Red Corner: Split Appreciation

by Neil Woodburn on

When I visited Split, Croatia this last summer, it was one of those places I wasn’t particularly fond of at first, but then it slowly grew on me.

The problem is that Split is mostly a transit town. Droves of people arrive on busses and trains but stay only long enough to catch the first boat out of town. I was almost part of this crowd as well, but due to some logistical challenges, my girlfriend and I ended up staying the night in Split and ultimately, quite enjoyed the place.

Alex Crevar, writing for the New York Times, had a similar experience of slow appreciation for the port town. He too grew to appreciate this oft-overlooked gem after wandering through the ruins of Diocletian’s Palace and partaking in some fantastic Italian food at Sperun–a fantastic restaurant we discovered as well.

So, if you ever find yourself in Split and are planning to catch a boat out of town, be sure to take a few days to enjoy it first. You’ll be happy you did.

Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park

by Iva Skoch on

Most people who visit Croatia stay close to the shore and enjoy the beautiful medieval cities that lace the coastline. If you spare a day or two, the Plitvice Lakes National Park is well worth the trip. Located in the north half of Croatia, about an hour from the coast stretching to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was here where the former Yugoslavia War officially started. The Serbian rebel forces held the park during the conflict from 1991-1995. Along the way, you can still see many of the residential buildings with bullet holes in their facades. It is hard to imagine the war started 15 years ago.

I finally went to the park this summer and loved it. Although the main drag is smothered with tourists in July and August, the park is quite large and when hiking, one can get away from people pretty easily. The waterfalls, combined with the turquoise color of the water, are unbelievable.

Word for the Travel Wise (09/28/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

From October 4-8, 2006 Dubrovnik will have its 4th Dubrovnik International Film Fest featuring a selection of documentary, feature and short films from around the globe. If you’re hanging around Croatia and looking for an opportunity to catch up on your movies why not swing by?

Today’s word is a Croatian word used in Croatia:

ime – (ee-me) name

Falling under the western group of south Slavic languages, the Croatian language is used primarily by the Croats and is written in the Croatian alphabet. Croatian is an official language of Croatia as well as Bosnia and Burgenland (Austria). Wiki is the perfect starting point to learn all the background notes on the language as well as an example of the language as found in The Lord’s Prayer. This Hrvatski jezik website has a few lists of useful words and phrases for the traveler looking to get by in the country. Things like days of the week, shopping, sightseeing, customs, and basic greetings are all covered. Learn-Croatian.com is another good tool for picking up enough to make due and offers a number of links to help those interested in learning further. As always two of my personal language learning fav’s include the BBC Quick Fix Guide to Croatian with audio for download and LP’s pocket sized Croatian phrasebook.

Past Croatian words: kolodvor, more

Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour

by Neil Woodburn on

We’re usually not in the habit of plugging group tours here at Gadling, however, I recently came across one highlighted in the LA Times which covers many of the same places I recently traveled during my Balkan Odyssey this last summer.

Kutrubes Travel is offering an 18-day trip through Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. While such a trip can certainly be done on your own, it isn’t Western Europe and travel through this part of the world still presents challenges.

The ease of group travel, however, is going to cost you. The trip runs $3,802 to $4,783 per person, and does not include airfare. I probably spent half this amount on my trip–although some of it unfortunately included hitchhiking, which is probably not on the itinerary.

Red Corner: Retiring to Croatia

by Neil Woodburn on

When the only Roman Emperor to ever retire decided to do so, he ordered a massive retirement home built in which to enjoy his golden years. Out of all the places to choose, Emperor Diocletian picked Croatia.

Today, the Dalmatian Riviera is once again attracting the attention of grey-haired seniors looking to settle down. The main difference, however, is that the current retirees are moving to Croatia not to build a grandiose palace, but to cash in on some very good real estate deals to be had.

Kathleen Peddicord, writing for MSN Money, has put together a wonderful little article summarizing the pros and cons of retiring to this ex-communist, former war zone that is quickly becoming the darling of Europe. Its 3,646 miles of coastline offer a host of affordable real estate while the country’s infrastructure provides some pretty decent tax breaks and other benefits. And, it’s amazingly beautiful!

Screw retirement! I’m buying a place now!