So, I’m riding my bike along the ocean bike path one day and I pass a sign I don’t recognize. It’s a image of men and women’s bathing suit bodies with a cross through it. Odd, I thought. A new hundred feet away I turn a corner and see the naked butt of an old guy bending over to pick something up, his balls hanging in the wind.
WHOA! I didn’t need to see that!
But, I digress…
Croatia is beautiful. I think everyone who’s been here knows just that. It’s just one of the many reasons tourist flock here each year (with the exception of this year.)
As much as we liked Zagreb, we knew we had to see more of this country to fully appreciate its specialness. So we headed west to where the pristine Adriatic meets the rocky shores. And where over 700 islands lay just a short ferry ride away.
And the sunsets… you can’t avoid them. They take your breath away.
We boarded a bus from Zagreb and headed northwest to Rovinj — a magical city nestled along the Istrian peninsula.
Rovinj
Rovinj is one of those towns that seem to spring from my imagination — narrow and ancient cobblestone streets bordered by stone houses. Battered green shutters and laundry lines swaying from window to window. The stories this place could tell.
Eighty years ago the Istrian peninsula was controlled by Italy. And it shows. The buildings look Italian. You hear people speaking Italian. And the food! Pasta, pizza and locally caught seafood is everywhere.
The weather was perfect when we arrived, so we immediately headed to the water for a swim. Rovinj doesn’t have typically sandy beaches. Just stone steps, rocky shores and cement platforms jutting into the ocean. No one cares. People here love hanging out on the warm rocks to sunbathe and swim in the clear, aqua blue water.
Our Airbnb was located right in the middle of old town, just above a bakery. Croatians love their pastries. It seems like there’s a bakery on every corner. Each morning that yeasty smell wafted into our apartment. It was all I could do to resist running downstairs to grab a fruit strudel or croissant. The few times I succumbed, I was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t overly sweet like so many American pastries.
Rovinj is a tourist town, filled with cute shops, fishing boats and a world-class superyacht marina. The Riva — or what we call a promenade — was lined with sidewalk-seated restaurants and colorful gelato shops all catering to tourists and locals alike. There is even a hilltop church and clock tower perched above this picturesque city.
But within days of our arrival the weather changed. The winds picked up, the temperature dropped and we experienced sporadic rain showers. Not what we had hoped for, but the clouds made for some wonderful pictures and sunsets.
One of our favorite pastimes was to bike along their amazing shoreline. This well-maintained gravel path ran for miles and became our daily obsession. We could easily stop to enjoy the breaks in the weather, take in the sun, picnic and go for a swim. What a life!
But there was so much more to see on the Istrian Peninsula than just Rovinj. We rented a car and drove inland to check out some of the small hill towns that make up this wondrous area filled with vineyards, olive groves and forests.
Hüm
If I told you that Hum is officially the smallest town in the world would you believe me? It’s true. Population 30!
Nestled in the middle of nowhere, at least that’s what we thought after Google maps took us off the beaten path for miles along a potholed one-lane road, through cow pastures and farmland. But there it was.
Upon arrival, a funny little man perched in a ticket booth charged us two bucks to park on the outskirts of town — you need to walk everywhere since the streets aren’t wide enough for cars.
There wasn’t much here; just quiet little streets. A locked up church. A souvenir shop. A few empty Airbnb’s and a sleepy restaurant where we stopped for a beer and spent an hour taking in the breathtaking views over the valley below.
Motovun
Perched on a hilltop high above the valley was Motovun. Home to Mario Andretti. And truffles. Those passion inducing fungi hunted by specially trained dogs in the nearby forests are coveted by foodies all over the world. The black ones are yummy, but the rare and expensive white ones are what we were after.
We parked on the outskirts of town. Hiked up the hill to look around. And perched on top of the hill overlooking the truffle forests was Restaurant Pod Napun.
Beautiful. We were hungry and ready to eat!
Pula
Another fun side trip was to the town of Pula; just an hour south of Rovinj. As you can see, it’s known for its well-preserved coliseum — known as the Arena. We had a lot of fun walking around imagining gladiator fights, and the life and struggles of the Romans who lived here many centuries ago.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
After 10 days in Rovinj, it was time to leave. So we headed southeast to Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is a bucket list must-see destination in Croatia.
The entire national park is 73,350 acres and an UNESCO World Heritage site. Its comprised of 16 terraced lakes with thousands of waterfalls, large and small. The park is brilliantly connected with an aesthetically- designed wooden boardwalk that makes exploring a ton of fun.
You have to see (and hear) it to believe it.
This park is typically overrun with tourists, but not on our trip. As our COVID travels have shown us, the crowds were non-existent. We took picnic lunches and enjoyed two days of hiking and photographing its remarkable lakes and waterfalls.
Aside from the lakes and falls, the park holds numerous other visual treats.
Our next stop…
Zadar
We spent a little over a week in Zadar; a lovely seaside town known for its walled old town and wide riva. At sunset, tourists and locals descend to the water’s edge to watch the sun dip behind nearby Ugljan Island.
Alfred Hitchcock was quoted as saying that Zadar had the most beautiful sunset in the world.
But what got my attention was its famous sea organ — a musical instrument powered by the waves hitting 35 organ pipes embedded in the concrete paving. The melodic sounds can be heard a quarter mile away, which has an eerily hypnotic effect. I could stay for hours listening to the otherworldly tones.
Other than the sea organ, I had mixed feelings about Zadar. It was beautiful, with rich historic stories, but at the same time the walled city seemed to lack authenticity — a certain detachment from its past. Where do the locals live? Not in the center of this city.
Perspective on Croatia and its people
We met and made some friends here. They seemed eager to discuss what makes Croatia what it is. You have to go back in time to get perspective.
Croatians are strong and proud people. Due to their central coastal location in Eastern Europe and their ties to Catholicism, they have been pushed, attacked and inhabited by many different countries and religious groups over the centuries. But there are two recent events that have shaped their lives: the communist takeover after WWII and the 1990 Serbian War.
When you grasp that there was war on this soil only 25 years ago, it makes you stop and wonder — how does a country bounce back from that?
But they did. And not only did they bounce back, within the last 10 years their entire country exploded with tourism. Croatia seems to be on everyone’s travel radar.
But what about the Croats themselves? What are they like?
First, they are tall. Seriously. Everywhere we looked we saw men and women over 6 feet.
The locals, doing what they do. Having coffee and talking ‘Trump!” The world is watching.
Second, they do not smile a lot. Unlike people in other countries, when we walk down the streets, they rarely smile and say hi. But once you crack their outer shell, they open up and reveal their warm hearts and creative minds.
And yet, the locals whom we met were some of the harshest critics of themselves. The most common comment was that they thought their countrymen were lazy. Their constant coffee breaks are an excuse to do nothing. One friend describes this as an attitude developed from years under communist rule, where ambition and individualism was squelched. Why work hard when it’ll have no impact on your future?
And now that the Coronavirus has hit and the tourism trade has shrunk, how are they doing? A few told me they were actually happier. They have a unique opportunity to take back their cities and enjoy their heritage. They know the tourists will be back soon enough, but maybe next time it will be different. Tourism will come back at a more sustainable pace that won’t overwhelm their soul.
Next stop… Split.