Croatia | holiday | living - All about Croatia

As I mentioned in our travel story from Vis, one day of our Holiday was spend on a visit to the Island of Biševo, which is a small island situated 4 nautical miles SW of Komiža.

Our visit to Vis was not only for pleasure, my friend Shane, from Lifejacketadventures, had convinced me to help him bringing his kayaks, from Biševo back to Komiža, where he normally stores them when he is not on a trip – so I actually had to work!!

So Tuesday morning at 7.30 we met in Komiža with Shane, his family, and a Swedish girl - Johanna, who also was going to help with the kayaks. From here we took a fishing boat (taxi boat – 25 kuna) which was loaded with goods, tourist, the skipper and his bodies. The sailing time to the first drop of point at the east site of Biševo was around 40 minutes, as we had to go to a bay on the west site of the island we got an extra 20 minutes sailing trip.

Well arrived at the Island, we went to visit some friend of Shane’s, Lile and Davor who has a small house 50 meters from the beach, Lily and Davor are some very interesting people, they are actually from Zagreb, but spend 6 month’s a every year on the Island, where they among other rent out small cottages and have a environmental project running called “Mali Zeleni I Biševo” (the little green at Biševo) you can read about their project here http://www.bisevo.org

The morning we spend with swimming in the nice bay, where Lili and Davor last year removed around 20 tons of garbage!! At noon we went to next bay Porat to have lunch, as you can see on the picture here, we also had a nice place to swim.

As 3 PM it was time for the hard job, Shane, Johanna and I prepared our selves for the kayak trip back to Komiža, I must say I was bit nervous to back in a kayak again, as the last time was (and also first time) was at Vogalonga 2008, but as we first started paddling I forgot about that.

The first stop on our Kayak trip was Modra Špilja(The blue cave) as you can see the cave does not look like much from the outside, and when you get in there in a 6 meter long kayak without a flashlight it is a bit scary, but very beautiful.

After the blue cava we started our crossing direction Komiža, the weather was very nice so we had no problem with the waves. At about7 PM we reached Komiža I was very tired, but glad that I took the trip, as it is not everyday you get the chance to sit in kayak 20 NM from the mainland.

A few thinks about Biševo

• The Main attraction – Modra Špilja (The blue cave) – can be visit by organized trips (Price 100-140 Kuna) or you can take fisher boat as we did.
• Biševo has some very nice Sand beaches – the fisher boat from Komiža would e.g. take you to Porat in the morning and return in the afternoon around 4 PM.
• Only 7 people live the whole year on Biševo.
• Rainwater is the main water supply on the Island
• The wine from the Island should be great.

From 21.-28 April 2008 in Split, Croatia, start days of Festival of Croatian drama and authors’ theatre and scientific, literary and publishing program.

Culture manifestation has international character dedicated to Croatian drama words and act of Marko Marulic.

Days of Marulic, has been establishing in 1991 and from that year has been holding every year in April. At memorial date when Marulic finish writing his epic poem Judita.

Marulic "father of Croatian literature was born in 1450, after Split had been for thirty years under Venetian rule. His early life appears to have been sober and godly, although not entirely lacking in worldly pursuits. He had a number of excellent Paduan teachers in Split, and probably followed the customary path of young Dalmatians to study in Padua himself. All his life he lived the full life of a patrician of his time: above all involved in the group of writers; managing his estate; working as a lawyer and judge. He also took an interest in archeology and there is evidence that he painted, illustrating his epic poem, Judita, himself.

One of Marulic`s own illustrations from his epic poem JUDITA

By the second half of the fifteenth century Split had developed into a lively literary centre with a wide circle of ecclesiastics and educated men from secular professions writing prose and verse in both Latin and Croatian. At the centre of this circle was Marko Marulic: one of the outstanding figures of early Croatian literature. He gained an international reputation with his Latin works, which were widely read for many years, and he set what proved for a long time to be an unattainably high standard for vernacular literature. He was also involved in various aspects of public life, from which he emerges as an exceptionally dignified, responsible human being.

He was the most famous spiritual writer of his time in Europe, and also the first who defined and used the notion of psychology, which is today in current use.This year program can you find at: www.hnk-split.hr

Here you find all our favorit links from Croatian - Links about Croatia

- Traditional made cheese from island Pag.

It is a hard type cheese made from the milk of the autochthon sheep from island of Pag.Pag cheese matures for 6-12 months; it has characteristic piquant taste, particular smell and mildly marbl e and grained texture. It is yellow inside and has golden yellow rind. It crumbles and melts in the mouth. When grated, Pag cheese is used as an addition to many traditional fish and meat specialties. Pag cheese is in the form of a reel and weighs about two kilos.

- Smoked ham called “prsut” from Drnis area.

Drnis is a town halfway between Šibenik and Knin.

The traditional way of producing the ham, and especially the curing process in the north-easterly Velebit wind which brings with it the aroma of Dalmatian vegetation, gives the ham a unique flavour and aroma.

-  Kulen is a type of flavoured sausage made of minced pork that is traditionally produced in Slavonia.It is the most expensive sausagetype product, not only in Slavonia but across Croatia and it is very spicy.

And now for the end of this story take a look one Istrian recipe maybe you will have opportunity in the future to try it.

Istrian recipe

-  Lamb zvacet with ghocchi from koromaca

You need; 1,5 kg of lamb leg, 4 onions, 3 fresh tomatos, 4 lobes of garlic, laurel leaf, cinnamon, muscadine nut, salt, pepper, parsley, scrubbed goat cheese, 1 dl of red wine, 1 dl olive oil. The gnocchi are made from 24 dkgs of flour, 2 eggs, 0,8 dkgs of kromaca and a little butter.The slicced onion is fried on oil until it turnes yellow. We add the meat and fry it untill all the liquid doesn’t evaporate. We add tomatos, garlic, parsley, salt, parsley and all the other spices. We pour water on it and slowly let it cook until the meat gets soft. In the end we add wine and cook a little more. The preperation of gnocchi starts with the pealing of the boiled potato and while its still hot we squeeze it. We add salt, eggs, butter, flour and small sliced koromac, We stear it slowly, roll it, and slice the pieces about 3 cm lonf and form the gnocchi. The gnocchi are then covered with zvaceta and sprinkeled with scrubbed cheese. (the recepy from Lošinj).

Here you find all our favorit links from Croatian - Links about Croatia 

- Pillow gifts – original Croatian hand made “licitar” hearts

- Pillow gifts – original Croatian hand made silk products

- Pillow gifts – embroideries from

Konavle valley

Croat’s heart T-shirt are 120 kuna and harts are around 30-40 kuna.

- Pillow gifts – famous “Paska Cipka”, lace works from the Pag island. The most vivid centre, where the tradition successfully survived until the present time is the Pag island.

Here you find all our favorit links from Croatian - Links about Croatia

.

Traveling to Croatia!
www.solitum.hr

How often do you spend hours in foreign country searching for right present for your family, girl or boy friend, friends, your chief? If you are for a moment in Croatia or you have plans to visit Croatia I will suggest you some traditional gift ideas from Croatia.

- Ball point pen – PENKALA, used by almost everyone, almost everyday, almost everywhere. It was invented here by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala 1871 - 1922. “Penkala” is a famous Zagreb souvenir.

- The original “Croata” tie- a neck tie was first worn by Croatian horsemen who fought on the European fronts from the 17^th century to the French revolution, when the French adopted this fashion and gave it name “cravate” (meaning “Croat”).

- Croatian naïve Art Paintings-village life, celebrations, festivals, landscapes, portraits.

- Zvonimir Mihanovic paintings. Paintings for the world elite. Definitely the most valued Croatian painter in the US and many other countries.

Here you find all our favorit links from Croatian - Links about Croatia

.

There is a story, about Croatia…Once when God decide to divide lands to each nations. So he gave a piece of land to Danish people,a piece of land to German than piece to Italians….and after a while he became tired and felt sleep.Then the Croatian come to him and tried to wake him up.

When the God saw him he asked him "What’s happened to you ,you look so sad?".

The Croatian said :" Well you gave all lands to people in the world but you forgot us, us Croatians". Still sleepy, God looked at him and after couple seconds he told him:"Ok I will give you what I have saved for my self! " And after that time Croatia has been also called Gods land. Her nature beauty and landscape is witnesses for that.From 8 national parks which are :Brijuni, Kornati, Krka, Mljet, Paklenica, Plitvička jezera, Risnjak there is also 11 protected Nature parks in the Republic of Croatia

from which are Biokovo, Kopački rit, Archipelago Lastovo, Lonjsko polje, Medvednica, Papuk, Telašćica, Učka, Velebit, Vranjsko jezero i Žumberak.Croatia is also the land of 1000 Islands,you simple don’t know which one to chose.I think the best way to discover them is to take a boat and sail around them. My favourites which I suggest is Korcula, Kornati, Hvar, Vis, Brac, Lastovo, Bisevo, Lošinj, Cres…and many many others.Come and see!

Here you find all our favorit links from Croatian - Links about Croatia

.