Traveling through Croatia today from the capital, Zagreb to the coast. Interesting how the views change from mountains with forests of pine trees to the coastal, Mediterranean with no trees and lots of vineyards, gardens and olive orchards. Our first stop is the coastal town of Opatija. Kinda a mini French Rivera. Lots of sun, sand and cement. But, no people. We walked a bit to see the few sights then back into the car to head inland to see the mountain towns/fortresses.
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| This was an amazing 'bounce house'. Nobody playing on it though, its got to be hot! |
Next was Hum. Self-advertised as the smallest town in the world. Allegedly with the 16 residents, the most touristy town per capita in the world. Basically a small medieval castle with a restaurant, church, small hotel and a guy strumming his guitar. Nice really, but one has to wonder if anybody would be there if Rick Steves hadn’t mentioned it in his book.
Next, Motovin. Interesting, this the ‘truffle capital of the world’. Truffles are hard mushroom/potato looking things that dogs dig up in the forest! They are quite flavorful. We bought a small jar to add to pasta. We’ll see! Motovin is a fortress built on a 1000 foot high hill with amazing views all around. Its claim to fame is Mario Andretti, the famed race car driver was born here!
Back to the coast to the town of Rovinj. Serious Italian history here. Venetian, really. The Republic of Venice ruled in the 13th-18th century. People say this is the most Italian-Croatian city, other say it is the most Croatian-Italian city. The fight goes on. All signs are in Italian and Croatian. Anyway, a great walking city with the fortress walls, narrow streets and innumerable shops selling identical items for the tourists. Lots of little restaurants as well.
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| This was interesting. In one of the churches we visited. You have an arm holding a crucifix. Never seen this before! |
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