I get asked this all the time when I go home to the States, so I thought I’d help people out with it! As well as share some other helpful info about this great country. 😉
I must admit, when I first met Miloš almost two years ago, I too had to look Croatia up on the map. I’m an educated American, but Croatia isn’t really on the radar of most folks here in the Western Hemisphere. I’ve since spent a lot of time there, and I really love it. (And it’s NOT just because my boyfriend is Croatian!) It’s kind of a funny shaped country with a big chunk that’s inland, and a long thin stretch of coastline along the Adriatic Sea. It’s right across the water from Italy. Here’s a handy map – since Americans DO know where Italy and Greece are, this map puts it all into perspective.
Miloš lives in north-western Croatia, just a bit south of Rijeka, in Crikvenica – a beautiful coastal town. Because of the proximity to Italy, I’ve told him I want to have my first visit to Venice next off-season (winter time) when I’m there. Despite all my extensive travels in Europe, I have yet to visit Italy! It’s on the to-do list for sure! 😀
So a lot of my time has been spent in northern Croatia, but if my readers recall, last summer Miloš and I visited Zadar. This summer, we’ll be visiting Split and Makarska, farther south along the coast. (Dubrovnik is also a very popular tourist destination, and is a stop with many of the large Mediterranean cruise ships.)
To quote the little blurb from Google:
“Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean.”
Croatia’s capital is Zagreb, located inland, which is also home to the country’s primary airport. People in Croatia speak Croatian. (Seems obvious, but I’ve learned that not everyone knows that.) But there ARE many regional dialects. Croatia will be joining the EU in July of this year (2013.) Their form of currency is the Kuna.
Croatia is ranked among the top 20 most popular tourist destinations in the world, and was voted world’s top tourism destination in 2005 by Lonely Planet.
Here’s a link to the website for the Croatian board of tourism:
The real draw of Croatia is it’s glorious coastline and ancient history. Here you will find some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. The water is crystal clear and brilliantly blue. Croatia has many islands along it’s coast, so there are countless hidden treasures in the form of beaches and quaint towns to discover. And for the history buffs out there, this land goes back thousands of year – explore Roman ruins and ancient palaces. For fans of the show “Game of Thrones” – some of it is actually filmed in Croatia!
Here’s just a sampling of some pics of what Croatia has to offer:
^^^ Of course you are all familiar with my pic from Saharun Beach, Dugi Otok, Zadar area…
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Other lovely pics from all around Croatia…..
Rich ancient history and fantastic beaches…. Croatia!
(And of course you know that I can help book you on your very own Croatian adventure! I don’t just book Disney trips! Let me know if you want some info. And as ALWAYS, we never ever charge clients a fee for travel booking services!)
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