Croatia Travel Guide
4/08/2008 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Don George, Croatia (all tags)
Seems that ex-Lonely Planet editor Don George has a bit more time to write now that he's not planning global guidebook strategies (or whatever happens up in the high echelons of LP). In the most recent edition of RECCE he has a good piece about a visit to Dubrovnik, one of our favorite spots along the Croatian coast--even if it is a little overrun with tourists.
George happily reports that the atmosphere has improved to no end as the war recedes further into the past--his first visit to Dubrovnik was seven years ago, and he can see clear changes like people are smiling more.
Nice to know, and some might also be attracted by his references to some of the beautiful women who walked past his café table. Apparently they had impossibly long legs and impossibly short skirts. In the same breath he mentions delicious ice cream, which is of course more like what we're looking for. Whichever you choose, it sounds like Dubrovnik is a happening--and a happy--place.
Related Stories:
· Dancing in Dubrovnik [RECCE]
· Take a Peek at RECCE [Jaunted]
· Croatia's (Not So) Secret History [Jaunted]
[Photo: pfaff]
by amandak
2/08/2008 at 1:05 PM
Tags: National Parks, National-Parks-World-Map, Outdoor Travel, Active Travel (all tags)
Best National Parks in the World Map
Hazardous chemicals came awfully close to spilling into Brijuni Islands National Park Thursday after a sinking freighter blew to within five miles of the stunning archipelago in the Adriatic Sea. The crisis was averted thanks to Croatian and Italian tugboats. Lucky thing, too, because Brijuni is a gorgeous destination with a bizarre and fascinating history.
Purchased by an Austrian steel industrialist named Paul Kupelwieser in 1893, the Brijuni Islands were at the time a cesspool for malaria. In an attempt to eradicate the disease, Kupelwieser, who sought to turn the islands into a kind of health resort, invited Nobel Prize-winning scientist Robert Koch to Brijuni. Koch discovered the cause of the disease was the anopheles mosquito while Kupelweiser built five hotels near the harbor of the main island.
After World War II Brijuni became a part of Yugoslavia and leader Josip Tito, living the communist dream, made the group of islands his personal summer home. Tito had a liking for exotic animals, and the many foreign dignitaries he invited to his estate would often bring gifts like zebras and elephants--animals which now populate the island's Safari Park. Several years after Tito's death in 1980, Brijuni became a National Park, and the islands became part of Croatia when the nation gained independence in 1991.
Brijuni offers a lot to travelers, including sailing excursions around the archipelago, wildlife tours and polo tournaments, but this is surely a luxury destination. If you're looking for a hostel, you'll have to search the mainland in nearby Pula.
Related Stories:
· Ecological Disaster Threatens Croatia Coast [IHT]
· Brijuni National Park [Official Site]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]
· Croatia Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo:dfanton]
by benh
8/23/2007 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Parks, Croatia (all tags)
Eastern Australia might have their giant potato (which unfortunately resembles a massive dinosaur turd), but the Croatian town of Belica is about to go even more mad about potatoes.
This small town wanted to dedicate a new park to something, and while war heroes and wars seemed the more obvious theme, potatoes won the day when the local farmers' union got involved. The park will include a potato-themed playground for kids (with swings and slippery-dips shaped like potatoes), potato flower beds and information plaques educating visitors about different kinds of potatoes. Hopefully some bright spark will also sell fries at the entrance.
Related Stories:
· Town Plans Potato Park [Ananova]
· Fossilized Dino Poop Down Under [Jaunted]
[Photo: cuorhome]
by amandak
4/06/2007 at 11:59 AM
Tags: Animals, Strange Things, Airport Security (all tags)
With the amount of reptile smuggling going on in the world at the moment, you'd really better check your neighbor for wriggling slimy things on your next flight. This week a Croatian man nearly got away with importing 175 chameleons from Thailand, but he got caught in Croatia's capital, Zagreb.
This clever Croatian guy bought the chameleons for about $150 in Bangkok, and was assured that he wouldn't get caught because they could change their color to fit any situation. Customs officials would never see them.
Two problems: some started wriggling and officials wondered why his bag was moving; plus their magical abilities were also in question:
The chameleons were dehydrated and distressed from the flight, and as a result had lost their ability to change colour.
The guy had hoped to resell them (market value in Europe: around $200,000), but he's been charged instead, and should spend some time learning up on biology before his next trip.
[Photo: wgdavis]
Related Stories:
· Croatia Stops Smuggling 175 Chameleons [UPI]
· Travelin' With Crocs [Jaunted]
by amandak
10/25/2006 at 9:15 AM
Tags: Croatia, Tourist Attractions, UNESCO, Lakes (all tags)
Picture the colors deep green, turquoise, sky blue, aquamarine and azure, and you've got only the colors that cover about 10% of the incredible shades you'll see at the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.
Situated inland between the Z-towns (Zagreb and Zadar), this collection of lakes, waterfalls, forest and hiking trails has been World Heritage listed since 1979, and deservedly so. It's all joined by walking paths, bus shuttles and a ferry or two, making all kinds of days out there possible.
Now one Plitvice Lakes website--that poetically describes the lakes' creation as "a scientific phenomenon"--is so impressed by this natural beauty, it's inviting all readers to the lakes for a New Year's Eve Party. Sixteen lakes, hundreds of waterfalls, middle of winter, plenty of alcohol. This sounds like a slightly dangerous situation to us, but taking an accidental midnight swim (not permitted, just so you know) is one way to appreciate all those colors better.
[Photo: Seamus Knox]
by amandak
8/21/2006 at 7:35 AM
Tags: tourism, history (all tags)
One of the problems with the fact that formerly war-torn countries are the new hotness is that they were, you know, war-torn. What a bummer, right? As David Farley
points out in the Boston Globe today, most tourists either don't know, or skillfully ignore history when they visit places like Dubrovnik, in Croatia. Dubrovnik is more popular than ever, but most visitors remain focused on the wine and seafood.
As the search for far-flung, "undiscovered" destinations continues, the issue of history will become more prevalent, and one that will be harder to avoid. Dubrovnik may have been reconstructed beautifully after it was shelled by the Serbs, but Belgrade--next on everyone's hot list--is a dirtier and plainer, since it was more extensively pancaked during the 90s. Still, could learning about a little history during travel be any worse than another article cataloguing the nightclubs in one of these cities called "Life After Wartime"?
[Image via blprnt_van/Flick]
Related Stories:·
Croatia's Seaside Beauty [Boston Globe]
by AVB
8/04/2006 at 8:40 AM
Tags: Croatia, beach (all tags)
Pay attention: We have to add a warning to our recommendation that Croatia's a good
summer vacation destination. One Croatian fellow this week had a pretty tricky time of it on the nudist beach
Valalta, near Rovinj.
You guys can probably imagine the situation. Take a dip in the chilly sea (and remember it's a nudist beach). Sit down on your deck chair to soak up some rays. The physics here is relatively simple: this guy's family jewels had shriveled up in the cold water, hung down through one of the gaps in his wooden beach chair, then slowly returned to their normal size, until ... until he wanted to stand up.
His testicles had shrunk while in the cool sea and slipped through the wooden slats when he sat back down on his wooden deckchair.
But as he lay in the sun they expanded back to normal size and got stuck between the slats.
He was eventually freed after he called beach maintenance services on his mobile phone and they sent a member of staff to cut the deck chair in half.
Ouch.
[Image via Sapphic Nickel/Flickr]
Related stories:
Deckchair Trapped Testicles [Ananova]
Sweet Summer Rentals [Jaunted]
by amandak
7/25/2006 at 9:12 AM
Tags: Croatia, museums (all tags)
We've already suggested that parts of Croatia are ideal for a
summer vacation or at least a
fancy cocktail, but now even more cultural aspects are getting our attention. In particular, we're thinking of the
Museum of Broken Hearts which opened in Zagreb earlier this year.
Needless to say, it's the first of its kind, and features memorabilia from soured relationships, like broken engagement rings (the engagement, not the actual ring), love letters, mix CDs and empty wine bottles from those sorrow-drowning recovery times. What, no empty ice cream containers?
But if you're not soaking up Croatian sun this summer, don't worry: Broken Hearts might come near you. The museum founders have just announced a world tour that's likely to take in Istanbul, London and Paris, just for starters. Wallowing in other people's sorrows is just what we want to do on holidays.
Related stories:
Broken Hearts On Tour [All Headline News]
by amandak
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