed. You must also remember to replenish the hot water supply for next day’s soups before departure!

We usually looked for hotels (guest houses) in Slovakia on the Internet somewhere between Zilin and Trencin, a little off the highway. When it comes to the motorway, remember that in Slovakia (as well as in the Czech Republic) you have to buy a vignette. Inspections are not frequent, but if you are caught without a vignette, you may end up with paying quite large fine.

Now it is possible to buy a Slovak e-vignette online in advance, you can pay with payment card or PayPal. Even in Austria, to drive on the motorways, you need to buy a vignette; Austrian vignette for 10 days (minimum time) costs 9.6 euros (summer 2022).

Slovakian vignette for ten days costs 15.8 euros, but if you choose to drive through the Czech Republic, you can save a little – for 10 days there, a vignette costs 12.5 euros, but other costs, if you stop, will probably be higher.

Spending night in Zagreb

The last section of the route from Slovakia to Zagreb is practically only driving on motorways. Google Maps offer to drive through Hungary as the main route, but I don’t recommend it, because the roads are rather boring and driving through Hungary just doesn’t excite me (we’ve tried it ourselves).

Since you can get to Croatia (Zagreb) in about seven to nine hours from Slovakia, we did not rush to leave early in the morning. Accommodations usually offer breakfast and you also want to slow down a bit before leaving. And the main thing is that it is not even possible to go anywhere further than Zagreb during that day, unless your destination is the island of Krk or the Istrian peninsula.

In that case, you can pass Zagreb going through Slovenia in the direction of Rijeka. It will take up to 10 hours in total then.

If the destination of your trip to Croatia is central or southern Dalmatia, then staying overnight in Zagreb is worth it. Both in the city and its outskirts, there are many hotels for good price. It should only be noted that they are all very busy during the summer season; the hotel should be booked well in advance when the trip is being planned. This also applies to all other hotels in Croatia during the summer period.