Very true, right? At least all the cat owners know this very well. I got a cat named Timmy when I was 15. Then my home was my parents’ home in my hometown. Briefly I considered England my home too but when I got back my cat was furious and ignored me for days. Then, when I moved in with my future husband I decided to convince him to get a cat to make our home a real home. Even though he never had a pet previously, apart from a turtle, he agreed and now our cat Munchkin loves him to death. Not me, him. Injustice! But ginger cats have a mind of their own, as really all cats do.
London
As every traveller I quickly feel at home in most of the places I visit. As soon as I unpack my suitcase in a hostel/hotel room I feel at home. At least for the duration of the trip that place is my temporary home even though my cat isn’t there. Although my real home is in Croatia I consider England and London my soul home. A place where I feel at ease, a place where I feel I belong, a place where rules are obeyed and where everything stops when you have a cup of tea. Of course, my family and friends make a place truly my home. But you can feel at home at another place too, can’t you?
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).
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.
Advent Wreath in Opatija
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.
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 Apsyrtuswhile 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.
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:)
