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.

snowy whirlwinds on Mount Biokovo

First of all, this is not one of my pictures.
I found it "somewhere" when looking for recent information about the conditions on Biokovo.
Great shot however, and if it's yours, my compliments and I'll gladly pay you with a good meal, so just let me know.

At the moment weather conditions on Biokovo are harsh and dangerous.
Strong stormy winds, combined with deep snow (up to two meters and even more), the situation on the top at Sv. Jure couldn't be less inviting to human beings.
And even for the wolves living on and around Biokovo, running from Bosnia's winter conditions, have a hard time finding a decent steak :-).

However very much a fan of such conditions on Biokovo with thick snow and enough traces to have a look at, I prefer to wait a bit, till the wind has gone, and still thán it's not "a walk in the park".

This makes Biokovo a highly interesting peace of rough nature, as the conditions there are truly different from season to season.
Winter on this mountain ís wínter, summer there is really summer, spring and autumn are equally special, each of those seasons extremely expressive in it's kind.
And with extremely I mean EXTREMELY, as winter season there is colder than cold, summers hotter than hot.
Even more special, Biokovo has both an adriatic ánd a continental climate zone, which makes it even more special in it's variety of fauna and specially flora.

But that variety of climate zones and micro climates is typical for this part of Croatia, as each valley has a different climate, due to more shade or direct sunlight, mountain rigs and secluded valleys, and the way winds are moving through this area.

And even when nót going to Biokovo, looking how clouds move over, up ánd down various mountains here (like Mosor and Omiska Dinara) is fantastic to observe.

Currently even Mosor is snow covered on it's high slopes, however there it does not stay long, as when the sun shows up again it's bye bye to that white hat.

So if you think Dalmatia is only interesting in summer,
you couldn't be more wrong !
A visit in spring is more than advisable for nature lovers, and should you be around, as soon as the wind slows down, it's a fantastic scene, even for cross country skiing !!!

If interested, look here for actual weather conditions on Biokovo.
www.freemeteo.com/default.asp?pid=15&gid=3204115&la=11

who are you ?

Hello reader of this weblog called "svinisce.blogspot.com".
For quite a while now I am entering pictures and stories to this blog, just for the fun of it, and with no other reason than sharing small talk about our hidden valley in Dalmatia/Dalmacija/Dalmatië and it's surroundings.

Still much to share, so don't be afraid, I'll keep posting as long as there are things to share, and that is a lot !
Suppose not everything is drawing your attention, not all is worth reading and sometimes you may even think "stop that shit, I need information about holiday options".

If that's the case, look at www.malimlin.com as there a good friend of me is making whatever offer you are searching for to have a fantastic vacation in Dalmacija.
Me however, "I am just a piano player", retired, and with no other goal than to entertain you (and myself).

Why ?
Because this ís a marvelous country, and the possibilities to have a wonderful time are unlimited !
Nature, sea, beaches, old cities, history, good food, a stunningly beautiful river called Cetina, and at least two impressive mountains nearby, called Mosor and Biokovo (and a lot more less important but challenging ridges with various names, all worth a hike).

Illyrians, Romans, Ottomans, Bodomils, French (under Napoleon), Austrians (the Hapsburg imperium), all came and went, all leaving traces in the land.
Some of it hardly recognizable  some very obvious (Solin, Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik), all of it worth a day or so, as the Adriatic may be fantastic, you haven't seen nothing if you haven't seen it all !

Now I would like to ask "who are you, visiting this weblog" ?
Was it coincidence, or a specific interest, or even family ties to this part of Croatia ?
Not wanting to open my blog to comments, for once say:
if you have any response, question, comment, mail me at pimdevosXgmail.com.
(In which X of course is @).

Next time another picture/story will be added, for now it's thanks for reading my blog, and have a nice day !

Today's weather over here is cloudy, drizzling rain, about 13 degrees Celsius and about three meters of snow on the very top of Biokovo.
(Check Biokovo weather at: www.freemeteo.com/default.asp?pid=15&gid=3204115&la=11

every day a great day, with such a panorama

Waking up this morning, this was our panorama.
On the high slopes of Mosor Mountains, it snows, so it's cold up there !
Snow came down between 1000 and 1400 meters (the very top there), and stayed most of the day.

Biokovo Mountains is a different story.
There the highest peak is at about 1800 meters (called Sv. Jure), and there it was snowing heavily, close to two meters thick, and that's a lot !

Those guys on Biokovo who work in shifts taking care of all communications here, where supposed to change with their colleagues, but it seems they have to wait a bit till heavy machines clear the road up the mountain.
I would say: helicopter !!!!, a lot quicker, cheaper and a whole lot easier.

Snow conditions like this are not uncommon on Biokovo, which makes it very attractive to go there those days.
Just have to wait a bit, for less "polar"conditions, but for sure gonna go there soon, as these are the cherries on the cake that make living here so very (damned) special.

As in about half an hour it's "let's go", a road trip to Makarska, up the mountain road into the National Park Biokovo, and with some luck we just might see (traces of) wolves.
Or boars, bears, chamois.........
And after that magnificent walk in the deep snow of winter wonder land, a hot espresso and some delicious cake at the sunny boulevard of Makarska's seaside will complete another afternoon in paradise.

With of course a good meal in the evening, perhaps even some roast lamb from the grill in our garden house (with some good local red wine).

Life sucks..........but not for us !!!

no thanks, ne hvala !!!

Today in Holland (and elsewhere ?) lots of vegetables are grown like this.
Mind you, floating on plastic islands in large water basins, with computerized systems to feed the plants.
Factory food, huge amounts of green stuff, they call vegetables.

To me this is a horror scenario, but I live in a small Dalmatian valley, where people still grow their own food, so I guess I am lucky.
DOMACI is the word, HOME MADE the translation of it.

Let me put it this way, as grapes and olives give a perfect example:
Each and every piece of land has it's specific character, less sand, more stones, clay, less sun (not here), more sun (sure !!!), natural water, minerals, even the manure (goats shit) is pure natural.

For wines and olive oil it's obvious, each of them has it's specific taste, and we are gladly paying the price it deserves.
Now think of salad, tomatoes, and a lot more vegetables and melons that grow on natural soil.
Don't you think those are like good wines and olive oils, with a honest, nutritious taste, even with a specific taste due to the patch of land they grow on.

I dó, I knów now we are polluting ourselves, or at least missing the good properties of those vegetables grown outside, harvested from good soil, with here and there a lesser leaf, perhaps even a small hole or a brown spot made by a hungry insect.
But at least it has taste, it has nutritious values, it's góód food !

And however the masses need to be fed, I am not blind for that argument, vegetables growing on waterbeds, computer fed, that cán not be the answer you asked for.
Food means FOOD, taste, minerals, fibers, vitamins, NOT this green stuffing grown on waterbeds.
Waterbeds are for good sex or pleasant sleep after good sex.

In a couple of weeks I will be preparing our land again for a long season of fun, making my hands dirty, looking how our food is growing under the Croatian sun.
Tasty, nutritious, honest, DOMACI food.

Priatno, enjoy your meal, hopefully like we do.

PS:
Eat what the seasons offer, don't ask for strawberries in winter 
(unless you live in Australia :-).

the greenhouse effect

Maybe not thé most perfect greenhouse you ever saw, but having it both invented and built myself I am proud of it ánd it works !

Size L300xW250xH200cm. (my length plus 20) I created this from steel bars covered with water hose (called Okiten over here) against oxidation problems, covered with UV-resistant transparent strong professional plastic.
The strips of grey tape will soon be exchanged by a more permanent solution, I simply had to build it following the principle of trial and error.

Not afraid to fail in an experiment, some adjustments still are on the "drawing board" (one of the many tiny peaces of paper I fill with my ideas), but it works !!!!!

Had to create a place where my lemons could survive common cold winter storms, having no space inside, and survive they dó, including the greenhouse itself of course.

Left and right on the ground I created planting beds, in the back I built a working table to put seeds and cuttings in small containers, on the right I recently welded a rack for my strawberry baskets, hanging them high above the ground.

It may not be thé solution to stop the worldwide greenhouse effect, creating a rise of the oceans, melting glaciers, destroying eco systems, to me it's simply great fun to see it wórks !

And work it does, that I already know, as my own garlic starts to grow, my celery makes new leafs, and when the sun heats up the interior, I might see some early strawberries too.
When winter season turns to early spring I will be ready to plant a variety of vegetables and herbs, as the young plants will be ready to grow outside after a protected life inside.

To those who are interested, in front are growing some of my Brussels sprouts, and slowly I expand my agricultural to a level in which I can provide ourselves with fresh "domaci" food, all of it organic.

Once more:
Not a "green fanatic", I just like to do the things I do the way I do them.
It's all a hobby, but at the same time it helps, however tiny the effect may be, it does help !

Or to say it in Dutch for once:

"alle beetjes helpen" zei de muis
  en beet de kater in z'n kruis.

I (did) HATE cats

Did I say, I did hate cats, especially when we still had our dog, but that was a dislike I shared with our dog.
The dog passed away after a more than happy life, and as no other dog could even compare to our dog, no animal came to fill the gap.

Until, until we moved to Dalmacija, to our hidden valley, where having cats is as normal as not having snakes, as cats take care of snakes that come a bit to close for comfort.
We didn't even buy or get cats, they just showed up one day.

The black/grey cat for instance, showed up one day, in a terrible state, crying for some food.
From the looks came her name "Sporki".
(She looked like a dirty carpet, translated in Croatian: "Sporki tapet").

Most other cats don't have a name, just "white", "red" or "black" (not on this picture) is ok, as long as they get their daily portion of food.
None of them comes into the house, that's óur territory, they all are free cats, hunting and sleeping when and wherever they like.
We just get their love when they want their meal, and hurry up please !

And much to my surprise I turned from a notorious cat hater into an amused cat lover.
(As long as they stay outside, as inside is and will be my territory, where only dogs are allowed).
Each of them has a specific character and habits, and it's fun to observe them.

Dalmacija does change people !

simple life, good food: DOMACI !!!!

Perhaps the word "DOMACI"does not mean a thing to you, so I guess I must explain that first.
Domaci simply means (traditionally) home made.

Here in our little village (and many villages of Croatia) much of the food still is grown, harvested, prepared ánd eaten in a traditional way.
In other words, people still take pride in making their own.

Wine, olive oil, rakia (pure booze, as a basis for orachovic, travarica and more), all year around home grown vegetables, fruits, potatoes, chickens, eggs ánd.........pigs for a lot of excellent home made meat products in different styles.

Well, let me tell you a bit about those pigs.
After summer has gone people buy one, two or more pigs, depending on the price and the space to keep them.
Long before those pigs arrive figs are harvested and sun dried, and pig food is growing in the gardens.
Those pigs get the very best they can get, all of it organic, in order to put them on a healthy and tasty diet.
The main goal is not to get bigger or fatter pigs, but to get bétter pigs with bétter meat.

All life ends some day, also for happy pigs, as on a cold December day they are butchered, after which the real deal starts, preparing a wide variety of delicacies.
The famous prsut, that delicious salted, smoked, dried, ripened ham for instance, and believe me, you will never ever taste any better than those hams made by local people.
If you have the luck to have good friends in Croatia, ask thém for a slice of their domaci prsut, and you'll never think again the prsut sold in stores is the real stuff.

It would take a while to explain what comes from a good pig, simply everything is used, processed into many delicious sausages, bacon, pancetta, and even the bones are smoked/dried, to provide a basis for delicious food.
AND.....it's all free of chemicals, tenderizers, preservatives and antibiotics.
Which is a good thing to think about when you buy your daily portion of polythene wrapped food.

On the picture my very own ingredients for a great stew, all of it organic, all of it as tasty as hell, nutritious and nót malicious !!!

Food is, and should be, more than filling your tummy.
Domaci is the answer !

Still, I am not a "green fanatic", I drink my coke, I smoke, and on hot summer days the airco does its job, but a lot of things are truly an improvement of our life and a pleasure to learn.
And learn we do, évery day, from all good people around us, and from giving it a try.

So when visiting Dalmatia, try to experience the Zagora (the hinterland), as in those small villages it's still happening, passed on by proud people.

If thinking about a better diet, think about better food first.
And that's not coming from large factories with clever marketeers.

Don't eat LESS, eat BETTER.

biokovo on a winterday

(Click to enlarge !)
View from Pisak, a sleepy little town not far from Omis.
During the winter season the bura (the dry easterly wind here) can blow you away, while creating a pure and harsh winter wonderland on the high slopes of Biokovo Mountains.

And while palm trees and agaves survive at the coast, up there in the mountains, temperature drops to a bone chilling freezing minus 10 Celsius (and worse).

The town of Makarska is only 30 minutes away, a nice place to drink an espresso under the palm trees at the Adriatic during winter.
For those like me, who like a bit of difference after a lazy sun sprinkled espresso at the beach, it's only another twenty minutes up the mountain road to the very top of Biokovo till the snow makes driving a once in a lifetime experience.

Well dressed, there starts the winter fun  walking into a white world, still looking down at the Adriatic and the islands deep below the mountain.

And for those who like it pure and rough: yes there are wolves over there, but lucky you if you happen to see them.
Traces of those wild animals however are clearly visible, so give it a try (if you dare).

And being the Dutchman I am, during winter entrance to Biokovo is free of charge, another reason to be happy to live here all year round.

celebrate Christmas and look ahaid !

It's always nice to reflect for a moment, and for some reason most people do so towards Christmas.
Well, so do I for a moment, as the year is nearly finished, but............
as those Maya's where wrong (do your mathematics Machu Pichu !!)
a new year is waiting as usual.

I tried to make you understand why I love this part of Croatia that much, hope you get the idea !
Of course there are trillions of special places on our crowded planet,
and zillions of people who think their's is thé most beautiful.

I am not going to argue with you,
you're right when you live in such place.
Just be aware of your privilege.


...............But...............

Ja volim Hrvatska, ja volim Dalmacija.

And sharing love is still the best one can do.

So I will continue to fill this blog with little "nothings",
hoping one day you follow some of my steps.
(And if you don't, that's ok with me, enjoy my simple pages anyway)

Happy Newyear folks !

you ain't seen nothing yet !!!!

I challenge you to tell me where this is !

If you (think you) have an answer, see header of this blog to mail me and I'll take you there, organize you a pick-nick, drinks included, overlooking this place ánd the lake.
(So if the sun heats you up, you can cool down either drinking a cool wine or take a swim in a pristine lake).

Once more we went for a trip into the unknown, and discovered the surroundings of this place, got stuck in thick mud with the car.
 (Stupid us !!!!), but found most friendly people with a strong tractor,
and made friends with them afterwords.

For more than three hours we were struggling to get out, trying each and every trick in the book, and a couple new ones, covering ourselves and the car from tip to toe with "healthy" mud.
But all's well that ends well, the place, the lake, the nature, the people and our afternoon are fantastic.
Pay for the great help, forget it, have a drink and celebrate friendship !

No, I will not tell you the name of the place nor the name of the lake yet, but if you draw a circle of let's say 40 kilometers around Svinisce, looking towards Imotski, you may discover what we've discovered.
(And the more clever ones will discover the location as well, as it's on the map).

And once more, there is a lot to discover in Dalmatia, much more than "just" a beautiful coastline !
If no answers show up, next time I'll share this fantastic place with you.

In the meantime, have a wonderful time, and use the beginning of 2013 to plan your trip.
Dalmatia is waiting to make you fall in love !

DON'T do this at home

Just kidding, the picture shows it a bit more dangerous than it really was, but tricky it was anyway !
Nevertheless, when you go hiking in the Biokovo area (a must it is, especially during winter), the chance you discover a hole, a pit, a cave is pretty big.

But DON'T put yourself in danger, as all those karst phenomena s are both beautiful AND dangerous.
And on top of that, it's STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to cave without permission.
If interested, see these this website, highly interesting and beautiful:
http://www.speleologija.hr/znanost/sige/sige.html
When there, click on "English" and be amazed about the pictures shown and the details written.

Croatia is amazingly rich in natural sense, with so much natural beauty in every aspect, you'll have to plan a visit, a holiday, a lifetime to discover it all, and still there is more.
(Reason for me to live here nowadays !)

Should you be more interested in a lazy beach holiday, Roman history, flowers, wildlife, rafting, canyoning, hiking, biking or good food and basic values, lucky you, as Dalmatia has it all :-)

Should you need help, contact my good friend Robert, as he can help you make your stay a special experience from beginning to end.

In the mean time he and I will continue to discover a lot more, merely for our own pleasure, but also yours till you decide to do so yourself !

Those shoe people already said it very simple and clear:
JUST DO IT 

salamandara salamandara

Careful please, poisonous beauty !!

No, you don't have to run when you see one, as with all other poisonous animals like snakes,
just respect them and they won't hurt you.
Just do like me, look, take a picture and be amazed about Dalmatia's natural beauty.

Of course the quality of the picture could have been better but hey, I am not a professional.
If you want to see a better one and all details have a look at Wikipedia.

Saw one before, however that was flat as the surrounding asphalt, this one came to our terrace,
and before the cats could even try to have their hunting fun, I took this picture and moved it into nature, before those (damned) cats could even think of having fun.

Why share this picture ?
Well, over and over again I want you to get an idea of Dalmatia's beauty, being archaeology  history, nature, anything, and we've got a a lot of "anything" over here.
So in case you visit this country for a beach holiday, right you are, but wrong you are too !
As in the Zagora *) there is MUCH MORE to discover (the hinterland *).

Ever visited Biokovo Mountains ?
No ?
Or yes you did, hurry up to Sv. Jure's summit, cramped and bold,
and than hurry, hurry back down again, without hiking ?
Well, guess I must tell you a bit more about Biokovo in the next item.

So pozdravi, till next.

any hike in Dalmacia is a great experience

(click to enlarge)

Any hike over here in Dalmatinska Zagora is great, this one certainly is worth the time.
Together with my good friend Robert (www.malimlin.com) we went to do the hike he did a couple of weeks before with a couple of good Croatian friends (that's what friends are for).

Driving to Blato na Cetina from Omis takes about half an hour, at the bridge over the Cetina there you turn left, following the left upstream road.
Stop in Trnbusi (ask some local for the path up to Rodice) and get going.

The first part, up the mountain is pretty heavy, the road however is good and the view on every moment you take some rest, is as always.........great.
Once you reach the highest part (in about an hour), the road descends with the hidden village of Rodice in sight.

Enjoy every step, as enjoyable it is, with loads of herbs, flowers, if lucky a snake, sometimes a big green lizzard (zelenbac), and again, fantastic views alover, with the backside of Mosor in view.

The village has almost completely been abandonned, however some locals still go there to enjoy the pure and silent atmosphere and grow some potatoes.
Amazingly much water is in, under and around the village, with ponds full of fish and lots of frogs.

What makes it special is the variety of houses, very old, old and newer, almost all left to crumble.
Have a look at the details you'll see, as there are many, but please (PLEASE !!!) keep in mind that you're a guest visiting private property !!!!

In case you would like to do this hike in good company, send me a mail (address in header of this blog), and I'll connect you to folks that will guide you up, and back.

After your hike, you can cool down at a great swimming place at the Cetina river.
(When driving back, take the small asphalt road left that leads to this location, marked with a sign).

Enjoy Dalmatia, and dó enjoy the Zagora !

samphire, an edible beauty

Don't ask me where it grows, as I got the picture from a good friend.
I dó know however it is not only a magnificent picture, the purple plants in front grow in marshland at the seaside, and when picked still green, the top ends of samphire (zeekraal in Dutch) are delicious to combine with either fish or a good steak.

If you see some, first of all check if there is enough, and if there is, only pick the green top ends which easily snap under some nail pressure.
Collect only what you will eat the very same day, because than they are the best !

Wash them thoroughly, lightly dry them, than cook it for about two minutes in boiling water and cool down immediately after that.

When ready with your favorite dish, shake them quickly through some hot olive oil, nó salt added, as they taste salty already, as they are growing at the seaside.
If you can get hold of some lamb meat from the island Pag, you're more than lucky, as both have a natural salty flavor.

Prepare some simple salad, top it with some chips of that specific Pagski sheep cheese from the very same island Pag and you'll find out life is damned good in Croatia, certainly for retired folks like us.

and the painter is............

..............this is not a painting !
This is reality, a plain simple example of Croatia's natural beauty.

Most of the crowds have left, the sea still is at a pleasant 22 degrees Celsius  and the sun still warms the beaches when an occasional rain shower has gone.

Most of the restaurants have closed for the winter, but when hungry there are still many other options, and when asking around you'll always find a good place that cooks a bit more than pizza's, pizza's and pizza's (for the bulk of tourists still the cheap favorite).

If needed I can provide you with some tips to have a good meal (mail me at address in header of this blog), so you can still explore this beautiful country, even in autumn.
As autumn and spring are THÉ (!!!) most beautiful seasons to visit Croatia without getting a sun burn but still no cold feet.

(Winter is for us locals, while summer is for the crowds).

"holy shit"

Some beautiful (not even holy) cows, pictured upstream of the Cetina river, driving from Omis to the village called Cetina, where she starts from deep under the mountains.

However it takes a pretty long ride to see the very beginning of the Cetina river, it's worth it !
All along the river every ten or so minutes the landscape changes, each place worth to enjoy the scenery, taking pictures or feel the true peace this part of Dalmatia breathes.

The Cetina all in all is about 105 kilometers long from spring till sea, but this amazing river changes from gently flowing to rapids and waterfalls quite a few times.
One moment it feeds large meadows, another moment it breaks through deep canyons.
Flowing, falling, changing color every kilometer from deep dark blue at it's spring, greenish where it flows through grassy meadows, light blue to white over rapids and waterfalls, silently flowing or noisy thundering.

The great thing of this "tiny" river is that its clean and clear everywhere, and so are grass, herbs, vegetables and fruits that grow on its borders.

Coming from Holland with it's many cows, I know the suffer a constant diarrhea while the cows over here still produce genuine shit, one might even say "holy shit", as this shit is free of fertilizers and rich of fibers, still tremendous to put in my garden to get the best tomatoes, salad or melons.

What a land, what a river, what a country it is, Croatia !!!!!

PS: should you visit this area and plan to drive all along the river upstream, than keep the river to your left and Dinara Mountains to your right.
(Sometimes a bit of searching, always worth it !!!).

one of those evenings

Not very much to share, sorry for those who think every day is full of news, but this picture shows one of those evenings in our hidden treasure.

The days are now filled with some help picking grapes at friends or sawing/cutting wood for the winter.
The wine is now "cooking" for the year to come, truly pleasant for us, as we buy our wine from our local suppliers/friends.
 (And what a red wine it is, rich, pure and a "killer" !!!).

So at the moment nothing special is happening but the simple things over here are still very special.
And that's all the news for now.

even the beginning has an end

Slowly summer is leaving, and with summer the bulk of tourism.
Still however, temperature is very nice (up to 26 C.) with clear skies and sunny weather.
Lucky people who choose to spend some time (or live here like we) at the Adriatic, where sea temperature is still inviting for a swim.

Slowly nature is preparing for winter, but that's just preparing, as september and october are fine months overhere.
Today we're gonna help here and there picking grapes, so our friends can turn it into wine and later on into rakija.

Life here is natural, with seasonal moments, like picking grapes, buying pigs and pampering those pigs for a couple of months with the very best food, till it's time to change pigs into sausages and the véry best local delicacy, the famous homemade (!!!) Croatian smoked/dried ham.

But that's another story, so you'll have to wait, as the grapes are ready to be picked, so I can fill my stock of wine for the winter season, accompanied by good food and good friends.

So hello autumn in Dalmacija.

greetings from Holland (pozdravi iz Nizozemska)

Ok, there are a lot more impressions of Holland than this picture shows.
Tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, Amsterdam, Van Goch or Rembrandt, whatever you prefer, but to me (us) two weeeks in Holland are more than enough to make us shout "let me out" .
We just had to leave our hidden treasure for two weeks, to organise a "few" things in Holland, but after ten days till now we count the rest of the days to get back to our Dalmatian paradise.

A friend asked me what I am going to do first when back in Croatia, and my answer was "sit down and enjoy the wide open panorama, looking at Mosor Mountains and feeling the intensity of our silent peacefull little village.

Never before felt so good as in Svinisce, and for sure this will be one of the very few visits we (have to) spend in Holland.

It's hard to explain what the values of our life overthere are, but believe me, you can have those tulips, windmills, wooden shoes and all the art in every Dutch museum, I/we prefer our life in Svinisce, the hidden treasure.

Open skies, clean air, simple social life, growing our own food, pure nature, the Adriatic Sea within ten minutes reach and the Cetina River even quicker.

Ja Volim Hrvatska (I love Croatia) and would'nt change it for a million !
And to all those people looking forward to spending holidays in Dalmatia, you won't be disapointed and might just end living here, once you discover how great it is.

Ps. If you prefer to have a look at the location showed in the picture, go to Holland, drive to Friesland, and head for the coast overlooking what's called "De Wadden".