Road trip to Croatia: Rovinj

After Opatija we continued our journey along the Istrian coast, stopping for lunch in Pula and then landing in Rovinj for our last evening in Croatia.

I’m finding myself at a loss for words when it comes to Rovinj. The photos do a better job of communicating my thoughts.

Rovinj’s old town is on a small peninsula surrounded by deep blue sea and nearby islands. Its narrow, windy cobblestone streets are decorated with picturesque laundry and stray cats.

We booked at apartment with Casa Garzotto (which also has hotel rooms), and it did not disappoint. The renovated 400-year-old building offered a delightful mix of comfort and adorableness.

We also received excellent recommendations from the staff at Casa Garzotto, who steered us to wonderful food, gelato, and sunset views.

My pasta with truffles at Scuba was delicious. We came across fresh truffles several times during our Croatian adventures, and they delighted me every time.

We enjoyed a nice sunset walk along the coast before settling in with a bottle of local wine and some cushions on the white rock cliffs by the sea. Rovinj was definitely my favorite stop in Istria.

Tags: Croatia, Eastern Europe, Europe, Istria, picturesque laundry, Rovinj, travel

Croatia: the four-hour Istrian lunch

Valsabbion kept showing up in my research of restaurants in Istria. It’s the kind of place where the dishes are small and fancy, and there are a lot of courses. I love that kind of restaurant. I asked if they could accommodate a vegetarian. They could. I reserved.

Valsabbion is a hotel and restaurant located near the giant harbor in Pula, down at the southern tip of the Istrian Peninsula. The immediate area was disappointingly uninteresting for wandering around, but that was fine: we were there to dine.

We settled into the outdoor table that would be our base for the afternoon and accepted an aperitif of local sparkling wine. The men chose a seven-course prix fixe menu that would set the pace for our meal. We were warned it would take several hours. That was OK, we had time. We chose a local rosé to complement our meals, and we were off.

My delight started with the appetizers, presented in a series of little glasses and spoons which contained tasty spreads of local veggies, cubes of local cheeses, and interesting little fried creations.

My next course was a sort of vegetable lasagna with an abundance of fresh truffles.

Next came a layered cup of local wild asparagus, a poached egg, and a wild asparagus puree. » Read the full post

Tags: Croatia, Eastern Europe, Europe, food, Istria, Pula, restaurants, travel, Valsabbion, wine

Road trip to Croatia: Opatija and Lovran

Our drive from Zagreb to Istria was relatively quick and painless, and it took us through some picturesque hills. The first coastal city we passed was Rijeka, whose communist-era skyscrapers had us cursing Tito. Luckily Opatija’s architecture was more visually pleasing.

Hotel Imperial was built in 1885; circa 1970, it seems, they decided they had the money to modernize one part of the hotel, and they chose the reception desk. The ceiling of our room was approximately 50 feet tall; the furnishings, including the mattresses, might have been original. The coffee at breakfast was undrinkable. Overall not my favorite hotel, but it had its old world charms, and its location in the center of town was most convenient.

Opatija is a reasonably cute little seaside town, if a little generic in its appeal. My favorite spot was the Lido beach bar (M. Tita 156), one of the nicest settings I’ve ever seen for sitting by the sea and drinking. We also enjoyed a decent dinner at Vongola, a restaurant on the water.

One morning we put on our walking shoes and headed off to Lovran via the Franz Josef Promenade, a 12-kilometer-long paved walking path by the sea.

At times it resembled an Eastern Bloc ode to cement, but for the most part the promenade offered up a nice stroll past some lovely views.

In Lovran we enjoyed a yummy lunch of fresh seafood at Bellavista before wandering through the small maze of buildings that makes up Lovran’s old town, which was tumbledown in the most picturesque way possible. A leisurely coffee by the sea topped off our visit. We hopped a bus back to Opatija for the evening’s activities.

So far Croatia is living up to its ‘The Mediterranean as it once was’ slogan.

Tags: Croatia, Europe, Istria, Lovran, Opatija, restaurants, travel

Road trip to Croatia: Zagreb

Allow me to fast forward to June, which began with a little vacation in Croatia with the Regensbloggers. Our time was limited, so we only did the very top: Zagreb and the Istrian Peninsula. It proved to be a delicious first glance at a country that I’m looking forward to visiting again soon. » Read the full post

Tags: Croatia, Eastern Europe, Europe, restaurants, travel, Zagreb