Travis Eats His Way Through Europe (Part 2 - The Adriatic Coast)

For the second installment of "reading about, looking at pictures, and becoming insanely jealous of the various foods we ate in Europe" I have decided to write about the food we consumed while traveling along the Adriatic Coast - namely in Montenegro and Croatia.

While I was fairly familiar with the cuisine we encountered in Greece, I really had no idea what to expect in Montenegro and Croatia. I thought (and Calli hoped) that it might be similar to Greek food (it wasn't) or Italian food (kind of...I guess), however in the end we found an abundance of fresh fish and local favorites to fill our bellies.

Italian inspired dishes with local twists are very common.

As you may expect, given the locations we traveled to (mainly along the coast), Croatian and Montenegrin cuisine revolves extensively around the fresh daily seafood catch from the Adriatic. Squid and octopus, mussels and clams, and fish of all imaginable shapes and size are featured on menus everywhere. 

Fried squids and grilled fish at Buffet Fife in Split

Being from British Columbia, we are definitely seafood lovers and took every available opportunity to try the local variations, including Dalmatian fish soup (Dalmatinska riblja juha); fried, deep-fried, and grilled squids; flavourful fish soups; and a wide array of grilled fresh fish. 

Seafood risotto and grilled squids with fresh greens at Cesarica in Kotor

Squids galore at Lokanda Peskarija in Dubrovnik

Our culinary experiences were not limited to seafood,however, and a few of our top food experiences in Croatia and Montenegro came from more traditional inland recipes. Pasticada (a flavourful stewed beef dish often served with hand-rolled gnocchi), fresh local greens known for their immense health benefits (like chard and spinach), and amazing hand-made pastries can be found in traditional konobas - small restaurants that started as wine cellars and are now home to some of the most traditional meals in these two countries. 

Pasticada with gnocchi

Freshly baked traditional pastries

Additionally, we were very surprised at the immense influence that Italian traditions has had on the region. Gnocchi, pizza, and risotto - all with local twists or variations - were found on nearly every menu, and almost all that we tried were very, very good (much better, in fact, than most of what we had in Italy). 

Delicious pizza with fresh local prosciutto

If you are interested in some of our favourite restaurants, we would recommend Dalmatinska Konoba Cesarica in Kotor (wonderful traditional Montenegrin dishes at affordable prices), Lokanda Peskarija in Dubrovnik (great seafood right by the water at very reasonable prices), and Buffet Fife (no website but here is a review) in Split (great traditional Croatian dishes like fish soup and pasticada).

If you missed the last part of this series (or can't remember it because it was months and months ago) you can find it here!

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Half Way Mark

Today, day sixty-one, officially marks the halfway point of our trip. Coincidentally, over breakfast this morning I told Travis I was ready to go home. Awkward. 

Yes, homesickness is starting to set in and honestly it's about time. However I find myself pining more for the convenience of a fridge, my own bathroom, a laundry machine, and some local Fresh is Best taco chips, more so than for family and friends. To any family and friends reading this, please don't be offended, technology (ie. Facebook) does a great job of keeping me apprised of your every move to the point that I still feel in touch. Also, please do some more exciting things, your status updates are becoming a bit passe. 

As we have officially survived two months of travel without running home, ending up in hospital, or killing each other (touch wood), we decided to celebrate and re-live some of our favorite moments thus far.

Chelsea FC Football Game

We failed to foresee any problems with catching a game on the night of our arrival in London - after a nine hour flight and significant time change. However Travis was able to fulfill a childhood dream, making it all worth while. And hey, the home team won!

Reading Festival - Performance by Of Monsters and Men

There were plenty of amazing performances at the Reading Music Festival this year, however Of Monsters and Men blew us away, and has definitely taken over our iPods since. If you haven't heard of them please go download their album right now - seriously, we'll wait. 

runner up - Florence + the Machine, playing in the pouring rain. It was worth getting completely drenched. 

The Ancient Acropolis

A bit surreal at times, it was difficult to grasp that I was actually standing on the Ancient Acropolis. After years spent daydreaming about getting there, I walked through in a bit of a fog, stopping every three feet to take another picture. Not until I was able to step back and see the site from afar did it start to sink in. I've been to the Acropolis.

Nafplio

In a surprise move, Nafplio stole top spot as our favorite place in Greece. Welcoming and quiet yet offering plenty to do, with amazing food and accommodations, we were sad to leave and only wish we lived closer to make weekend trips to this amazing city possible. 

Thunderstorms in Kotor

Our last day in Kotor it rained, and not just a little bit. I've honestly never heard thunder that loud, echoing off the stone fortifications it felt as though the storm was directly on top of us. Not to mention the rain, sheets of big fat raindrops puddling ankle deep on the cobblestone streets. The police shut down streets for fear of mudslides and the runoff left a lasting impression on the bay where the water level rose considerably.

Hotel Belvedere

Croatia has so much to offer and Travis and I agree that it deserves another visit in the future. In particular, we were blown away by the history in Dubrovnik and the chance to explore war torn Hotel Belvedere. It isn't often that the opportunity presents itself to get off the beaten path in an area seemingly overrun with throngs of cruise ship passengers, however this is exactly what our trip to Hotel Belvedere offered, only fifteen minutes from the ancient walled city.

Zagreb

The perfect end to an amazing run in Croatia, Zagreb's historic centre blew us away with pastel buildings and ornate architecture. Although one day allowed us to cover the highlights, it would be easy to spend two or three and the city has definitely become a must see for us in Croatia.

Cordoba's Mezquita

Thirty minutes into exploring this ancient religious site Travis and I looked at each other and whispered simultaneously "this is the most impressive building I have ever been in". A seamless combination of red and white Moorish arches, Baroque, Gothic, and Renaissance Christian church, and thousands of years of history. Keep an eye out for our upcoming post.  

Food

Self explanatory to an extent, we have filled our bellies with some amazing meals in Europe thus far and only plan to continue that trend moving forward. Although top foodie award has to go to Travis, I've picked my fair share of great restaurants including a memorable Thai restaurant in Barcelona (who knew?). Absolute top meals to date include grilled squids in Kotor, Pasticada in Split, and Piri Piri chicken in Lisbon.

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Zagreb Top 5

After our rave reviews about Zagreb (here), we thought a bit more detail about our favorite attractions was needed. If you're like us and foolishly allocated only one day in your trip to Zagreb here are our top five, must-see, miss-at-your-peril, attractions. 

Church Ceilings

Yes the entire church is nice, however the hand painted ceilings in the Franciscan Church stole our attention. Painted a deep cobalt blue, speckled with golden stars, and framed by looming white stone pillars, we couldn't look away. Need another reason to visit? Rumour has it that St. Francis of Assisi himself lived at the monastery right next door for a significant period of time. 

Painted to resemble the night sky - comparable to Hogwart's great hall?

In the Kaptol neighbourhood of Upper Town, the Franciscan Church and Monastery are just down from the Cathedral on Kaptol Street - look for the spire (visible from the Cathedral) and head around the corner for the main entrance.

Dolac Market

Just a short walk from the crowded pews of the Cathedral is Zagreb's most famous open air market. Affectionately known as the "belly of Zagreb", the market features fresh produce, cured meats, and a fish market, and is a great opportunity to shop amongst the locals or try something new. We couldn't resist buying some fresh peaches, a pomegranate, and some Croatian mandarin oranges. 

A Croatian Mandarin - a new experience (they were delicious!)

Look for the red umbrellas, it's impossible to miss. The main food market is on Dolac Street, however there are stalls selling crafts, clothes, and home goods stretching up Opatovina as well. The market is open everyday (with the exception of public holidays) and closes by 4 pm (2pm on Sunday).

Museum of Broken Relationships

We first stumbled upon this museum in a travel magazine (while waiting for clean clothes in Dubrovnik's adorable Launderette), and upon researching a bit further we realized it was ranked as the third best attraction in Zagreb on Trip Advisor. The premise is simple, emotionally overcome a failed relationship through creation by contributing to the museum's collection. In a little under an hour, we browsed the collection of personal belongings donated to the museum from individuals around the world - each holding meaning of a previous relationship. The displays include write-ups from the specific donor, sometimes a few words and sometimes many, some clearly explaining the item's meaning, others a more interpretive poem or prose, and we found it extremely interesting and touching. Some of the exhibits are funny, others extremely moving and heartbreaking; one we both liked is the "Mira Furlan" bowl...

 

The museum has toured internationally and now has a permanent collection in Kulmer palace in Upper Town next to St. Mark's Square. Admission is 25 Kuna per person, operating hours can be found on their website here.

The Art Pavilion

Although choosing a favorite building in Zagreb is difficult, the history surrounding the Art Pavilion made it stand out for us. Located in King Tomislav square, near the train station, the building was originally built to serve as the Croatia Pavilion at the Budapest Millennial Exhibition in 1896. 

Who can resist a buttery yellow building?

Afterwards, the building was disassembled and transported to its current location in Zagreb. Opened in 1898, it currently houses contemporary art exhibits. Looking up at the building's intricate details and grander, it's unfathomable to picture how it was transported and reassembled. The bright yellow facade is definitely eye catching as well. 

 

Meteorological Post

At the far end of Nikola Subic Zrinski Square sits a unique concrete post, easily overshadowed by the flowerbeds, elegant tree lined promenade, wrought iron bandstand, fountains, and statues. However, upon closer inspection, the intricacies of the Meteorological Post become more evident and tremendously fascinating. Recording the weather since 1884, it's possible to check not only the temperature here but also the air pressure, time of day, and many other meteorological measurements.

There's lots to see and lots to explore in the beautiful city of Zagreb, and we would recommend a stop there to anyone in the region.

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Croatia, Going Out With Style

Being naive westerners, Zagreb wasn't exactly what we were expecting from a Balkan capital city. However, after how impressed we were with the rest of Croatia, it's no surprise that Zagreb completely blew us away. 

Some of the gorgeous architecture found throughout the area

Involved to a minor extent in the Croatian War of Independence, Zagreb seems more impacted by a lack of post-war funding than the war itself. Most of the apartment buildings surrounding the centre core date back to the 1970s and 1980s and clearly show their age, with mismatched awnings and laundry drying in the sun only exaggerating the worn appearance; but, look closer and you quickly realize the streets and sidewalks are open with an abundance of green space, and modern glass buildings are slowly taking over the landscape. Oddly juxtaposed between worn apartment buildings and sparkling glass shopping malls is the ornate historic centre, Croatia's best kept secret and the focus of our visit to Zagreb. 

Croatian State Archives - notice the owls?

Zagreb street view, lots of parks lined with historic buildings

The Art Pavilion, reassembled here after the 1896 Budapest Exhibition

Crossing under the main bus station, the historic part of the capital unfolds before you. Divided into two parts, Gornji grad (the Upper Town and medieval core of the city) and Donji grad (the Lower Town) and connected via funicular (a short and very steep train type of transportation) the historic core offers wonderfully preserved and maintained heritage homes, large expanses of park, cobblestone streets, statues, fountains, churches, and museums to explore. 

One of our favorite elements of this area were the brightly painted buildings that line almost every street and feature intricately carved moldings and decorative elements. Each doorway, window frame, and eave is an individual piece of artwork, making it possible to become swept up in the intricacies of just one building for hours at a time. 

Nikola Subic Zrinski Square

The Franciscan Church - the ceiling was even better in person

Produce for sale at the Dolac market

Both upper and lower towns also offer numerous tree lined parks, making it easy to find a quiet place to sit and take in the beauty of the area. Each park also has its own unique historical connection - a natural spring water fountain that supplied drinking water to the town; a meteorological post that's been recording the weather here since 1884; a statue in honor of Croatia's first king - making their exploration not only enjoyable but a must in any guidebook. 

The Cathedral's neo-gothic facade

Spire restoration - the building went into decay during the communist reign

Cathedral clock stopped during the 1880 earthquake

St. Mark's Church with amazing roof tiles

Finally, a tour of Zagreb's historic core would be incomplete without some time dedicated to exploring the countless museums, palaces of a bygone aristocracy, and intricately designed churches and cathedrals. It's nearly impossible to choose favorites and luckily you shouldn't have to as most of the area can be explored in a day (although we found it a bit short and would have preferred two). 

It's easy to see why the people of Zagreb flock to the area in summer - the atmosphere is wonderfully youthful among the beautiful architecture and historical sites. Overall, a wonderful gem is hidden away in Zagreb and reason enough to make the city more than a stop over on your way to the coast.

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Mother Nature's Supermodel

We stroll along the path, shaded by large spruce and fir trees, the sound of rushing water making conversation difficult, as the crisp mountain temperatures play with our senses. The steep hills covered with thick green underbrush look like home, the faint hints of musky dirt and moss smell like home, the quiet crunch of twigs underfoot sound like home, yet we are over 5000 kilometers from the nearest Canadian border and everyone we pass on the trail greets us with a nod of the head, a greeting universally understood no matter your native tongue.
 

We spent some time playing with our camera settings to try and capture the beauty of the cascading water

Plitvice National Park is unlike any area of Croatia we've explored, a remote place of peace and calm, interrupted for a few hours each day as tour buses spill noisy visitors onto the wooden walkways to snap photographs of the UNESCO protected natural park.  It's easy to understand the draw, Mother Nature's version of the supermodel, Plitivce Lakes are the perfect combination of countless waterfalls, crystal clear turquoise lakes, white limestone karst topography, and lush green foliage, the envy of National Parks everywhere.
 

The wooden walkways weave through the park like they were there since it formed

Mosses and grasses hang from the countless waterfalls

296.85 square kilometers in size, sixteen cascading lakes make up Plitivce National Park as 1.2 million visitors take in it's beauty annually. As the oldest National Park in Southeast Europe, Plitivce Lakes are renowned for their distinct colours - ranging from bright turquoise to green, blue, and deep cobalt - that appear to change throughout the day depending on the angle of the sun. In addition to their colour, the lakes are so clear you can not only marvel at the plants growing up from the sandy bottom but also recognize how many fish call the park home, both small and large! The National Park is also home to an important natural geological process, the slow creation of travertine which is the result of an interplay between water, air and plants, and forms at a rate of 1 cm per year.  

Velicki Slap (78m) is the largest waterfall and key in travertine formation

The park's trail system is quite extensive, incorporating electric ferries and buses to shuttle tourists around, a welcome relief after walking for hours. In a unique layout, optimized to give visitors the best possible views, the park's 8 km of wooden walkways weave their way around lakes, crisscrossing in front of waterfalls and connecting with trail systems that wind their way alongside fast flowing creeks. The system allows for some great photo opportunities as well.
 

The walkways seem to go on forever and get you right in the action

The light was perfect for reflections

Immaculately maintained, it's nearly impossible to tell how many tourists visit the park daily, as their footprint is barely visible. As we visited later in the season, just as the leaves were changing for fall, we effortlessly found areas where we were the only two people on the trail, an opportunity to fully take in the majesty of this natural wonder.

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Trogir, Getting There is Half the Fun

One of the places on our must-see list of daytrips was the UNESCO World Heritage site of the historic centre of Trogir. Just a one-hour boat or bus ride away from Split, Trogir is widely regarded as the best-preserved example of a Romanesque-Gothic historic center in all of central Europe. With this in mind, we decided that Trogir would be well worth a day of exploring and set out from Split on our second day there. 

Trogir from the water - the bridge opens up to let boats pass

We decided that taking a boat to Trogir would provide a different view of the area, so we set off for the harbour and hopped on the small boat that ferries tourists and locals alike to and from Trogir. What we had forgotten, however, was that there had been a huge thunderstorm the previous night, in turn it had made the seas a bit rough. Well, more like very rough. Despite the waves, causing the boat to involuntarily replicate the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, it proceeded to chug along and eventually we made it to Trogir.

During a moment of calmness we snapped a photo of the boat

As we left the boat and regained our land legs, the view towards the historic centre made it quickly apparent why Trogir was inducted as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. The city has been continuously lived in for over 2300 years, and its core is a blending of Greek, Venetian, and Roman influences. The historic city center is actually an island, separated from the island of Ciovo and the mainland by narrow bridged canals.

Lovely sail boat docked in the canal

Palm trees along the promenade

Kamerlengo Fortress along the canal

The city is like a postcard. An expansive palm-lined promenade allows tourists and locals to enjoy a cappuccino while gazing enviously at the million dollar yachts tied up along the canal. 15th century walls surround much of the city with the magnificent 17th century city gate allowing the droves of visitors to enter after enjoying said cappuccinos. Churches and palaces ranging from the 13th to 15th centuries, many still with the original coat of arms of the families who once resided there, enchant the imagination with their stunning architectural features. An finally, the Cathedral of St. Lawrence caps it all off. The massive structure took hundreds of years to complete, a fact which is evident in the mixing of styles of the Romanesque-Gothic basilica. What really makes the area really special however, is the portal on the west entry, a masterpiece of art by famous Croatian sculptor Master Radovan.

The entire city could be explored in just a few hours, but spending some time getting lost and finding hidden treasures in the winding back streets makes it a more rewarding experience. We wandered around looking in shops, exploring the narrow streets, and snapping hundreds of pictures. 

Some hidden gems down the streets of Trogir

Coat of Arms still remains on this home

Cathedral of St. Lawrence

On our way back to the dock to catch the boat home, we discovered that the waves and wind were preventing the company from running the ferry. We were informed that we should probably take the bus instead. We made the short walk over to the bus station and caught the city bus into town. It took about an hour and was a fairly comfortable ride, although less scenic that the boat. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Trogir and would recommend it to anyone visiting Split, or Croatia for that matter. It was also a fabulous day for taking photos, more can be seen on our Flickr page (just click on the "photos" link on the top menu bar).

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Split Kayaking Adventure

On our third day in Split we decided to (finally) get out on the water, something the weather prevented us from doing in Kotor a couple of weeks earlier. Due to the size of the city and unfamiliarity with kayaking on the open sea, we contacted Red Adventures Croatia who offer a half day tour complete with transportation and all necessary equipment. The price tag? Forty Euro per person, a bit steep for our budget but we fudged the numbers a bit and found the room. 

The morning of our kayaking adventure we waited on our apartment front steps placing bets on what kind of vehicle would pull up to greet us, laughing at how silly three people would look piling onto a scooter. The car was unmistakable with a couple kayaks tied to the roof and we quickly realized we were the only tour participants for the day - a private guide for three and a half hours? The "steep" price just became a great deal!

As we paddled around Marjan hill, a protected park offering lovely scenic views, our guide Mario pointed out many of the buildings along the shore including a marine biology research centre and one of many summer homes of previous Yugoslavian president Josip Tito. A wealth of information, Mario shared some fun facts about the tourism industry and the stone quarry utilized to build the White House. After a few hours we got our first glimpse of the Old Town from the harbor; although it was a bit busy with cruise ship passengers being ferried to shore, Mario was patient and waited to guide us across during a lull in the traffic (and after our arms had a little rest). 

After three and a half hours of paddling we were happy to spot Drazen and his little car on the shore* - our ride home after a long morning. We took a moment to swim before getting changed into dry clothes and piling into the car as the first inklings set in of how sore we would be the next day. 

*We may or may not have paddled past a nude beach of sorts during our trip, or perhaps it was just a coincidence that so many naked men were tanning themselves on the rocky shore. Either way we took in a bit more "scenery" than we paid for...

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