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A word about Istria
By Joe | August 11, 2009
Red Island, Istria
One of the questions you get asked a lot when you live in a tourist destination like Tenerife is, ‘Where do you go on holiday?’ Sensible question seeing as we’re all enjoying a permanent holiday on the rock. Or so people seem to think. Usually the answer is “back to Blighty”, followed by, “but it’s not really a holiday”. Well this year, the Cawley clan decided to do it different. We went to Istria. That’s the heart-shaped bit at the top of Croatia, for all the geographically bewildered. And man, was that a good decision.
Istria is a land of simple pleasures - which is just as well, as we’re just simple folk. No scream-inducing theme parks; no mammoth beaches awash with hip-to-hip Brits; and no Olde English Pubbes baying for your trade with laminated images of egg and chips. It’s all good, clean, natural fun in Istria.
The Cawley clan in Istria
For the first week we stayed on Red Island, near the medieval ‘damn-that’s-pretty’ town of Rovinj. The whole island (all 1.5 kilometres of it) is just a big park surrounded by the clearest sea imaginable. Pines, poplars and olive trees shade grassy knolls and Mediterranean flora sprouts from almost every orifice (the island’s, not mine!). Another even smaller island was reached by rocky walkway.
We ate grilled squid and drank one too many frosty beers at the islet’s only restaurant, before adventuring off-path and gorging on wild blackberries. Suitably juice-faced, we took a quick dip in the Adriatic to shed the red, and escape the heat. The water was around 25 degrees, ideal sea temp to get refreshed without risking heart stoppage.
The result of one frosty beer too many
Daytimes were mostly spent mithering the sea life with snorkels and masks, or long lazy lunches while the Molly and Sam ran amok in a timber play park. We thought we might make use of the kids club, but our two were totally content chasing butterflies, lizards and splashing around in the pool and sea.
Rovinj
Most nights we’d venture aboard the free boat taking us 10 minutes across the bay to the mainland and the buzz of Rovinj - a town with more seafood restaurants than you can shake a knife and fork at. As you’d expect from a medieval town, the lanes are small, cobbled and lead to the most unexpected of places. We had a near miss when we trailed an alley that led to a sudden 20ft drop into the briny.
The second week was spent further north, within walking distance of the town of Porec, another historical settlement albeit on a tinier scale. All of the hotels along this stretch of coastline are cloaked in pine forests. It’s like someone moved the Lake District to the shore. Energised by the proliferation of good food, foliage and sunshine, we were even so bold as to rent bikes for half a day - though why we envisioned we had such energy is still a mystery. Cycling along the coastal path with Sam strapped to my back, was certainly a scenic way of seeing the forests and coves of Istria, and an even more certain way of shedding several kilos (and years off my life) in the process.
After two weeks, we returned to Tenerife with newfound love of creamy truffle pasta, Istrian Merlot and vows to go back and explore some more of Croatia’s 1200 islands and Istria’s green and pleasant heartland. Think I may lay off the biking next time though.
Topics: General musings, Life in general |
August 12th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Hmmm, sounds deliciously idyllic. Glad all those adjectives you practiced on before heading out there appear to actually be accurate; crystal clear waters, fragrant pine forests, quaint cobbled streets….
August 15th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I am coming next time.H is going to the south so not likely to get to the north - this looks ideal and great family pic - aslo How Brown is JOY!!! xxxxxxxxxxx
February 13th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Well I went to Porec a couple of years ago and had a wonderful time. I hired a bike for 3 days Joe and loved every minute. Even found a nudist beach whilst out cycling…..
Went to Pula for a day trip - the colluseum was brilliant. And up in the hills it is so beautiful, you don’t want to come down. Such a lot of Italian influence, yet still Croatian.
I loved it. Would go back any time.