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Dubrovnik Smiles For Us

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]

Tags: National Parks / National-Parks-World-Map / Outdoor Travel / Active Travel / → All Tags

World's Best National Parks: Brijuni Islands

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]

Tags: Parks / Croatia / → All Tags

Croatians Love Potatoes

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]

Tags: Animals / Strange Things / Airport Security / → All Tags

Croatian Misunderstands Chameleons

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]

Tags: Croatia / Tourist Attractions / UNESCO / Lakes / → All Tags

Party by the Lakes in Croatia

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]

Tags: tourism / history / → All Tags

Croatia's (Not So) Secret History

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]

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Croatian Summer: Take Care of Your Testicles

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.

Tags: Croatia / museums / → All Tags

Break Your Heart This Summer

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]

Tags: Travel Blogs / Hvar / Zadar / → All Tags

101 Reasons Not to Go to the Dalmatian Coast

We admit to being dorkishly excited about the Frugal Traveler's current whereabouts--the Dalmatian Coast, with Montenegro and Albania to follow next week. We can't say we were surprised about Matt's latest discovery, that the town of Hvar is a tourist trap. To the north, he liked Zadar, which is less built up; there's even a "sea organ" which plays a tune in the harbor based on the winds and the tide.

Still, it's no shock that parts of Croatia have become touristy and overpriced. Even though we here in the U.S. have been hearing about it for only a year as the "next Italy", it's not as if Europeans hadn't been going there for quite awhile (notably before the war in the 90s). Remember--it doesn't take Americans to make a place crowded and unpleasant. Just look at Ibiza.

Montenegro is almost as developed as Croatia in parts, so we'll see what Matt's take on the country the EU officially recognized as independent yesterday. We have to warn you, Matt: It ain't cheap there, either.

[Image via cara & james/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Seeking Bargains on the Dalmatian Coast [NYT]

Tags: Travel Writing / Travel Tips / → All Tags

An Open Note to Matt Gross

On Wednesday, we'll find out how Matt Gross does in Croatia. Matt Gross is the NYT's Frugal Traveler "Around the World in 90 Days" columnist who we would trade places with in about three point zero seconds. We don't hate him. We want to be him. See the difference?

Though he won't get these tips before he heads to Croatia, we're in a tip-dispensing mood.

Matt, avoid Hvar Town. It breaks our hearts to say this, but unless you're interested in mid-day techno blasts along the harbor of what used to be possibly the most relaxed, gorgeous island village in the Adriatic, stay on that Jadrolinija ferry when it docks at Hvar, or, barring that, alight and then flee to check out another part of the island.

These days, Brac, Korcula, Vis, and sylvan Mljet are all better bets than Hvar for visitors interested in local life. While many of these islands (Korcula in particular) see a fair share of tourists, none of them have that hellish drunk-at-noon party circuit feel.

Whatever you do, Matt, also be prepared to leave Croatia with bruised, scabbed, and punctured feet. Few visitors escape without having been attacked by rocks and immobile sea creatures.

[Image via mhodges/Flickr]

Tags: alcohol / zadar / gimmicks / → All Tags

Croatian Cocktails Take to the Skies

We've stumbled through Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic proving that alcohol is a hot theme in Eastern Europe, and now it's Croatia's turn. An entrepreneurial barman from Zadar on the Dalmatian coast is selling rich tourists the Wings of Zadar cocktail.

This mix starts life as a normal enough drink based on Maraschino liqueur. Then things get literally a bit loopy: the barman takes to the sky and pours the mix in freefall, shaking it by turning flips. The chilly air you find up at 10,000 feet cools the liquid perfectly and it's finally served up in a tall glass on a beach in Zadar. Sounds like a perfect summer adventure to us.

[Image via nikki.sioux/Flickr]

Related stories:
Cocktail With Wings [Independent Online]
Sweet Summer Rentals: Croatia [Jaunted]

Tags: Food / → All Tags

Croatian Truffles

OK, it takes a special person to think of truffle-hunting as a reasonable vacation activity, but why the hell not? Writers Kevin Gould and Jane Webster do just that in Croatia, where the hunters are a lot less uppity and secretive than their peers in Italy and France.  And the country already has its place in fungal history: the world's largest truffle, weighing in at 1.3 kg, was found a few years back in the village of Livade.

Image of ginormous fake black truffle from The Food Museum

Related Stories:
·   Truffle Pursuit [Waitrose]