Local Tourists in Croatia.

I had actually written a number of different short blog posts whilst we were abroad, however due to my beginner level website development at the time, I have since lost each and every one of them. So, this is a sort of recap of our time living in Croatia.

We arrived during winter and just in time for New Year's Eve. I usually really dislike winter, but I’ll be honest it wasn’t so bad in Croatia. They seem to cater better for the cold than we do in Australia, and I love the way there are certain winter specialties or outings you can only do during winter. They really celebrate their seasons.

A hearty winter stew of “mixed forest animals” and gnocchi. (THE best thing I ate but didn’t know about the forest animals' bit until I’d finished)

We adjusted to life in our small apartment better than expected.. it’s amazing what you don’t need in your life. We were based in a little spot called Mareda – a few kilometres from Novigrad in Istria.

Croatian people are refreshingly simple and extremely hard working. They love their families, good food and need no excuse to have an alcoholic drink.. 9am rakija no dramas! They don’t have much room for material items with no use – everything they own has a purpose and a place.

The home is very much the centre of the Croatian culture and the home is always centred around food. You’ll always be offered food or drink no matter how short the visit and even if you say no, expect that they will ask you at least another three times.

There is a lot of time spent on coffee in Croatia. I think I had one takeaway coffee the whole trip as the coffee culture here is like most European places you visit – you take the time to sit and enjoy your coffee. Coming home I’ve found it hard to go back to takeaway coffees – I much prefer to sit down and enjoy one if I have the time.

Papuče was Anja’s first Croatian word.. it’s a very important one over here! Papuče means slippers but could be also described as inside shoes and aren’t always slippers – they can be slides, thongs or crocs.. and most homes you visit will offer you some.. there is no point trying to avoid it – just put them on. Don’t even think about going barefoot!

There are significant times in our lives where we have a feeling of being in exactly the right place at the right time. I felt like this a lot during our trip. I have always trusted these feelings and used them as a guide when making decisions and I am thankful to have a partner who does the same.

We managed to make our way around a lot of Croatia, but also into other parts of Europe including Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, UK, Slovenia, Italy, Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. We covered a lot of km’s but were thankful to have a home base in Croatia. Children are very resilient, but I do think the girls enjoyed having a temporary home to come back to between travels.

More (the sea)

Water has always made me feel instantly calm and I love the beach, but I’ve never swam so much in my life as I did in the Adriatic sea. I think it’s a combination of there being no waves or rips so swimming is actually just relaxing and that you can swim out as far as your body will allow and likely see nothing more than a sea hedgehog or jellyfish.

Tartufi (Truffles)

I know we have truffles in Australia but they’re crazy prices and it’s probably not something you can just have a couple of times a week in your cheese, pasta or even on your popcorn like we do here.

Sunce (The Sun)

We all know or have heard about the sun not being as strong as in Australia, but I now believe this and could see it on my own skin. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tanned – with naturally pale and freckled skin I’m usually quick to grab the Bondi Sands but not over there – I didn’t need it.. nor did I burn or peel once. I will also miss swimming at 8.30pm watching the sunset over the water.

I will also miss how accessible Europe is… just a short drive and we’re in Slovenia or Italy. There’s still so much in Europe we’d love to see and I’m sure we will get back over there soon enough, but for now we will re-live our trip through facebook memories.

Remember to Wander fearlessly. xx

When the weather warmed up we saw a huge change in our little suburb of Mareda and the surrounding areas. Tourists came in from everywhere. I loved seeing all the towns come to life but if I’m totally honest I preferred the months of May and June… when parking wasn’t impossible, no one was in my favourite spot at the beach, there was plenty of Burek left at the bakery and people weren’t pushing and shoving in plodine. It’s a strange feeling to be a sort of local-tourist if you will.

There were a few items we needed to be summer ready. Aqua shoes to protect you from the sharp rocks and sea urchins when you enter the sea and a Fold out mattress (lježaljka za plažu) to lay on at the beach as the rocks are not quite as comfortable as the Aussie sand.

My husband's parents don't speak any English and at the start of our trip the kids didn't speak a word of Croatian... now I am watching them have conversations and enjoy joking around with each other. It still fascinates me the majority of the children in Istria are learning not one but 2 or even 3 languages in school - Italian, German and English being the most common.

There’s so many things we miss already about Croatia (apart from family of course)