Mainland Europe - Day 31
Hallstatt --> Trieste --> Pula --> Rovinj
Our first 12 hours in Croatia did not go well.
I had arranged to meet my folks for a week and I had assured them I would have some nice accommodation for us all.
In my usual fashion of 'do everything last minute' I had nothing sorted and we had to collect them at 10.30 AM the next morning. In order to do this we had to have somewhere to stay so we could unload the car.
We drove from Austria through Italy and Slovenia arriving on the Croatian Istrian Peninsula at 3pm. A 200km coastline, described as 'The New Tuscany' in my guidebook. Through my limited research this seemed like an ideal location for our weeks holiday.
In the car we discussed the boxes that needed to be ticked in order to find this ideal place
1) Cute fishing village with nice restaurants
2) Two nice apartments close to village
3) Swimming pool
4) WiFi
'No Worries' we thought, we'll drive the coast and find our perfect place.
We set off down the peninsula but all we came across were scabby little towns with not much happening and deserted resorts from times gone by which felt like something out of 'The Shining'. By about 8pm panic started to set in. My folks were arriving in 14 hours and I had nothing sorted. Finally redemption arrived. We found 'Rovinj' an ancient fishing town which most definitely ticked box number one.
Now to find accommodation. The hotels were expensive and clinical and a bit out of town, so we hit the pavement and started roaming the village. Darkness was falling and our options seemed to be waining. Finally our lucky break arrived when chatting to a hotel receptionist in town. She said her friend had two apartments very close by. Off we set to find them. Maria, an 80 year old Croatian lady greeted us. Communication was difficult as she didn't have any English. But with my limited Spanish and her Italian we managed to lock it in......
Relief and Joy swept over us. By now it was 10pm and we needed to get some sleep to prepare us for the 6 hour round trip to pick up my folks from the north of Venice.
Once we got back from the airport it was time to relax with Mum and Dad and to enjoy settling into one place for a week.
We quickly fell into a routine. One of us would go to the bakery for fresh bread each morning. Then we would have brekkie on Mum and Dad's terrace. Afternoons were filled with exploring the village, boat trips, lazing on the beach and of course afternoon naps.
Each evening we would re-convene for dinner at a waterside restaurant which became our local for the week. We had great fun and chats and we all enjoyed consuming plenty of the gorgeous Istrian wine. The food was fantastic too, beautiful local seafood and great pizza.
The week was over before we knew it, we actually stayed a day longer then we had planned. Mum and Dad also stayed on, lingering for another five days before heading back to Venice. Rovinj felt like a well kept secret. Not yet on the tourist trail and not east to find (we can surely vouch for that)
Hallstatt --> Trieste --> Pula --> Rovinj
Our first 12 hours in Croatia did not go well.I had arranged to meet my folks for a week and I had assured them I would have some nice accommodation for us all.
In my usual fashion of 'do everything last minute' I had nothing sorted and we had to collect them at 10.30 AM the next morning. In order to do this we had to have somewhere to stay so we could unload the car.
We drove from Austria through Italy and Slovenia arriving on the Croatian Istrian Peninsula at 3pm. A 200km coastline, described as 'The New Tuscany' in my guidebook. Through my limited research this seemed like an ideal location for our weeks holiday.In the car we discussed the boxes that needed to be ticked in order to find this ideal place
1) Cute fishing village with nice restaurants
2) Two nice apartments close to village
3) Swimming pool
4) WiFi
'No Worries' we thought, we'll drive the coast and find our perfect place.
We set off down the peninsula but all we came across were scabby little towns with not much happening and deserted resorts from times gone by which felt like something out of 'The Shining'. By about 8pm panic started to set in. My folks were arriving in 14 hours and I had nothing sorted. Finally redemption arrived. We found 'Rovinj' an ancient fishing town which most definitely ticked box number one.
Now to find accommodation. The hotels were expensive and clinical and a bit out of town, so we hit the pavement and started roaming the village. Darkness was falling and our options seemed to be waining. Finally our lucky break arrived when chatting to a hotel receptionist in town. She said her friend had two apartments very close by. Off we set to find them. Maria, an 80 year old Croatian lady greeted us. Communication was difficult as she didn't have any English. But with my limited Spanish and her Italian we managed to lock it in......Relief and Joy swept over us. By now it was 10pm and we needed to get some sleep to prepare us for the 6 hour round trip to pick up my folks from the north of Venice.
Once we got back from the airport it was time to relax with Mum and Dad and to enjoy settling into one place for a week.
We quickly fell into a routine. One of us would go to the bakery for fresh bread each morning. Then we would have brekkie on Mum and Dad's terrace. Afternoons were filled with exploring the village, boat trips, lazing on the beach and of course afternoon naps.
Each evening we would re-convene for dinner at a waterside restaurant which became our local for the week. We had great fun and chats and we all enjoyed consuming plenty of the gorgeous Istrian wine. The food was fantastic too, beautiful local seafood and great pizza.The week was over before we knew it, we actually stayed a day longer then we had planned. Mum and Dad also stayed on, lingering for another five days before heading back to Venice. Rovinj felt like a well kept secret. Not yet on the tourist trail and not east to find (we can surely vouch for that)
No comments:
Post a Comment