Now this is a special place! The church of St Simeon is located in historic quarters of Zadar: near the Roman entrance to ancient Jadera. The tiny square is one of my most favorite places in the World! Small, quiet, historic… just radiates with harmony! I cannot explain it, but it simply shines with tranquility….
Category: Zadar
Zeleni Hrast in Islam Latinski – The mysterious Green Oak of Ravni Kotari
Dalmatia still hides numerous secrets and fascinating places and monuments. One of the often overlooked, standing by the main road from Zagreb to Zadar, is the green oak in Islam Latinski some 20 Km north of Zadar. Not exactly a mystery since the botanists studied (and continue to) this magnificent tree for decades. It is…
Organic food in Croatia – Turkeys on pastures of Ravni Kotari
Traditional food is becoming scarce in Croatia as majority of people live in cities now. The war in the 90’s had a devastating influence on the villages and especially those in Slavonia and Dalmatia. But, even now, there are people still living on their small farms in the hinterland of big cities and still produce…
Sand beaches in Croatia – Kraljičina (Queen’s) Beach in Nin
Sandy beaches in Croatia are not as rare as many travelers think! Those that stretch for miles are rare, though. Patches of sand and small sandy beaches are found almost down the entire coast but most of the coastline is rugged and rocky with rocky and pebbly beaches. One of the areas that has only…
The Medieval Fair in Vrana – The return of the Templars!
This past weekend, a local tourist board of Pakoštane organized a 3 day show focusing on the medieval tradition of Vrana village. This tiny place was one of the most important towns in the medieval Croatia and even the royal crown was kept in the now ruined castle. Among many very unique features, the best…
Heart Shaped Island picnic – Galesnjak
Recently I got an email from a Taiwanese couple requesting a visit to Galesnjak – the Herat Shaped Island. They were coming to Croatia and this was one of the key places to visit on their list. I have organized a pickup at the bus station in Zadar and transfer to Turanj where they boarded…
Knights Templars in Dalmatia and Croatia – The Ruins of Ljuba
Recently, following the huge success of the “Da Vinci Code” (I never read it since the story is a pure rip off of “The Holy Blood, Holly Grail” controversial book – which I adore!), Knights of the Temple became popular again. Mysterious aura that surrounds them is only enhanced by the numerous stories, wonderful ruins…
Traditional architecture in Dalmatia – Bunja
Travelers in Dalmatia can often see small stone houses appearing as pile of rocks in the fields and wonder what that is. It is bunja – traditional stone built shelter found in all of Dalmatia. Similar stone structures can be seen in the entire Mediterranean and some similar objects have been found as far as…
Food tours in Croatia – Peka cooking lesson
I have been receiving a lot of requests for peka lids and questions on how to cook peka. Recently I have posted a video on this site but that was not enough so I created my own video. I got a bit rusty with editing but you will get a picture… We cooked a chicken…
Lost Roman Cities of Dalmatia – Asseria
My long lasting love for history and archaeology resulted with several tours and original programs. One of those is Lost Roman Cities – tour dedicated to one of the most deserted areas of Croatia and to one of the most beautiful parts of Dalmatia. Once inhabited by thousands of Illyrians and later Romans, the area…
The animals of Benkovacki sajam
Just some video clips to give a better sense of sights and sounds of the great Benkovac fair!
Benkovac Sajam – The Fair of Benkovac
The hinterland of Dalmatia is still resisting highly polished and commercialized events that overtook the coast. Here, you will not see the Helly Hansen “skippers” with two weeks experience, “hotel owners” of an apartment building… Local fiestas are still very traditional: loud, rude, religious, crowded with people in traditional outfits with not a great sense…
Forest mushrooms in Dalmatia
I love mushrooms! However, we rarely pick them since we are not familiar with most species and we prefer to do it in the company of experienced “mushroom – hunters”. So, yesterday we picked up our friend Dr. Luksa with his daughter and went deep in the hillside (location will not be revealed for obvious…
Roman roads in Croatia
Another post on Roman heritage in Croatia! This weekend, running away from the crowds, I took my family and headed straight to my private refuge – Bukovica. One of the most unique landscapes in Croatia! A mixture of picturesque patches of green meadows and rugged, rocky planes… It is here that we have discovered, on…
The Festival of Sun and Light – Nin 2009
The first annual Festival of Sun and Light was held in Nin on June 21st 2009. It is a celebration of ancient knowledge more than it is a festival of Sun. The central object of the ceremony is the wonderful 9th century Sv Kriz church in Nin – also known as “The World’s Smallest Cathedral”….