Friday 7 June 2013

Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

 

 
Back from a walking holiday in Croatia - all very enjoyable, informative and good for fitness in general. Some of my relations rudely expressed doubts about my walking stamina - and I have to admit am glad to have been advised to choose a 'one-boot'* guided hols, ie the least strenuous, but still quite a lot more energetic than lying on the beach.  Our guide was excellent, by the way.
 
Croatia is interesting culturally and historically, a dramatic mountainous country. We had a taste of rural or island simplicity and town sophistication, with good hotels in Dubrovnic and Trogir. Can now speak at least five words of Croatian and have drunk a suitable amount of Croatian wine.
 
Am rather pleased with the photos of the huge waterfall in the National Park in Krka above. The boardwalks - without handrails -  in and out of the falls would definitely been closed in England for wimpish health and safety reasons. As river was in spate, it was quite an experience to see the fast flowing white waters a few inches below one's feet and, not far away, swirling in and out of the trees.
 
Dubrovnic (last photo) was badly damaged in the war in the 1990s but has been declared a World Heritage site, rebuilt and restored. 
 
Croatia seems relatively unspoilt by tourism so now is probably the time to go. 
 
(*in the Headwater brochure, walking holidays are graded one-boot - easiest - to three-boot.  I was glad to have  taken a telescopic walking pole, proper walking shoes and waterproof jacket and trousers and I rubbed on J and J blister-prevention wax which worked.)

 
Inside the city walls of Split, Diocletian's palace.  By the way, I saw rather few dogs in the area, and certainly no Dalmatians. (Click on the pics to enlarge them)

2 comments:

Lesley Cookman said...

Absolutely lovely, Susie - somewhere I've always wanted to go. My parents went in (I think) the late 60s and were captivated. I shall have to rustle up a companion and go.

Gilli Allan said...

I am glad you had a wonderful time, Suzie. Thanks for posting your pictures. Beautiful and, for me, nostalgic. I love Croatia, though I have only been twice - once in 1970,(my first independent holiday abroad with girlfriends, which included the obligatory romance) when it was still Yugoslavia, and again in 2008. On both occasions we stayed in the Dubrovnik area. It is wonderful, the people are warm and friendly, and the scenery is fantastic. A bit of my heart will always be in Dubrovnik.