Croatia | Sea | Kayaking | Tours | Lifejacket Adventures - Adriatic Expeditions

We went to visit the Hotel San Rocco in Brtonigla, Istria. It won the award for the best small hotel in Croatia for 2007. They renovated several buildings into one new complex including a restaurant, wellness centre (every hotel in Croatia now seems to have one of these) and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. They have finished everything to a top level and the restaurant has some interesting dishes using local produce.

Istarske Toplice uses the water from the Saint Stephan Spring - apparently the Romans even enjoyed bathing in it. We always visit it for a swim whilst we are in Motovun - its just down the road. The hotel complex is still very Communist in the level of quality and service it provides - but the spa was recently renovated and makes for a warm dip in the middle of winter.

Things are progressing at our house in Motovun. The structure for the floors has been put in, the roof replaced and the rendering of the facade has begun. We hope it can be ready for use in October.

In March, a commission setup by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Culture set a limit on the number of beds for the Jupiter Group-proposed golf course/development below Motovun. This followed a previous Enviromental Impact Report which came to a similar conclusion. Yet are developers continuing to lobby behind the scenes with direct talks with the Ministers to have these recommendations overturned. And the current indication is that they appear to be succeeding. So, this development has failed government-organized tests twice and yet Jupiter still tries to ‘back-door’ this project using ‘old fashioned’ methods used to influence officials prevalent in a country such as Croatia. There has already been a previous incident regarding this project that the courts deemed illegal. We will have to wait and see.

As can be seen from the last posts we have been catching up on our newspaper reading. Old lefties who read The Guardian in the UK may have seen a recent article about the best places to take your loved one. Under the title Glamorous Romantic Getaways, our friend Goran and his restaurant Vila Kaliopa are given an excellent review, “Hidden behind the 16th-century Garibaldi Palace walls on the island of Vis, Villa Kaliopa is a secret garden of palms, sculpture and candlelit tables each out of earshot so you don’t have to whisper your sweet nothings where smiley waiters present the days catch.” (And Jules says I never take her anywhere special!)

Sounds like the perfect end to a day of arguing with that special person in a double kayak!

Felix Oppenheim, an excellent outdoor photographer, snapped us eating at a less salubrious (yet just as charming) eatery. Several photographs on our website were taken by him.

The Guardian also recently put Istria in its 100 Underated Foodie Breaks, and even mentions Motovun, “A cone-shaped peninsula, Istria is where the Balkans meet the Adriatic. Lushly forested and decidedly hilly, Istria is also where some of the world’s best (and biggest) truffles are dug. A lengthy meander around the inland walled hill-towns of Trst, Hum (the world’s smallest, so it boasts), Lupoglav, Buzet, Motovun - and many more - rewards you with enchanting eagle’s eye views, sleepy villages, and delightfully affordable restaurants with truffle-centred menus. Add fresh, young Croatian wines and a mere scattering of tourists and you’re in gourmet heaven.”

For those that can read Croatian, the Istrian Voice newspaper published today an article describing the findings of a commission regarding a proposed golf-course in the valley below Motovun (click here). The commission sided with local residents and demanded that the developer reduce the number of beds by half to 250. Given that the economics of the project are now marginal the project probably won’t go ahead.

Its a bit of a lose-lose situation for Motovun. A well-managed course with an appropriate development would stimulate the valley’s economy, but what the developer proposed would have simply overwhelmed what is special about it.

During a drive around Istria this weekend we stumbled upon Draguć. Its just another small, picturesque, hill-top Istrian town, with a main street, square, water fountain, dirt streets and church - a dime-a-dozen around the region.

But after speaking to the owner of Buffet Zora (shown above), we discovered the town has even more to offer.

Of artistic value are the frescoes within the town’s small churches - Sveti Elizej and Sveti Rok. Sveti Elizej dates from the 12th Century, being Romanesque in style. During the 13th Century the church interior was decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Jesus.

Sveti Rok, a votive chapel, is of later origin, belonging to the Late Gothic Period (the first half of the 16th century). During that period the plague had killed many in Istria. The vaulted interior was painted by Master Anton of Padua.

But for us of the television generation more interesting is that Draguć is known by the locals as the Istrian Hollywood. Several films have been made there; whenever a small medieval village exterior is required by a studio the cameras and crew arrive in town. Look at La Femme Musketeer with Michael York and Nastassja Kinski, or Twilight Time with Karl Malden (whose real name was Mladen Sekulovich - his father was Serbian).

Credit has to be given Igor Popović for the picture at the top of the post.

Ranko introduced us to a local Motovan resident, Igor; a small olive oil producer. Igor told us many things - olive trees are best planted on the sunny-side of hill, between 150 - 350m above sea-level and in white soil with a neutral pH (not red soil, which has too much bauxite). On 5 hectares about 1 500 trees can be grown; in 10 years each tree will yield 20 - 30kg of olives which in turn will produce 2 - 3kg of oil. Oil sells for more than 10€ per liter. When Croatia joins the EU it is probable that no further trees will be allowed to be planted - so a rush is on at the moment to put more in. Igor said that Klaudio Ipša from Ipši is the best man around Motovun to ask further advice. The Istrian Tourism Board provides a map of olive producers.

Spring is wild asparagus season in Istria. Wild Asparagus looks like the cultivated variety but much longer and thinner. Julie found this recipe for using it:

Frittata with Wild Asparagus
500g wild asparagus
150g onions
8 eggs
50ml oil
10g salt
1g pepper

Rinse the wild asparagus and break their soft part into small pieces (about 3cm long) by hand. Fry with finely chopped onion until asparagus soften. Then add egg mixture, stirring lightly. When eggs stiffen, remove pan from heat and serve hot.

We were back up in Motovun again this weekend as our builder, Gino, prepared for demolition in the house we are renovating.

From a gastronomic POV, Motovun is known for its truffles. In fact the world’s largest was found in 1999 in the nearby forests - it weighed 1.30 kgs. Given Black truffle sells for about 700€/kg and the white variety about 2 000€/kg - thats not bad reward for an afternoon stroll. They were first found in the area in 1929.

Four weeks ago David and Vanda’s dog, Bonnie, had 8 puppies. Bonnie is a failed truffle hunting dog that they saved. David and Vanda are responsible for Timeout Croatia magazines and guidebooks. Dogs are used to sniff out the underground fungi - but if the dog is found not to make the grade it is usually put to sleep.

The best place in town for a truffle-sprinkled dinner is the Barbacan Restaurant. Its owner, Ronald Geul, is Dutch. As the older generation in Motovun moves on, the town is becoming popular for interesting people from all over the world in which to live. The town’s new resident grumpy old man is Ranko Bon - architect, economist, painter and poet.

Risotto with Leek, Mushrooms and Truffle

Ingredients
Leeks:
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup whipping cream

Mushrooms:
500g Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 7mm thick slices
1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Risotto:
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups (or more) hot vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons shaved or chopped black truffle
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
For Leeks:
Bring leeks and cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are tender and cream is thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

For Mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Toss all ingredients on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until mushrooms are tender and light brown around edges, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For Risotto:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup hot broth. Simmer until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add more broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in leek mixture, mushroom mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, and truffle. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Malvasia
Istria has two wines of note - a red, teran, and a white, malvasia. For malvasia we choose to drink that from the Kozlović Family.

Wine Maker – Kozlović Vina
Colour – Golden yellow colour with a slight green tinge.
Bouquet – Aroma of fruit and berries
Palate – Fresh, medium-bodied, and balanced, with an almond aftertaste.

For New Year’s Eve we drove north to Lake Bled, Slovenia. The town had been so highly recommended by many people coming into our laundromat in Split that we decided we had to visit.

The 6 hour drive up the auto cesta from Split to Bled took us around Rijeka and Ljubljana. The thick covering of snow on the ground in Lika got us really excited. However arriving in Lake Bled we were disappointed to see not so much snow on the ground.

In Bled we booked into Hotel Berc run by Luka and his family. It is not really a hotel, but a recently built pension. Luka’s brother already runs Pension Berc across the road in the original family house.

The next day, Luka told us that the temperatures were low enough for snow-making, so Aklie and I decided to try out Krvavec, about 35kms away, for his first day of skiing. We took the gondola up the mountain (approx. 1500m), well above the day’s clouds. We had perfect sunshine the whole day. Hiring skis was a nightmare as the rental store is tiny. It would have been better to rent equipment in Bled. Aklie enjoyed his first lesson on the ‘bunny’ slope and the round-about.

That night we had steaks at Gostilna Pri Planincu, a pub with car number-plates from all over the world plastering the walls. The first thing we noted, coming from Croatia, was the lack of smoke. Slovenia now has laws banning smoking in pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Instead of driving for 40 minutes and catching the gondola up the mountain, the next morning we simply walked 100 yards to the Straža, a small chairlift in the centre of Bled. Going there not only saved time but also money. Aklie again had a lesson and when he got tired we simply walked back to the hotel.

The variety of restaurants in Split is limited, so for something different we went to the Peking Chinese Restaurant. The family which own it arrived 10 years ago from mainland China - how do you decide to leave China and end up in a small town in Slovenia? The food was good.

Not only could we walk to the ski-slope or the town’s restaurants but next door was the Hotel Golf with its heated pools, spas and slides. We dove in for the day. One indoor/outdoor pool had a view across the lake to the 11th Century Bled Castle on the opposite side.

We were invited to join 2 English families and one from San Diego for New Year’s Eve Dinner and their Talent Show after. They had bought a couple of impressive bottles of Slovenian wine during the day and made a big pot of chilli. The Talent Show went from the absurd, with a Monty Python sketch, through the depressing, with a Wilfred Owen poem, to the post-modern, with Kerry’s contemporary adaptations of nursery rhymes. We then headed down the riva, or waterfront, to drink mulled wine, set-off fireworks and countdown to midnight.

The Elan Ski Factory is a 10 minute drive from Lake Bled. Thinking that they might have a factory outlet store selling factory seconds we went over. They don’t sell seconds but they were having a sale so we bought Aklie his first pair of skis. Given that we can go skiing in Kupres, just across the Bosnian border from Split, we hope to get much use from them this year - if there is more snow than last year.

Dinner was at the Union Grill. And though the mushroom sauce arrived late, it was worth the wait.

There is an uneasy relationship between Slovenes and Croats. Croats view their northern neighbours as arrogant and rigid; Slovenes believe Croats are just lazy Balkans. On the way back to Croatia, we stopped into the BTC Shopping Centre in Ljubljana and straightaway we felt like the country hillbillies. Croatia has very little choice in goods and what is imported is usually very poor quality. Seeing the range of shops we felt like we were in civilization again.

We then hit the road and drove 2 hours to Motovun to meet Anita, who is doing the drawings for our house renovation.

Thanks to Cameron Hewitt at Rick Steve’s for his advice.

Some of our pictures.

The other day we decided to take a drive from Motovun to Venice just to see how far it is (according to Yahoo Maps it is 240kms) and to see if a day trip was possible.

Our route took us across the border into Slovenia, into Italy near Trieste and, after some difficulty with the typically spaghetti-esque Italian autostradas, onto the E70. We didn’t change any money before leaving, assuming that any service station that we stopped at in Italy would have one. But of course there were no ATMs in any of the stations on the E70 - and then we suddenly hit a unmanned tollbooth! Luckily it accepted one of our debit cards.

After 2¾ hours we crossed the causeway to the Tronchetto Parking Building. Its conveniently located next to a vaporetto stop.

We jumped off at Zattere and had lunch overlooking the Giudecca Canal at the Pizzeria Ae Oche. They have an interesting menu, including the ’shredded horse meat and lemon pizza’. For better quality pizza we paid less than what we would in Croatia - excellent value.

Its was amazing how crowded the city was even late in the season. The white-shoe and shiny track-suit clad groups were everywhere.

Aklie’s favorite shop, of course, was the Ferrari Store with its F2002 Michael Schumacher Formula One car in the window.

The above picture, taken from the top floor of our house in Motovun, will excite petrol-heads. Behind the little church is the childhood home of Mario Andretti. You can see a plaque on the wall mounted by the local car club.

For those who are not interested in car racing and have no idea who is Mario Andretti, he is the most successful driver in US history. He is the only driver to have won the Indy 500, the Daytona 500 and the Formula 1 World Championship. He won 4 IndyCar titles.

Mario and his twin brother Aldo were born on February 28 1940 in Motovun. In 1948 Mario’s family, along with a large portion of the ethnic Italian community, fled Istria. They spent 7 years in a refugee camp before settling in the USA.

Whilst exploring around Motovun, we stumbled across several railway tunnels and bridges, all without rails. Several locals told us the old constructions belonged to the Parenzana Railway.

Completed in 1902 on the route shown above, La Parenzana was the name of a railway that ran between Trieste, Italy, and Poreč, Croatia, until 1935. (Parenzo is the Italian name for Poreč - the Italians annexed Istria between the World Wars.)

After it started in Trieste, the railway passed Muggia and entered Slovenia at Škofije. It turned towards Koper, on the coast, and crossed the Dragonja River to enter Croatia. It then zig-zagged between Valica and Buje, climbed to Grožnjan, and soon after reached its highest point at 293 meters above sea level. It then descended until it reached Livade, where it forded the Mirna River. It started climbing again towards Motovun, Vižinada and Baldaši, and then gradually descended again, passed Višnjan, and finished in Poreč. At 123 kilometers in length, it was one of Europe’s longest narrow gauge railways.

Due to its sinuous route, the train’s average speed was only 25 kph. It took around 7 hours to complete the whole line. At slower sections passengers would jump off, pick fruit or go to the toilet and return back to the train. At the steepest sections the passengers often had to disembark and push the train.

The train was mainly used to transport agricultural products (fish and salt) to Trieste, and during World War I, it was used for military transport.

The railway couldn’t compete with new forms of transport, and with the Depression, the line was closed. The Italian fascists also thought its closure might be an opportunity to further persecute the Istrian population. In August, 1935, the last train ran. The legend is that the tracks were transported to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), then an Italian colony, but never reached Africa as the ship sunk somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sections have been converted into a recreation trail for pedestrians and cyclists.

For Croatian speakers, there is a website for a group which wants to rebuild the railway as a tourism project - Croatian Association for the Parenzana’s Reconstruction . It still would be able to reconstruct 94% of the line in its original location. It would be excellent for tourism!

We bought a house in the beautiful hill-top town of Motovun a year ago. The plan is to begin renovation in early-2008.

For us, the valleys around Motovun are one of the few areas that have not yet suffered from bad development in Croatia. That is why we were upset to hear that an English development company is seeking permission to build a golf resort just a stone’s throw from the town.

We are not against all golf courses - it’s their location and the inappropriate housing development around them that are the main issues.

A resort near Groznjan will begin construction soon - it will reuse abandoned houses for its accommodation - sounds like an excellent idea.

But, the proposed new Motovun resort will include a 600-bed large scale development just across the valley. Motovun has a permanent population of 300. What will be the visual impact?

And, Motovun has become famous for its truffles - what will happen to them when the chemicals used on the courses enter the ground water? Spain is now dealing with the problems of an over-supply of golf courses and their resorts taxing local water supplies.

Of course the developers have discovered that greasing the palms of local politicians helps when dealing with annoying issues such as environment studies.

Please go to Motovun Eco Town and sign up if interested.