Croatia – Water and History

We were expecting to visit a country full of tradition, a rich variety of food, wonderful scenery and amicable people. We were wrong! What we did find out was a stunning country with very warm people everywhere welcoming us to enjoy the beauties of the place.

We enjoyed so many different platters that we don’t even remember their names anymore but stands out: Štrukli, found mostly in the Zagreb region, which is a dough with various types of fillings like local cheese, cream, eggs, either cooked or baked.

Even though it was still March and the vegetation was on his way to pick up, no doubt, the striking landscapes and cityscapes made us a difficult task to select which pictures should be included in this brief photographic essay about Croatia divided into a few aspects we found there. There is more though! Just go there and admire everything!

Water

A bucolic place, Slivno, almost at noon. Barely somebody on the streets. With around 2,000 inhabitants, I guess, you don’t have much to be done but go home, have lunch and, probably, take a little nap. Or, maybe, spend your time fishing on the clear waters of the Adriatic Sea…

A beautiful full moon night over the new parts of Zadar as seen from the old historic town.

As seen from the Ozalj Castle and overlooking the River Kupa.

Along the Adriatic Sea coast, Opatija, in a rainy day.

Another small place, very clean, this time in the Split-Dalmatian region. We sat at this restaurant, facing the Adriatic Sea, and spent quite some time observing people come and go at slow pace with children playing in a park without their parents supervision. We could stay there forever (actually, we thought about it!) and took notes when talking to nice people from the other table, apartment prices (yes, they are very affordable).

We found it interesting how the humid air at Zadar, at the Dalmatian coast, created this effect under the public lights.

Historic Towns

What impresses about Croatia is that there are traces of inhabitants in the region since at least 12,000 years ago. The Romans were also there and the Venetians. Since the 6h century, Croatia has seen the formation of its state. This long history has provided a land rich on historic landmarks, some of them seen here.

Above, the historic old town in Zadar, where multiple Roman and Venetian ruins and buildings lie. In the background, the St. Donatus Church dated from the 9th-century in Venetian style whereas in front are the ruins of the Roman Forum.

Hum, in the central part of Istria, Croatia, could be considerd the smallest town on Earth, with only 30 inhabitants. It is charming, it is beautiful and makes you wonder if you would be courageous enough to live there. Aside from the tourists, it is very calm, as would anyone expect. Dated from the XI-XII centuries, you are free to use both hands to count the buildings, some dated from the XVI Century. This scene shows a small house and the entrance of a small café where a charming lady talked to us for a long time about some town aspects.

A small view of the Dubrovnik Castle at the sunset with the walls built around the XVI Century.

The Assumption of Mary Church built around the XVI Century. By the time we visited it, it was closed. Barely we knew that we only needed to ask the key to a lady next door to open it for us… Next time, we are not going to miss it!

The famous gate to the Ozlj Castle in Ozalj. I know, everybody takes this very same picture but I couldn’t resist the beautiful scene.

A small detail from the Ozalj Castle, Ozalj.

A glimpse of Dubrovnik, a city of long heritage.

Built around the first century, the monumental Roman Colosseum, able to hold about 26,000 expectators at its time, is still there to be admired. It is impressive and majestic. And beautiful. And well planned during construction, inasmuch to rival our present stadiums (obviously, considering that it was built 2,000 years ago…). This monument, still standing after that much time, leads us to think why our modern buildings, built using the most advanced technology, start to crumble after just a few decades…

St. Mark’s Church is best known for its great Croatian motifs on the roof. However, seen from a not very common angle, it seems to be another ordinary yet beautiful church there. Don’t judge the book by its cover though as it is beautiful from any position might stand to admire it!

Another view of the historic old town in Zadar, depicting St. Donatus Church dated from the 9th-century in Venetian style.

Pleasant Surprise