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.

Croatia, a Slavic country

(Picture from the Slavorum newsletter).

Spending some (certainly not all) time behind my computer,

I subscribed to the newsletter of www.slavorum.org .

The reason is simple, I love to learn more about Croatia/Dalmatia,
and the surrounding countries.

Much of their information is highly interesting, even when much of it is about Slavic countries far from ours (and many times much colder).

But Croatia being a Slavic country too, much of the information is interesting to me, telling about culture, history ánd............nature.

Recently the newsletter was telling about a magnificent artist, painter and photographer, called Vyacheslav Mishchenko.

His pictures made me feel very humble,
with my simple Canon Powershot and not blessed with his gifted way
of looking at nature's magic.

However, I am not totally blind, ánd living in a charming valley, surrounded by stunning nature.

I love to walk around, always discovering some nice flower, a snake or a lizard, and numerous signs of extremely hard working people.

Old stone walls, forgotten houses, even complete villages, an old fruit tree as the prove of better days, when people still lived in such now abandoned places, simple but honest and proud.

Not the most easy life, as everything had to be done by hand, stone after stone, creating tiny patches of workable land to grow whatever was needed to survive harsh conditions.

As however we are "blessed" with electricity, tap water, roads and a lot more today, all around us the country tells of those brave people who made it possible to us to be living here today.

Ok, we also did our bit of work to change the piece of "jungle" our land once was, but it were those ancestors who fought nature in the first place, and created what can be experienced today.
And you'll be amazed how very special our valley is today.

As today we are most happy people living in a most beautiful valley, with a couple of good neighbours around us, ánd...........
lots of pristine nature, silence, a pleasant climate and very fertile soil.
Thát's why I write these pages, so you know Dalmatia has so much more to offer than only a magnificent Adriatic Coast.

And, because our nature is similar to nature in parts of Ukraine, the country where Vyacheslav lives and works,
I highly recommend you to visit his website.

www.vmishchenko.com

PS.

With Ukraine in the daily news in a different way, it's good to know it's not only a country in a dramatic state.

shit weather is also weather :-)

(Do click to enlarge those tiny symbols, written in Dutch).
(The orange line shows day temperatures, the blue one temperature during night, and yes there will be some rain, but on average things still look pretty nice, so why not plan a trip, as even in autumn Dalmatia is a pleasant alternative).

But let's face reality:
do not trust those copywriters making you believe Dalmatia álways has terrific weather, as they are paid to lie.

The picture above tells the truth, and I'll add a bit of truth to it.

Today for instance, it was raining here in Svinisce.

Ok, not all the time, but when it falls it's a lot.

In fact, the whole summer was slightly "different", and as a result the potatoes did great, but grapes, olives and figs, all of them sunlovers,
did bad this year, véry bad !

Is it all a result of the feared climate change, who knows, so better wait for next year than.

Fact is, there were more moments of heavy rain like last night and this morning, with thunderstorms and hail.

Not being dependent of the result of my home grown vegetables and herbs, to me this summer was good anyway, resulting in many great delicious dishes and a stuffed freezer.

To neighbours and friends around us however, good crops of necessary basics like olives and grapes for instance, are a múst.

Let me explain this.

Wages in Croatia are low, véry low, while expenses are similar to any other country in Europe.

So what do people do here, they grow there own.

Not as a hobby like me, but because it takes the pressure of the daily budget for food, leaving some money for bills.
(Water, electricity, fuel for the necessary vehicle, it's all as expensive as in any other European country). 

For that reason, everything grown around us is a necessity to people living here,  yes, including grapes for wine and rakija,
including olives for delicious olive oil.

Socializing here means having a chat and a drink together, and since beer or coffee have to be bought, people grow and make their own drinks, juices and liquors.

Which makes sense, ánd....which tastes very well too !

Ok, back to the weather, and the current statistics,
as statistics hardly ever lie (do they ?).

In the picture above you can see the prediction for upcoming ten days.

Temperature still at a pleasant average of 20-23 degrees Celsius, and however not what we like most, some rain today and tomorrow.

And as a result of locally heavy (!!) rains, towns like Zadar, Makarska and Imotski suffered big problems, as the water came pouring down, flooding streets and creating unexpected waterfalls.

But like I said, "shit weather is also weather", and these couple of days of shit weather I use to organise my load of seeds,
ready for next growing season.

Let's hope for people around us, next year will be less uncertain, resulting in nice healthy crops of grapes and olives.

if visiting Split, than álso Solin !

(Picture and video found on TotalSplit)

Visiting Split, that's a must for most visitors of Dalmatia.

And right they are !

In fact, our part of Croatia is blessed with three historic places.

Of course the old Venetian town of Dubrovnik is numero uno, 

but Split (ánd Trogir) get their portion of visitors too.

And again, right they are.

I will not get into all the details and highlights, with ever increasing numbers of visitors it's pretty clear these towns are "must visit"
évery loooong Dalmatian summer.

But many people visiting Split forget to visit Salona (today's Solin), 

and in my opinion that's a mistake.

Click on the link and you'll understand why.

Salona was highly important in Roman days, as the centre of the East Roman Empire, múch more important than Split.

It had all a big city needed for it's 50.000 + inhabitants.

The remains can be seen on each and every spot, so to understand it's importance ánd the very reason why Diocletian's Split was built, you simple cán't do Split without Solin.

In a recent page on TotalSplit was an item about a new video of Solin.

And apart from two aspects is worth seeing.

It's in Croatian, don't know why if they want to attract tourists from all over the globe, and nr.2 is the music in it.
But that, says the U2-fan, is my personal opinion.

Apart from those two flaws, the video is absolutely great !

So click on the blue link above, and prepare for next holidays.

PS.

And of course, copy the link of TotalSplit to your computer.

It is no doubt a great promotion of Split, initiated and maintainted by an Englishman living on the island of Hvar.

But that's typical british, they only feel happy on an island :-) 

We prefer our hidden valley behind Omis, quietly in the middle of nature, and close to either Adriatic Sea, Split ánd Salona, and all of it without having to wait for a ferry:

Svinisce-Cetina River: 5 minutes

Svinisce-Omis: 10 minutes

Svinisce-Adriatic Coast: 12 minutes

Svinisce-Split: 30 minutes

Svinisce-Solin: 33 minutes

Svinisce-Trogir: 45 minutes

Svinisce-Dubrovnik: 180 minutes.

Just kidding Paul (the Englishman on Hvar), 

but we do not have to wait for a ferry, nor fly, nor swim, but yeah, we're Dutch :-)

view on cloudy morning Mosor Mountains

(Do please click to enlarge)

A short post, to busy doing other things, but.....

how about such a view from our terrace in the morning.

Hope you can imagine how very nice it is to slowly wake up
with a cup of strong coffee, sitting on our terrace.
This is the true treasure of our hidden valley in Svinisce,
with only the sound of birds and crickets.

Yes, the Dalmatian hinterland (Dalmatinska Zagora) ís beautiful.

And we are extremely lucky to be living in it.

So next time you're planning your holidays in Dalmatia, 

and prefer a less crowded stay in the middle of nature,

we've got it, and móre than enough of it.

Beach and sea less than ten minutes by car from here, 

historic Split or Trogir within half an hour's drive, 

the Cetina Canyon, Biokovo and Mosor.

And.....PEACE, without any stress !!!!

PS.

Sorry to say, but we're not in the renting business.

If looking for some nice house or place, see the many agencies.

Try www.malimlin.com for instance.

Zrmanje River Canyon and Knin's Krčić waterfall

(Do click to enlarge).

Recently drove to the Zrmanje River Canyon 

with a couple of best friends.

Normally I don't drive that far (three hours) from home, with plenty of stunning nature around us.

But this area was on my bucket list for a while, so.....

So we had a fantastic day in a totally different area.

And if you think you've seen it all, forget it !

I am even thinking to go back,

however than it would be wise to stay for a couple of days.

On our way home from the Zrmanje we went through Knin, 

and again I was amazed by the diversity of our part of Croatia.

I would have never found this spot, if my friends had not guided us.

Was it worth it, well uh......HELL YES.

Krcic is about 20 meters high and in winter a great place for those who want to practice some ice climbing.

I tried to film it as good as possible, 

but it's impossible to put on video what we saw, felt, and heard. 

The power of the water falling down was simply immense !

Just in front of it is a wooden bridge, where a storm of wind and spray felt like standing behind a jet getting ready to fly of.

Nature, impressive Croatian nature !!!

Click on the video I uploaded to Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QauxrZJq8wQ&feature=youtu.be

Zrmanje River Canyon is worth to be on your list, 

and so is this waterfall in Knin.

My advise to you for the waterfall: 

better hurry to experience it, because HEP, 

the Croatian Electricity Company seems to have some bád plans with it !

And my advise to them: 

DÓN'T even THINK of it !!!!

Split, oh Split, you're beautiful (from a distance)

( Do click to enlarge )

Split, beautiful Split, visited by so many tourists every summer.

They fill the centre, the Riva, Diocletian's Palace, and all those tiny streets, but do they see Split's true beauty ?

Licking ice creams, eating pizza, drinking wine, taking pictures,

but do they really feel what Split is about.

I think just óne person, óne photographer saw Split at it's very best.

From Marijan, from a distance, and right on time !

As there and than Split showed its amazing beauty.

As Split in summer is nice, but it's much nicer, as you can see,
after a moment of rain.

And off season, there is more rain, so there are more perfect moments to see Split like on this picture.

And even much nicer Split is from a distance, from Split's green zone, 

that pine tree covered hill next to the town called Marijan. 

Lidija Lolic, one of the very best photographers in Split,
she knows her stuff, her moment, her art,

went to the very best location to take this picture.

Couple of days ago, a rain front was passing, with loads of rain, 

a burst of violent wind, and thunderstorms hitting the mountains around Split with impressive flashes.

And Lidija, clever Lidija, must have thought "Marijan !!!!!".

As that was, as you can see, the ultimate location to take
the ultimate picture of Split.

Bravo Lidija.

Living in our tiny village, well hidden from the crowds,

I love to go to Split, but óff season (if there is an óff season),

as than all Split is all mine (and yours).

PS.

As Lidija is a pro, all her work is protected, and not to be copied, shared or used without her permission.

Therefore I asked her if I could use it on my blog, so you could see Split the way she sees it, being the way I love to see it 
(....from a distance).

Need a true photographer, for whatever project, 
no doubt she delivers the very best result.

While you, I and most others, well uh....just take pictures, 
here's the link to her various work: www.lidija-photo.com

if a true cook and if interested, just write me

Another picture (see the previous blog post), this time however as a presentation,
worth to be served in a high end restaurant.

(Not for pizza bakers, not for grill chefs).

And however I am nót (repeat NÓT !!!) looking for a job or obligations,
I might try to teach a friend here to produce such delicious vegetables, a king's table worthy.

I simply wanted to prove there is so much more possible under the Dalmatian sun,

and like I said before, all of it without any artificial "help".

Pure eco, pure domaci (home grown), pure delicious ingredients for a fantastic salade, or as extra to a perfect dish.

Ánd.....a true joy for any professional chef.

If interested *), my email address is in the header of my blog.

So write me an email,
and we'll think of some growing plan for next season.

Enjoy Dalmatian summer, rich of delicious vegetables.

*) If, of course cooking in the Split region !

happiness is not for sale

Happiness is not for sale, at least not in most supermarkets.

Happiness grows in small gardens like mine.

Does that mean I am a true gardener, to be honest: not really :-)

But if you're not afraid of some (not even much) work,

putting seeds in the ground is véry rewarding.

Last year I was in Holland for a short while,

as we still have some things to take care of over there.

I keep those visits as shórt as possible,
as Holland is history, Svinisce our today and tomorrow.

To say it in other words, here I am happy, véry happy,
and there.............

Anyway, here in our hidden valley, the soil is very fertile and the climate extremely nice for some home grown vegetable experiments.

So, as I had to fill the gap between flying in and back, I visited a shop with thousands (!) of vegetable-, flower-and herb-seeds, so I spent a couple of hours in pure delight, emptying my wallet.

The result of all those different seeds can be seen on this picture,

and since you can just look at it,
I better explain to you the taste of it.

Yellow olive shaped tomatoes: sweet and mild,
red cherry tomatoes: sweet and juicy,
chocolate coloured smaller peppers (paprikas): extremely tasteful, firm structure, and mildly spicy.
And those two varieties of basil of six different sorts I grow:
an explosion of taste one can only experience when picked straight from the plant.

To make my point: GROW YOUR OWN !!!!!!

Even if you only have a balcony, or just a tiny garden, dó it !!!!

The result is simply great, and very rewarding.

And on top of that, since you (or I) are no professionals,
so if something fails, who cares.

We don't have contracts, do we, which force us to produce a lot and just in time, all of it perfectly shaped, and perfectly "healthy".
And...... "perfectly" withóut the taste you'll experience
once you start to harvest your very own results.
 As that is pure happiness, pure delight.

PS. 

I don't like to use pesticides, fertilizers, or any other artificial stuff.

Some plants need some manure or humus, that's all.

And of course some water if necessary and not even much. 

I can take the risk of some failures, and in the end I knów I can safely put it my mouth, straight from the plant.

Picked at the bést moment (and nót before), 
lovingly selected to become a nice dish.

Tasty, colourful, healthy and proudly shared with good friends.

With of course a glass of good local wine*).

*) Wine making is not my thing, that's for the true pro's here.
And we've got a lot of them, thank heaven.

the very best tip ever !!!

You know my blog pages,

most, if not all, related to beautiful Dalmatia.

As here we settled a couple of years ago, leaving Holland (the Netherlands), for a móst happy retired life in the móst beautiful part of Croatia.

And no doubt I will continue to share the real feeling of this part of paradise, especially about the not so well known delights.

This time however, I better share another secret with you.

I had a working life :-).

During those many years, I saw and used many software programs.

Many of them connected to the company I worked for, 

many because they seemed useful (but were not).

One however I purchased in 1996, on recommendation of a friend.

It's name: TIME and CHAOS.

Not the easiest decision (but that's life), as it was in English,
and being a Dutchman my native speech is.....

Never scared of a bit of struggle, I slowly managed to make it my very best tool ever.

As all of us know, time and chaos are like ying and yang,
always together, like me and my wife.

I created my part of CHAOS, so it was TIME for a change.

And never ever, not for one split second, I regretted my step.

And however not stuffed with client details (in every thinkable way) anymore, it's still a fantastic tool for whatever hobby I have.

(And that's a lot).

Today, for instance, I store every result of my gardening experiments, from a single potato I planted and recently harvested, to all those tomatoes, peppers, herbs and beans I try to produce and reproduce.

And eat of course, all of them strictly without pesticides or poisons.

(Why the hell do people still accept those things).

Anyway, áll my hobbies are well organised in what's today called Intellect, one of the great software programs Chaossoftware is providing ánd supporting.

So this time not a single word about Dalmatia, 

but three cheers for those guys.

In one word:

!!! FAAAAANTAAAASTIC !!!

So leave this page (and come back the next time),
and click to have a look here:

www.chaossoftware.com

You wont regret it,
as it's cheaper than a delicious Dalmatian dinner for six !

is it a seagull, no it's an airplane !

Some things take a while in Croatia.

Some things even longer than necessary.

And some things even last decades.

But here they are, after móre than tén years of fighting bureaucracy in Croatia. 

The first plane of European Coastal Airlines has arrived in Split.

Congratulations, to both Dalmatia ánd the ECA-team.

I sometimes wonder why so little investors choose to start up a business in Dalmatia, 

with it's high unemployment rates, low wages and great potential.

Well, it seems old (socialist/communist) habits still rule.

Come on Croatia, member of the European Union, on a blessed logistic position, 

capable to serve as the main entrance to the entire Balkan (ánd Southern Europe).

Let's compare Split to Rotterdam for a moment.

Ok, you may say, there are some "minor" differences.

Well than, let me answer than: THINK BIG !!!

Rotterdam once started small, but clever politicians and inventive entrepreneurs máde it BIG.

Croatia, nowadays with excellent highways, many deep water ports like Split and Rijeka,

could and should take those paper walls down, obstructing so many initiatives.

Many great initiatives die out, sighing "problem, problem, problem".

My immediate answer (being a Dutchman) is: "than solve those problems".

In other words, I LOVE PROBLEMS !!!

Problems make me find solutions, always a learning process, result guaranteed.

Anyway, if it wasn't for those persistent people of ECA, you would still be waiting in cue at Jadrolinija,

to hop over to one of the hundreds of lovely islands.

Not anymore, hell nó.

As ECA is going to fly you over in no time, and even than their one way ticket is less than hundred kunas, which is 15 EURO's !!!! (depending of course on the destination).

Cheaper still is swimming from Split to let's say Hvar or Dubrovnik,

but times change, flying goes faster, and no cues involved.

And being the lazy bugger I turned out to be,

it's more comfortable, and your feet stay dry :-)

Éven when they land on water.

And that's a thing even a seagull cant say (if it could talk).

Click below for details:
MOJ GALEBE

freshest steaks éver (also at Zvizdan in Brzet Omis)

Going to butcher or supermarket to buy a truly fresh steak ?

This Russian driver thought otherwise.

Steaks from the freezer, nó way !

Wrapped in transparent polystyrene, forget it ! 

The guy wanted his steak as fresh as fresh can be, so............

......so it put an entire cow in his Lada.
One thing is absolutely sure, the best superfresh steaks are his.
Good thing he didn't put the cow in the driver's seat :-)
To see the video, click:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3NrMwM7jas

And should you not have a green Lada,
or hate cleaning your car afterwards, ánd if staying in or near Omis,
go to Restaurant Zvizdan *) in Brzet.
As their steaks are fresh and tender as usual,
and the location, diréct to the seaside is worth the short trip.

*) Leave Omis, direction Makarska, and after about one mile, turn right at the sign Brzet, 
and drive on till you see Zvizdan on your right.
Lovely place in the shade of pine trees, direct at the beach 
and with the most fantastic panorama of áll Omis.

See the post I wrote about our favourite place at:
zvizdan-brzet-omis a great place to eat, swim, enjoy.

Enjoy your steak, ánd the location !

dalmatian dangers

Are dangers typical for Dalmatia, the answer is nó !

Dangers are everywhere and always around.

Traffic accidents seem to be most common, but not the only ones.

Youtube is full of them, so if you like to see them, look there :-)

But it would be ignorant to not warn for some dangers.

And some of them are typical for Dalmatia.

Like I said, traffic is a true danger, even in sunny Dalmatia. 

Narrow roads, lots of summer traffic, a long trip under the sun, 

and many people walking to or from the many beaches,

especially in the evening that's something to be aware of.

So please drive carefully, as you don't want to be involved in accidents, especially not while on holidays.

Also when driving here, be aware of the amount of crossroads, tiny entrances, parking lots and tourists searching for one :-)

At ány moment a car may stop, leave or enter, so be aware, 

keep your distance and stay alert. 

Than suddenly, not usual in summer but it may occur, there is rain.

Yes rain, as during rain, roads get véry slippery !

Hot asphalt, oily residues combined with rain, makes "mayonnaise". 

And than you discover it's either a rock or a steep slope.

Some other, perhaps unexpected dangers and risks to be warned for:

1. sunburn, but anyone should know that.

Protect yourself and kids, as our sun can be pretty powerful.

Especially on the water, you get more than average of it.

2. lack of water during a hike in our rough nature.

For already five days, rescue teams are searching for a missing person on Biokovo.

She went for a hike, broke something, had a snakebite or worse, perhaps even fell into one of the many pits there,

but whatever the cause, she's still missing.

Lets hope those volunteers find her in time.

A. If going for a hike in rough terrain,
have twó litres of water per person.

B. Tell people what your detailed plan is,
and don't just go into unknown terrain.

C. Have a loaded cellphone, a whistle, a small mirror with you.

D. Start very early and stop before it's mid day.

E. Be well prepared, as this is true nature, rough, wild and beautiful.

3. uncommon insects

Even I still make mistakes when working on our land.

A tiny little fly (hard to see) bites and makes bíg infections.

Use repellent (DEET), and take some OTC anti-histamine crème with you, just in case you get an insect bite.

Also, less common, but something to be aware of,
are some tiny spiders, known as black widows.
Tiny, black with some red on their back, and pretty tricky.

If you see one be careful, or worse, in case of a bite, séé a doctor !  

(Most towns have a first aid, called "hitno pomoc").

To keep this list limited (snakes, falling rocks, to much alcohol),
just be aware, as dangers are all around us,
even or especially when on holidays.

As not only those white cliffs of Dover (GB) kill.

Be warned, be  aware, stay safe 
and enjoy our gorgeous part of  beautiful Croatia.

cellphone, mobitel and a "love story"

Could not resist to share this item with you.

Ok, it's hardly typical for Dalmatia (or is it), in a country where every driver only has one hand.

(And a second hand busy holding his/ her mobitel while driving.)

Recently, to continue, I saw a young couple in a restaurant, 

young and deeply in love with each other.

The well prepared delicious food was already on the table, 

the moonlight over the Adriatic as romantic as can be.

And each of them was busy, véry busy, with their cellphones !!!

Holy SHIT, is that what LG, Samsung and Nokia had in mind ?

Turn that thing OF for once in a while !!!!

Be social, polite, interested or deeply in love again some times.

! TURN IT OF !

The story below, click on each picture please, tells it all.

A hard working restaurant owner wondered why reviews turned bad over the years.

So he decided to see why, as he did nothing different, only better.

These three pictures tell it all.

 ! TURN THE DAMNED THING OF !

(At least once in a while.)

This story came from a restaurant in New York,
but it seems totally normal nowadays, anywhere and always.

Even in Dalmatia, éven when people are on holidays.

Even when surrounded by natural beauty, pristine nature and the summer sound of crickets.

Even when, enjoying some well deserved peace on a lovely beach.
No stress, no deadlines, no noise, no agenda: "dolce vita".
Life is fantastic, those two, three weeks, so:

!!! TURN IT OF, PLEASE !!!

Omis people apologize for trafficjam

Of course Omis loves every visiting tourist,
and of course the people of Omis like them to stay as long as possible
in this marvellous place between Adriatic Sea and Cetina River.
And tourists from many countries come and stay for a great holiday.

However, many people will remember Omis as the wórst trafficjam in Croatia.
As already for many years now, the centre of Omis is ONE BIG TRAFFICJAM.
And all of that because the responsible politicians seem to be born without ears, eyes (and brains ?).

Promises, promises, promises, a typical disease politicians seem to be suffering from.
With half a tunnel ready, as you can see when you look up, the next part is promised (again) to be ready somewhere in 2020.
(Or will it be another apartment with stunning view, overlooking the Cetina from above).

Anyway, yesterday the people of Omis went to the Magistrale (that coastal road from Split to Dubrovnik),
to apologise to all passing tourists waiting in the longest trafficjam in Dalmatia.

As Omis is a fantastic place to spend holidays, with a large Adriatic beach, the Cetina Canyon, impressive mountains,all of it blessed with a lot of sunshine (unless it's raining sometimes).

But sorry to say, the responsible people in Croatia, put a lót of money in promotion, folders, flyers, worldwide reclame and loads of attention, but................
they seem to forget all those visiting tourists get stuck in the worst ever yearly trafficjam.

For that reason the people of Omis went to the road, to apologise for the "inconvenience".
As people of Omis love to see you come and stay, but not in a trafficjam.

Let's hope the voters (yes dear politicians, they vote for responsible politicians),
finally get what they have been begging for, for so many years.
And keep in mind, between now and the promises for 2020, there are elections again.

So better beware of those Omis Pirates !

do like us, see those guys !!!!

It took us twó years to leave our hidden paradise for a visit to Split.

To be totally honest, I sometimes go, but only if I must buy something we don't have in Svinisce.

And as quick as possible I race back, neglecting all speed limits.

Yesterday however, the two of us left our hidden valley,
and boy did we enjoy it !

We check Total Split's information regularly,
but not being tourists nor city dwellers,

we only say "ah, look how much Split has to offer to visitors".

But we're no tourists, we live here, well hidden from the crowds,
the heat, noise and stress.

So why leave Svinisce, where life is simple and great.

Well, we were and are WRONG !

As yesterday evening we went to see, listen and enjoy
a unique group of musicians on a stunning location.

As in the garden of the Mestrovic Museum,
overlooking the Adriatic by night, there was a show/concert by the Sudar Percussion ensemble with Matej Mestrovic.

And to say it simple: it was a f#cking fantastic evening.

Started with a introducing documentary on wide screen
about the process of creation and recording,

the group entered the stage, grabbing us by the balls and not letting go till three extra's had been given.

And the music never stops, as we bought their CD,
originally packed in a tin can :-)

Will we go back to Split to get some more,
even if sweat is dripping down our back and lower,

héll we will !!

Not only next year, to see if Sudar is performing again, 

but more often, as in the museum garden all summer long
there is life music (twice a week).

If interested (and you should be !!).

have a look on the group's website or Youtube,
and see/listen/download/buy their music.

www.sudarpercussion.com

(Click here for all details.)

Artists:
Goran Gorse - vibraphone
Filp Mercep - marimba
Nicolas Sinkovic - xylophone, glockenspiel
Josip Blaskovic - bass
Luka Pesutic - drums
Matej Mestrovic - piano

PS.

Returning to our hidden valley, again we felt blessed, 

especially because our evening temperature is five degrees C. lower 

than the temperature at the coast.

(25 or 20 degrees Celsius does make a BIG difference).

And a cold beer tastes even better than, under a star sprinkled sky.

Zivali Sudar, zivali !

STOP NÓW

Our Adriatic Sea is thé reason why you and so many others 
choose to come to Dalmatia, every year again.

It's clear blue water, clean as clean can be, 
attracts people from all over the globe, year after year, 
and with hundreds of thousands, ever increasing.

To say it in other words, this is the véry best Croatia has to offer.

All you visitors fall in love with it, 
and each of you brings in money, loáds of money.

You and I are so to say: 
the chickens with the golden eggs.

And however I don't want to interfere with Croatian politics at áll,

this time I must speak out loud.

National politicians have the disastrous idea there is more money in drilling for oil; not somewhere far away, but between our Dalmatian islands.
More money, móre money..... how about all the money from tourism ?

The idea of drilling for mineral oil in this pristine sea environment is a bloody shame.

Daring to risk our sea is the biggest mistake éver.

As once the shit hits the fan, there is nó return.

So do please join the Clean Adriatic Sea Alliance, 
and STOP THIS DISASTER before it's to late.

Because you and I love Dalmatia for it's clean sea, 
nót for cheap fuel at the petrol station.

Our oil comes from trees, nót from the Adriatic.

There are other ways to keep our economy growing, 
there are other ways to harvest energy (lot's of sunshine), 
and there are other ways to fill the gap in the states' budget. 

Join the www.clean-adriatic.org 
before there is no turning back.

Enjoy your holidays at the most beautiful coast of Europe.
This year, next year, or any year in the future.

As an unspoiled Adriatic Sea is the véry bést gift, 
to ourselves ánd to the future !

Split without Salona: IMPOSSIBLE !

I like to be clear, sometimes even blunt :-).

However, if not being clear, you would miss this tip:

visiting Split without visiting Salona (today's Solin)
would be a terrible mistake.

As without Salona there wouldn't have been Split.

The old Romans knew how to pick their locations, 

and Salona is one of those unique spots.

Sun, soil, water, a perfect place to live near the Adriatic, 

well protected from invasive tribes, however that changed later on when the Slavs moved in.

For centuries however, the location was perfect,
a firm stronghold and a great place to relax from all the expeditions the Roman empire organised.
And relax they did, all those 50.000 ancient inhabitants.

Recently I received a newsletter from go Hvar at wordpress, 

with highly interesting information and a load of great pictures.

So once again, why bother if someone else does a better job,
I continue to pamper my crops, while you read the entire story at:

http://gohvar.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/salona-the-ancient-capital-of-dalmatia

And I do hope you will visit Salona, as to understand why Split is Split,

you múst experience Salona.
The above mentioned link gives you a perfect idea.
And after reading it, you better see for yourself.

Promise ?

Great !

chase the donkey, thát's what you need to do !

Why bother writing my "no good for nothing" pages,
when there is a fár better option ?

Well, to be honest, I like to keep my English in shape, not easy for a Dutchman living in Dalmatia.

With a couple of languages in my head
(Dutch, English, German and a tiny bit of French),
and trying to increase my knowledge of Croatian
(svaki dan malo vise),
sometimes I get a headache flipping from one to another.

Than why not choose for Dutch or Croatian, you might ask,
the answer is plain simple,
my Croatian is very limited, and with only a few Dutch on the globe,
it makes sense to use English in stead.

That's why I use English, and with still a lot to share,
I'll continue to (try to) do so.

However, it's a painstaking process,
partially digging for what's still in my head,
sometimes with a bit of help from Google Translate.

However, if you prefer to read proper English,
and need detailed information about Dalmatia,

dó have look at: www.chasingthedonkey.com

It's written by a nice lady called Sarah Jane, originally from Australia,
but chasing her donkey, she settled in Dalmatia.

Again today I received her so called Weekly Update,
which made me think "why bother, she's better".

Will this mean the end of my blogging, héll nó,
but I want !! you !! to get the most out of your search for splendid information about Dalmatia,
and how to discover and enjoy it in the véry best way.

So go to www.chasingthedonkey.com as those pages are great,
but do come back here once in a while, 

as however not a frequent blogger,
I will continue to add stuff whenever I feel like it.

And as you may know, I never write about the regular touristic offer, 

and certainly not about fish-pick-nicks and such.

As when I feel like writing,
it's because I think something is worth sharing with you.
And as a result, you get to know Dalmacija better.
As thát's what drives me and my internet fellows.

Great job Sarah Jane, I envy you !