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Croatia Beaches And The Art of Picigin

2009-07-16T14:19:00.001+01:00

Follow the game of Picigin and it will take you to some of Croatia’s best sandy beaches. As much an art form as a sport, it’s something like volleyball on water, but with a much smaller ball, and, at its best, in the style of a football player taking a spectacular professional dive. Though there’s much rivalry between areas, Split’s Bačvice beach is considered to be the true home of the game which is ideally played with five players and a “bald” tennis ball.

The object of Picigin is to keep the ball out of the water for as long as possible whilst batting it between players with the palm of either hand. Traditionally a non competitive sport, the artistry of the players is as important as keeping the ball dry. Hence a dazzling leap or dive to keep the balun on its journey will score well with the judges, as no doubt will plying them with a few drinks beforehand.

Bačvice makes a perfect Picigin stadium for two main reasons. Firstly its sandy, gently sloping, shallow beach allows optimum acrobatic performance whilst minimising the risk of injury - ideally, for speed and a cushioned fall, the water should be just above the ankles and well below the knees. Just as importantly it’s lined with a number of restaurants and bars so that players can strut their stuff to a relaxed and appreciative audience. Other beaches that also fit the bill include Sunj on Lopud island near Dubrovnik, Medulin, on the tip of the Istrian peninsula, Baška on the island of Krk and the banks of the Drava river in inland Osijek.

Non competitive it may be in its origins but Picigin is being taken increasingly seriously by its aficionados. Associations and competitions are growing up around it and the di(v)e hards insist on playing on New Year’s day. You can recognise seasoned and serious players off season by a distinctive limp caused by repeated big toe injuries and, in the summer, by the figure hugging speedos that are fast becoming the trademark uniform of the mostly young alpha males that are its chief exponents.

Child Friendly Hotels In Croatia

2009-07-15T20:33:00.001+01:00

Croatian children mostly thrive without the gadgets that seem essential for the amusement of their western European peers. A day on the beach provides all the fun kids need, and that’s how the family resorts and hotels have developed too – around beach activities. “Heritage” destinations, such as Dubrovnik and Hvar, tend to focus on upscale adult-orientated hotels, but the established resort destinations, with those long stretches of mostly pebble beaches, offer a staggering array of activities and facilities for all ages. You just have to accept the odd reminder of the package holiday era of old - the architecture for example.

The Borik area of Zadar provides some prime examples of child friendly hotels in Croatia. These are led in quality by Falkensteiner’s Club Funimation. This year, their Family Hotel Diadora, in the new Punta Skala resort in nearby Petrčane, with its adventure park and “Game Heaven”, could provide the ultimate in luxury family holidays. In Biograd, the Ilirija Group has achieved something similar, albeit on a smaller scale, with their three hotels and a vast, activity-packed, beach and woodland area which includes a large tennis centre and pool area. Olympia in Vodice and Azalea’s Zora in Primošten and are also good Dalmatian options, as is Blue Sun’s Hotel Elaphusa, in Bol on Brač, which has the advantage of one of Croatia’s best beaches on its doorstep.

Istria is perhaps the most established family resort destination in Croatia. In Poreč, Plava Laguna’s Hotel Laguna Park and Valamar’s Hotel Club Tamaris lead the way; in Rovinj it’s the Maistra group, particularly the Hotel Eden; and in Novigrad, Laguna Novigrad’s Hotel Maestral.

Most of the above offer modern four star facilities and organised activities for kids. On a tighter budget the options increase – the Solaris complex near Šibenik, for example, and a number along the Makarska Riviera and in Vrsar and Medulin in Istria. Wherever you go, it pays to check that the Children’s Clubs and activities are conducted in English rather than German or Italian. Also beware of confusing “family hotels” with “family run hotels” when doing your research. The latter is a government led initiative to encourage the development of small independent hotels. They may also be good for families, but not by definition.

This posting inspired us to consider the ins and outs of sailing Croatia for families and you can read about that on the Croatia Cruising Companion blog.

Meanwhile, below are links to some of Croatia’s best hotels for families with children of all ages. Croatia Online’s editor has visited most of them and just wishes she had a better excuse to try more of the facilities!

Falkensteiner, Borik near Zadar

Valamar, Istria and Dubrovnik

Maistra, Istria

Laguna, Istria

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Today’s photo shows some of the fun provided by Ilirija in Biograd.

Flights To Croatia – Latest News

2009-07-13T15:46:00.001+01:00

Peak season flight prices are a good indication of how tourism in standing up to global challenges so we thought now was a good time for Croatia Online to discover the latest news on flights to Croatia. If nothing else, this posting has provided an ideal opportunity to provide comprehensive links to Croatia’s main airports and airlines in one concise posting, and we hope it will provide an easy source of reference to those looking for the most convenient cheap flights to Croatia.

First of all lets identify the main Croatian Airports and schedules by looking at the arrivals for today and the next few days:

Zagreb Airport is Croatia’s hub. If you can’t find a flight to the coastal town or city you want to get to then you’re pretty sure to get a connection, the same day, from Croatia’s inland capital Zagreb. International arrivals today, July 13th, at Zagreb include flights from Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Vienna, Prague, Bilbao, Budapest, Munich, Stuttgart, Skopje, Moscow, Rome, Istanbul, Sarajevo, Cologne, and London Heathrow. Most of them are Croatia Airways Flights but other airlines include Lufthansa, Malev and Air France though quite a few flights are “jointly operated” between Croatia Airlines and the local national carrier.

Dubrovnik Airport is the coastal airport that British Airways focuses on, having dabbled with Split for a while. Other international carriers include Iberia and Austrian Airways, and there are plenty of other operators flying in from around the world in an arrivals list almost as long as Zagreb’s. Competing with BA for UK traffic from Gatwick Airport is EasyJet, and Aer Lingus (EIN) has a flight in from Dublin.

Split Airport is arguably the most central of all Croatia’s airports but its cosy size provides limited room for expansion and that may be why its arrival list is shorter than the two above. Summer flights also tend to peak on Saturdays and Wednesdays to coincide with yacht charters and holiday deals, so maybe Monday is not an ideal day to pick. EasyJet and Croatia Airlines are the main operators of interest to UK travellers – see below.

Zadar Airport, further north and even “cosier” than Split, is coping admirably with the area’s increasing popularity. It’s Ryanair’s favourite Croatian Airport with regular flights from London Stansted, Edinburgh, Dublin and elsewhere.

Other Croatian Airports on the coast, with international flights, include Pula (Thomson from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham , and Ryanair from Stansted) and Rijeka (mostly servicing Germany but with an occasional Croatia Airlines flight from London), both in Istria. Brac and Mali Losinj airport are both on islands and are really only suitable for smaller charter planes. For those that prefer the attractions of inland continental Croatia (best to visit off season, ie outside July and August), Osijek is now on the map with Ryanair.

As an interesting comparative exercise we thought we’d have a look at prices and availability for flights from London to coastal Croatia for the following dates – out 27th July, back Sunday 9th August (peak season). The dates were picked at random and the only stipulations were to fly out from one of the London airports to one of Croatia’s coastal airports. Where the option was available, we said we could be flexible within 3 days or so. Note that currently £1 sterling (GBP) is worth about 8.54 kunas (HRK) and €1 (EUR) about 7.3 kunas, according to the currency conversion site Oanda. Here are some examples.

Croatia Airlines, Croatia’s national airline, fly to most of the major Croatian coastal airports from a number of international destinations direct, but also connects many more international destinations via Zagreb, flying passengers on with domestic flights to the coast. The search comes up with a grid of prices depending on the exact day of travel. If you are truly flexible on dates, you could get a flight for around 1,600 HRK, or if not, up to around 4,000 HRK. The range for Split was a little more expensive, as was Zadar which had a more limited choice of fights.

British Airways only fly to Dubrovnik (and inland Zagreb) and offer a price of £255 for these dates – a return a day earlier or later gives a price of £323.

Ryanair still have plenty of cheap flights to Croatia, mainly to the northern Dalmatian destination of Zadar. A return flight on the above two dates will cost around £180 including the extras for checking in a case etc but if you are flexible you may well be able to fly more cheaply. Frustratingly, with low cost flights you often end up pay more in taxes and extras than you do on the flights themselves.

Easyjet's return fare for these dates is nearly £300 but their user friendly website shows alternative cheap fares in the peak summer months that could get you a fortnight for considerably less.

And Thomsons are advertising a number of cheap flights to Pula in Istria.

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Above are the main carriers though there are scores of other charter companies and indirect options if you want to shop around. What the above research suggests is that its cheaper to fly to Croatia this summer, at relatively short notice, than it has been for a while. Let’s hope that the hotels are also equally competitive; certainly the sailing charter companies seem to be keen to compete for business – see sister site Croatia Cruising Companion (direct link below) for more information.

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And finally, here are a few earlier postings that may be of interest, or if you have more time just browse the site for plenty of insider tips on Croatia, destination reports, news, useful information and events:

Croatia Online - Cost Of Living

Croatia Online - Croatia In August

Croatia Cruising Companion - Sailing Holidays In Croatia

Croatia Online - Croatia's Island Gems

Croatia Cruising Companion – Recommended Reading!

Labin, Istria – Visual Theatre Festival

2009-07-08T18:05:00.001+01:00

Istria and Kvarner probably don’t get the space they deserve on Croatia Online. We know them well but being based in Dalmatia, we go there less frequently but for greater lengths of time - when we cover them it’s normally en bloc!

Readers with long memories will remember we spent Christmas 2006 in inland Istria. There are so many gems, here and on the coast, that it’s difficult to pick favourites, but Labin was one of them. It lies just inland from Rabac, which is on the east coast of the Istrian peninsula, looking over Kvarner Bay. Labin itself is a medieval town on top of a hill and has a colourful history. It’s a great place to visit all year round, but it comes alive in the summer festival period to become, what the Croatian Tourist Board describes as, the Labin Art Republic.

Most Croatian towns have a festival to offer in July and August but Labin’s is a little different in a number of ways, and one of the highlights is the Visual Theatre Festival. Natasha Stanic, a visual theatre artist herself, is the organiser and visionary behind the concept, and she told us a little more about it: “Visual Theatre Festival Labin hosts theatre works in which the visual aspect of theatre has been emphasized, and in which the body speaks as eloquently as the voice. Every year at the beginning of August, Labin's Old Town becomes the inspiration for artists to transform areas into numerous site-specific theatre spaces. Our vision was to create an event where visitors can indulge themselves in contemporary visual theatre performances in the magical atmosphere of the medieval town of Labin.”

This year the Visual Theatre Festival takes place on the 7th, 8th and 9th August and there should shortly be a dedicated website to tell you more about it. As soon as it’s ready we’ll let you know.

In the meantime, for more information on Labin and Rabac, follow this link to the Tourist Board Site, and for more information on the vast number of summer festivals around Croatia, and other events, click here.

Many thanks to Natasha Stanic for today’s photo taken at last year’s festival.

Croatia In August – 2009 Update

2009-07-04T19:53:00.001+01:00

As Croatia heads towards its peak summer season it’s a good time to review what Croatia has to offer in August.

Croatia Online last reported on Croatia in August back in August 2006 and re-reading that posting it’s surprising how little has changed. Here’s our update for August 2009.

Mediterranean Weather
In 2006 we were already referring to global warming but that’s a factor all over the Mediterranean to a greater or lesser degree. What’s changed since 2006 is the ever increasing number of venues with air-conditioning, even though Croatians are expert at building accommodation aimed at keeping the August heat at bay. Like any other Mediterranean country you’ll get the odd thunder storm and rain in August and, on some days it will be very hot. However you’re never very far from the cooling waters of the Adriatic, and if you want even more cooling waters, head to the banks of one of Croatia’s rivers, the Krka or Cetina for example. For a complete change of scenery and temperature, head inland over the mountains, perhaps to Livno or Kupres in Hercegovina, for the cooler air of higher altitudes.

The Islands

Since our last posting, Croatia’s islands, islets and reefs have been scientifically recounted and the official tally is now 1,246 instead of 1,185. That’s a result of greater scientific precision, rather than any new eruptions, since the last proper count back in the 19th century. Architect Nikola Bašić responsible for Zadar’s innovative public space installations – Sea Organ and Greeting To The Sun – has a new venture, The 1246 Project, which aims to plant a commemorative plaque on each one. Whatever the official count, Croatia has an island for everyone in easy reach – whether its the glitz of Hvar, the variety of Brač, the olive groves of Šolta, the parties of Pag, the stunning wilderness of the Kornati Islands, or the special history of the time warp that is Vis. Check out the Croatia Cruising Companion for one of the most comprehensive sources of information on all of Dalmatia’s islands.

The Sea and Scenery

No change there - the scenery is still breathtaking and relatively unspoilt. Unlike Spain and other eastern European destinations Croatia has controlled building along the coast quite tightly and the sea remains as crystal clear as ever. You’ll just find a few more facilities now.

Accommodation

Cities like Split, where there was once a shortage of good hotel accommodation, has now rectified that with plenty of good quality new hotels. Once just viewed as the gateway to the islands, Split has finally come to terms with its incredible cultural heritage and is now showing it off to the max. In Split you can get the best of both worlds – cosmopolitan city just a short trip away from relaxing islands. Holiday Apartments can still provide a good and lower budget alternative but the same rules apply as in 2006. Generally, there’s a vast choice to suit all budgets.

Cost Of Living

We’ve covered Croatia’s cost of living on a periodic basis, most recently Croatia Online - Cost Of Living Update June 2009. As with elsewhere, accommodation and flights can be at their most expensive in August but Croatia still competes favourably with the competition in most areas.

The Roads

A major improvement since 2006 is the opening of most of the coastal motorway. This year a couple of bottlenecks should clear as two long tunnels become dual instead of single carriageway. However you can still expect jams on the main holiday weekends as Italians, Austrians and Germans flock backwards and forwards on their August holidays, and Croatia’s city dwellers reclaim their summer homes. The Croatian Motorways site is the best place to look for possible problems and most radio stations have regular traffic reports in English in the high summer.

Other than that our earlier posting stands the test of time pretty well. August is, of course, a popular month for holidays, and the beaches and main tourist resorts can be crowded, but in Croatia you’ll always find the ideal place to escape to if you look hard enough. Today’s photo is a prime example – just a 5 minute walk away is a long and buzzing beach area (including a sandy part as a change from pebbles) with pools, water sports, bars, restaurants and all the beach activities you could imagine. You can get away from all that for a cocktail and a bit of relaxation at the Lavender Bed Bar, pictured, part of The Ilirija Hotel Group, Biograd.

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Browse through our earlier postings to look for specific destinations and further information, or go to the Croatia Online Index Site for a more targeted search.

Croatia Online – Prime Minister Ivo Sanader Resigns

2009-07-02T15:33:00.002+01:00

Croatia Online tries to steer clear of politics as far as possible. However it was with a certain degree of amazement that we read of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader’s resignation yesterday. It seems that even those close to the Croatian political world have been taken by surprise and, so far, the reasons seems vague to all. Whilst we track down further information, we thought it might be useful to readers to provide a few links to sites we discover on the way. It is tempting to speculate on the whys and wherefores but, at this stage, pending further facts, perhaps we should leave that to the experts:-

BBC News comment that the announcement came as a surprise and Mr Sanader was expected to run for the presidency next year

Javno explore the possible future scenarios and, on this Javno link, speculate on some possible reasons

Vlada, the government site, provides a detailed biography of Mr Sanader as well as his program platform and duties, plus, if you’re Croatian is up to it you can watch a video of the resignation speech

The initial press reaction seems to be a certain degree of disbelief, not to mention some frustration at the lack of any reasons of substance, or clues as to the timing. All very mysterious!

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The above post first went up yesterday morning 2.7.09. This update is made 3.7.09 at 5. 40 UK time

We are adding updates to this post by way of comments – see below – and hope readers will participate. In the meantime please note the following:

1. The Javno site is down, due to technical reasons, and expected to be fixed for Monday

2. Business New Europe has a good recent analysis as does the SE Times, where we felt obliged to open the comments!

Croatia Online – Wimbledon And Tennis In Croatia

2009-06-28T00:00:00.001+01:00

As Andrew Murray treads his, so far, very convincing path into the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championship, it’s sad to see Croatia’s Marin Čilić go out to Germany’s Tommy Haas in the third round, after a very close run contest that went to five sets. Croatia, however, still has Ivo Karlović to support who will play Spain’s Verdasco in the fourth round. If he wins that it seems likely that he will meet favourite Roger Federer in the quarter finals. And amazingly, the weather has been so consistently good that Wimbledon has survived a whole week without having to test its the new roof!

Enthralling though Wimbledon invariably is, perhaps there will never again be the huge excitement that captivated everyone who watched the 2001 Championship when Croatia’s Goran Ivanišević went down in history for being the first (and so far last) player ever to win a Grand Slam title on a wild card entry. His home club, Firule in Split, were in the process of printing a book to celebrate their fiftieth birthday. They took it off the printing presses and watched in anticipation, and some disbelief, as their hero powered his way right though the tournament to win that memorable final and the Championship.

Talk to any Croatian and they will remember Goran’s homecoming (pictured – copyright Fjodor Klerić) as if it was yesterday – his arrival in Bernie Ecclestone’s private jet, Formula 1, a huge flotilla of boats in Kaštela and Split Bays, 150,000 fans waiting on Split’s waterfront Riva, parachutists, fireworks, parties and a striptease from the champion himself. Quiz night enthusiasts may also be interested to know that, according to the Daily Express, Goran Ivanišević is the only Wimbledon champion whose name is a strict alternation of vowels and consonants.

When asked just how Croatia managed to produce so many world class tennis players from such a small population and lack of resources, the Croatian Tennis Federation’s Executive Director, Marina Mihelić came up with a simple answer – “we’re a talented nation in sports with balls.” Handball, football, basketball, water polo and, of course tennis, are just a few of the sports where Croatia punches well above its weight. According to the Split Tourist Board, commenting on the launch of a Sports Hall of Fame in early 2008, Split has the highest number of internationally successful sportsmen and women per capita in the world.

For those that want to incorporate tennis into their Croatian holiday, either as spectators or participators, there are plenty of good facilities, some of which are noted below:

Tournaments

The Croatia Open takes place in Umag each year on clay courts. Dates for 2009 are 27^th July to 2nd Auguast. The players normally stay in the four star Sol Garden Istra but there’s plenty of other accommodation for spectators to choose from.

The PB Zagreb Indoors takes place in Januarry/February each year in the Dom Sportova, Zagreb.

Tennis Camps

JST Travel organise tennis camps in Umag and Poreč and offer a wide variety of other activities as well. The Umag holidays use the Umag tournament courts.

Sunshine World Croatia also offer camps in Umag with options ranging from individual lessons, through fun packages for kids and families, to the “Pro Package Luxury”.

Hotels With Tennis Facilities

Bluesun Hotels Elaphusa take advantage of the Zlatni Rat tennis centre on Bol, Brač, to offer a professional tennis school for adults and, for children, the Tennis Academy Mickey. The Zlatni Rat centre used to host a ladies international (WTA) championship and now stages the Bluesun Bol Ladies open in April each year. The centre has 25 clay courts including a show court accommodating 2000 spectators.

Ilirija Hotels occupy a vast area in Biograd, near Zadar, which includes three hotels, an open air swimming pool and beach bar, and a tennis complex with 14 floodlit clay courts, 6 hard courts, clubhouse, café and a resident professional.

Istraturist have four 4 star hotels in Umag, as well as a three and a two star. From these you can take advantage of the best tennis facilities in Croatia, available from the same courts that stage the annual Croatia Open and several other tournaments.

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Link to Croatia Online - Boat Show Special for a picture of Goran Ivanišević at the Croatia Boat Show in Split

Link to Croatia Cruising Companion - Rowing News for the latest Croatian achievements in nautical sports

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And finally…, we note that the Daily Mirror Survey last week voted Goran Ivanišević the tenth sexiest male player of all time. Croatian readers should try and understand the Mirror’s target audience and editorial policy when analysing the significance of this and how three UK tennis players – Murray, Henman and Rudsedski – made it higher on the list. Dalmatians don’t have the prerogative on sporting nationalism. Croatia Online’s editor would also like to know how Bjorn Borg managed to get a place and Ilie Nastase didn’t!

Croatia Online – Cost Of Living Update

2009-06-27T00:56:00.001+01:00

The Eurasian Griffon Vulture, pictured, has his own cost of living equation, no doubt. Lucky for him that the Protection Centre in Cres has given him a few more options in recent years. For us humans, the cost of living is traditionally measured in monetary terms.

We’ve reported quite regularly on the cost of living in Croatia and our last detailed posting on this - Croatia Online Cost Of Living Update - July 2007 – seems remarkably up to date on everything except exchange rates.

Whilst in July 2007, £1 sterling was worth about 10.4 kunas, now it’s about 8.6 kunas and that’s had a serious impact for those relying on GBP earnings to finance their holidays or life in Croatia. It’s not entirely surprising to see that the Euro exchange rate for kunas has hardly wavered through the global economic storms. Those, including occasionally ourselves, promoting the myth that Croatia is outside the Euro Zone, would do well to study Croatian economic policy in this respect and the actuality of how closely the kuna follows the Euro. Yes, Croatia is theoretically outside the Euro Zone, but it has long had the sense to link its currency to another one more “stable” than our pound.

For American citizens, $1 (one dollar) is worth about 5.2 Croatian kunas so $2 will buy just over a half pint of beer (mala piva) or a cappuccino.

Macro economics aside, the cost of living in Croatia continues to be competitive, what ever that means in current global speak!.

Croatia Online – Peka or Dalmatian Sunday Roast Dinner

2009-06-25T20:28:00.001+01:00

When Dalmatian mothers discovered their city cousins using ovens, cooking “ispod peke” became the country version of baking meat, and the successor to boiling food or roasting it on the spit. The age of electricity came relatively late to rural Croatia, but still the popularity of this cooking method survives. In winter, traditionally, the wood fire would be prepared on a stone slab in the most multifunctional area of the house – the place to get warm over a chat – and above the fire would be an array of meats in the course of being smoked. Chickens and turkeys were early peka favourites but, with the advent of refrigeration and the first butchers, small cuts of lamb and veal were added to the repertoire. Cooking “ispod peke” is also credited as being the first appetising Dalmatian way of cooking octopus.

Polite but knowing smiles will greet you when you ask for the secret of a good peka – everyone has their own tips and special ingredients. Know thy peka also applies to the dome under which the meat is cooked. The fragile clay pekas were eventually replaced, in the early 20^th century, with more robust iron ones, and no two produce quite the same result. The distinctive succulent meat, delicious potatoes and all round juicy flavours are unique to this type of cooking and every bit as special as our English Sunday Roast dinners.

Once the wood has turned into burning ashes on the hot stone slab, the iron bell is covered with the ashes and the contents start cooking at a temperature of around 230 degrees centigrade, “cooling” to about 170 degrees when cooked. There are endless discussions about whether to turn the meat and when. The practicalities are that, with so many factors having an input into the cooking temperature, you can never be sure exactly when it will be perfect. Having a peak inside the peka about 20 minutes before time gives the opportunity to reassess the situation and perhaps turn the meat at the same time.

Peka dishes are a feature in many restaurants throughout Croatia but generally only available if pre ordered, and for at least 4 people.

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Thanks to Etnoland (see previous posting) for today’s photo and helping us out with some little known facts.

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Peka and Peke? – an example of Croatian grammar. Ispod means under and is followed by a noun in the genitive case. Peka is feminine and the genitive ending of a feminine noun is e.

Pekas? - an English translation abomination; the “true” Croatian plural is peke!

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As a PS to this blog, we’ve since noticed a very interesting article on Secret Dalmatia’s blog about the peka cooking utensil itself and the traditions of blacksmiths in Croatia – follow this link to find out more Secret Dalmatia - Blacksmith and Peka Traditions

Croatia Online – Smoking In Croatia

2009-06-25T18:57:00.001+01:00

We last reported on smoking in Croatia back in July 2006, when political correctness in this respect was a very foreign concept. So much so, in fact, that the inspiration for the Croatia Online July 2006 posting was a new “sailing edition” of one of the most popular brands, Ronhill. Now the inevitable has finally arrived in Croatia – smoking indoors in public areas was banned in May 2009 in the hope that spending summer outdoors would give Croatians time to adjust before the colder weather.

Unlike the rest of Europe, Croatians, especially Dalmatians, weren’t really prepared for this – it’s been tried before, somewhat half heartedly, and the Dalmatians don’t take too kindly about being told what to do in this respect. This time, however, it seems the authorities are serious – the fines are heavy and we understand that the ban is being enforced reasonably vigorously.

Café and restaurant owners are protesting vociferously about the effect on business, already suffering from the world recession, but it looks like the ban is here to stay. In a country where cigarette smoking is still the norm, rather than the exception, and where a packet of 20 still costs under £2, it will be interesting to see how the locals adjust.

The government did consider seriously upping the price of cigarettes but with so many open borders with Bosnia and Hercegovina, where cigarettes are even cheaper, that would have been a shot in the treasury foot. Stricter border controls are a key feature of EU accession, for when Croatia becomes “frontline” to non EU countries, and no doubt this will also affect the price of cigarettes.

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Today’s photo shows smoking of a different sort. In the smoking room of Etnoland's Dalmatian village, our friends, Joško and Mičko, taught us the secret arts of Peka (cooking under a bell immersed in embers) and we’ll be giving you some more information on that in our next posting.

Croatia Online – Croatia’s Best Kept Secrets

2009-06-23T19:37:00.001+01:00

Friends, relatives and readers often ask us how best to spend a week or two in Croatia – where to go, what to do, what to see….

That’s probably the toughest question we get – the more we find out about Croatia the more we discover “must see” places and activities, and the more we feel that the honest answer is that a week is just not long enough. However most people don’t have our luck at being able to explore Croatia all year round so here are a few insights into how to find Croatia’s best kept secrets.

1. Explore Coastal Croatia From The Sea

As you’ll see from the sister site, accompanying our book, the Croatia Cruising Companion, coastal Croatia is designed to be explored from the sea. Charter holidays are more accessible and affordable than many people think, and cater for novice sailors as well as experts, so if you have the luxury of a two week holiday, why not make one of them a charter – see Croatia For All Sailors for more information, and Town Ports and Harbours In Croatia for some special places to go. The best months for sailing Croatia are May, June and September though you may find the sea a little fresh in May. July and August are the most popular months for obvious reasons but that comes with higher marina prices, more traffic and the need to find your overnight berth earlier in the day to be sure of a space.

2. Find A Theme

A hobby or theme will give you a reason to explore off the beaten track and find the real Croatia. Our last posting was on the subject of bird watching, another activity for which Croatia is just waiting to be discovered. Other areas where Croatia excels include wine making, olive oil, gastronomy, culture and history, fishing, rafting, folk music, and film festivals. The list is huge and there are just a few agencies that can put together the best that Croatia has to offer in many areas. Secret Dalmatia is one of them and if you have a look at their blog, you’ll find many more Croatian Secrets.

3. Don’t Try To “Do” All Of Croatia In A Short Space Of Time

The real joy of Croatia comes from the quality, rather than the quantity. If you have a short space of time then focus on a relatively small area. Visit the nearest big city and absorb all the culture and history, find one of the many National Parks and explore all that it has to offer, go inland and observe the difference in cultures and more unspoilt nature, find a local wine producer and try out his vintages, visit a local olive grove, take part in the summer festivals, and hop on a ferry to a nearby island. There’s a huge variety of things to do and see in easy reach of most of the main cities and if you choose you’re base wisely, you won’t be disappointed. You’ll also get a much better deal on accommodation if you choose just one base for the whole week.

4. Try A Specialist Tour

Fortunately, for western Europeans, en masse coach trips are a thing of the past. Now it’s small high quality tours. We’ve mentioned Secret Dalmatia above, and it’s through them that we have discovered far more of Croatia’s Secrets than we would have found on our own – spectacular viewing points, amazing caves, Roman ruins, wine tasting trips, etc. If you know what you want but don’t know where to find it, then a high quality local agency will open doors for you that might otherwise remain closed. The best experiences are often the best value ones too – what could be better than dining on home produced food and wine, in the company of Dalmatians that can tell you more about Croatia in an evening than you might otherwise learn in a year?

5. Learn A Little Croatian

You don’t NEED to, as almost everyone speaks good English, but you will find a little effort goes a long way with the locals. It is quite a hard language to learn properly, mostly because of the grammar, but phonetically it’s pretty easy – pronunciation is consistent and the alphabet is almost the same. Mastering a few basic phrases isn’t too hard and you just need to be aware that any letters with an accent on have a soft pronunciation. For example, Brač is pronounced Bratch and Šibenik is pronounced Shibenik. Follow this link for an online phrase book - Croatian Language School.

6. Prepare

Do a little homework and you will get much more out of your trip. There are a number of good websites around and plenty of guide books, though we’d recommend Time Out’s Visitors’ Guide To Croatia as being the best value for money - it’s produced annually and focuses on features and reviews produced by contributors who live locally and are therefore “tapped into” the latest news events and trends. For sailors, of course, we’d recommend the Croatia Cruising Companion and would also humbly point out that for those that want to visit the smaller and less known islands by ferry, it’s hard to find another source that covers all the Dalmatian islands so comprehensively.

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And, to illustrate the type of secrets waiting to be shared, here’s an example of what an apparently lesser known destination, Sibenik, pictured, has to offer alongside its fascinating and compact historic town centre.

A UNESCO protected Cathedral

Croatia’s only falconry centre a ten minute drive away Croatia Online - Falconry Centre Makes World News

A variety of unspoilt islands

The Krka National Park, about twenty minutes drive away

Dalmatia’s first discovery park, Etnoland (and the website doesn’t do it justice!), about half an hour’s drive away

Bibich Winery, a local wine producer who has been exporting wines to the US successfully for a number of years

A new shopping centre

Two fine dining restaurants – Pelegrini and Peperoncino – as well as a number of good traditional Dalmatian konobas

Castles, Roman ruins, canyons, ……..

The one thing Šibenik doesn’t offer as yet is a good, city centre, hotel. Perhaps the best options are in the neighbouring tourist town of Vodice or next door Tribunj, a lovely fishing village with a high class marina

Croatia Online – For Undiscovered Croatia, Follow The Birds

2009-06-17T18:00:00.001+01:00

Croatia has been hailed as “undiscovered” and the “Mediterranean as it once was” for many years now. Those that visit Dubrovnik when there are five cruise ships in town, or Hvar in party season, may feel they have been misled. However there are still many great destinations, along the coast and on the islands, that haven’t fully hit the tourist radar yet, and even more spectacularly beautiful parts of the countryside lying just a little inland. What better judge of the word “undiscovered” than the world’s rarer birds?

We were lucky enough to get the job of researching and writing about bird watching in Croatia, for Time Out’s first feature on the subject, see posting below. However we did promise Croatia Online’s readers a few more details on it, back in February in Croatia Online - Croatia's Natural Splendour, so here they are.

Croatia is truly undiscovered for bird watching and yet, like in so many other activities, it probably has more to offer than some of the more established destinations. There are four distinct habitats - Continental, Pannonian, Alpine and Mediterranean. That provides for a vast diversity of species and an abundance of those species which may be rare in other parts of the world.

Eastern European birding expert, Gerard Gorman, author of “Birding in Eastern Europe” (2006, Wildsounds) is also a guide for tours in Croatia (Probirder). He told us us that Croatia has “arguably the most varied range of landscapes of all [11] countries in this book…and a huge diversity of avifauna [birds]” and believes the Rock Partridge to be one of Croatia’s best assets - “there aren't that many countries where it is common and easy to find.” He adds that Croatia has good numbers of several tempting species such as the Pallid Swift, Olive Tree Warbler, and Black Headed Bunting, and a number of species rare in the region such as the Yelkouin Shearwater and Cory.

But Croatia isn’t just a country waiting to be discovered by serious twitchers: it’s the ideal place for beginners and nature enthusiasts to chill out. We spent a day with Robert Crnković of Val Tours and Robert knows just where to go (and where not to go) to discover the best of Croatia’s natural splendour and wildlife. There’s much more to a bird watching trip in Croatia than sighting a few birds, nests and habitats. On our short trip we discovered spectacular waterfalls, the source of the river Cetina, a 9th Century church, a 19th century Napoleonic bridge, marshlands, castles and remote villages.

An alternative to an arranged birding tour is to visit one of the Nature Parks or protected areas which often have their own birding experts. The wetlands of Kopački Rit are a favourite, as is Lake Vrana, near Biograd. The island of Cres is another, special for its diverse terrain and for the Eurasian Griffon Vulture, one of Europe’s most endangered birds. Dr Goran Sušić has been fighting its cause for over 25 years and established a Special Ornithological Reserve on Cres in 1993. The centre encourages eco tourism and now has bird watching tours. Dr Sušić, founder of the Reserve, maintains that they can virtually guarantee sightings of tempting finds such as Golden Eagles, Short-toed Eagles and, of course, the Griffon Vulture.

Below are details of a few specialised trips though most offer a range of activities to suit beginners and professionals alike.

Val Tours, Biograd have a one week bird watching itinerary for €790 excluding flights but including everything else –3 star hotels, all meals, entrance tickets to national parks, airport transfers, professional guide, and all local travel arrangements. These tours are for between 4 and 8 people but they will organise shorter trips, or tailor made tours for 1 to 8 people, beginner to professional, on request.

Kopacki Rit Nature Park organise 6 or 12 hour trips for a maximum of 15 people in a group. Book in advance - the cost is 310kn or 610kn and includes guide, transport (boat and all terrain vehicles) and entry fee. Groups are divided into three categories of birdwatchers – recreational, amateur or professional.

Eko-centre Caput Insulae Bell, Cres organise 7 day tours, from April to October. The cost of €700 per person includes accommodation at the Griffon Vulture centre in wooden huts, fitted out to high standards, as well as all boat and car transport, meals, and guide. Groups are limited to a maximum of 12 people.

Falco Tours, Split provide a range of kayak and canoe trips focused on birds. The short “Around Trogir” trip is designed for beginners, costs €34, and takes in the Pantan Marsh Reserve; or you can canoe the Drava River for 12 days at a cost of €1,300.

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Thanks again to Val Tours for the photos – yesterday’s posting featured Pygmy Cormorants; today it’s a Rock Partridge.

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For those of you who prefer to watch the birds from the sea, have a look at sister site Croatia Cruising Companion, for details of sailing holidays in Croatia, for beginners and experts alike.

Croatia Online – Blogging Technicalities

2009-06-16T16:45:00.002+01:00

You may have noticed a slightly different look to the photo in our last posting. We’d like to think that when we did our first Croatia Online posting back in January 2006 we were reasonably ahead of the blogging and IT game. However things continue to change very quickly and, after a recent course on something entirely different, we decided to take some time out from blogging itself and invest it in better technology. So we downloaded the new version (8) of Internet Explorer and discovered we could no longer paste into our blogger posts – calamity!

Technicalities aside, we ventured onto the blogger help forum with some trepidation, sure that it was a silly question we were asking amongst a peer group much more technically up to date than ourselves. It wasn’t, they were, and the problem has been resolved, or at least we have found a way of working round it. Not just that, the “work around” is a fantastic discovery that makes many aspects of blogging on blogger a whole lot easier.

The solution? Windows Live Writer, with a little help from our friends at Blogger Help. That means we’re back to serious blogging with a vengeance and readers can expect ever better presented posts to accompany what we hope is the continuing high quality of Croatia Online's content, and that of its sister site The Croatia Cruising Companion

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Today’s photo is courtesy of Val Tours, Croatia, who offer a range of activities. Val Tours were a great help when we wrote a feature for Time Out Croatia on birdwatching, and we chose this photo for today’s posting as we felt a little like the pygmy cormorant on the right until blogger help came to the rescue!

Croatia Online – Croatia Takes Tourism To The Travellers

2009-06-16T15:33:00.003+01:00

Anyone who doubted that Croatia takes its tourism industry very seriously indeed, need only look at the tourist board's new website. Mindful of the effects of the world recession and the continuing impact that could have on this year's tourist figures, the Croatian National Tourist Board is inviting help from existing aficionados. This is direct online marketing taken to a higher and quite ingenious level.

Why not win a holiday by inviting all your friends onto a website where they can complete a fun personality test and get some holiday suggestions tailor made for their preferences? And how do they get invited? You fill in the personality test and send them a postcard of some of your ideal places. Those that get the most number of email contacts onto the site can win a holiday. Those that don't quite make the holiday can, at least, take comfort in the fact that they have introduced a few more travellers to the delights of Croatia and helped sustain this year's tourism. It's clever stuff - a high quality mailing list of potential holiday makers automatically directed to the site where they can buy! And it all seems very well protected in terms of data collection and use.

Nonetheless, we're very protective towards our friends and contacts so won't be taking part in the competition, although we did do the personality test! Instead, we thought we'd do our bit for Croatia's tourism by spreading the word on Croatia Online. So head off to Welcome To Croatia for a number of ways in which you can discover more about Croatia and help others to do so too, including perhaps, a video on You Tube?

The Croatian Tourist Board Website will help you find a place in Croatia that suits you but if you are looking for some holidays and activities with a difference why not look at some of our earlier postings:

Croatia Online - Nature and Ancient Cities With Secret Dalmatia

Croatia Online - Falconry In Croatia

Croatia Online - Olive Oil Tour on Solta

Croatia Online - Caving In Croatia

This post has been 48 hours in the writing due to some interesting blogging discoveries which we will be reporting on soon!

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Today’s posting shows the path to the island of Vis from Šolta Island.

Croatia Online - Top 20 Island Gems, Guardian

2009-06-07T15:48:00.008+01:00

Croatia is so full of island gems that the only surprise in today's article in the Guardian is that it only features two in its top 20 - Lopud, near Dubrovnik, and Sv Klement, near Hvar, both very deserving but it must have been a hard selection. Certainly Šolta is a very strong contender with its fabulous castle, Martinis Marchi, now tastefully refurbished into a luxury hotel. See Croatia Online - Solta for the start of a series of postings on this, so far, almost completely undiscovered island just a 40 minute ferry ride from Split.

In fact, with over 1,000 islands, islets and rocks to choose from, picking a top 20 just for Croatia is a challenge, let alone deciding which ones to incorporate in a more global context. Back in 2007, US magazine Travel and Leisure got round the selection problem by including the whole of the Dalmatian Islands at number seven in their World's Top Ten Island Destinations and you can read more about that by linking to Croatia Online - Dalmatian Islands In World Top Ten.

Of course the best way to discover Dalmatia's island gems is to sail around the Adriatic and what better resource than the Croatia Cruising Companion to help you find them. As far as we are aware it's the only book that covers every island in Dalmatia, onshore as well as at sea, so apart from being an indispensable navigational aid, it's a mine of information for those that want to island hop by ferry as well. And at just £17.49 from Amazon, for a full colour hardback, it's pretty good value too.

For the full story from The Guardian follow this link.

For a taster of some of the other island gems check out the following postings:

Croatia Cruising Companion - Kornati Islands

Croatia Cruising Companion Readers' Report - Vis, Hvar, Brac and Solta

Croatia Online - Vis Island

Croatia Online - Krapanj Island

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Today's photo is across the courtyard and swimming pool of hotel Martinis Marchi on Šolta. The tower in the centre of the picture contains just one luxury guest suite stretching over five floors!

Croatia Online - Time Out On Birds

2009-06-06T17:11:00.004+01:00

Time Out's new Visitors' Guide To Croatia has now been out for a month and is featured regularly in the UK press. We were again delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the magazine in a number of areas and have now had the time to have a good read. Setting aside any personal involvement, it's difficult to think of any publication that provides such up to date insight into what makes Croatia tick, and such comprehensive travel and visitors information.

We've already reported on the nautical feature on sister site Croatia Cruising Companion but we're particularly pleased that Time Out chose to publish the full text of a bird watching feature we wrote for them. Like so many aspects of Croatia, it's completely undiscovered for bird watching yet has one of the most diverse landscapes in Eastern Europe and several species of tempting birds. That and the beautiful unspoilt scenery means it's a potential twitchers paradise without the crowds. Even for beginners like us, the birdwatching theme provides an ideal excuse to explore Croatia's natural splendour at its best.

Croatia Online - Croatian Culture

2009-06-06T16:34:00.002+01:00

Just to complete our trilogy of recent postings on Croatian culture, assisted by the Croatian Embassy in London, here's a book that may help you understand Croatia a little better. Unfortunately, this time, we were unable to attend the presentation at the Croatian Embassy last month, but have heard plenty of good things about it. Follow this link to see what Marcus Tanner had to say about it on the very informative website Balkan Insight

Croatia Online - King Henry VIII's Croatian Muse?

2009-05-12T00:03:00.005+01:00

Croatia Online does not pretend to be an in depth cultural resource on Croatia. There are plenty of experts better suited to disseminate its considerable wealth in this respect. However we have learnt that when the Croatian Embassy in London organises a cultural event that coincides with a trip to the UK, it’s worth making an effort to attend.

Tonight’s enlightening symposium at the British Library was on the subject of Marko Marulić, commonly referred to as the father of Croatian Literature. He was certainly an eminent and prolific literary pioneer and, in a letter to his friend, Hieronymus de Cipcis (see below), he alludes to himself as the Slavonic Dante. Being the first Croatian to translate Dante from Latin this was perhaps a suggestion more based on knowledge than ego.

The symposium coincided with the British Library’s Henry VIII exhibition and we learnt that not only was Henry VIII one of the most intelligent and widely read monarchs of the Renaissance period, but that Marulić’s Evangelistarium is one of the most annotated books emanating from the King’s library, in the British Library collection. That suggests it was much consulted and a frequent source of reference.

In the late 1520’s and early 1530’s, Henry’s extensive library underwent something of a transformation as he researched and gathered evidence for his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the eventual split from Rome. The book entered Henry’s library in 1529 and the notes, in the King’s own hand, focus on passages about vice, virtue, sin, morality, wisdom, faults of the clergy and many other subjects that might have informed the king in his path towards divorce and the formation of the doctrine of the new Church of England. Marulić may indeed have guided Henry in his future marital choices in the passages which relate to the virtues of marriage and how to choose a wife. Marulić suggests that a good choice of wife is neither too beautiful nor too ugly – acceptable to the eye of the husband but not too acceptable to the eyes of others!

Marulić was born in Split in 1450 and lived to the then ripe old age of 74. Regular readers will be aware, from our recent postings about the island of Šolta, that he also lived in Nečujam for a few years later on in life. The first son of a noble family, he never married and his body lies in Split’s Franciscan church. He is Croatia's most translated author and his books were written in Latin, Italian and Croatian. He is referred to as a humanist and Latinist and was originally best known for his work on morality and theology. Later discoveries of his more erotic work revealed a slightly darker side.

The British Library catalogue of Marko Marulić records 86 titles in its collection. Many of these have been discovered in the last twelve years though approximately 25% of Marulić’s work remains to be found. There are some interesting theories on whether some may yet be uncovered on Šolta or the island of Zirje, in the Šibenik archipelago.

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Marulić - The Slavonic Dante?

In his letter to Hieronymus de Cipcis, Marulić wrote "I have written a small piece of poetry in our mother tongue, divided in six books, depicting the history of Judith and Holofernes. I finished it last Lent and dedicated it to our dean. It is conceived in a poetic manner. Come and see it and you will say that the Slavonic language also has its Dante."

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The above brief notes do not do the symposium or the expert speakers justice, but it’s a start. Links between Croatia and the UK span many centuries and, it’s evident that many more are yet to be unveiled. Apart from the interest of the subject itself and the way in which it has been so thoroughly researched and put into context, tonight’s event was a great excuse for, embarrassingly, a first visit to the British Library and to sample, once more, the generous hospitality of the Croatian Embassy. Good to see a Croatian news TV crew there as well.

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Many thanks to Flora Turner, Cultural Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, for organising the event with her usual aplomb. Also, of course, to the British Library for providing such an excellent venue and display, and to all the speakers:

Ronald Milne - Director of Scholarship and Collections, British Library

HE Dr Ivica Tomić - Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia

Milan Grba - Curator of Southeast European Collections, British Library

Flora Turner - Cultural Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Croatia

Neven Jovanović - Professor of Classical Philology, Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb

Iva Kurelac - Research Fellow of the Institute of the Historical and Social Sciences of the Croatian Academy in Zagreb

Andrea Clarke - Curator of Early Modern Historical Manuscripts, British Library

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Today’s photo is of just one of the British Library’s collection of Marulić’s books, a sample of which were displayed for us this evening.

Croatia Online - Sunday Times Best Sailing Holidays

2009-04-29T16:18:00.004+01:00

Sister site Croatia Cruising Companion covers updates to our book, first hand accounts of cruising Croatia from our readers, and news, views and comments on nautical Croatia.

Today's Posting is about a feature in the latest Sunday Times singing Croatia's praise in a number of areas.

We said in our book that Croatia merits a high ranking place amongst the world's top cruising destinations and the word is well out! Hopefully the Croatia Cruising Companion will help you get the best out of Croatia's sailing heartland - the Dalmatian coast and islands.

Croatia Online - Split In All Centuries

2009-04-17T00:18:00.007+01:00

It was something of a surreal experience travelling back on the London tube this evening carrying a “goody bag” from the Split tourist office. No less surreal was discovering some more secrets of Split within the very hospitable confines of the Croatian Embassy by Fitzroy square. Just to reinforce the many links between Croatia and the United Kingdom, we learnt that Fitzroy Square was Robert Adam’s next project, after he had finished discovering the Diocletian Palace, and hides a few fragments from Split.

Many thanks to the Croatian Embassy for an absorbing evening on what Split has to offer and a real insight as to how Split might continue to hold the rapt attention of visitors for many years to come. Here are just a few excerpts from tonight’s evening:

1. It appears that that many of the state of the art skills, particularly in stone masonry, expounded and led by those restoring the Peristil in Split, were inspired by training and education at Weymouth College In Dorset. The faithful restoration of the Peristil is still a work in progress and it seems there are many more treats to come before the summer of 2012, the ultimate deadline for all phases.

2. There is a fascinating and already well researched theory that Diocletian’s Palace may have been more of a factory for the production of imperial military uniforms, than a luxurious Emperor’s Palace. The most compelling evidence we heard, alongside plenty more, was the “productivity” of the aqueduct built to carry water from the river Jadro to the Palace. This was capable of carrying 130,000 cubic metres of water per day which would have served a residential population of 173,000, many times in excess of the population of a “normal” palace, but just about enough to meet the demands for the wool washing and dying required by the military.

3. Did Diocletian decide to be the first Emperor to choose early retirement or was retirement thrust upon him? Tonight was the first time we heard that he was anything other than an early “quality of life” merchant, rather than a victim of a the equivalent of a recession or political coup.

4. We learnt a little bit more about the details of the hold up on Split’s Riva reconstruction (see earlier postings) – we knew there were some new archaeological finds that temporarily stopped the clinical “refurbishment” of the sea front, but tonight we obtained just a little bit more insight into what they might have been, and wonder how the “modernisation” still managed to go ahead in a form that seems so out of kilter with the heart and spirit of Split. It appears that there was plenty of life and civilisation prior to the building of Diocletian’s Palace, and a thriving port directly in front of the palace where metallic “street furniture” and slippery, heat reflecting, paving stones now lie.

One of the most important and uplifting message of tonight’s evening, and one that has been resonating the more we have got to get to know Croatia and all its gems, is Split as a prime example of one of Croatia’s living historical cities. Croatia has seen many civilisations come and go, and Split is (mostly) a great example of making the best of its heritage available to permanent inhabitants and visitors alike. Refreshingly, the head of Split’s tourist board, conveyed a very honest and insightful image of a Split that is faithful to the best of its culture and history, but continues to reap the rewards of ever changing circumstances whilst ensuring that people are at the heart of Split’s continuing intrinsic wealth. Vedran Matošić seems to have the balance right and let’s hope that his vision of Split’s tourism – event led but faithful to, and protective of, its heritage – will ensure the continuing prosperity of a great city. That message, in conjunction with strong signs that Split is empowering the best of professional help it can get to uncover, preserve and share yet more of its history, is reassuring.

Croatia Online - Happy Easter

2009-04-11T22:28:00.003+01:00

Easter is a very special time in Croatia, not least in the town of Vodice, near Šibenik, which stages a number of events, including a sailing regatta and the pageant pictured. Follow this link to the Vodice Tourist Board to find out more about this lively tourist town.

We take our lead from today's photo - a mix of religious and military images - to note that Croatia joined NATO this month. No mean achievement after much hard work, continuing strategic and political importance, and the hosting of major NATO exercises back in September 2007 - see our posting of the moment, Croatia Online - NATO in Croatia 2007, when quiet fishing villages and warships seemed to live in relative harmony, and hopefully will continue to do so for many years to come.

Sretan Uskrs (Happy Easter) to all our friends and readers.

Croatia Online - Driving To The UK

2009-04-07T10:53:00.004+01:00

We've reported on the drive back to the UK a few times before - see Croatia By Car, August 2008 and Left Hand Drive Cars, December 2008. As long as you're not rushing and get in the right mind set it can be quite enjoyable - the time to clear your head and admire the scenery whilst changing cultures. It's a relatively easy trip from Split to London in 2 days and our benchmark is if we manage to get somewhere near Frankfurt on the evening of day one, a 4 pm ferry from Calais is easily achievable. We left at 5.30 am on day one, arrived 40 km short of Frankfurt by 7 pm and still found time for regular two hourly breaks. We left at 9 am the next morning and were back in London by 7 pm, building in the same regular stops. Total distance travelled 1850 kilometres; costs - petrol plus tolls plus vignettes (including the Slovenian rip off as per previous posting!) plus one night's hotel accommodation and ferry trip.

Changes since the last time - looks like the motorway through Slovenia is taking shape and may hopefully be open by the summer, if not before. Similarly the two currently single lane long tunnels on the Croatian motorway - Mala Kapela and Sveti Rok - have a fighting chance of being dual carriageways fairly soon from the look of them.

Croatia Online - Highlights & Soft Landings?

2009-03-31T20:23:00.012+01:00

As we get ready for a trip back to the UK it's back breaking work loading up the car with (only the best of) the literature we've accumulated this time round.

When we first arrived in Croatia six years ago, there wasn't a lot of information on the web and blogging was as undiscovered as Croatia was. Now it's so much easier to find what you want on the internet but the tourist offices are still big on brochures and information. Sometimes, off season, in the more remote locations you have to dig it out a little but it's worth it and it's a travesty to throw it away until it is properly read and digested. Regular readers therefore have plenty of blogging to look forward to during the UK break, whilst we consolidate the information and catch up on the ones that temporarily got away whilst we were enjoying ourselves too much. Of course there's no substitute for exploring in person and talking to the locals, so we have plenty of notebooks to sift through as well!

There have been so many highlights, over the first few months of 2009, of a personal and professional nature, and a number of people who have found the time and made the effort to help us discover more of Croatia and still feel welcome and a small part of it. This is not the place for private or professional thank you's of a general nature but the least we can do is give a plug and a link to some of the websites that belong to those who have made a big difference, and just a short note on some of the things they do that we have seen in the last couple of months!

In alphabetical order:

Apartment Maris (Luxury Apartment, Split Centre)

Black Cat Bistro (Restaurant, Split)

Etnoland (Dalmatian Discovery Park)

Olynthia (Olive Oil Tours)

Sailing School Croatia (Sailing School!)

Secret Dalmatia (Roman Ruins, Caves, Special Views)

Sokolarski Centar (Falconry and Conservation)

Trinity Croatia (Croatian Property Experts)

Val Tours (Bird Watching with Expert Guide Robert)

Zara Adventure (Caving)

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Just a short plug as well for John Nash, co-author of the Croatia Cruising Companion. John runs Marina Facility Solutions from his base in Kaštela and you can read more about his recent successes, in an ongoing campaign to help Croatian Marinas keep the sea clean, by following this link MFS a Key Advisor In Croatia's First Integral Marina Pump Out Solution. To go straight to the latest issue of Euromarina that featured his work at Marina Preko, click here.

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Many thanks to Eko Centar Caput Insulae for today's photo of a Griffon Vulture Landing. Apart from their conservation work with this rare bird, they also arrange bird watching trips too and we'll tell you more about those soon.

Croatia Online - Natural Order

2009-03-30T21:06:00.020+01:00

Olive trees and cross generational family standards thrive in Croatia - perhaps something to do with good roots and making the most of challenging terrains and frequent interlopers. We've recently learnt that olive trees respond well to natural hazards and threats if they have some space and care. They're amongs the longest lived of fauna and produce a fruit that is rightly revered for its efficacy.

Dalmatia is a land of "small holders" demonstrated very well by the scattering of its olive groves and the quality and distinctiveness that results - in a world of mass produced olive oil that doesn't quite have the kick, the taste, or the traceability of the best of its Croatian peers, its something to fete!

Similarly the world might again come round to the enduring ethics and traditions that have left Croatia perfectly poised to continue to carry on apparently regardless, but mindful of the chaos going on elsewhere and the need to find its rightful place on the 21st century political and geographical map.

Croatia, so strategically, and often precariously, situated between east and west, has a seasoned history of seeing many great powers come and go, and seems to grow stronger from it, and more faithful to its soul and roots.

There has been much talk in the western world about family values, now as if it were a fantasy, a decade or so ago as something really important to try and hang onto. Croatia, particularly Dalmatia, walks the talk. It's a secret a foreigner can't properly share but can continue to admire warts and all. The greater the discovery process, the greater the admiration and the understanding of the blemishes.

We wouldn't be surprised to learn, in a few years time, that the Olive tree wasn't in fact introduced by the Greeks and/or Romans to Croatia, but they just kept better records and so took the credit!

Croatia Online - Best Souvenirs of Croatia

2009-03-23T23:12:00.007Z

As we think about getting ready for a month or so in the UK, it seems timely to consider what represents Croatia best in terms of quality gifts for English friends and relatives.

Unfortunately most of what is best about Croatia can't be packaged, bottled and taken away. The flavours, tastes sounds and smells can but are not always so easy to transport. Good on Croatia for not going too far down the route of tacky souvenirs and for staying true to its soul.

So what can you practically take back to England for an original and thoughtful present, representing the essence of your best experiences of Croatia? Here's our top five:

1. A small, well packaged, bottle of the best extra virgin olive oil and details of its history and origins. The gift recipients won't want to taste another olive oil. There are many organic producers with an eye for quality but only a few with websites so we're citing our most recent discovery - Olynthia.

2. A bottle of good Croatian wine - splash out a little in relative Croatian terms and your french friends may be surprised.

3. A jar of fig jam - we haven't discovered any small local entrepreneur producers yet so SMS is still our favourite.

4. A CD of Croatia's folk music - Klapa. Take some advice to get the best.

5. Honey - check the lables for the brands of exceptional taste and quality

A little more flippantly we'd suggest a copy of the Croatia Cruising Companion and a ticket to Croatia.