biokovo horses

For those who frequently visit this blog this picture may look familiar, as I published it long ago before.
But I still like it, so perhaps you do to, and as Biokovo Mountains never changes, this is a picture you may see too, when visiting Dalmatia and spending a day in the mountains.
And why should'nt you, as Biokovo is a fantastic mountainpark.

For lazy people, there is a road all the way up to the very summit at Sveti Jure, but to those a bit less lazy I would like to say: DON'T !.

The top is cramped, crowded, and just the top.
Much, really múch more you get, when you stop halfway up, and take one of the very many marked trails, heading deeper into the park (what's a "park", this is rough, pure, wild nature), or heading to the seaside.
Hard to tell you what's a better suggestion, as both offer a lot.

Tip: both the park office and bookstores in Makarska or Split sell a detailled map, made by Smand, making a walk or a hike into a less big step into the unknown.

Into the unknown you go anyway, so be prepared !
And take at least (!!!) half a liter water with you, as however snow piles up to a couple of meters in winter,
summer sun change the slopes into a pretty hot furnace.

Have fun, take care, and should you like more horses, check the internet on "Livno horses".
As there live a couple of hundred in the wild.

so very true !!!!

Couldn't agree more with this poster.

I found it on the internet, and added the English text to it, so you (and I) understand it.
Should you think my Croatian is perfect, the answer is no.
I manage to communicate on a one to one basis, but as soon as there is a group of people, my brains seem to jam.

Lucky me however, not being shy, I learn a bit every day (svaki dan malo vise), just by practising.
And hopping from one word to another slowly my vocabular increases.

Back to this poster, as I love it !!!!
I printed a couple immediately, as this perfectly explains one of our GOLDEN VALUES.

I also grow my own everything, and I am proud of each result.
However, today I visited some neighboring vegetable gardens, and realised I still have a lot to learn.
Don't know how they do it, but they already have their first tiny tomatoes, while I still struggle to keep mine growing.
Whatever, it's with learning curves always trial and error, being vegetables or language.

The essence of this poster however, I couldn't agree more with !
Become friends with the locals, eat local food.
And as much of it you never get to taste in all them pizza parlors, you simply must (!!!!) go into the Dalmatinska Zagora (the hinterland), as there you will find how Dalmatia tastes.
Perfect, just perfect !

Try for instance Konoba Kunjak near Kucice.
It's about fifteen minutes from Omis, up the mountain road along the Cetina Canyon, and short before Kucice, follow the sign to the left.

Basic, but excellent, and when it's melon season, wait to see what you get from the owner as a desert.
No, he does not charge you for it, as his guests are his friends.
The rest of the meal, splendid lamb from the grill, his very own french fries, tomatoes, salad, and the drinks of course you'll have to pay for.
Who cares, as it's still a very reasonable price too for such quality !

So once again:
Sprijateljite se sa seljakom.

Virtual Tourist: see you some day in Real Paradise.

Left Giampiero, the general manager of VT, and a really good guy.

Dear readers of my blog and good people on VT
( www.virtualtourist.com ).
Until recent I not only wrote my blog but also my informative pages on Virtual Tourist.
Inspiring visitors, giving free tips, answering questions to my best knowledge, having great fun !

Until recent, as a while ago some member called Misseille started to nag about me entering commercial info.
Mind you, I do everything for fun, as I freed myself from commercial activity, and pay my own beers.
Slowly increasing her sarcasm, she brought me to the point of leaving VT's pages.
Very sad, but yes, even in the Virtual world there are people like her, spoiling whatever is unspoiled, turning good mood into a bad mood.
Want to send her a message, go to her VTpages at "Missile", wishing her just a bit of the luck I enjoy.
Tell her open minded communication between honest humans always prevents a war to start.
And in this case I also know who lost it !

The Eagles have a fantastic song on their latest album, singing
"Get over it".
Well, I did and I do, so I closed my VT-account to free myself from her non productive negativism.

As we live here in a little paradise, surrounded by fantastic nature and charming people (and a couple of cats), on the very best location to discover Dalmatia's hidden secrets.
That, and only that is my reason to write, in English, as I want you to know where to go if you are visiting Dalmatia.

Of course there are many ways to experience Croatia's beauties, being a lazy beach holiday at the Adriatic or a trip to Plitvice Lakes or cities like Dubrovnik, Split and Trogir (don't ignore Trogir, please !!!).

And if staying here, close to or in Omis, a lot more is waiting for you, like the Cetina River, Biokovo Nature Park and much, MUCH more.
Hell there is MORE, but you have to open your eyes, ears and heart !

Zooming in, on an organised trip or better, on your own, with an open mind into the open, brings you to discover many hidden pearls, little secrets that are not frequented by regular tourists.
That's what I want you to understand and discover.
If my blog helps you to do so, that's my GOLDEN reward.
(And if you need some help, mail me, the address is in the header).

So, from now on, no more VT pages, only my good old blog, with daily little things combined with pictures and stories about fantastic spots and experiences in this stunning area.
Many of them hidden to most of you.

I might even use the VT-flag once in a while on a picture, as I still have it, and to ensure you all I have no bad feelings about VT as a whole.
Real People behind Real Places they say, and I couldn't agree more.
To bad in the real world there are also real people who are a
"pain in the ass".
So best to do is to kick ass if something really bothers you.

Bye bye VT, back to be a HL* again, my blog pages are waiting.
In one of the next pages I will put some links to professionals who do a great job here, in case you want to use their splendid service.
But only if you need them, as I do it all for free, because I love this country, and they do it money AND because they love it.

Or as they say it in Croatian:
JA VOLIM DALMATIA.

(* a Happy Local again).

how and why ?

About 1800 kilometers from the country we were born, grew up and worked all our life, that's where we live now.

Leaving Holland, with it's Rembrandt's, it's tulips, it's green meadows and cows, what makes people make such move ?
What drives two "strangers" to change such an easy and friendly country to a completely new life, with a not so easy to speak or understand new language ?

Was it the sunny climate, the clear blue Adriatic, good food and even better wines ?
All of it !!!

The climate is nice, at least most of the year, however summers are a bit on the hot side, and winters can be pretty cold in our valley, with even some days of thick snow.
And yes, the Adriatic is stunningly blue, clear are of a very pleasant temperature during a long summer.
Not to mention the food, quality meat, fresh fish, organic vegetables and a variety of fruits.

But all of that is nothing compared to our peace, our silence, our nature, stars, birds, herbs, flowers, our surrounding mountains, and our breath taking panorama.
And, as it showed, our very friendly neighbors and friends, making us part of an active social life.

!!! All of it, ALL OF IT !!!

Once you open your heart to truly experience Dalmatia, not only the "excursion type of experience", but the "dive in and swim" type.
As that's what makes you fall in love with this part of the country.

Nothing negative than ?
Hell yes, you have to fight yourself through a lot of paperwork, have to get used to other habits, even have to accept Croatia has a different kind of bureaucracy (and it's very complicated and giving one many headaches).

But...........it's all worth it !!!!

This life, waking up in this life is almost better than life as a whole, or to say it in other words, this IS life.

Birds are singing, stars still visible, silence is complete, and all we grow on our land tastes ten times better than any well assorted supermarket can offer you.

Nothing comes easy, to burn a wood-fire in winter means cutting wood after summer, eating our own vegetables, fruits and potatoes means taking care of them first, and you only have eggs if you have chickens (at least this quality).

My dentist in Split (and a splendid one too in case you need one) once surprised me by asking: "are you (doomsday) preppers" ?
The question made me smile, as that's certainly not what we are.

Connected to electricity, water, internet, having airco's and freezers, we are common people, connected to common modern life as most of us are in the western world.
But we're privileged and blessed to have moved from over-organized Holland to the hidden beauties of Dalmatia.

That's how, and that's why !

wonderful world

Discovering the globe; it all starts with some local explorations.
That goes for kittens as well as humans.

After some mild rain yesterday, today is as usual, great weather, clear blue skies and a mild 20 C. in the morning.
(And coming week temperature even goes into the 25 degrees, not bad :-).

Everything on our land is growing rapidly, potatoes have been planted, so now it's all a matter of keeping things going with a bit of water and some tlc.

Later this spring we'll enjoy cherries from the trees, first strawberries, young salads, into summer it's melon time, as also a lot of melons have been planted.

Producing (and reproducing) a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers is one of my to many hobbies, and the land we've got is the most fantastic lot (all friends around say).

Still have many other hobbies, pure practical and theoretical (researching Roman history in this area for instance), all of it for the fun of it, as only being in it for the money is history to me (happily retired).

And of course I explore our world like those young cats, as amazed as they are, step af step after step into this gorgeous area.

one, two, three

Recently one of our "house" cats gave bearth to six kittens.
One red, two white, three grey, but that's how it goes here, with many fathers involved in love affairs.

House cats means they live around the house, some on a distance, some less shy, all of them always looking for some food to add to the daily menu hunted around the house.

Many people here have some farm cats, keeping mice or a passing snake at a pleasant distance.
Most of them just use people to get an extra meal, some of them, like ours :-), become friends.

We enjoy their company, like we enjoy all life around us, and as long as they don't enter our house it's ok.
Following bearth and the growing up of these little "raskals" is pure fun, making us smile every day.

Still not real cat persons (dogs still are our favorites) we share our happy life here with these animals, as much amazed about the beauty of life in the Dalmatinska Zagora as this little white "monster".

they did it (in Hotel Villa Dvor)

Congratulations to Hotel Villa Dvor in Omis,
as they finished an almost impossible job !

They managed to build an elevator through solid rock, and finished it as planned.
(Some other efforts to create tunnels in and around Omis seem to be taking a "bit" longer).

The hotel is on a magnificent location, high above the summer crowds, on a, no...... the most beautiful spot.
High above the Cetina river, overlooking both town and canyon, with no doubt a very friendly owner's family to make your stay a true Dalmatian experience.

Gentle hospitality, organic quality food, excellent rooms, and all of it on this location, what more can a visitor want.

I highly recommend this hotel, run by the Curlin family, in my true opinion the best place to spend a couple of days and nights (if not a long stay).

Have a look at their website (www.hotel-villadvor.hr) and you'll see what I mean.

And in case you wonder: no, I still sleep in Svinisce, and yes I still pay for my espresso, even there !
But I just had to both congratulate the people of the hotel and at the same time let you know there is a magnificent place to stay when visiting Omis.

And forget about those stairs, as they are as much history as the palace of Diocletian in Split.
This is 2013, this is elevator time !