Sometimes it’s not about the place, but the people.
Croatian Sunsets
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.
Zagreb Style
It was love at first sight. This small-town-with-a-big-city vibe was just what the doctor ordered. A walkable city with great public transportation, tasty restaurants, chic boutique shopping, and incredible parks. The church bells were familiar and pleasant sound to our ears — very old-world European. What a lovely surprise.
Zagreb is a town filled with energy; young and old. But we did notice a lot of young families with strollers and a lot of pregnant women. COVID-19 baby boom? I think so.
But the fashion! As I walked down the streets, I was treated to a continuous cat walk of who-wore-what. Even on the weekends, women dress stylishly just to meet for coffee or shop at the farmer’s market. The styles were sophisticated and classy or flowery and feminine, paired with ankle-strapped sandals or chunky sneakers and fashionable sunglasses and handbags. We watched the endless fashion show with awe; and me, with envy.
We also noted shockingly few people using cell phones. I saw no Instagram posers and relatively few digital nomads. Just large numbers of people enjoying face-to-face ‘work meetings’ over cups of espresso and people-watching — the national pastime.
Covid requirements
Entering Croatia was a little tricky. We were required to take a PCR test within 48 hours prior to our arrival. Since we were staying 45 minutes away from the Istanbul airport, we took our chances and arrived early on the day of our departure to take our tests with the hope of receiving the results before we landed in Zagreb six hours later.
We landed and quickly checked the website for results. I received my negative confirmation, Scott did not. We approached the passport office, standing at the head of a long line of tired travelers, and started to sweat.
The passport officer was already losing her patience with us because I didn’t have printed results and Scott didn’t have any. She was about to say “step aside” when Scott hit refresh on the test website and the words NEGATIVE finally popped up. Whew! No quarantine required.
Zagreb’s Earthquake
As if 2020 needed another reason to be the worst year ever….
Upon arrival into town we noticed that many of the buildings were in a major state of disrepair. Most were surrounded by scaffolding, netting and construction fencing, and there were piles of debris everywhere. It was puzzling, but Luka, our Airbnb host (and local guide) told us why.
On a cold morning in March right after the country’s COVID shut down, Zagreb experienced a 5.3 earthquake. The last earthquake to hit this area was 140 years ago. Thankfully only a handful of people were hurt, but the Zagreb historic buildings were greatly impacted. Many of the facades and exterior walls crumbled like dust. The shutdown, along with other COVID restrictions, kept this town from cleaning up debris or rebuilding in any significant way. It was sad to see the damage that had been caused to these old historic buildings; as they are the true character of the city.
A little street view.
Our sweet 1-bedroom New York-style apartment located in the heart of the city only received superficial damage. This lovely home-away-from-home had a kitchen, dining table, nap-able couch and work desk. It felt like we had hit the jackpot ($45 per night). Comfort on the road has really come down to these simple things.
We enjoyed checking out the neighborhood burger and film festivals at Park Zrinjevac and we often visited the local farmer’s market to purchase everything from local cheeses and prosciutto to heirloom tomatoes, fresh peaches and nectarines.
Just heaven.
Croatians (a.k.a. Croats)
Luka explained Croatians to us like this — “they are extremely helpful and warm-hearted though maybe a bit lazy. They won’t smile at you on the street. And if you smile at them, they may not return it. It’s just their way.” For our part, we didn’t have issue with the locals and we kept on smiling.
Croatians love to read, and actually, reading a book a month is a required part of their school curriculum. This is evident in the number of bookstores we found.
Students are also required to learn English, so almost everyone speaks fluently. We like that.
Hiking, biking, picnicking and explosions
Luka led us through the city on bikes one day to see the historic landmarks, best city views and to explain the loud boom we heard each day at noon. When we first heard the blast we were pretty sure there had been an explosion nearby. But no, it’s a city ritual that has been kept alive for the past 140 years. You can set your watch by it.
Scott and I took off the next day to walk up to the local cemetery. It was like a large park, with beautiful headstones; a few toppled by the earthquake. We found a nice shady area and picnicked with the ghosts.
We also enjoyed a more remote hike into a nearby forest. After a strenuous 45 minute hike we were rewarded with a beer, sausage and beans. All the necessary carbo-loaded ingredients needed to get us back down the hill.
With a shout-out to Heather and Summer…
ADDITIONAL TRIP NOTES
We spent 11 delightful days in Zagreb; from September 7th through the 17th. It was lovely to unpack our suitcases, do laundry, stock the fridge and settle in. We enjoyed having a home base for more than just a few days and we were sad to leave.
Weather: mid 70s to low 80s; clear and beautiful. Perfect September weather!
People we met along the way:
Food, Drinks and Restaurants
The history of the Croatian food culture is this… while the men were off fighting wars, the women were home caring for the children and elders. The only way these women could keep their families fed was to fish for easily caught fish (anchovies, mackerel and sardines) that swam close to the shore. They pared their catch with homemade breads, dried meats and aged cheeses and, in the summer months, whatever was growing in the garden. Relatively simple enough to harvest and prepare and filled with protein and natural fats to fill empty tummies. This story is reflected in the current-day restaurant menus throughout Croatia.
Hertitage - No. 1 on TripAdvisor, this 10-seat restaurant is normally packed but due to lower-than-usual number of tourist and slightly off-season timing, we walked up and sat down.
They have a strict first-come, first-served policy. No take-out orders. They don’t recommend bringing your children (as their flavors lean towards adult tastes). And don’t forget to pee before you come. They don’t have a bathroom.
They don’t cook either. Their highly-coveted menu provides the best of cured and prepared offerings of the region: sardines, anchovy toast, Istrian regional wines, truffle sausages, prosciutto, local breads and cheeses, and delicious salads (a/k/a Croatian street food).
El Toro - To our delight, on the ground floor of our apartment building was a great ‘street food’ restaurant. Interesting salads and generally healthy fare.
Expresso - for our daily espresso drinks and smoothies. By the way, ‘take-away’ (to-go) coffee isn’t a thing here. Croatians like warm, not hot, coffee and they love to sit around and savor it to the last drop at one of many sidewalk cafes.
Basta - great Italian fare with pizza as their speciality.
Roots Juice and Cocktail Bar - Although signature cocktails aren’t a thing here in Croatia, we found this rare find: Roots.
Normally a hot-spot for hipsters, us old folks were able to gain an outdoor seat early for a delightful Tommy’s signature margarita and a Manhattan.
News from back home…
The craziness of the elections. The start of the northern California wildfires and the extreme heat wave across the country — 120 degrees in LA?!!!
What’s next…A bus trip to Rovinj and Croatia’s truffle region, Istria.