With a big smile across her weathered face, the old woman with three eggs in one hand grabbed my arm and began speaking rapidly, in Croatian. Understanding only the words American and tourists, I looked at my guide, Oz, for help. “She says she used to share her house, a simple stone building up the road, with her extended family of 20, and now she lives alone,” Oz explained. “It's good to see people in her village and she welcomes more visitors.” She could have been speaking for all of Croatia.
The place that invented the tie, the fountain pen and boat rudder is reinventing itself as a tourist destination. Croatia has a lot to promote, from baroque castles, to medieval towns, to beach villages royalty favored in the early part of the century. It's a foodie country with the distinction of discovering the largest truffle in the world, an up and coming wine region, and a place you can find old world charm in preserved cities and beach villages.
The former Yugoslavia is working hard--to welcome visitors, to start new businesses touting their natural resources, and to teach Americans how to relax. Europeans have known about the “new Riviera” for decades but it's a new discovery for many Americans. Just a few hours from Venice, Paris, and London, Croatia has the ambiance of Europe with friendlier people and lower prices. The country is also anxious to let people know the Balkan war is over and tourists are safe. “It's our renaissance,” jubilantly exclaimed one winemaker.
Flights from SFO will take you to numerous European cities with a connecting flight to Zagreb, home of the Regent hotel. Formerly called the Esplanade, it was built especially for passengers on the Orient Express and featured in Agatha Christie's book by the same name. Conveniently located near shopping, dining and sightseeing, it's still the place to stay. After your welcoming glass of champagne, take the funicular (cable car) to the upper town. In this original part of the city, a man still runs around at sunset to light the gas lamps and the cannon that protected the city is fired each noon.
Zagreb is the Capitol, but the seat of Croatia's first government, Varazdin, is first in my heart. A baroque city that looks like a village in a pop-up storybook, it's a bustling university town.
Walk around town for inspiration, avoiding the many bicyclists, but save your shopping dollars for the Varteks outlet. This well-known European label has coats, and suits for men and women at a fraction of the prices charged in their retail stores in the city.
The city's 13th century castle is worth visiting for the “advertising room.” Old signs that promoted businesses are on display, including the “Wilde man” pub and a mermaid indicating import items from around the world. Interior design buffs will enjoy seeing each room decorated in the style of the reigning royalty, which included Marie Antoinette's mother. The castle and other tourist sites all have English translations.
Unfortunately, right now there is only one big hotel in town, the spartan Hotel Turist. While the atmosphere is unremarkable, the food is worth a visit. The award winning chef is so popular local residents often leave their dinner choice up to his discretion.
Be sure and contact the city's tourism office to arrange a driver to take you to the wine region. Thanks to the country's new high-speed freeway system it's easier to reach the wineries, called wine houses. These are the antithesis of Napa Valley's commercialized, impersonal experience. Owned and run by generations of families who live onsite, they welcome you into their living rooms. The Croatians equate good hospitality with a full table so be prepared for platters homemade delicacies such as an orange cheese colored by peppers, smoked meats, a ricotta type cheese, strudel and homemade bread with pumpkin oil. The wine pours are also generous, so pace yourself, taking the time to wish your host a long life, with the toast, “zivili.” Known mostly for white wines, Croatia makes some interesting vintages you can't find in America, such as Grasvina, a fresh, light wine. The trend is toward organic wines, since they are “better for the people and the country,” according to one vitiutcultures. Most of the wineries are building guest accommodations ranging from small bed and breakfasts to conference centers.
For an unusual, decadent meal visit the Zigante restaurant in the Istria region. After the owner discovered the largest truffle in the world, he created the restaurant where you can order a meal with white and black truffles on each course, including the ice cream!
If you're hungry for seafood, you can watch the fishermen carry their catch from the boat to your table in the beach towns along the Adriatic Sea. Opatija is popular with divers who explore old shipwrecks, looking for Captain Morgan's rumored buried treasure. If they're lucky they see the group of residential bottlenose dolphins.
The Opatija Riviera has been popular with the elite since the 1860's when it housed the first health spas. Dancer Isadora Duncan was reputedly inspired to incorporate the swaying palm tree fronds in her choreography and perhaps her ghost remains. How else do you explain my husband and I dancing the night away? Our dining room had a table of middle-aged women celebrating a birthday party and after some local wine, they invited us to join them dancing to old John Denver songs.
People in the know stay in Porec and catch a ship to Venice, just two hours away. The proximity to Italy is reflected in the city's architecture, food and shops. Colorful stucco homes line the hills of this town that's famous for its basilica. Oz. my guide, says when you enter a new church you get three wishes and one of mine was a return trip to Croatia.
Old Croatia about to be restored to a B&B
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