Into the blue
Into the blue…..
shhhh…….somewhere in Croatia…….
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Tag Archives: Croatia
Corona virus in Croatia & our life in lockdown
beach in my hometown in Croatia
At the moment of publishing this post there are 1,343 corona virus cases and 19 deaths in Croatia. First case of corona virus in Croatia was confirmed on 25th February. I originally wrote this post for a fellow travel blogger (check here) but I have decided to add some more personal content and to post it here on my blog as well.
I live in a seaside town in Croatia with my husband and two small children. Our life has changed dramatically and we are now practically in a complete lockdown. As everyone else in the world we heard about corona virus in China but didn’t think too much about it. After all, China is far, far away from our small country. In the meantime our small country wasn’t that far away anymore from the virus because the virus came to Italy. Oh, that’s too close! And yet the government didn’t think about closing the borders with Italy and the first confirmed corona virus patient in Croatia was a guy who returned from a trip to Milan, Italy. And then there were other people who got back from holidays/ski trips/business trips and had corona virus.
So, things happened fast from then on. Everyone who got back from abroad had to be in self-isolation for 14 days and report to a doctor. If they had severe symptoms they got tested for corona virus. Then, the government decided to cancel/postpone all events that gathered more than 1000 people, than that got reduced to a 100 people. Schools, kindergartens and universities were ordered to close for 14 days. Then, all restaurants, cafes and shops and some other businesses got closed for 30 days which meant that all education facilities were also going to be closed for longer (this is valid until 19 April, further decisions are awaited). Read more
Dvigrad Ruins, Istria, Croatia
Istria is probably the most developed tourist region in Croatia with towns such as Rovinj and Poreč that attract a serious number of tourists. Besides the beautiful coastline the peninsula of Istria boasts excellent cuisine and medieval hilltop towns much like the region of Tuscany in Italy. However, there are still many off the beaten track places in Istria and in Croatia in general that you can visit.
There is a significant number of fortresses in different stages of disrepair and ruin around Croatia that can be visited for free. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit one of such forgotten and abandoned fortresses. But there are many well-preserved castles and fortresses too that attract tourists.
Since my husband and I both love medieval festivals we recently visited a small medieval festival at Dvigrad Ruins in Istria (only 25mins from Rovinj inland). I found out about it by coincidence, an ad popped on my Facebook news feed. So, we took our 20 months old boy to see some medieval knights. It was a hot Saturday afternoon which might explain the lack of visitors (admission was free, the ruins can be visited any time for free too). I think there were more performers than visitors at this festival. Firstly, we walked all over the Dvigrad Ruins. Dvigrad was a prosperous town with a fortress and a church until the plague and the malaria depopulated it in the 16th century. The last surviving families moved out at the beginning of the 18th century and since then this town has been abandoned.
10 Photos to inspire You to visit Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik or now widely known as the King’s Landing from the Game of Thrones TV series is a spectacular, walled, old town on the southern Adriatic Coast of Croatia. Dubrovnik was a powerful independent merchant Republic in the history and fought against the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian Republic. Everyone should visit Dubrovnik! However, much as Venice or Barcelona, it has become too popular among tourists so my advice is to visit Dubrovnik off-season, in spring or fall or even in the dead of winter. There’s so much culture and history in this gorgeous city but there are also beaches and fine restaurants. So, if you haven’t already visited Dubrovnik let this post convince you to experience Dubrovnik.
10 Photos to inspire You to visit Dubrovnik
Discover Croatia: Dubovac Castle
Dubovac Castle, Karlovac, Croatia
It’s been a while since my last Discover Croatia post and it’s also been a long time since our last day trip as a family. But it’s completely different to travel with an active toddler than a baby. Needless to say, I found it easier to travel with a baby and now regret not travelling more with my son when he was younger. However, that doesn’t mean that we won’t travel with him anymore. At the moment with him running in all directions and me being pregnant again the most simplest of walks can be difficult. Nevertheless, this day trip was great and our boy was on his best behaviour and really enjoyed exploring Dubovac Castle.
So, let’s write about Dubovac Castle. This castle is situated on a hill overlooking the town of Karlovac which is halfway between the capital of Croatia Zagreb and its biggest seaport Rijeka. Dubovac Castle is a Renaissance castle with Gothic elements whose oldest parts date back to the 13th century. The name of the castle originates from the word for an oak tree in Croatian language since it was surrounded by a large oak trees forest. There’s still a lot of greenery around the castle but not a proper forest.
Christmas at Trsat Castle, Rijeka, Croatia
Discover Croatia: Veliki Tabor Castle
Veliki Tabor Castle
Once upon a time…..that’s how all fairy-tales begin, don’t they? Croatia is full of fairy-tale castles and legends. You just need to go further inland to discover more of Croatia, not just its stunning coastline.
Veliki Tabor Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in Croatia. It’s been on my to-visit list for a while. When I discussed visiting it with my husband the original idea was to spend a weekend in Zagorje region of Croatia and to visit both the castle and the baroque town Varaždin as well as several other worthy tourist attractions in the area. But we had to let go of that idea this time and we settled on a day trip to Veliki Tabor Castle with our baby boy.
