Category: Croatia
Discover Croatia: Ozalj Castle
What better way to spend a Valentine’s Day then by visiting a castle? That’s exactly what I did two years ago. How did I choose Ozalj castle? Well, I saw it featured in a magazine in an article about Croatian castles and convinced my husband to visit it with our friends. And it was the perfect day trip!
About Ozalj Castle
Ozalj is a small town roughly 66 km away from Croatian’s capital Zagreb and very near the Slovenian border. Its most famous period in the history was during the rule of the illustrious Croatian noble family Zrinski in the 17th century. Another notable resident of Ozalj was the Croatian deaf-mute painter Slava Raškaj who was born in Ozalj in 1877.
The medieval Old Town of Ozalj perched on the stone cliff above Kupa river was transformed into a beautiful castle in the 18th century. Ozalj castle changed many hands during the turbulent Croatian history. It was owned by the King in the 13th century and then by the noble families of Babonić, Frankopan, Zrinski, Perlas, Batthyany and Thurn and Taxis. Its current owners are the “Brethren of the Croatian Dragon” society who have opened it to the public.
Inside the Ozalj castle you can find a small museum and the library. The entry fee was 20 kuna which is just under 3€ at the time of my visit (Feb 2015).
Chocolate Festival in Opatija
Have you ever been to a chocolate festival? I’ve visited a chocolate museum in Prague and a chocolate factory in Austria but it was only this year that I went to the Chocolate festival in Opatija, Croatia for the first time.
Opatija is a lovely seaside town in the Kvarner Bay and the oldest tourist destination in Croatia. Many counts and earls and kings frequented Opatija during the Austro-Hungarian empire (19th ct) when Opatija was the favourite spot for many noblemen. It definitely deserves more attention from the travellers nowadays.
The Chocolate festival was held at the first weekend in December (2-4.12.2016) for the eleventh time. Every year the main part of the festival is held in the oldest hotel in Opatija, Hotel Kvarner. However, the chocolate festivities are spread around the whole town including its beautiful parks. There are special menus at restaurants and cafes too. You can also enjoy chocolate wellness & spa programmes at Opatija’s hotels.
Discover Croatia: LOŠINJ
I hope that this post brings some sunshine into your cold November day. I’m taking you to another beautiful Croatian island in this blog series Discover Croatia. I had opportunity to visit Lošinj island this summer when I joined my husband on his semi-business trip. I haven’t been on Lošinj for years so I really enjoyed my day wandering around two charming towns : Mali Lošinj and Veli Lošinj. Despite their names (mali means small and veli means big) these two towns are actually quite the opposite: Veli Lošinj is rather small and picturesque while Mali Lošinj is the biggest town on the island (7 000 ppl) and it’s full of life.
About Lošinj island
In the distant past island Lošinj and island Cres in the northern Adriatic Sea were just one big island but they were separated into two islands by an artificial channel and later connected again by a small bridge. There are several smaller islands and uninhabited isles that belong to Lošinj-Cres archipelago. The Romans called this archipelago Apsirtides because of a legend about Argonauts-the band of heroes in Greek mythology who accompanied Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece. Jason eventually managed to steal the Golden Fleece from the king with the help of the kings’s daughter and sorcerer Medea but the king’s son followed Jason to retrieve his father’s treasured possession. Jason managed to kill the kings’s son Apsyrtus while Apsyrtus’s own sister Medea dismembered him and threw his remains into the sea-thus the islands Apsirtides were made. Interesting legend, right?
Today Lošinj island is famous as the Island of Vitality due to its specific and beneficial climate suitable for treating different respiratory diseases and allergies. The beginnings of the health tourism date back to 19th century. Apart from great wellness programmes in almost all hotels on the island there are also excellent rehabilitation centers that attract many international sportsmen.
Another curiosity about the island Lošinj: there are no poisonous snakes. It can be said that Lošinj island has two animal symbols: dolphins and geckos (small lizards). There’s a big bottlenose dolphin colony in Lošinj-Cres archipelago which is researched and protected by the law.
The newest attraction of the island is the new museum in Mali Lošinj which displays the ancient Greek statute of Apoxyomenos which was found in the sea at the depth of 45 m.
Veli Lošinj
A walk in the woods
Last Saturday my husband and I went for a walk in the woods. Luckily, we didn’t have to drive far from our seaside hometown since there are plenty of woods nearby. I haven’t done any hiking for a long time so at the end of our walk I was quite knackered but happy. I enjoyed the fresh air and the beautiful autumnal colours and some outdoor exercise :). I even got surprised: we followed a hiking trail to a waterfall. I didn’t know of that waterfall and when we found it eventually it was a great sight to behold. Sometimes the closest places to your home can surprise you beyond any expectations. After our walk we drove down the mountain to have some lunch and to eat chestnut cakes .
I’m looking forward to our new walk the next weekend (if the weather permits, it’s a rainy week so far). Who knows, maybe I’ll find something new as well!
ps. all the photos are taken with my mobile phone since I didn’t plan to use this for my blog 🙂 but I’ve changed my mind:)
Discover Croatia: PAG
In my second installment of blog series Discover Croatia I’m taking you to Pag town on Pag island. I haven’t been to Pag island until this summer. Strange, I know. I’ve been 11 times to London but I still haven’t visited all the islands in Croatia. Pag island is actually quite known to young party-animals because of Zrče beach (Novalja) and its clubs and music festivals such as Hideout festival. But I don’t think that many of those who party hard at Zrče have actually seen much of Pag island. If you’re not into that kind of entertainment anymore, let me tell you more about a small but beautiful Pag town on Pag island.
I holidayed for a couple of days with my husband in a small Dalmatian village this summer like we usually do. But I finally managed to convince him to go to Pag island which is less than an hour away from our accommodation. Our friends joined us for a day trip of exploring Pag town. We walked around Pag town, had excellent lunch and spent some time at the nearby beach before the storm came. When we drove back we stopped again just before the bridge and visited the ruinous fortress.
About Pag
First photo opportunity arose just before we crossed the Pag bridge (it’s free). We stopped and took some photos like the other tourists. The view of the mainland across the sea and the view of barren Pag island is very special. In my opinion Pag has a very Moon-like landscape and it could be a perfect location for some SF movie. Actually Pag has a nickname Lunar Island. Pag is the fifth largest Croatian island but it’s the only one which belongs administratively to two counties. Pag island is famous for its delicious Pag cheese, exquisite lacework and the salt extraction since the ancient times.
