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 Amphoras - Vis Arch. Museum by KristaB
Issa (today island Vis) was the largest Greek settlement in Croatia, mentioned for the first time in 4th century B.C. It was very important trade center, and they were famous for their wines that were appreciated by rulers of ancient Greece and later of Roman Empire.
Archaeological Museum Vis Leave a Comment
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 by polardabar
Croatia has a strange shape [of a croissant, let's say], like no other country in the world, which comes as a result of five centuries of expansion by the Ottoman empire towards Central Europe - although Croatia was never conquered by the Turks - we stopped them near the city of Sisak! :)
Croatia has been independent since Jun 25th 1991 (from Yugoslavia), which is also its National holiday. Croatia is not yet a member of the European Union (the EU border is Slovenia), but is an official candidate since Jun 2004.
Croatia has about 4,5 million inhabitants (2001 est.) & the capital Zagreb has around a million [although it sometimes feels like ten ;)]. Croatia is orientated towards tourism & that's mainly, and I repeat, mainly because we have a beautiful coast!
There are many other things, of course, but Croatia is characteristic for its huge diversity, considering the rather small geographical area. There are big differences between the southern & the northern; coastal & continental regions, which include culture, geography, customs & even language! When you drive from Zagreb to Rijeka (it takes about 80 minutes by car by the new highway) you start in a valley, then go up to 2000 m high mountains & enjoy the view overlooking the coastal part. If you drive a bit more (e.g. Istria) you'll pass the heart of the peninsula filled with tiny cities situated on hills (absolutely fabulous!) where you'll see all the signs in Italian (since Italian is the second official language - besides Croatian).
Croatia has eight national parks: Brijuni islands, Risnjak mountain, Paklenica canyon, Kornati islands, Plitvice lakes (Plitvicka jezera), the island of Mljet, Krka waterfalls & Northern Velebit (added recently). Leave a Comment
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 by TheWanderingCamelLeave a Comment
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 Croatian cities by polardabar
The forest & mountain region of Gorski Kotar is the perfect destination for nature lovers. The whole northern part of Velebit mountain is UNESCO heritage & a wildlife resort. You're passing it on your way to the sea-side, so take your time & take a look.
There are many more natural locations that are protected (around 300), some of them close to urban areas (like the mountain Medvednica north of Zagreb - you can't really miss it...) & some close to transport routes definitely worth seeing!
The central part of Croatia has its main interest in sacred objects, museums & castles: Trakoscan castle, Veliki Tabor, Varazdin, Kumrovec, the Upper City in Zagreb, the cathedrals in Zagreb, Osijek, Djakovo a.s.o. The rural Zagorje is filled with charming villages where wild life seems to outnumber human beings & the hills are crowned with romantic castles surrounded by vineyards, amazing panoramic views & endless possibilities for rambling.
"The Inland region of Croatia is dotted by small wooded hills with churches, romantic castles, crystal clear streams & lush vineyards. After the Loire Valley, this region has the highest concentration of castles in Europe. The Croatian inland offers peace, unmatched scenery, tasty local specialties & great wines of the region." Leave a Comment
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 by TheWanderingCamel
Years of immigration have seen the introduction of a wonderful variety to food in Australia - what we eat and the way we cook it. I guess this is just a little reciprocation. I'd love to know who it was who turned the tables and took this little bit of Oz back to the old country. There they were though, in bakers everywhere, as Aussie as vegemite, lamingtons! I'm not so sure that it's been a fair trade. Leave a Comment
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 Croatian coastline by polardabar
- although the literacy in Croatia, considering total population, is 98.5% (2003 est.), unfortunately not so many people speak English
- the conventional long name form is Republic of Croatia, the conventional short form is Croatia; the local long form is Republika Hrvatska & the local short form is Hrvatska
- the age limit is 18
- the currency is kuna (HRK)
- telephones: main lines in use: 1.825 million (2002); mobile cellular: 2.34 million (2002) [tending to grow because of the three new providers, two of them fixed & one mobile]
- Internet country code: .hr
- Internet hosts: 29,644 (2002); Internet users: 789,000 (2002)
- railways: total: 2,296 km [983 km electrified] (2002)
- highways: total: 28,123 km, paved: 23,792 km [including 410 km of expressways]
- ports & harbors: Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Dugi Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Sibenik, Split, Vukovar (inland waterway port on Danube), Zadar aso.
- airports: 68 (2003 est.); the biggest one is Pleso, Zagreb [17 km from the city center; daily busses by Croatia Airlines]
- visas: Citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, the USA & most continental European countries can enter Croatia for stays of up to 90 days without a visa; however visitors must hold a return / onward ticket, all documents required for next destination & sufficient funds
- time zone: GMT / UTC +1 [Central European Time (Rome, Stockholm, Berlin, Paris etc.)]
- dialing code: 385
- electricity: 220-240V, 50Hz
- weights & measures: metric Leave a Comment
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Wine was produced in Croatia even before the Roman times. The four main wine regions produce 620 kinds of wine from 54 grape types. These regions are Dalmatia, Istria, Slavonia and Zagorje, inland Croatia. The first three, on the Adriatic coast, produce primarily red wines and a few whites. Inland Croatia produces primarily white wines.
The islands of Hvar and Korcula in the Adriatic are well-known for their wine production. Korcula produces Croatia’s most famous white wine, the Prosip. The Peljesac peninsula produces Croatia's most famous red wine; the Dingac.
I will mention only the most important wines. Among whites : Pinot bijeli, Pocip, Malvazija, Vodnjan, Grasevina, Rizling. Among reds : Teran, Postup, Plavac, Dingac The name of the wine will often be followed by the name of the region where the grapes were grown : Zlatan Plavac, Viski Plavac, etc… All these wines are very tasty and worth trying. The whites are always rather sweet, even those labeled as dry (plenty of sun !). If you like sweet white wine, it's for you. If you prefer real dry whites, switch to the reds. The reds are wonderful, with great bodies and they are very colorful. Dingac is definitely the best and a must taste. It is extremely distinct, with an harmonious flavor and a sumptuous bouquet, tinged with the fine aroma. Caution, expensive and strong in alcohol ! Avoid driving after drinking Dingac ! Leave a Comment
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 by JLBG
More recently, an extensive survey, using DNA profiling, has been performed on a several year program aimed at the identification and preservation of the genetic patrimony of Croatian vines by Dr. Carole Meredith with 2 researchers at the University of Zagreb, Ivan Pejic and Edi Maletic. They worked on several hundreds of Croatian vines.
In 2003, they have definitely established that Crljenak Kastelanski, another Croatian grape spotted in Kastela, was the same than Zinfandel and Primitivo and that Plavac mali was a "son of Crljenak Kastelanski/Zinfandel/Primitivo", a cross between Crljenak and Dobricic, another rare Dalmatian grape. Neither Crljenak Kastelanski nor Dobricic are cultivated on a large scale.
Mike Grgich, one of California's best-known winemakers, immigrated from Croatia in the 1950s, had always believed Zinfandel was the same as Plavac mali. The first time I tasted Zinfandel in California, that immediatly reminded me of the Dingac I had tasted a few month earlier in Croatia, but as I knew that the origin of Zinfandel had remained a mystery for more than a century, though the greatest specialists had worked on it, I thought "they taste alike because of the sun and that's all!" I was really amazed when, later, I learned that they were actually so closely related. I strongly recommand to those who have the opportunity, to taste Zinfandel vs Dingac Leave a Comment
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 by acemjLeave a Comment
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Day 8: Korcula - Rijeka
We had some rest on the comfy sofa in the deck and woke up just in time for the sun rise. Sun rise was beautiful.
We arrived at Rijeka at about 1.30pm. We drove out of Rijeka city towards Slovenia.
We went to Postogna Jama and were very impressed by the massive structures in the huge cave. I love Slovenia and will go there again. Leave a Comment
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