Croatia – MOUNTAINS AND MANTRAS

Do you like quiet beaches and refreshing water (not cold, not warm) for swimming?
Do you love the taste of Truffles (not the chocolate ones)?
Do you like ancient hilltop villages with amazing scenery, charm, history and cobblestone streets?
Do you like green countryside, fresh autumn colors, gorges spliced by turquoise rivers?
Do you like art, music, paintings, or handcrafted jewelry?
Do you like climbing; do you like limestone crags?
Do you love using the best olive oil when you cook?
Do you like fine wine; do you like wine tasting; do you like looking at vineyards scattered everywhere with every type of grape?
Do you like the low season without a million tourists in your space?
How about strolling, hiking, mountain biking….. Relaxing, perhaps?

If you said YES to any of these questions, then Istra, Croatia in September is the place for you!

Mitch, Will and I desperately needed a motorbike de briefing, a place to call home for more than one night, a chance to slowly assimilate back into normal life. We needed DOWN time, FUN time and ALONE time. We found the Istra Region and hunkered down in an apartment in Rovinj. We are close but not too close to the city or the beach. We are very close to climbing and many hilltop villages of interest and beauty. We have a nice car and can get anywhere, anytime.

“With a strong Italian influence, Istra is a beautiful region of Croatia both along the coast and inland. Bordering Slovenia and with a maritime border with Italy, this peninsula is easy to reach from the rest of Europe. It is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic sea.”

The history is complicated and this is an area that has been pillaged by the Romans and later, the Goths and influenced heavily by the Venetians. The hilltop villages that still remain cover this area and were all built with the same idea….protection. Today, the villages can be visited and they all have different appeal. We had to choose what we thought would be the most scenic drives and select the three villages that would appeal to us the most. We decided to base in the popular coastal village of Rovinj. It didn’t hurt that there were climbing crags close by. A few crags at the seaside of Rovinj and a couple more along a beautiful gorge called the Limski Kanal. Our mantra: climb in the shade, then hit the beach and swim afterwards. Dinner out or maybe cook in. We went into Rovinj one evening and walked the cobblestone streets and alleys. I was looking for particular jewelry shop and found it. Yes, of course, I spent money there. There are many shops mostly owned by local artists. This region of Croatia is known for local and international artisans who have studios above their shops. There were more tourists here than we anticipated, so we did not wander long. The promenade was lit with a glorious sunset and the yachting community was putting their anchors down. It was a perfect time to make an exit.

Of the four crags we found, climbing in Rovinj was our favorite

Colorful Rovinj sits partly on the sea and up, up the cobblestone to the hilltop.

Crafty shopping on cobblestone. Four long narrow alleys lead to the church at the hilltop.

A lovely seaside park follows the sea offering numerous places to choose your own private area to sunbathe and swim. Climbing is 100 meters behind us.

We spent an entire day traveling inland and chose the hilltop villages of Motovun, Buzet and Groznjan as our targets. Our drive included many vineyards, castle sightings, autumn colors making their debut and plenty of rock and crags that kept the boys gawking for sure. Motovun was high and beautiful and the overlooks were spectacular. We also walked narrow,cobbled streets with fewer tourists and more truffle shops than one can imagine. It is truffle hunting season and thousands of people head out with their dogs and pigs to find this elusive fungi. Usually starts end of September and goes on through October. Apparently, truffles are worth the big bucks….a thousand big ones per one kilo of this special mushroom. But, they are very difficult to find. Trained pigs are the best. The Cappuccino is getting better the closer we get to Italy..so we had to indulge before moving on.

Spotting Motovun from the roadside below.

View from the wall at top of Motovun. Spectacular vineyards and olive trees.

Enjoying the view, the sun, and NO other tourists.

Most shops closed now that it is low season. Okay with us!

The road to Buzet was green and gold countryside with a grand mixture of rock. The boys continued to gawk at rock and plan the next climbing exploration. We could see Buzet coming into view as we looked up into the clouds. Buzet is a big “normal” city where commerce exists, schools, malls, playgrounds, industry and lots of cars inhabit the space. We took the road up to the old village. No cars in the village so we walked up and entered the very quiet artists haven. We have become accustomed to the astonishing views, narrow cobblestone ( slippery, steep and polished) alleys, truffle shops, cafes, astonishing historical artifacts from the first and second centuries ( mostly Roman) and art studios. We did wander in a gallery and meet the artist who owned the shop and his colorful works were on display. He grew up in the village of Buzet and still lives and works there with his wife and family. The rest of the village was such a joy to wander; quiet and peaceful. Greenery and flowers growing between the crevices in the ancient rock walls provided stunning wall art. Time passed slowly and we just enjoyed the ability to stop and stare uninterrupted. Definitely less interesting than Rovinj, but very quiet, well kept and an artists dream.

Greenery is vibrant and magical as it flows from the ancient walls and onto the cobblestone

Narrow passages to unique structures of historical significance. Buzet.

On our final leg of the inland road trip, we stopped at a thriving roadside cafe for lunch. We dined outside, next to a peaceful river and a countryside that was turning its’ colors. We were hoping to have our first culinary experience with truffles. We ordered pasta with white truffles (white are more rare, more difficult to find and more expensive). It took us a minute, but yes, we did thouroughly enjoy our experience with this delicacy. The tast is subtly sublime! Now, we just need a trained pig to make our fortunes!

Pasta with white truffles. Very rich, very delish!

After lunch, we did some countryside exploring and ended up at our final village destination. Groznjan is the smallest village of the three, but the structure is the same. The shops all have working studios attached as this village is ONLY for artists. During the high season, tourists come in droves and purchase a wide variety of art and handicrafts. Jewelry seems to be the most popular. When the tourists leave for the season, some artists stay and work all winter in their village studio while others leave Groznjan to go to their home studio and create more works. I LOVED THIS PLACE. Artists are such interesting people. I would have enjoyed this even more at the peak of the high season when all the shops were open and all the artists were working.

In high season, Jazz festivals bring in music lovers from all over the world on this small stage.

We loved drinking alone and having this view to ourselves. The solitude made the scenery even more spectacular

Studios and shops would be bustling in high season. I would have loved to watch the artists at work!

Our last day in Rovinj was a day at the beach for me and a day of climbing for the guys. Dinner at our favorite place and we are packed to leave in the morning.

We spent our departure day finding three more crags and we all enjoyed climbing in the fantastic Indian Summer weather. We ended up just short of the sLOVEnian border for the night. An incredible final dining experience included ricotta cheese spread with shavings of white truffles as a starter. Super yummy!

Ricotta cheese spread with shaved white truffles. Exquisite.

Now, at the border to return the car, hop a passenger van to airport hotel and we are now in Italy and headed to Greece tomorrow!

Ciao Ciao Croatia, sLOVEnia and Italy!!

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Sept, 13

Dear Diary: Pappi Coconuts ( our good friend, Mitch)arrived last night. We are excited to have him join us on the motorcycle tour of The Balkans. This morning we picked up our bikes, and got our instructions, our gear, some directions and we were off! The weather is warm and sunny. Driving though the country side of Slovenia is very pleasurable because it is a gorgeous country, clean and manicured. Not many vehicles on the road ,either. We went through the border crossing out of the Schengen and into Croatia. We headed straight to one of the most visited tourist sites, Plitvice Lakes. We quickly found an apartment and spent the evening hiking around this magical place laced with waterfalls,lakes, and a pallette of pretty pastels. This place is mystical and it felt like I was in an artists’ dream. Heavenly, so heavenly. We left the park in the dark and blindly found our way to a very traditional restaurant at the top of a hill overlooking the park and open to the star studded sky. The place was crowded and without reservations, we had to wait. We had a very pushy, cocky but informative and endearing waiter. We ordered a plate for three people that had more meat than I could even ever imagine. When in Croatia, one eats meat and lots of it!!! There were a few small delicious side dishes and a wonderfully chocolate dessert…so we forgave the waiter and moved our satisfied bellies back down the hill and to bed.

Sept. 14

Dear Diary: We are up early, and hiking again in the Plitvice Lakes to finish what we couldn’t in the dark last night. Stunning dawn light made for great photos this morning. On the bikes and off to the next destination. Not sure of how far we could make it along the Dalmatian coast, we finally quit riding at dusk and landed in the charming village of Trojir. We walked the promenade and dreamed about life on the lavish yachts that were docked. The money, the stuff, the people eating five star meals on their boat decks with waiters and servants and yacht workers busy. The harbor was lit up, the sea was an intense blue and the Promenade was busy with hungry tourists wandering just like us. We had a very nice meal and ordered fish after the meat fest the night before.

Sept.15

Dear Diary: We are not sleeping in on this trip. Being on the motorcycle with destinations that must be reached and goals that must be met….we were up early, made a quick breakfast and we were on our way to the ferry at Split and then floated lazily to the Croatian Island of Hvar. Split was insanity and the driving, traffic and cray cray just to get TO the ferry and ON the ferry was nerve wracking. Once on the ferry, we could only sit, enjoy and even catch a few Z’s. Once off the ferry, we drove the entire length of the island with a quick stop for lunch in Jelsa. We had the greatest waiter, a quiet lunch looking at the sea and a most fantastic hamburger and fries. This was the little bit of rest we needed before jumping back on the bikes. We made it to the end of the Hvar and the only other ferry terminal. I voted to leave this dingy little fishing village and catch the last ferry to the mainland. I was outvoted by the guys….but, ended up discovering this secret gem of a place was a real jewel. Looks are not everything. The evening light was so incredible and the walking path to the lighthouse was just enough exercise to satisfy. My guess is most people opt for the last ferry, but we stuck it out in Sucuraj and we struck gold!

Evening light in Sucraj made this quiet little village appealing and inviting.

Sept. 16, 17

Dear Diary: Okay, first ferry to the mainland and we are headed to Dubrovnik. I am so excited…I love the big cities, I love the old towns, I love the crowds and people watching. Will and Mitch do not, so we stopped short of Dubrovnik and settled in the small village of Orasac. We had the nicest apartment, the sweetest little grandmas taking care of us, and a balcony with a sea view in front, village below and mountains behind. We chose to stay put, find dinner and attack Dubrovnik in the morning. Our first choice for dinner…CLOSED. Second and only other choice for dinner was pizza down, down, down a steep road all the way to the sea….in the dark. Glad we had our headlamps! Pizza was great, the walk back up was heart throbbingly painful, but a good thing to do to get rid of those pizza calories. I am going to sleep well tonight!!!! Up and out in the rain to Dubrovnik. This fortified walled city did not disappoint. The streets were crowded, the upper wall passage around the city was teeming with hot, sweaty tourists all looking for that perfect photo from the many viewpoints and we all were in line for a bottle of water. Exhausting and a couple of hours of this was enough for the boys. Getting on the bikes and riding up above to an ancient war site was their mission. We found fewer people, a cool breeze and a resting place with scenery everywhere. WE headed back to Orasac for dinner at a small and traditional village restaurant. It was at the home and in the back yard of a husband and wife cooking team. This was our favorite food, favorite view from an eatery and our favorite waitress. The dish for three fish and veggies was incredibly tasty and well presented. We were more than satisfied.

Looking ver the edge of the wall and counting all the dropped hats below. The wind can get ya!

Enjoying our favorite restaurant in Orasac and the view.

As the evening went on, the view got better.

Charming everything at this eatery. Six tables and one serving a night. Views for everyone.

Looking down into Dubrovnik from upper ancient city wall path around the fortified city.

The overlook way up above Dubrovnik. A wild ride!!!!!!!!!!

Looking across the at the fortress from Old Town, Dubrovnik.

Remnants of the not too distant history of war in The Balkans. Above Dubrovnik.

Sept 17:

Dear Diary: Yup, up early and on the road. We are headed to Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor and Kotor city. I have heard so much about this place that I can’t wait to get there. However, we are learning that all does not go quickly and smoothly on the motorcycles. Sometimes there are ridiculous lines at the border crossings and sometimes the weather shuts us down. We had a bit of each and we finally arrived at this much heralded walled city with not much of the day left to explore. We are getting used to this. Found a place to stay, got off the bike…quick change of clothes and off we go. We list our top three wish list things to do and try to get them all accomplished. We were so happy to see the cruise ships departing and the throngs of tourists going with the ships. Kotor city was easy and fascinating to walk through. It was unusually quiet, charming us with the many skinny, dark cobblestone side streets and a stunning array of historical landmarks all around us. Many museums, many churches and statues. We felt satisfied….well, the guys did. I could have used an additional day to see every shop and every side street but we still had 1348 steps to go up to reach the famous St.John’s overlook….and it was getting late and a bit dark. None the less, we bought the ticket and arrived at the top breathing heavy with shaky legs and then had 20 minutes to absorb the enormity of the bay, the city, the sea and the amazing ancient wall that continued to creep up the mountain and back down to the sea…built oh so many thousands of years ago. Steps down pushed my quads to new levels, but we still had time for dinner. Eating is always a goal and eating local and traditional was the first choice. We found a great little eatery close to the sea and shared a communal dish of fish and vegetables, ending this fishy feast with a chocolate delight!!!!! Over dinner, we planned the next day and all agreed it had to be a very early start to avoid the huge torrential rains that were in the forecast for the mountain passes we needed to travel. Good Night!

Sept.18

Dear Diary: It is early and we are climbing up and up on winding roads and screeching turns. No rain…but this amazing rainbow appeared as a result of the rain below us. We beat it!!!!! NOT. We did get rain and it was torrential for about an hour. Luckily, where we thought there were no humans, we found a cafe and had coffee and Scrabble until the weather cleared. As we dropped down from the mountains we came upon the Piva Gorge. First a lake that went for miles and miles and was full of fluorescent blues and turquoises. Water so clear, you can see the big fish. Then, the Piva Dam. I have never seen a structure for damming water quite like this.The architecture was mind boggling. The surrounding area in all directions was so beautiful and full and intriguing. We stood on the bridge for an hour just watching the massive river flow, the fish in schools swim and the peaceful lake exude color and tranquility. AHHHHHHHH! From there it was down, down, down to MoStar, Bosnia as our goal destination. AS we head to the border crossing we run into a line of traffic. STOP!!! An accident in a dark bridge ( bridges in Montenegro are dank, long and pitch black, creepy and scary). This accident is serious, there are fatalities and the road from both ways will be closed for at least three hours. WE are advised that with our bikes, we can take another small road and get through to the other side. We decide to do that and so does everyone else including busses who have no business trying to fit on that ONE way road. Long story short, this becomes a total cluster at the top and you have vehicles nose to nose and cars lined up and down both sides. We were in front of the bus that started the cluster and Mitch was behind. Add rain and cold to this mix plus angry and impatient drivers and we had a mess. Once we were out, all traffic on both sides going the shortcut were closed and we were one of the lucky ones. Mitch did not come out for another hour and we waited in the rain at the bridge for him. The small village of Nicsic was in a state of chaos and the hotels started to fill. We had to spend the night here and eat the worst pizza EVER . But we were safe, alive and well. So, okay. Good Night Montengro.

Just as we were heading into the Montenegro mountains, snapped this view of Kotor city and bay.

That rainbow, though. Kotor Bay. It dumped on us shortly after that photo.

This stunning lake goes on for miles. Part of The Piva Gorge and Dam Project.

Resting at the lake to see through the clear waters and gawk at the schools of fish.

Autumn colors as we look up river at the damn site. Vibrant scenery, rushing river and genius dam architecture.

Will the Thrill loved the Piva Gorge. One of his favorite places thus far.

Sept 19:

Dear Diary: Another border crossing ( pretty smooth) and then the landscape changes. The roads in Bosnia start out rough, the country is barren and we miss the mountains and the sea immediately. But, it gets better and we start to see evidence of life. We had an interesting lunch in a small village with what we thought looked like a nuclear power station or a nuclear reactor up road from us. It was creepy, we ate quickly and took our leave. Bosnia is expansive and barren and then, we begin to enter into village and city life. The Mostar skyline immediately pops out at us with many mosque, minarets and iron crosses reaching for the sky at dusk. The Islamic presence in Mostar was very evident. I wasn’t prepared with my history lessons for this city and its’ struggles. This is a peaceful town with very distinct trinket kiosks, a cobblestone market place and the famous Stari Most (Old Bridge). The bridge is the number one tourist attraction and has impressive history of destruction and restoration. The city itself is a cool mix of Christians and Muslims living in harmony after the Bosnian War in which there was an ethnic cleansing of the Muslim peoples. We spoke with a few who say life is good, peaceful and harmonious for the most part. I thought the city was very unique and different from Dubrovnik and Kotor. The dichotomy of Islam and Christian was clearly stated, but the overall feeling of the city and it’s people was quiet and contained. I liked the feeling of Mostar. It exuded hope, strong community and a special spirit of peace.

Islamic Trinkets in the market at Mostar

Colorful Mostar. Always a minaret. Crosses are harder to spot, but they are there.

Neretva River running through Mostar, Bosnia

Sept 20:

Dear Diary: How fast can you get us to Paklenica? Will’s been dreaming of this place for the entire trip….except we did not bring our climbing gear on the motor bikes. We were here ten years ago and he loves the climbing at this National Park. Once we were settled at our beach front apartment, we headed to the park to make our plan for a hike the next day. We were all pretty tired and walked along the beach path at dusk for photos and some food. This place has a climbing community feel and we were regretting that we did not try to fit our gear on the bikes somehow. Oh, well. It is a beautiful place and the sunset shots were the best of our trip so far.

Resting at the beach after a long day on the bike.

Sept 21:

Dear Diary: The climbing in Paklenica is fantastic and the hiking is pretty great as well. We chose a classic hike to the summit of Anica Kuk. It was pretty much straight up and then, straight down. Rocky, steep, and polished made the hike down a bit challenging. We did not quite make the summit, but we were close enough. I LOVE LOVE the white sticky, sharp, big holds limestone that is widespread over all of Croatia. The last part of the hike was a limestone scramble and it was fun! Great views of the Adriatic Sea and the rest of the park was a highlight. It was a day well spent and exhausting. We had enough time to enjoy our beachfront and Will went for a swim. Dinner, exhaustion and bed. Great Day!!!

Diverse landscapes in Paklenica….not just for climbers.

Sticky, sharp limestone and well marked trails….love it!

Sept.22

Dear Diary: Leaving Paklenica not having the opportunity to climb was a bit of a bummer for all of us. Will vows to come back….he will. We are now headed towards Slovenia where we will drop off the motor bikes. One more stop in Opatija, Croatia. This beachfront village has beautiful Venetian influence and architecture. It was all the rage for wealthy tourists and yacht loving folk at the turn of the century. The boardwalk was delightful to stroll with many impressive old hotels, excellent restaurants, parks full of fabulous sculptures and upscale shopping. This was a perfect place for us to spend our last night on the road trip. Our Italian meal was notable but our apartment… not so much. Although we are really tired of moving and packing everyday, we are sad to get to the end of this road trip. We were just getting in the groove of motorcycle touring.

Was glad I had my headlamp…. Still dark at the hilltop.

Opatija rest stop. Wine, beer and cell phone.

Sept 23

Dear Diary: On the freeway today to get to Ljubljana by 11:00 AM. Turn the bikes in, get a car, grab the rest of our stuff and head back out of the Schengen to the Istria Region of Croatia. Bittersweet!!!!!!!

*It was a scenic drive back to Ljubljana.*

Category: Croatia

Idling in Istra (Northeast Croatia)

Balkan Blast: (Croatia, Montenegro & Bosnia)