Croatian Sensation

The past five days offered an incredible look inside one of Europe's most overlooked places: CROATIA.  Running for almost 1000 km along the Adriatic Sea, this Ex-Yugoslavia state is described by its tourism office as the "Mediterranean as it once was" - which, despite not being on the Mediterranean, is an apt description.  

Plitvicka Jezera - one of the wonders of the world and a must on any visit to Croatia.

The Croatia we discovered was in a way very representative of the country's interesting history.  Our journey was at first strikingly beautiful (sunny northern islands) then covered with dark clouds (ours were literal - as in a weekend storm - while the country's clouds are the well-known 10-year conflict that plagued the Balkans during the 90s.)  We began in the North, tracing the shore from Rjeka as we made our way south onto the beautiful island of Krk.  The brilliant blue color of the water immediately caught our attention, while the ancient city of Krk itself stole the show at night, offering an almost English-speaking tourist free zone of authentic local restaurants and laid back ambiance.  Here we dined on authentic Italian, learned a few Croatian words (Hvala = thank you), and enjoyed caught-that-day Sea Bass.  It was amazing.

After enjoying the aptly named "Copacabana" beach at Baska, we left Krk and headed down the mainland, catching a ferry to the island of Rab.  Here we bathed in the bath-tub warm waters of Lopar and spent the night dining under the stars in a city that dates back to before the birth of Christ.

Sunset over the city of Rab.

Over the weekend, a storm rolled in bringing with it sheets of rain that would close roads and end our time at the beach.  We headed south to the city of Zadar, where we found friendly locals, an English-speaking movie theatre (Angels and Demons gets two thumbs up!), and more Italian food.  It is as if people forget that Italy's neighbor across the water might be just as nice.

The city of Zadar offers ancient Roman monuments and designer shopping - something for everyone!

On our return journey north, we ventured off the beaten path to Plitvicka Jezera.  It sits just 1o minutes from the Bosnian border, and is a UNESCO Heritage site that in my opinion could vie for one of the seven wonders of the (natural) world.  It was a photographers dream.

Unfortunately, we were running around enjoying ourselves so much that I didn't have time to post my blog.  The brief moments I had in front of a computer were spent frantically getting the latest edition of BEYOND THE FIELD to the Oakland Raiders, which should be making an appearance on their site in the next 24 hours (featuring Matt Epperson and the youth program.)  Therefore, I'll spend the next few days bringing you all up to speed and sharing the many great photographs and stories from our trip.

~ J. Twice