Zvizdan, Omis, our favourite place to relax, lunch, swim, dine

Relax while having a drink.

Let them prepare your dinner.

Sit down and enjoy the view.

I case of cold feet, sit here.

Not bad huh.......

Tripadvisor about Zvizdan

start dreaming (of your next vacation)

(click to enlarge)

As you (may or should) know, I like to share my favourite hidden secrets.

So here's another one.

If you are staying between let's say Makarska and Omis, somewhere in the middle is the road to Zadvardje/Sestanovac.

This road is easy to find, so no need to explain in details.

When driving up, take the véry first road to the left towards Slime.

Now, slowly please, as you have to "discover" the very first narrow road to the left.

Found it, great !

Now slowly drive up this road, and up, and up you go.

Already you'll see some places to stop your car on the left, so stop and enjoy the panorama on your left.

But you can continue this road, so up again, and up, up, up.

Slowly, as some corners are narrow,
filled with plants overhanging the sides.

If you drive in the middle, nothing will harm your vehicle, if driving a motor no worries at all, and if you're afraid of the paint of your car, well, than continue walking.

Not a bad idea at all, as every step is a great one.

At some point you'll reach the spot where I go many times (by car, ha ha ha), at a corner where there is enough space to park.

Stop here, even when the road still goes up, as higher up the view does not get better.

This is my ultimate spot, this is where you can enjoy the móst stunning view, and this is, especially later in the afternoon, where you can sit down and experience how Biokovo (the big one on the left)
slowly changes colour.

Oh, and before I forget it, take some nice food and a bottle of good wine with you, as you'll feel on top of the world,
with no urge to go back down.

Smell the herbs around you, get impressed by the immense mountain, enjoy the weird rock formations around you.

You might even fantasize an Indian is observing you from behind one of the stones above you.

Crazy idea ?

Not really, as it were these sceneries where the films about Winnetou and Old Shatterhand were filmed.

Amazing Dalmatia, always amazing.

Especially where you don't expect it to be.

Enjoy the scene, and keep it clean please, for me and others to follow.

PS.
Zadvardje has a nice farmers market on Tuesdays.
So if you want to buy a cow or a pig to take home.................
But that's worth another story.

fiddlers on the roof

That's how they do it, fiddlers on the roof.

Five guys, a pump and a truckload of concrete.

It's just a tiny part of the story, but believe me,
this story has a very happy ending.

Round Christmas the entire story will be revealed,

and not one single day earlier.

Until than, enjoy the song:
If I were a rich man

croatia 365 (days)

(click to enlarge)

Most tourists come to Croatia in mid summer,
which is pretty understandable.

Great sunny weather, a delicious seawater temperature, and more interesting places, islands, breathtaking nature and an almost impossible amount of excursions.

Impossible to make a choice during those two or three weeks ?

Well, how about all those other days of the year than.

As you may have understood reading my blog,
Croatia is an all year round country, 365 days !!

Ok, we do have winter here, even harsh winters,
depending where you go.

The Adriatic coast however, may have cold days, but not many.

In Split for instance, people are delighted when some day some snow falls, but the palmtrees at the Riva (boulevard)
never stay white longer than a single day.

And also in Makarska, you can enjoy wintersun between the palm trees at the Adriatic boulevard. but a simple turn of your head shows lots of snow on Biokovo Mountain.

And not just a thin layer, but even meters thick snow heaps.

Driving up to Sveti Jure, the summit, like in summer, forget it !

No, Croatia, and certainly Dalmatia, is a 365 days a year destination.

www.croatia365.eu

Specially for nature lovers lovers (like me),
Dalmatia amazes ánd attracts évery day.
As goes for all in- or outdoor sports fanatics (not like me :-).
However, if you like skiing (yes, like me !!!) Croatia (ánd neighbouring) countries offer unique opportunities.
For climbing fanatics (like I used to be before I became fat and lazy), Dalmatia, and certainly Omis with its stunning Cetina Canyon,
is a 365 days a year destination.
Without freezing your hands or balls :-)

Many pages ago I already wrote about combining in óne single day a strong espresso, sipped in the sun at the Adriatic, followed by a not even that far trip into Bosnia, to spend a couple of hours skiing down well prepared pistes in various gradations.
Wow................... I rest my case.

However....I must add such a day gets a perfect finish, back in Dalmatia, sitting in a traditional konoba (cellar), enjoying a delicious peka (a dish baked on wood fire under a lid).
With a glass of new wine, to keep your throat from drying out :-).

Yes, Dalmatia (and entire Croatia for that matter) is absolutely
a 365 days a year destination.
Especially for people (like me) who like to avoid summer crowds.
So what are you waiting for, with so many carriers connecting Split (or Zagreb) with whatever part of the world you live in.
Also all year round !


PS.
However the mentioned website is absolutely worth visiting, 
I discovered one imperfection.
They forgot to mention one great all year round possibility:
www.Total Inland Dalmatia.com

And being voluntary ambassador :-) of Inland Dalmatia, it's my pride and joy to add it to the already lóóóóng list of  possibilities to get out of foggy London,  smoky Beijing or rainy Amsterdam.

wild Livno horses ánd the Adriatic, a unique combination !!!

(click to enlarge)

Most people visiting our part of Dalmatia,
come to relax and enjoy the climate, the sea and some pizza's.

Well, right they are, and I think I don't have to dig into details here.

Ok, quickly than :-).

The Adriatic, the Cetina, Biokovo, Split and Trogir, or even Dubrovnik, and yes, also Krka and/or Plitvice.

Of course a couple of excursions are a must.

All of them worth doing, even if it's one of those "fishpicknicks".

(Sorry folks, I am not a fish eater, I prefer a good peka with good meat.)

But, there is a NEW experience:

Already in 2009 I wrote about a stunning bunch of wild horses,
already more than two hundred !!!,

that live in the Livno area, hardly one hour away from Split.

Mind you, totally wild, noble animals, scrolling the pastures of Livno Polje (flatlands), or way up on the slopes of Dinara or Cincar mountains.

And mind you again, year round, in hot summers and freezing winters.

More than two hundred (and increasing), what a sight, what a beautiful encounter with nature at it's best.

For long I wondered why nobody organised some sort of trip, excursion, expedition or safari, but things have changed for the better,
ánd for you, as now there is such a possibility.

As for such an excursion you need someone with knowledge of the terrain, as it's not always simple to find the animals in their natural habitat, never at the same spot.

An experienced guide, a  strong 4x4,  and while it's Nature (with a large N), a pair of good hiking shoes are a necessity.

And you of course, with just a small group, interested in more than the average offer of excursions, as you want to get the véry bést from your stay in this amazing region.

Being the nature lover I am (one of the main reasons why we now live here) I highly recommend you to see:
wild horses safari

Either they or my good hiking companion Robert from malimlin can arrange your day trip to those fantastic animals, visiting a beautiful neighbour country at the same time.

Check the various details on internet (google: wild livno horses) and you'll understand the reason I wrote this third page about it.
Oh.... and by the way, Livno has some interesting historic things to see, ánd a special river coming out of nowhere.
But that's another story, and another blog page :-)

!! GO SEE THEM HORSES !!

Look here !

And also hére !!

And ábsólutely hére !!!

Hvar through Mara's eyes

(My usual advise, but certainly this time: dó click to enlarge ).

Than look, and look again,
and you'll be surprised, charmed and amazed at the same time.
As thát is how an true artist sees Hvar.

With véry little time, I móst highly recommend you to visit:
GoHvar , to discover the island Hvar.
You might even decide to not come back to thís blog,
but I dare to take that risk.

Why oh why ?

Extending our rather small living room, adding a more spacious sleeping room, a cellar (called podrum here) ánd a new terrace,
it soakes all our energy and time at the moment.

So for now and next couple of days/weeks I/we have hardly any time to do anything else than run from one thing to another,
for us there is only one shade of grey, namely CEMENT.

But.............................
all of it for the sake of enjoying Christmas in our by than finished house.

Untill than, do enjoy GoHvar, where Mara introduces you to her island with her unbelievably beautiful pictures.

I'll be back blogging when everything is finished and clean.