The last few days here in Istria haven't been the prettiest I've experienced here. Not terrible, but not the perfect sunshiny days that happen a lot in the springtime. The weather has been off and on with a few gloomy, cloudy days sprinkled with glimmers of sunshine. The warm beautiful sunny weather of spring has …
There are certain times and certain places that everywhere you look seems to sparkle with a magical brilliance of color and light. That feeling of clarity and visual pleasure awakens a dynamic portion of your soul, and it's in this sensation you begin to feel as if you are walking through a virtual masterpiece of …
Continue reading Picture Perfect Croatia (Reflections On a Stolen Ramble through the Countryside)
About a month ago at the Rijeka Carnival in Croatia, which now seems like a lifetime ago thanks to Covid-19, I was struck by some parade participants dressed in eery costumes that looked like they had come out of some psychedelic horror movie. Men were covered the whole lengths of their bodies by long strands of …
So it seems that Germans (and Europeans in general) are more comfortable with their bodies than us Americans. I make that assumption based on the observations I've made on the beaches and surrounding waters in and around our home in Croatia. And it's not Croatians for the most part, but rather the German tourists who …
Olive oil production in Croatia is often done on small family farms in the Istrian region. This article is about stumbling upon a small olive oil production facility in Croatia and its friendly owner.
"The city is sleeping," said the young Russian boy. We all closed our eyes. As I sat around the beach blanket with six children from Russia, Italy and Croatia still dripping from the salty Adriatic Sea and playing the card game Mafia, I wondered, how did I get here? We had just been swimming off …
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Yes, Dickens said it best. It started with a journey to Split in September for a charter adventure to the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis with my husband Captain Mike, and our friends James, Carolyn and Karl. It ended with with a …
Continue reading Getting out of Split: A Cautionary Tale of the Infamous Croatian Bura
Just returned from a day sailing trip to Premantura with Mike. The day has been cool and sunny but an unexpected rainstorm has us tucked inside our new boat Rita. We just got back to Croatia last Friday night from New Orleans, dropped off all but one of our suitcases and hightailed it to our …
As a young mother you never really appreciate how much you will love your children when they are newly born and how that love will exponentially grow throughout their lives. I remember as soon as I delivered my youngest daughter Marina, I heard her sweet cry and she sounded like a little lamb. I fell …
It's not everyday that you are able to visit a church that opened in 553 AD and then, on top of that, are astounded by the artistic talent you see inside. That's just what happened last weekend when we visited the Euphrasian Basilica (also known as the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary) in …
What a difference a week makes! School started this week in Pula, the tourist crowd is dwindling down to a enjoyable amount, and there is a hint of autumn in the air with the temperatures hovering in the mid-to-high 70s. The rocky beaches that were swarming with people from all over Europe are now dotted …
Falling in Love with Istrian Olive Oil I have a confession to make. I have a new love. Every morning since I discovered the taste of Istrian olive oil, I grab a small piece of fresh bread and douse it with this liquid gold. And when I say "douse," I mean douse it like I'm …
Continue reading Volim Te, Maslinovo ulje (I love you, Olive Oil)