Goodbye Croatia...Until Next Time!

Today is our last day here in Croatia. Croatia has thoroughly exceeded our expectations. It is a wonderful country with a variety of sights, flavors, and history. We are glad we did this trip through REI because it allowed us to fully experience the culture. Our guides led us to nooks and crannies that we would otherwise have missed. It also allowed us to have meals prepared by locals in the mountains where we hiked/kayaked/canoed. Also, by being so active it allowed us to enjoy more of the delicious food ;)

Sea kayaking on the Adriatic - my favorite! No complaints with clear blue water and working on the tan!

Our final farewell dinner. This is Chaz and Vicks (okay, so really they are Charles and Vicki, but we like their nickname better). They had some great one liners they said without even trying to be funny - typical east coast style/monotone/dry sense of humor business woman and man. In all seriousness we enjoyed our conversations with them and had some good ab workouts from laughing so hard!

Our fearless guides - Branka and Gruba. They were so much fun and extremely knowledgeable! (not to mention cute ;) )

Adriatic Coast Fun

It is common for Croatian names to be very 'creative.' For example, this bar we stopped at for a cold beverage was called 'Buza' which in Croatia means 'hole in the wall.' We literally had to climb through a hole in the wall to enjoy the gorgeous view of the sea.

Dubrovnik.

Walking the walls around Dubrovnik. The city was built inside of these walls to protect it from threats outside. We went on a walking tour and learned lots about its history.

Bosnian waterfall. The upper part of the river we canoed on.

Renee's battle wound in the river canoe. Waterfalls = no problem. Slowing down and steering after the rapids = disaster. Gruba, our guide, enjoyed us thoroughly exploring his country's native flora.

Renee LOVED seeing this critter in our shower. It took a half hour to dispose of it.

Shopping in Mostar. Filled with unique treasures with Turkish flare. Do not worry - lots of gelato here as well!

Mostar's bridge that was recently rebuilt after the war involving Bosnia and Croatia.

River Canoeing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

More Food....Mmmmm!

Shrimp, octopus salad, anchovies, fish, mussels.

Stuffed squid - looks the most elegant, but Krista definitely needs to work on acquiring a taste for this! The smiley face was our favorite part.

Meat platter - Croatians enjoy lots of protein. Cevapcici are similar to pork sausage with a little extra kick. Also called meat fingers by Americans.

La Dolce Vita! Never disobey Rick Steve's suggestions for gelato - his are always the best.

Renee's very own version of 'Fear Factor' - prior to this trip, she was working on acquiring a taste for seafood. Little did she know that she would be initiated by fire with the most unique spread of the sea's best treasures including mussels, grilled squid, fried calamari, and little fishies (yes, that is the formal name :) )

Croatian Food...Who Would Have Thought?

Signing up for this adventure, we obviously anticipated active sports everyday, but little did we realize the food adventure we would undertake as well! Just when you think the meal you have eaten is the best ever, the next one is better than the last! Needless to say, we have been eating VERY well! Many foods have been traditionally made by locals we have been visiting and/or staying with.

Dessert in Zaton, near Dubrovnik in Croatia. The bottom layer was lemon. The middle layer was a mixture of raspberries and blackberries. The top was whipped cream with jimmies. A refreshing slice to enjoy in the Mediterranean climate!

This was a dessert made from a bean that tasted like chocolate. The name escapes me at the moment, but I will check with others to find out.

Another homemade meal made by Ivandor and his wife near Biokovo Mountain on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Made in a traditional Dutch oven. Chicken with potatoes. This chicken just fell off the bone because it was so tender.

Tuna steak. Definitely fishy. For the record, Renee had to lay this one to rest under her napkin ;)

Black Risotto. In other words, this is rice with squid. The black is the ink from the squid. This was actually quite tastey. Right before I took a bite, Renee was so kind to point out that I was just about to eat a tentacle. Sure enough, I looked a bit more closely at what I was about to put into my mouth, and you could see the suction cup! Needless to say, I flipped it over and stirred it in with the rest of my rice before I attempted to eat it again!

We were in heaven with all of the gelato stands! As you can tell, they make it very difficult to walk by without a sample! Not to mention, there might be 3 or 4 gelato stands on every block! Have no fear, we have done lots of sampling ;)

Homemade Rakia. This was Mario's version.

This is Mario. He prepared our lunch for us after our strenuous hike in Paklenica National Park. This meal was chicken and veal prepared in a traditional Dutch oven under ashes. It was cooked for over 2 hours and worth every second! We ate this lunch on the ridge of a mountain with a gorgeous view from our table. Also, note Renee with her Rakia overlooking the ridge. This was our view from our table.

Gnocchi served with a white sauce that was to die for. Gnocchi is a potato based pasta.

Most fish served here in Croatia is served whole - thank goodness I went to Canada before this trip to learn how to filet the bones out! This was served with Swiss chard.

This was one of our first adventures - anchovies! Talk about great date breath! We ate these bad boys with rye bread and onion. Definitely on the saltier side, but tolerable nonetheless.

In Croatia, there is not a wide variety of beer, but the beer they have is quite refreshing. One of our favorites is Karlovacko (found nearly everywhere). There is also Ozjusko, Pan, Bavaria, and Lasko.
This meal was served before we went river kayaking. Everything here was made and produced by 3 brothers on this tiny plot of land. We ate homemade prosciutto, cheese, french fries, wine, rakia (VERY potent brandy served with every meal here), pizza and spinach calzone type foods. Everything was delicious!

Every meal is served with delicious versions of homemade bread with a salad (has been cabbage, tomatoes, and cucumbers usually but it depends upon the season). The beans were served cold with vinegar and were absolutely delicious!

Internet access again...Yea!

This computer was a little crazy, so the pictures are out of order. Here are a few from our 'adventures' from the last few days!

Dinner with our group in Novigrad.

One picture of the many breath taking sunsets we have enjoyed over looking the Adriatic Sea.

Krista and Renee feel very lucky to be traveling with a wonderful group of people of varying ages and backgrounds. Here are just a few who we ate dinner with last night while enjoying the beautiful sunset in Zadar. We have also sampled many beers, wines, raku (like a brandy that is drank before every lunch), and of course gelato.

We went kayaking on the Adriatic Sea. Krista and Renee strongly man handled all of the ferocious waves and strong winds that they encountered. During our tour around an island, we almost went blind while catching a glimpse of a full moon from a 70 year old wrinkled man who was sunbathing nude on his boat.

This is a glamorous picture of Krista and I about midway through our 10.5 mile hike in Paklenica National Park. This was taken after a 2 mile portion that was straight up hill. We ate a delicious dutch oven lunch created by a local man over looking this beautiful park.

Krista and Renee spent the day kayaking down white water rapids in a two person kayak. Krista started off the journey by taking the pair from shore to shore! Don't worry, we got to know the bushes quite well! After about 20 minutes, Krista graciously handed over the steering reigns to Renee!

Brave dear Krista, went for a swim (also known in Wisconsin as a Polar Plunge) in the frigid, roaring river behind the primitive village we stayed in for 2 nights. Only a few other brave souls went for a swim here (Renee was not one of them....).

We biked through the beautiful country side near Korana, Croatia. On our tour, we stopped at Barac's cave. After visiting the cave, we continued to ride our bikes through a torrential down pour to our lunch provided by a local. After lunch we continued our bike ride through the rain like women warriors would (the majority of our group rode back in the vans) to our village. Renee continued farther past the villa up to an overlook of the waterfalls in Plitvice National Park. Little did she know it would torrential down poor again or that the entire group would be driven to this look out point the next morning in the gorgeous sunshine.

Here is a view overlooking one of the main waterfalls in the Park. When the sun hits it just right the water looks emerald green and saphire blue.

We visited Plitvice National Park which was filled with gorgeous waterfall after waterfall. Krista was in heaven here and filled her camera memory card while going through on about a 6 mile hike around the park.

Wanna Ride the Funicular?

We rode the funicular, a tram that runs up a steep hill, connecting the lower part of Zagreb(Donji Grad - Jelacic Square) with the upper part of Zagreb (Gronji Grad - comprised of Gradec and Kaptol). It dates back to the 19th century, lasted a whopping 55 seconds, and was a great way to avoid some steep stairs.

We also visited the market (dolac), this time when it was running in full force. We caught it yesterday just as it was closing at 2 PM. We honestly think that a majority of Zagrebians only work from 9 AM until 2 PM. As soon as 2 PM hits, the outdoor cafes really get crowded, as people enjoy each other's company with an after-work beverage and beautiful 70ish degree weather (no humidity either!)

The main thoroughfares in Zagreb are not navigable by car (though electric trams are utilized heavily) and are often filled with outdoor cafes. Very rarely is there a restaurant without outdoor seating on the main drag. For as many people that there are in Zagreb (780,000), it sure seems peaceful.

We walked through Stone Gate, Gradec's only surviving town gate. It was literally an arched walkway through the street. Inside was a painting of Mary that miraculously survived a major fire in the adjoining house in 1731. They used this painting as a focal point when they decided to turn this town gate into a chapel. When people walk through, they light candles to symbolize their prayers, and place them in a big silver bin to burn. When their prayers are answered, many purchase an enscribed brick to give thanks. These bricks line the walkway with many saying 'Hvala' which means 'thank you' in Croatian.

A majority of Croatians are Catholic, so churches are an important part of their culture. We saw two beautiful churches today during our explorations. This is a fountain located outside of what the locals call the Cathedral. The full name of the cathedral is 'The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saintly Kings Stephen and Ladislav.' With a name that long, no wonder why it's just referred to as the Cathedral!

Inside of the Cathedral. It was quite crowded with people praying. It appeared as though it was commonplace for people to just walk in for a short time, say a prayer, and be on with their day. The church was very intricately detailed with many beautiful artifacts. We did not want to disturb those who were praying so we took just a few pics without a flash. This was one of the better ones.

This is the Church of St. Mark's. The original church is from the 13th century. The colorfully tiled roof is from 1880 and shows 2 coats of arms. The left is for North Central Croatia and the right is the seal of Zagreb. This was located in St. Mark's Square, which also happened to house the Parliament and the offices for the Prime Minister. We timed it perfectly and were able to see 'someone' as they were being escorted into one of these buildings. (We think the Prime Minister based on the paparazzi and news crews outside unless they just heard that we were coming ;) )