Croatia, May 2023 (Part 1)

As some of my readers probably already know, Andrew and I had a wonderful trip to Croatia back in May. While we all are bidding farewell to summer, I thought it would make sense to share our travel memories. So I am inviting you to virtually join our trip to Croatia, May 2023 (Part 1).

But first of all, if you missed my previous post, please make sure to check it: Ajvar – Balkan Pepper Spread. That recipe is a part of my vacation memories.

Croatia has always been on my travel bucket list. Indeed, Andrew visited it in 2008, but somehow I was not invited :)

Getting from Nova Scotia, Canada to Croatia isn’t the easiest way as there is no direct flights from Canada to Zagreb. We ended up flying from Halifax to Boston, then from Boston to Munich (and basically that way included most of Nova Scotia haha), and finally from Munich to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

Zagreb

Here we leaned that our luggage did not arrive with us. Fun part is that when we were packing our two suitcases, I suggested Andrew to divide our stuff between two of them. I thought that if one of suitcases would get lost somewhere, at least both of us would have some cloths. Genius idea, right? Yeah, it did not include the possibility that both of they would be lost. Turned out, they had been sent to Zurich. I mean, Zurich, Zagreb – that’s almost the same :)

I cannot say it did not affect my mood, but we still enjoyed our time in Zagreb. And next afternoon, our luggage arrived – best birthday present ever! lol Yes, this trip was to celebrate my big #40. (Originally I wanted Iceland, but this country is super expensive plus May is quite chilly.)

Zagreb – Pula

After two nights in Zagreb, we jumped in our rented car and were on the way to Pula where to our rented apartment. On the way to Pula, we stopped in a small town Samobor and Hum – a small and beautiful settlement (just about 50 people as per census of 2021.) Here I met my first Croatian cats – another best birthday present!

In Pula we were staying for another 3 nights. We celebrated my birthday at a nice restaurant where were tried some tasty Istrian food. I ordered a black risotto with cuttlefish while Andrew got Istrian Fuži (type/shape of pasta) with truffles. And yeah, there was a cat who helped us lick our plates :)

Pula is best known for its many surviving ancient Roman buildings, the most famous of which is its first century amphitheater which is among the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the world.

Poreč, Rovinj, Bale and Motovun

From Pula we had two short road trips to explore coastal and central Istria.

Bale and Motovun are medieval villages in Central Istria located on a hill significantly above sea level. Beautiful houses scattered all over the hill, narrow cobble stoned streets, and picturesque panoramic views – that’s what you can expect when visiting these places. And a few cats, of course.

Poreč is a town located on the western part of Istrian that is almost 2,000 years old, hence, you can see the variety of styles. Roman square with temples, a few houses from the Romanesque period, beautiful Venetian Gothic palaces, and Baroque style church – that’s what you can expect to see here. And the Euphrasian Basilica rebuilt in the 6th century is the most historical cite in the area which is protected by UNESCO as World Heritage Site.

And all those famous red roofs! It’s hard not to fell in love those panoramic views!

Rovinj is another beautiful and charming coastal town with vibrant history and Italian influence (it is also bilingual, Croatian and Italian). Hence you will feel a lot of Venetian vibes here! And as most of Croatian places, there’s a plenty of narrow streets and colourful houses. Despite the rainy day, we did enjoy it. By the way, this umbrella and floral cap Andrew’s wearing (the were both purchased in Rovinj.

After spending three nights in Pula, we jumped in our car to move to our next rental apartment in Zadar. But that’s going to be another chapter next week!

And if you like travel blogs, please make sure to check Newfoundland Trip and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Cheers!