Croatia | holiday | living - All about Croatia

Last Saturday I went rafting on the River Cetina with at couple of friends from Denmark, although I tried it several times here, I am always existed about it.

In and around the city Omiš there is quite a few companies arranging rafting, canyoning and wild water canoe on the river Cetina, this Saturday we had booked attour with our new cooperation partner, so I of course was existed to see if the where better in organising, then the other companies I tried till now.

TIP: The meeting point for rafting can easily be found, after crossing the bride in Omiš (arriving from Split) turn left and follow road 5 km direction Radmanova Mlinice (Radman Mills), 800 meter after passing Radmanova you find the meeting point Isletište Luka on your right hand side.

At 14:00 everybody was assemble at the meeting point, in our case 37 people from Latvia and a few people from other nations, from the meeting point we where transferred by bus to the starting point 9.5 km up river, here we got the our equipment, lifejacket, helmet and paddle and of course the obligatory safety instructions.

At 15:10 everybody was in the boats and we started our trip, the rafting tour on Cetina is divided in to 3 parts, where the first and the third part are the relative quite parts, and the second is part with the most wild water, at the beginning our of guide gave us a thoroughly instruction in how to manoeuvre the raft in different situations.

After we learn to manoeuvre the raft and follow the commands given by our guide, we started the real rafting as you can see on the pictures here.

INFO: At the middle of the trip there is a passage with a waterfall, which for safety reasons required that you leave the boat and follow path for 200 meter, to a pick point below the waterfall. Our new cooperation partner, although offers and alternative for those who likes a bit more excitement, they have permission to take guest to a small cave which leads to the pick up point.

My friends and I of course took the “extreme” route through the cave, to enter the cave we although had to cross a small lake with only 10 degrees warm water, S… it was cold, but we all manage to get to the other side and through the cave.

When everybody was back in the rafts we continued further down river, here we had entertainment from a Latvian lady who manage not to do like the guides specifically told us to, with the result, that she of course fall in the water, we also so raft from other organisor flipping over, luckily in both case nobody was injured.

At 17:30 we stopped to swim and jump from a big rock, after finish swimming we continued to the end point Isletište Luka where we arrived at 18:30

My friends who had there first rafting tour on this Saturday was totally excited about it, they even ask me if I wanted to go again Sunday, personally I think we had a great trip, not only because of the rafting but also because beautiful nature you get to see, our new cooperation partner was by far the most professional I tried until now, so I think we have picked the right one (-:

Here is some general information’s about rafting:

• Rafting on Cetina is possible from April to October
• Water temperature in the river seldom gets higher then 18 degrees Celsius
• Person from 8 years to 60+ can participate in the rafting
• Rafting on Cetina is category 2, which is average for the difficulty. (Calm water is 0).
• Remember extra clothes as you will get wet
• Wallet, mobile, camera etc, can be given to the guide who will store it in dry box on the raft.

Price and booking

• Price for rafting through organiser with all licences, new equipment and well educated instructors / guides is 32 Euro. Pick up in Split can be arranged but is charged extra.
• The following is included in the price, insurance, transfer to meeting point, fresh fruit, snack and water.
• You can book rafting with our cooperation partner by sending a mail to info@soltium.hr specifying, date of rafting, time and number of participants.

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Sunday morning at 05:45 we left the camp together with 10 other kayakers and went direction Venice, after a 1 ½ hour drive we arrived in Venice where we easily found the parking spaces (just after the bridge), which Georgia hat recommend us on the info meeting the day before.

At 07.45 we all had offloaded and prepared our kayaks and were ready to go. From the point where we entered the water there was about 30-40 min paddling to the regatta starting point the Piazza Saint Marco.

Shane and I had of course signed up for the regatta, but we did not yet get our starting number, so we had to go to the official information office to pick it up, typical Italian they of course had moved this, so after being directed to several wrong places we finally managed to find it and get our number. Shortly before 09:00 we were gathered with the rest of the group directly in from of the Piazza Saint Marco, waiting for the starting signal.

Precisely at 09:00 a canon shot was fired and 1600 registered and x number of unregistered vessels started moving, Amazing!! All kind of different vessels like Dragon boats, kayaks, rowing boats, Gondola , start paddling and rowing at the same time.

Before the race I had my serious doubts if I would be able to paddle more then am few km, but as It was so interesting to see all the boats and people dressed up for the race, I did not notice how far we were actually going, so when we stopped for a break at a sand pier, I was assuming we had paddled 4-5 km, I turned out that we actually at that point of time already went 12 km, and the island not far in front of us was Burana, the turning point, so I really started believing I could actually finish the race.

In Burana (I nice city with lots of colourful houses) we went down the main Canal in the centre of the city, here there was “supply ships” distributing bananas, water and fanta for the paddlers. Many participants actually stopped here for real lunch in one of the restaurants, or had lunch on the boat, but as I said to Shane “I already manage to get out of the kayak once without falling in the water, so I didn’t feel like wanting to push my luck again”.

After Burano the hardest part of the race came, 6-8 km on open water with few “milestones”, so I had to take several breaks, so Shain had to do the hard work him selves, but eventually we managed to pass this part also and enter into the city Murano (famous for its glass production), from here one the tower on the Marcus church became bigger and bigger which was very good for the motivation.

As we reach the races bottleneck, a small canal in the city part Cannaregio, I was already totally full, so we had to fight our way through as you can see on our Video, but after around 20 minutes we manage to pass the bridge causing the bottleneck and headed on towards Kanal Grande. The last part of the race was easy, all along Kanal Grande and on the bridges there was people encouraging us shouting Forza Forza when we past by, which of course gave plenty of motivation to keep going.

At around 14:00 we passed the finish line in front of the Piazza Saint Marco and got our medal and diploma, after crossing we paddle back to where our cars was parked, so at 14:45 after 7 hours in a Kayak we finally had solid ground under our feet again. Of course I had pain especially in my arms, but the feeling have actually manage the 30 km was every pain worth, so for sure would recommend also newbie’s like me to try something like this, I definitely will do it again.

Our fotos from Vogalonga

Here is some usefull links for Vogalonga and for kayak holiday in general

The camp which we stayed in - Capalonga

The organizer of the Bibione kayak week - Bibionekayak

Kayak holiday in Croatia - lifejacketadventures

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As I told in prior post, my friend Shain and I had signed up for the 34^th Vogalonga which was held on the Sunday the 11^th of May in Venice Italy.

Friday we left Split and headed to the Camp Capalonga in Bibione, which is 100 km north of Venice, as we had a few work related thinks to handle on the way so we did not arrive before 23:30, so it was good that Julie a few hours before had announce our late arrival, otherwise they would not have let us in as the camp, as it is closed for vehicles from 23:00 to 07:00. The trip from Spilt had taken us 10 hours, so everybody was ready for the beds.

On the Camp Capalonga, we had rented two “Golden Suite Mare” , which we had booked through Bibionekajak at a special rate of 65 Euro, which to me seam ok for the luxury mobile homes, with 6 beds, 2 bathrooms and fully equipped kitchen.

Saturday morning Shane and I went to pick the two new double kayaks he had ordered by an Italian dealer in the area, this took much longer as we expected as we had a hard time finding the town where the dealer was situation, but finally we managed.

As we came back to the camp, I went in to the pool with the kids (which already spend most of the day there), Shane went to talk with the arranger of the bibionekajak 2008 – Gergio. At 17:00 all we went to information meeting regarding Sundays race in Venice, after we finished the meeting, we prepared the new kayak and finally, at 18:30 if was time for my virgin trip in a kayak, which was only a trip of 30 minutes, but enough for me to get serious doubts if I would be able to do the 30 Km on Sunday.

We finished the day with a very important task, Barbecue on the Terrace while we where mentally preparing us for the race by having a few glasses of wine.

Next weekend we will go to Venice with our Australian friends, Shane and Julie and there kids Aklei and Roklan, to participate in the 34 Vogalonga regatta, for rowing boat and Kayaks.

For me it is going to be a big challenge to finish the 30 km route, as I never sad in a Kayak before, but Shane who is a Kayak expert has been so kind to get a double kayak for me and him, so I have chance to rest if necessary.

We will leave Split Friday at noon and have to reach our Italian camp destination Capalonga Camping/Tourist Village at around 19.00 in the evening, Saturday we will go and have look at the surrounding area and prepare our selves for the race Sunday.

When we are back I will let you know if I managed to finish the race in one peace.

Her you can read about Vogalonga

If like Kayaking maybe you should check Shane and Julie’s homepage and see the kayak tours they are doing here in Croatia www.lifejacketadventures.com

The Adriatic Dolphin Project is the longest consistent study of bottlenose. By participating in the Blue World "Adopt a dolphin" campaign you are supporting the Adriatic Dolphin Project and activities of research and protection of the bottlenose dolphins and their environment around the islands of Lošinj and Cres. Your donation will help the continuation of our work to increase public awareness at local and national level through actions such as the Dolphin Day, educational lectures at libraries, schools and kinder gardens, and the promotion of the overall protection of Lošinj archipelago.

If you are a student of biology, environmental science or geography, or a similar subject and you can suggest a thesis or project please contact us.

College credit may be arranged by the student through their department or as an independent research program at their college or university. The project encourages this, and will take whatever steps are required to facilitate such efforts.

The Adriatic Dolphin Project gives you the opportunity to join our research as a volunteer. It is an unique chance to live the experience of meeting the dolphins in their own environment. Volunteers spend twelve days in our field base in Lošinj and actively participate in our daily routine. This includes collecting data at sea, preparation of boat and equipment, logging of data into the computer,preliminary data analysis, preparation of lecture materials and background reading. Eco-volunteers live with the researchers; they are expected to help in practical everyday jobs such as the preparation of meals or field base maintenance. The motivation of these people involved in the program is of great importance for the project as a whole.

There is no typical day… much of what we do is based on sea conditions. When the sea is calm and the weather is fine, you will prepare your lunch after breakfast and then head for the boat to search for the dolphins. When a group of dolphins is located, the animals are followed at close quarters for as long as it is necessary to take data. The moment the dolphins are sighted, everyone on board has a specific task to fulfil. Your task as project participant is to record; the time, the number and breakdown of animals, their behavioural activity and their names as the researcher calls them out. If the sea is not calm, the team remains at the base co-operating in the data handling and analysis as well as in the everyday activities. One of the other attractions of this project is the unique chance you get to learn more about dolphins and their lifestyle. However, the eco-volunteers are free to visit the island and enjoy its beauty and the clean sea. When you need some time off or some privacy, you must indicate this yourself, as there are no fixed days off. The atmosphere at the project is informal and relaxed and by mutual arrangement many things are possible.

You should remember that this is no ordinary holiday and that the researchers are not tour leaders.

If you want to join us as a volunteer check the positions and dates for the year 2008!

Best Regards from Lošinj !

Croatia yesterday at Wembley sinks England with 3:2 and with that result throw out England from European competition. I must say it was completely surprise!!!
Bravo Croatia, Bravo Slaven Bilic.
He said: “We’re ready! We have a strong desire, motivation and great character which should ensure we’ll make it!“

1. minute started with „hope“ for 150 million Russian. At 8. minute Niko Kranjačar shoots the goal from 25 meters, goal-keeper Scott Carson has catastrophe reaction and ball went in right corner of English gate. Almost 4, 5 millions Croatian supporters were in delirium, of course with 150 millions Russian.

In 14. minute Eduardo finds Olić between three English players. Olić avoids hinterland and comes alone ahead of goal-keeper Carson in style of Davor Šuker. He passes Carson
and hits empty grid. Croatia leads with 2:0.Big sensation is on the way!!!

In 56.minute Cole throws the ball from the right side near Šimunić and in that moment
Defoe falls down. Judge whistles and it goal from eleven meters from Frank Lampard.
In 65.minte was Englishman’s come back from the dead of course with David Becham’s assistance, from his left side Peter Crouch gave strong goal to Stipe Pletikosa.
With this result 2:2 England goes toward Euro. Becham and Crouch are heroes.
But that is illusion.
In 77. minute happens phenomenal hit by Mladen Petrić. Carson throws himself but he can’t catch the ball. Celebration for Croatia starts. This victory will be for history remembrance. And Croatia absolutely deserves that!!!
I read interview of judge Graham Poll, he said: “Croatian are cynical, they are trained to simulate being fouled, they delay the game, and Slaven Bilić is example of that“.
Well, now I can say: Englishman’s finally understand that in football for sure they are not the one and only. There is someone else. CROATIANS!!!!

In one moment I was sorry for them, they looked like deers in front of target. Nothing helped them, neither Becham, neither changes in tactics, Croatia has destroyed familiar Englishman’s highness and humiliated them in front of whole football world!
The recovering will be long.
Russian magazine “Sovsport“ wrote on the front page in Croatian language “HVALA VAM HRVATSKA” (thank you Croatia) “we are travelling on Euro, Croatian throw us over Alps.” Ha ha, we were just too good for them!!!