W.T.F. makes Svinisce so d*mned UNIQUE :-)

(Click to enlarge).

Can anybody tell me what makes Svinisce só unique !

Nobody ?

Ok than, if nobody answers I will :-).

Because it's hére, high up from Omis, and deep down behind the coastal mountains of Omiska Dinara.

About 270 meters above sea level and Omis, hidden from the Adriatic behind 600 meters mountain rig.

A green oasis, sprinkles with grapes, olives, a variety of fruits (cherries, figs, melons, strawberries)
and loads of fresh vegetables.

One tiny village, with normal people, living a social life, gathering in bad ánd good times, 

of which there are so many in Inland Dalmatia.

All of them, by they way, worth to be discovered.
As it's there, ánd here, 

that the true Dalmatian heart is beating.

Nót because of tourists bringing money in exchange for some "genuine" entertainment, 

but because it's the way of life here.

But that ain't all :-) !!

We may be living high and deep,
and in our own paradise,
we're not foolish (in case you might think so :-).

If we want, it's 5 (FIVE !!!) minutes down the mountain by car, and we're in the middle of the Cetina Canyon, where boats are shipping tourist cargo to and fro Radmanova Mlinice.

There we have our "private" little meadow at the river for a quick refreshing hot summer swim.

Still that ain't all :-) !!!!

As another 5 (FIVE !!!) or so minutes, we drive through Omis, turn right into the very first road outside town, and go to our "private" beach at a terrace/restaurant called Zvizdan.

Away from the massive crowds on Omis's beach, we take a dive in the Adriatic, preferably in the later afternoon, followed by some good cooked fish or meat, served less than ten meters from the sea.

And around ten in the evening we return home,
five back, five up, and thán:

as it's still not all:

We enjoy the móst precious we've got here.

! SILENCE !

Pure, natural, pristine, forgotten silence, with only the sound of crickets and/or an owl.

Plus, and that's not bad after a hot summer's day, in our valley evening temperature is about five degrees lower than at the coast.

So, if you plan to visit Dalmatia, do not try to find what you're looking for at the coast, but turn your head towards all of them tiny villages just a couple of minutes beyond the coastal mountain rig.

As thát's what makes staying in Svinisce 
(and nearby villages) unique.

And if lucky, join one of our many festivities, nót organised because of tourism,
but because they happen to happen.

(-: And there are a lót :-)

And if this ain't enough:
Split - 30 minutes
Omis - 10 minutes
Trogir - 50 minutes
Biokovo - 45 minutes
Dubrovnik - 150 minutes

PS.

check: 

www.total-inland-dalmatia.com
or

www.secretdalmatia.com
or
www.total-split.com

or

www.malimlin.com

And (I keep telling) anybody with a question
or remark,
do feel free to send me an email.
The address is in the header of this blog.

from pig to prsut

 

For those of you who never eat meat,
please ignore this one and see my posts about domaci vegetables.
As being vegetables, meat, or eggs for that matter, here in our hidden valley all of it comes from local soil.
Domaci, remember that word, means home made.

To bad, the word domaci today is misused many times by clever marketeers, the origin however is truly home made food.
And thank God, in valleys and villages like the one we live in, people still take care of what they eat, much of it truly home made.
Being jam, wine, olive oil, vegetables, potatoes, eggs, chickens, meat and so much more.

These days, as the new wine is ready and olives have been pressed, it's pig time.
A simple reason why this is pig time, is that these cold(er) winter days are excellent for preparing meat, which starts with the last walk of these noble animals.
You may say pigs are not noble, like noble as horses are noble,
but no doubt they are noble !

The process starts already after summer has gone,
as that's when many people here go to buy one or two pigs
at the local farmers bazaar.
And already long before that moment figs are picked and dried and a variety of carrots and such have been planted,
all of it for them pigs to eat.
For months they get their daily meal of natural tasty food,
including those home made sun dried figs.

They even may loose some weight, no problem,
as long as they enjoy their food and lazy life.
As that diet increases the quality of their meat in a tremendous way.
(Think about this, when buying your pork chop, wrapped in plastic).

So, as all life is limited, so it it for those pigs,
as they are not kept for their friendly company.
No, sorry again to all you vegetarians, but when eating meat,
that also means killing it.

So face the truth and thank the pig,
as it provides us with truly fantastic meat.
Nót the industrial anonymous peace of plastic wrapped "meat" on a tiny pamper, but réal food.

I followed the entire process from last walk to the final cut,
and I must say I was impressed.
The kill is a less pleasant moment of course, we all agree don't we, but from that moment on the whole process is a true local tradition, ánd a traditional skill !

Each and everyone helps, resulting in a variety of ready cut meat, hanging in the cold dry air till it's processed in the next steps.
As nothing is wasted, truly everything finds it's way to the kitchen, now or later.

Sausages are made, dried and smoked over a daily fire,
and the prsut is prepared to ripen over time.
"Prsut" my dear readers, is the ultimate smoked, air dried,
ripened ham in Dalmatia.

And once you've tasted this HOME MADE ham, you're never ever gonna buy the industrial shit they sell in stores under the name
"domaci dalmatinski prsut".
!!! IMPOSSIBLE !!!

As it all started with a well selected pig, fed with natural quality food, butchered and prepared with care and respect, salted, pressed, dried, smoked and ripened, for a minimum of one, but preferably two years.
As thán, and only thán, the prsut gets it's deep red colour, it's intense flavour and overwhelming taste, a combination of sweet and salty, and however dried for two years,
still with a unique soft juiciness only domaci prsut has.

Thanks to them noble pigs, thanks to the people who care for traditions, and thanks to all of you who think a bit longer
about what you buy and eat.

Domaci is the magic word in Croatia, local the English name.
But whatever the name in your country, respect yourself,
respect your food.

"Domaci".

Remember that word, and ignore the marketing use of it.
As domaci means home made, and nothing else :-)

(Thanks to the noble pig and the people who kept it, 
there still is true prsut).

Say NO to Brussels, when they force you to eat other than the best !
And home made still is the very best.

(PS: the Croatian word PRSUT is pronounced as PUR-SHOOT).

Those of you who are truly interested, I took pictures of the entire process, 
showing how respectful and skilful a whole pig is processed.
If not afraid of some blood, look here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/117782136748269501249/albums/5957869470739439489?banner=pwa
My email address as always is in the top right corner of this blog.

hello World, welcome to our Universe !

Couple of years ago I entered the world of expats on Expatblog.
As usual dreams are followed by plans and after plans reality knocks.
Croatia, here we come, or better "came", as we moved there.
"Came", as we now live here for more than two years,
and have no regrets of taking that step.
! Not for a single moment !

But, as usual, a lot of things had to be checked, learned, organised.
Changing our Dutch life for Croatian life came with a lot of work.
And where better to check than on Expatblog,
as all people who think of, or work on moving to another country,
are member of it.
Again: "shared knowledge is the best knowledge".

To read the full story, see Blog of the Month October 2013,
as there I willingly and proudly tell it all.

If you dream or plan to make the same move,
do feel free to send me an email,
my address (as always) is in the right topside of my blog.
(In which X = @ of course).

Some rules in advance:
-if you mail me, keep it short;
-if looking for a job, sorry, I can't help you;
-if looking for trustworthy advise or help finding a place,
I will connect you to some good people.

Simple rules, as I am retired, I do not look for a job,
and our free life here is to precious to us.
Nevertheless I gladly support your plans,
as life is great in Dalmatia (Croatia).

And should you want to have a look first in this European country,
before you decide to take that giant step,
spring, summer and autumn the weather is the best, and you can always combine a visit with some days at one of them hundreds of superb, clean and sunny beaches of the Adriatic coast.
In that case however, check my friend Robert, as he's a friendly, trustworthy pro running a tourist service, but also helps people to find a place to settle in this area (avoiding the typical problems).

One way or the other, enjoy reading the interview on Expatblog,
and if you get inspired to move to Croatia:

!!   RIGHT   YOU   ARE   !!
(and so were we)

jobs, laws, religion and politics in Croatia

Glad you found my blog, but I'll have to disappoint you first.

I do not write about politics.
Nor religion, jobs, laws and such.

When I write my little "no goods for nothings",
I have only two objectives:
fun and focus.
The fun is in being inspired by something, anything, and writing about it.
If you somehow get inspired from it, well great,
as than I scored my first point.

Having my fun, I hope (and try) to make you focus on this part of Croatia, perhaps when thinking of where to enjoy your next summer holidays, or even, like we did, settle down to enjoy your retired life.

If you think I am blind or ignorant for things related to jobs (and the lack of it here), laws (every day a new one), religion (any religion is a good one) or politics (and everything connected to it),
I must disappoint you again .

I'm not !
However, those are things I can't change, so I don't bother.
If you do, still enjoy reading my blog,
as there is more than those things.

Was invited today to become "Expat blog of the month" and willingly (even honored) agreed to the invitation.
The more people discover our hidden treasure, the better.
As long as you don't all come together :-), spoiling the magic.

And if you can make the difference for the benefit of Croatia, being an investor or (just) an idealist with good intentions, I warmly welcome you to this fantastic country.

I'll continue (together with my wife and a number of cats),
to enjoy life here.
Most of the time great weather, just beautiful nature, sometimes frowning my eyebrows, but always happy.

JA VOLIM DALMACIJA,
and I/we have a trillion reasons for that !


PS.
Gonna take care of our tomatoes again now.
If you like, you can always mail me, 
the address is in the top right side of the front page.

from 1 to 250: IT'S PARTY TIME !!!

!!! 250 BLOG PAGES !!!

What started a couple of years ago with the simple intention to amuse myself with all the pictures I already had of Svinisce and surroundings, turned to be a fantastic way to show how great life is in Dalmacija to all you visitors.

Started in Dutch, I rapidly changed to English, however not my native language, the better way to communicate with the world.

Sorry for all them Dutch and Croatian visitors who do not understand English, but there still is Google Translate to get an idea of what it's all about.
(And if that does not work for you, you can still enjoy the pictures I made and make on many occasions and many splendid locations).

Will I stop at 250, be sure I won't, I've just started !

I just started to discover the so many splendid locations in Dalmatia, and gonna need them "another hundred years" (jos sto godine) people wish one here on birthdays and such.

So don't worry, I love our life here, and for SURE gonna stay here in Svinisce, together with my wife Nives.

And for once I am gonna give my mail address here, however it's always in the top right side of the main page of this blog about our hidden secret.

If you feel like write, comment, ask, congratulate, here it is:

pimdevosOgmail.com
Of course O=@, you dummy spambots !

One for the road:
Life is great, even greater in Croatia, and the very greatest in magnificent Dalmacija !
Go to Split, than Omis, than along the Cetina towards Kucice, first road on your right up the mountain, turn right at blue sign Modris, drive on and stop when seeing a gardenhouse down at the left.
There you walk down and turn your face south and you'll understand why we live here !

Sit down on one of our chairs, breath in the smell of herbs and fresh air, listen to the silence, the crickets and the birds, 
and ask for a drink.

Be sure I'll accompany you (as any visitor here is a friend), and I'll enjoy our view together with you, as it's the VERY BEST, 
every moment of the day and even the night.

Hope to see you some day in Dalmacija.

My wish to all of you: Enjoy Life, JOS STO GODINE !

celebrating Sveti Ivan

 

 

Some years ago, a tiny fire on our land, introduced us to an old "Catholic" tradition.
Lots of Saint's days in Croatia, and Sveti Ivan, the day of Holy Ivan (Sveti = Holy) is one of them.
Some of those Saint's days just come and go, some other are celebrated in for instance Split, Solin or Trogir.
(Don't ask me when, how or why).

Overhere, in our neighborhood a couple are worth mentioning:
Sveti Marko, on which day a sermon is held at an old chapel on a mountaintop.
Funny detail of that day is that the crowd circles the chapel three times, to ask for a good harvest.
Sveti Jure, another sermon another chapel, another mountaintop, high on the ridge between us and the sea.
A straining climb, followed by a gathering around the chapel, and after the catholic sermon, a pick-nick and on returning home, picking herbs to make one of those many liqueurs (this one called Travarica).

And than there is Sveti Ivan, the day we adopted, to share our happiness with neighbors and friends.
Being a (pretty good) hobby cook, I prepare a "grand buffet" for all our friends and take care there is plenty of refreshments.

What started with some close neighbors, a small fire, a beer and "goodnight" again, grew to be a great gathering with about 40 people (and increasing !!), a huge  fire and a great evening together.

We feel at home here, and are invited many times here or there to hop in for a drink or a diner, so this is the perfect way to say THANKS/HVALA to all our friends !

Of course we're not only depending on all those Saints, we've got many occasions through the year where we meet and help each other (picking grapes or olives, planting potatoes or cleaning our roadsides).
The great thing of life here is that it's still a true community, sharing each and every moment.
And most of those moments are a good excuse to eat, drink and sing together.

Many more happy days to follow, with once in a while a sad day too, but all of those moments and days are shared together, and that makes life here more than special.

Lucky you, if you experience one of those moments during your holidays in Dalmacija.
You might one day decide to do like we did.
Living in paradise.

As that's what it feels like.

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".

now listen !!!!!!

Listen to me, as I will not tell you again (today :-).
It's about time you understand why I write this blog, so once more:

"Visit the DALMATINSKA ZAGORA when visiting the coast" .

And for those of you who don't know what Dalmatinska Zagora means, it's all that lies behind the coast.
So to say the hinterland, everything between the coast and the border, everything behind the Adriatic and before Bosnia.

Capito ?!?!
I want you to understand this is where the real life is being lived, in all those tiny little villages.
In the very middle of nature, between high and less high mountains, in small valleys and a bit larger peaces of farmland.
Between grapes, olives, cherries, apples, plums, figs, and a wide range of organic vegetables.
With chickens, goats, sheep, ducks and some pigs.

And of course mountains, rocks, boulders, caves, rivers like the Cetina (a beauty of 105 kilometers, not only the canyon), springs, small ponds, woods and wetlands.
Silent unspoiled slow streaming canoe water, but also energetic wild white rafting water.

Numerous birds, nighingales and eagles, known and less known, lizzards, turtles and yes, some snakes too.
Don't be afraid, they don't kill, just be careful and enjoy them from a safe distance.

And if hungry, well known restaurants like Radmanova Mlinice, Kastil Slanica and Krememko, but also less known places like Konoba Tadic and Konoba Konjak (and no doubt a lot more in each and every small town).
Not only the door to door pizza's, but original, tasty fish or meat from the grill, accompanied by organic potatoes and salads, followed by a slice of dripping sweet watermelon.
Want wine, try local, as all wine here is tasty (and strong) !!!

And if you want to buy a horse or a cow, new shoes or some gardening tools, or perhaps because you're hungry, there is a farmers market in Zadvarje every tuesday.

So, when coming to Croatia, heading for Dalmatia, relaxing from a stressfull job between let's say Trogir and Makarska, don't make me angry, don't say "oh, I did'nt know that", as I have told you once again, here in the Dalmatinska Zagora is where the fun starts.

Feel free to contact me, the mail address is in the header of this blog.
I know some truly good people who make your visit the very best, from place to stay to excursion.
Including a visit to Split, Trogir, Krka or Plitvice, but also to less known places, and even over the Bosnian border to Livno, where about twohundred horses live in the wild.

But..........write it down and don't forget:

"visit the Dalmatinska Zagora".


CAPITO ?!?
:-)

why wait for summer ????

If spring is such a glorious season in Dalmatia, why wait for summer ?
Don't give me the answer, I know !
Springtime is wonderful overhere.

if you don't like this view, check some other blog !

One of the many views from our valley.

Previous blogpost, with the "erotic" figs showed a close up, this one shows an immense panorama.
Whatever you like or choose, it's all here !
And "here" is in and around our valley, in the Dalmatinska Zagora.
And NO, before you ask, a trip of let's say 1 hour already opens your eyes and heart.
(Within a circle of 2 hours there is more than for just one holiday).

All people love our coast, thousands come for a splendid holiday.
Most of them enjoy themselves in and at the Adriatic, which is fine of course.
Lot's of them go to see antique cities like Split or Trogir (my favorite by the way).
And many go for some excursion, a couple of hours rafting on the Cetina, a visit of Biokovo.
All of it great, all of it perfect.
(When going for a rafting sensation, choose the better ones, as penny wise is still pound foolish".

.....................However....................
You need either have the right "expedition spirit" or a well informed local guide (like me:-).
Ho, before you think I look for a job, I don't !!!!

Should you however insist, I am sometimes in a good mood, and if I like you, I might consider to take you to some fantastic, hardly known, superb spots.

As living here, I regularly get into my car and drive a bit around, chasing beauties.
For instance, in case you want to go on your own, check this one:

Drive from Svinisce to Kucice, than on (and on) along the Cetina deep left of you, till you see a sign Slime.
Turn right, away from the Cetina, up the mountain road, till you are actually in Slime.
There you'll see a sign, right again, at a next road up, heading for Konoba Tadic.
Up you drive, narrow but all of them good roads, till you reach that konoba (restaurant in Croatian).

The view from their terrace is truly amazing, far, really far over the land deep below, deep into Bosnia.
Sit down, ask for a drink, perhaps even a lunch, and enjoy the panorama.

And ask the owner if you can see his old stone houses, as they are truly beautiful  with loads of prsut (the famous Dalmatian dried smoked aged ham.

There, dear reader, you will discover what this blog is all about.
And that is only one of the many secrets, most tourists never get to see, which is a pity and a shame.
Why ?

Because the Dalmatinska Zagora hides thousands of beauties, and promotion of the Dalmatinska Zagora should be done by people who love to share it's beauty, not necessarily grabbing for your money in the first place.

Sorry to say, many "excursions" are only meant to sell you some surrogate, like a thin soup made of much water and a tiny peace of meat.
I know, I know, people have to earn a living, but do you come to Dalmatia to sponsor it's economy or do you come for a unique experience, making you fall in love, making you come back !!!
And again and again and again.

Perhaps ending in living here, like we did.
Guess you understand now why we left Holland :-).

Feel free to mail me, the address is in the header of this blog.
Also you can check my pages on Virtual Tourist ( VT ), also with a contact address.
I am always open to relevant questions, and because I protect my freedom, I can always connect you to some truly good people, who give you value for money !

erotic fruits

Erotic fruits, that's what figs are !
Couldn't resist (re-)publishing this picture, like I did once before.

As spring has not yet arrived here, the cats have their kittens, birds are returning and nature is changing to green again day by day, so it will be spring soon (as always).

However summer is still far away, the moment will come the figs ripen at the trees again, waiting to be picked, one by one, sipping the sweet juice leaking on my hand.

Fresh they are the very best, dried still a fantastic nutritious addition to winter tables.
As you know what they say: "a fig a day keeps the apples away".
(And the doctor :-).

Should you want to dry figs yourself, here are some tasty tips:
-dry them in open sunlight.
-dip them twice in seawater (preserving and adding taste).
-wrap them in a paper bag, with dried leaves of laurel between them.
Like this you can store them for months and months.

Warning:
The milky juice from branches and stems of fig trees may cause some allergic reaction to some people.
So better avoid contact with it, and enjoy it's flesh.

one step always leads to the next

As usual, opening a box (not Pandora's :-) surprises come out.
From a request about family roots of Croats from Svinisce, living in Chili for many years, came a next item.
A friend who writes a lot about the Balkan, sent me the above picture of a grave.

However my Spanish is zero, I understand a bit.
First of all, this is the resting place of Pedro (Pero in Croatian) Kusanovic-Salamunic.
Born in 1899, died in 1981.

Many of the Croats (former Yugoslavs) left for a better future  young as they were, settling in many parts of the world.

From both my correspondents and some search with Google, I slowly get an idea of how many connections there are between Chili (Terra del Fuego) and Croatia.

I feel very privileged to be able to unfold some of those almost forgotten connections.
We (a retired Dutch couple) now living in one of those small Croatian villages, we left Holland because we wanted to.
And with internet, highways and frequent flying connections, it takes less than nothing to stay in touch or visit family or friends.

Not in those days, not for those many brave young people !
They left what was common to them, their country, their families, friends, habits and certainty.
Of they went, with hardly anything, not speaking the language, into the unknown !

Many times, when driving through our surroundings I watch all those stone walls, those little fields, high up the mountain slope, to be able to grow some food, olives and grapes.
They all did so bare handed, no cars, simple tools and very hard labor.
Those were already brave people, those who left were even much braver.

Think about it for a moment, and when visiting Dalmatia, don't think "oh well, just a simple wall", as those walls were built by a special breed of men, and when you think about that, also remember those many men and women, who left to settle in a completely unknown part of the globe.

Forgetting ones history is forgetting who you are.
Our history lies in Holland, but day by day we get more involved in our today's history in Dalmatia.
People here have a common wish to each other: "hope you live another hundred years".
Being over my sixties, I hope I live those extra hundred years, cause I opened a new box, but still have to unpack many other.
(Roman history, wild flowers and herbs, animal life, geology, oh dear, I need those hundred years).

(Rest in peace Pedro, tamo daleko, you're not forgotten).

do we have glaciers in Svinisce ?

No, if you like glaciers, this is not the place to be.
Than why do I publish this picture ?

Well than, here comes an almost unbelievable story:
I received an email from Terra del Fuego, in the deepest south of Chile.
It came from the grandson of a man who decided to move away from Svinisce, still very young, and out of all places settling at what I call the very border or civilisation.
Next stop would have been Antarctica, where all doors of freezers stay open all year :-)

For sure he's gonna read this item, so welcome Brzovic family !
And like I already replied to your email, I am gonna search and look and talk to each and everyone here to inform you about your relatives still alive and kicking in Svinisce.

Guess it's no surprise when I tell you many people from this valley in Croatia left their homeland, looking for a better future far away from the Adriatic, the olives, the wine, ánd relatives.
Those people are the bravest you can imagine, as they left behind all that was so very common to them.

All around the world you'll find people from Croatia (and former Yugoslavia), and most of them made a success of it !

As soon as I have more details worth sharing with you readers of this blog, I will publish them, if possible with pictures.
Interesting to you in general, highly interesting to those brave Dalmatians around the globe, who still think back to the days they lived in and around Svinisce.

And if you are connected to Svinisce, but living in Canada, America, Australia , or anywhere else, please write me an email, as any new info is highly welcome.

My email address is in the header of this blog (slightly hidden from spambots).

Pozdravi iz Hrvatska, pozdravi iz Svinisce !!!

what a night (in Omis).

Omis by night.
Just one of the many fantastic places to enjoy in Dalmatia.

You readers know I like to share dalmatian highlights with you, places I like, things we enjoy living here.
But I wanted to extend my audience to a larger scale than the limits of my blog.

Having written a couple of items on Virtual Tourist's website, I decided to share this link with you, as on VT there is a lot more info, as I am not the only "idiot" loving Dalmatia and sharing info with the world.

So here it is: click on the link: at VT there's a lot more and you'll find a lot more.
The good thing is that many others publish there.
Don't be afraid, I will of course continue to add special details to my blog, but if interested, Virtual Tourist is a great place to look around, ask questions and find answers.

I just hope you keep following this blog, and even more, I hope you don't decide to fly to China, Argentina or Holland now I told you where to look or to enjoy superior nature or historic towns in those countries.
VT is sharing the whole world with the whole world, with thousands of local specialists.

I prefer to stay your local "specialist" for our surroundings, and believe me, I've seen many countries,
but nothing beats Dalmatia !!!

So yes, I'll add some interesting spots to my VT-pages too, but no, I will not fly to any other country anymore, as having seen a lot, this country still is so damned nice, with such a load of interesting, beautiful  special places, I truly would be an idiot if I hopped over oceans, while having it all here !!!!

what a view (on Biokovo Mountain)

See previous page.
And for sure follow this blog, as there is more to come !

The picture shows Biokovo Mountain like a Swiss alp, taken from the SW side, close to a little village called Slime.

For details on the park, click here: BIOKOVO

black days

One day all will be perfect.

Most of the time I get inspired by new discoveries, caught in a picture, or many of the little golden moments our life here gives to us.
Happy moments, stunning places, a taste of the young wine, always better than the year before.

Recently however we experienced a range of sad events, losing four good people, all relatives of each other.
Yesterday we brought a close friend and very fine person to his last resting place, much to soon, much to young, leaving everybody in shock.
Why he, why now, why ?

Tomorrow again we go to accompany a good man to his resting place, the fourth in a row of close relatives.
No words can express our sympathy to family, relatives and friends.

Still, even on black days like these, the traditional values of our community show their quality.

Here a funeral takes place the next day, so coming from northern europa where a funeral takes place at least three days after a person passes away, to us this seems like a roller coaster ride of emotions, especially to family and close relatives.
And as usual, many things have to be arranged in extremely short time, under emotional conditions.
Here again, our community steps in, and takes most of that organizing load away from the relatives' shoulders.

Yesterday hundreds of people showed up to support the relatives in their saddest moment, paying respect to the deceased, a fántástic person, husband, father and a great friend for so many.

Traditionally all gather at the foot of the hill on which the church is standing, together waiting for the deceased, to subsequently walk up the hill while our local group of singers sing traditional hymns and the priest is saying prayers.
Can't tell how serene this walk is, so many thoughts, sad, thankful and proud to be part of this community, where joy and sadness are shared.

Neighbors and friends carry all the flowers, that are brought to the grave after the final service in our church has started.
And when the burial takes place again our singers sing a goodbye, our priest says prayers, all of it in a most beautiful silent landscape.

As a visiting tourist you won't be part of moments like this, still I wanted to share it with you.
To make you understand there are many reasons to love Svinišće.

As even black days make life in the Dalmatinska Zagora so very rich.

the móst beautiful place...............

Each and every time I am amazed by Dalmacija's beauty, this time however, I am sure: THIS IS IT.
Will I stop scrolling around, the answer is nó, of course not.

To tell you a little story how this beauty came on my path:
A few days ago, me and my friend Robert (the guy from www.malimlin.com) took a day of and loaded our canoes on the roof of the car and went to do another section of the Cetina.

Drove from Svinisce to Kucice, following the Cetina till the bridge to Kostanje, crossed to the other side of the river and at the very first steep corner we left the asphalt to enter a dirt road following the Cetina upstream.

There we took a tiny road to the right leading us to the Cetina's banks, where we dropped the canoes into the water.
Slowly slowly slowly (polako in Croatian) we peddled upstream through a beautiful shady tunnel of trees, crossing some minor rapids dragging our canoes, and on we went, to the next rapid ( they are just about thirty centimeters high, so no big deal, step out, drag the canoe through and on you go again).

Than, the canopy opened, and we where on this extreme spot, where this waterfall came down in a silent secluded lake where even the fish are not afraid.
On the left (in the shade) the main canyon of the Cetina ends, so we slowly entered till a natural wall showed up, behind which a roar of the big waterfalls of the Cetina sounded.

Being "doctor Livingstone" that day, I ignored my slowly healing six broken ribs and climbed up the blockade about seven meters high, and looked into a deep pit where the water was falling down in a continuous gust of rumbling water, loaded with energy.
Somehow all that water flows deep under that barrier during the summer season, but for sure the level rises many meters when the rainy season fills the Cetina again to a less friendly level.
In summer however, specially this very dry summer, the place was like a mirror, with impressive walls rising high above us.

We stopped at a tiny sandy beach, took our swimming goggles and swam around in fresh clear water, totally silent, enjoying each and every second we spent there.

Question: is the Zagora (the hinterland) of Dalmacija worth a visit, an "expedition" if you want, the answer is:
!!!! HELL YES !!!!

And if you still think Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir (!!!) should grab you (by the balls) during your visit, with Plitvice, Biokovo, Kornati or Krka as cherries on your sunsoaked Adriatic holiday cake, right you are,
but wrong you are if you think you've seen it all !!!!

On top of it all, we finished the day with another discovery, a true Dalmatian diner at Konoba Kunjak in Kucice (www.kunjak.com).
A "simple" meal of roasted lamb (the very best !!!), some home made fries, a couple of beers and as a gesture from the owner, a dish of chilled watermelon and melon to top it all of.
The drive home was a bit "ehhhhhh", but not very long as the whole expedition took us from start to finish less than twentyfive kilometers (with a couple of kilometers in the canoe of course).
For sure we will go back there, as Hvala Bogu (thank God), they don't serve pizza's at this konoba, and no doubt this very special hidden lake is on my list now too.

And to those of you staying in Omis, Kucice is just 15 minutes into the Zagora, ánd worth the trip if you prefer to have a true taste of Dalmacija's basic but delicious kitchen.

Dalmacija, ja volim te (I love you).

PS:
-Those of you who like to go DWS (deep water soloing) come here, as you can even choose to do it naked as nobody sees you going nuts !!!!!!
-Should you want to experience the impressive canyon without a canoe, a couple of adventure organisations guide you through safely, canyoning like you never did before.
-And if you need coordinates or some details, mail me at the address in the header of this blog.
(For those of you familiar with google maps, I attached a location marker to this post).