Istria, Croatia.
The Istria Peninsula in Croatia is an incredibly beautiful and mouthwatering amalgamation of Italian and mediterranean culture, food, architecture and scenery.
Think fresh pasta and seafood, Roman ruins and coastal village charm, warm azure water and lazy seaside lounging, national parks and local culture all wrapped up into a small peninsula in the north-west of Croatia. We didn’t really make too many plans before coming here and as such, we had no expectations, which I find is often when you make the very best travel memories.
We stayed in a few different places and each held it’s own charm and beauty. We had a few nights to a week in each of Pula, Rovinj and the islands of Cres and Losinj - bliss.
We hired a moped in Pula and spent a day exploring the Kamenjac Peninsula which is a National Park. There were stunning beaches, hidden coves, sea caves and lively cliff side bars with breathtaking views and a backpacker crowd. Park up at Safari Bar for a day and cool down by alternating between jumping in the turquoise water in front of you and drinking ice cold beer.
We spent an afternoon exploring the Roman ruins of Pula, including the magnificent Colosseum, which dates back to around 27BC-68AD. It was so impressive that we returned the following evening for sunset, bringing our takeaway dinner and beers - arguably the best dinner views in town! We found a hole-in-the-wall wine bar and spent a number of late evenings tasting some of the local wines made from grape varieties I had never heard of (which if you know me is seriously exciting!). Wandering home we always made sure to stop in the town square for a night cap, savouring the cooler night air, listening to local bands and watching a few brave souls having a boogie. It is moments like this, where all my senses are delighted in a new place and a new culture, that I will cherish forever.
Rovinj is a small, colourful seaside port town which deserves much more than a day trip. We spent a couple of nights here and with so many hidden alleyways we were still getting lost and finding cute new spots or rocky outcrops to jump into the ocean to cool off on our last afternoon. Rovinj reminded me of some of the towns of the Cinque Terre in Italy, minus the heaving crowds. It seemed like every turn we made down a new alley there was the stunning blue water of the Adriatic peeking invitingly back at you. There was some delicious seafood to be had here too, with a number of really good restaurants serving fresh squid and scampi paired with a thirst quenching house white! Give me the heat, ocean, food & wine and you’ve got yourself a very, very happy Greta.
Cres Island was a really unexpected slice of paradise. We spent the better part of a week in Cres town, in a tiny AirBnb which housed the owners’ ancient well, full of divine olive oil that they sold at the market to locals and tourists alike. Cres town is situated at the top of Cres Island and is a tiny port village with restaurants dotted around the small marina. Step away from the water and cobbled stone lanes and houses wind their way through the old town. Follow the waterfront path out of town and towards the mouth of the harbour, and you will find tiny shacks selling souvenirs, beach equipment and all claiming the ‘coldest beer on the island’. Keep walking around to the right and through a very busy campsite - you will eventually arrive at a nudist section of the coast, with a multitude of large flat rocks jutting into the ocean to lounge on. Coming from New Zealand, where nudity at the beach is almost seen as taboo, I find the European way so refreshing and I relished the feeling of topless sunbathing with no judgement. I can’t say I ever graduated to the full birthday suit but Cam let it all hang out and it made for some great viewing for me! We also spent a day exploring some of the more wild, hidden coves dotted around Cres Island. We visited the nature reserve of Mali Bok and the tiny town and beach of Lubenice - these places had some of the clearest, blue water I have ever seen, which I was beginning to realise is a very common theme in Croatia. We finished our days with a glass of cold Malvasia, perched on the edge of the small Cres fishing port and watching the sunset - it never got boring.
Losinj and Cres are two different islands, separated by a narrow man-made tidal canal and connected by a small bridge. We left Cres and took the bus early one morning to the main town on Losinj, Mali Losinj. The town itself was a real mixed bag - the waterfront port catered to super yachts and the like, but step back (and up lots of stairs!) into the old town and it was a much more laidback and cultural place. We stayed at a backpackers called Flora, which has to be one of the best kept hostels I have ever stayed at. I find that because Cam and I backpack, I sometimes feel embarrassed in places which so clearly cater for people with money and so we tended to avoid the waterfront area of town and I am so glad we did. Because of this, our first afternoon there we packed some nibbles & beers and went for a walk out of town and along the coast towards Plaža Valdarke, which was simply breathtaking, with blue shuttered stone houses perched right on the edge of the water. We stopped here for an hour and had a swim and then kept walking along the coast to the small, colourful seaside town of Veli Losinj. We made this trip at least two more times while we were there and each time I marvelled at the water here - honestly, my photos don’t even do it justice.
The food and wine in Istria is divine. Pungent olive oils, fresh pasta, different types of cured anchovies, truffles, fish and scampi, local wine and cheese. These are a few of my favourite things. Add in the glorious heat, salty skin from the ocean and sweat, curly sun-dried hair, fresh ocean air and views of the Adriatic everywhere you turn and you could call myself as being in a permanent state of bliss. I look back on this time and when I try to put the feeling of being in Istria into words, I come up with one and it’s this: vitality.
