If I had to use one word to describe Croatia's Istrian Peninsula it would be staggeringly stunning! OK that is two words, but who cares, words are never enough to describe serene beauty. After a frantic, literally last minute planning, we were on the suffocatingly hot bus to Croatia (proof of good weather). With the organized freak that I am, I was obviously paranoid. Spontaneity is not always my thing! But there is always a first time, so here was mine.

Somehow every vacation I have been to has had a slightly rugged start and this was no exception :D Initial disagreements about whether to stay close to the Town Rovinj (where half of the regions kids were on the Spring Break Festival) or at a secluded camp, failed attempts at hitch-hiking in the dark, pounding hungry tummies. And then we finally decided to call a taxi and head to the San Polo camp between Rovinj and Pula. Checked in, got the keys to our cabin...only to be greeted by an army of vicious ants all over the rooms! So my friend rings up reception from her phone and explains the situation...only to find out that she was complaining about the ants to the confused taxi driver she had rung earlier. Lesson: Double check before calling or save numbers on you phone! The undying laughs after that pretty much put an end to the bumpy start and set the mood for the vacation.

Camp San Polo, Bale

With a new ant-free cabin, we woke up to lots of beautiful sunshine and the emerald blue of the sea about 50 m away. Although I prefer sandy beaches, the rocky coastline here was visually breathtaking. You just have to find the 'flattest' possible spot to put down your beach towel and position yourself to avoid being over-massaged by the pointy rocks! And keep your eyes and ears wide open for the flora and fauna around here...barbaric sea urchins, anemones on the rocks, the Balkan green lizards, the birthing of Shells, crabs nesting in spiral shells appearing like shells on the move, nearly 5-foot long snake that we saw in the bushes, the call of seagulls posing on rocks or guarding their eggs in the nest. That amazing uninhibited feeling to be in the midst of nature.

Bale, Croatia

The closest town to us was Bale...a tiny town with quaint alleyways, a love for Music and en route Casanova's seduction trail. The day we got there, some kind of festival with music and talks by the mayor was going on, so this normally quiet place seemed to be buzzing with musicians and people in medieval costumes. We also did day trips to Rovinj and Pula. Both very pretty cities, much bigger and commercial than Bale. Pula's biggest attraction is the Arena built in the times of the ancient Roman empire, a Colosseum look-alike and one among the biggest surviving Roman arenas around the world. It's also nice to take a walk along the old town up to the Citadel for a nice view of Pula. I personally enjoyed walking around Rovinj more, maybe because it had a more antique feel about it, with winding stone alleyways leading up to St. Euphemia's Basilica, a beautiful baroque church perched above the city. The tiny shops, art displayed on the way, sculptors at work, cosy cafes, colourful houses all just seemed out of a painting that you could stare at for hours. 

Arena, Pula, Croatia

  

From a gastronomic point of view, we thoroughly enjoyed our daily holiday requirement of ice cream. Being vegetarian, I ate a lot of Italian cuisine which I must admit was quite good. But sea food lovers might find heaven here. We were actually pretty economical and utilised our tiny kitchen in the cabin to make one meal per day and breakfast and eat it on our patio in the sun with the sea in the distance. Absolutely my idea of a perfect vacation haven.

Moonlight dessert

As we were quite far from the bigger cities, we din't experience the nightlife first hand but Croatia hosts a lot of music festival so I believe it must be quite vibrant. As an alternative, I have to say that laying on the coastal rocks, listening to waves crashing in the moonlight, with no artificial light for miles and miles around, and staring at the stars and cloud formations just reminded me of the tranquility of nature that people on the go miss or forget about. And of course munching on chocolate wafers topped with nutella and bananas, while we awed in the beauty of the night sky!




After that perfect, spontaneous getaway, the word on everyone's lips on the way back "Why do vacations ALWAYS end so quickly?!" I would love to go back though to see Zagreb, Dubrovnik and the coast further down south. But now to dwell in post-vacation depression. It surely must be a clinical condition!