Tag Archives: Croatia

Croatia Diary: Badija Island

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Amongst the more well-visited islands of the Croatian Adriatic Coast, such as Korčula, are many more islands with little or no permanent residents. One such island is Badija Island.

A twenty-minute boat ride from Korčula, Badija is one kilometre square in size, covered in dense forest and surrounded by rocky beaches. An imposing 14th century Franciscan monastery greets you as you dock at the island and sports some beautiful features worth a closer look. The only people living in the monastery, and the islands only full-time residents, are the housekeepers. The biggest draw for me however was hearing that the islands other full-time inhabitants are deer! Freely roaming the island, I can’t say how many there are but we were lucky enough to spot a few.

There is a path encircling the island that makes for a pleasant walk, with stunning views over to Korčula and the mountains on the mainland. In the summer there is a restaurant but on my visit in October there were no facilities so if you are going outside of the summer months it is advisable to take any food or drink with you.

During the summer months you can easily take a water taxi from Korčula harbour. For visits at other times of the year, the island is still perfectly enjoyable but you will need to hire a private boat and captain. We were able to negotiate with a travel agent near to the harbour and get a good deal. For 250kr we were dropped off at the island and picked up a few hours later which was the perfect amount of time to walk the full circumference of the island and have a nose around the monastery (where we spotted the deer!) In hotter weather definitely allow more time, especially if you want to enjoy the beaches. What wildlife have you encountered on your travels?

Croatia Diary: Korcula Island

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The Adriatic Coast is scattered with hundreds of islands so choosing which to visit can be a pretty daunting task. When I travelled to Croatia last year, it seemed like there were endless possibilities. You could quite easily spend your entire trip hopping between islands, staying overnight on any of the almost fifty Croatian islands that are inhabited or, if you were so equipped, camping on uninhabited ones. Korcula

One of the islands I visited was Korčula; a popular choice for both daytrippers and those staying overnight. Korčula Town juts out from the rest of the island, with the walls and orange roofed buildings that are typical of the region. The centre of the old town is a pedestrianised series of narrow marbled alleyways with gorgeous architectural gems just waiting to be explored by foot. Rumour has it that Marco Polo was born here and you will soon become familiarised with his visage as he and references to him crop up all over the place.

Around the edges of the old town are plenty of restaurants with terraces for al fresco dining and a small market. Further on from here are rocky beaches where you can relax or hire snorkels and kayaks in the summer.

The benefit of staying on Korčula is the opportunity to travel onwards to surrounding islands as well as offering enough time to soak in the laid back atmosphere. The island is easily reached from Dubrovnik’s bus station in a little over three hours (the same bus will take you on the ferry and through to the main old town, also named Korčula) or around twice as long travelling from Split. There are also ferries that run during the summer months. Marco Polo Window Korcula Archway Look out for an upcoming post on another of Croatia’s islands! Have you ever visited Croatia?

Croatia Diary: Nishta, Dubrovnik

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As far as cities go, Dubrovnik was neither amazing nor terribly difficult for a vegetarian. Plenty of restaurants had English menus and most had at least one or two suitable options, largely pasta, pizza or salads (there is a distinctly Italian influence). However, there is one shining star: Nishta.

Nishta, taken from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘devotion,’ is tucked away on a small alley up and away from the main street of the Old Town Stradun. Like the majority of restaurants in this part of Croatia, the majority of seating is outside with indoor seating limited. We booked ahead for the evening by popping in during the day and were glad we had – it filled out quickly both indoors and out even on a rainy evening.

The menu here offers vegetarian, vegan and raw food options, as well as gluten-free dishes. The only challenge faced here was actually choosing from all the delicious-sounding dishes. I was very tempted by the raw gnocchi but in the end selected the ‘No Sushi.’ These were nori salad rolls fill with avocado and vegetables, but the real twist was that instead of rice, they were made with quinoa. This variation worked a treat with the nutty flavour of the quinoa coming though. The ‘no sushi’ was served with horseradish and ginger. Yum!

My boyfriend opted for the ‘Temperitos’ burritos. These had a rich smoky sauce and the tempeh added that bit of extra texture which was ideal for him as a non-veggie (and if you are!) Both dishes were around £7.50-£8 (70-72HRK) which isn’t too bad given that Dubrovnik’s Old Town is more expensive than most parts of the country and that it is rather specialist as the only vegetarian restaurant in the Old Town.

To finish, I had the ‘Rawnie,’ a raw brownie with a chewy texture and, though sugar free, a heavenly dark fruity taste. Nishta’s also has a cake of the day and on this occasion we were served a chocolate orange slice – moist, tangy and chocolate-y. It was also we could do not to order a second round of desserts.

Verdict: Imaginative menu, well-presented and expertly cooked. If you’re looking for vegetarian food in Dubrovnik, this is an absolute treat.

Returning: If only! If we’d had it my way, every breakfast/lunch/dinner would have been here… sadly I only got to visit once.

Nishta’s are open March-November and you can check out their full menu and location here.

Have you visited any vegetarian restaurants lately? Let me know below if you have any recommendations!

Croatia Diary: A Snapshot of Dubrovnik | The Little Things

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Yesterday I shared some thoughts and photos of Dubrovnik. Today I’d like to give you a closer look at the little things I saw, the things that give a place its character.

After checking in to my guesthouse (I stayed in a lovely apartment with lovely owners a short walk uphill from the Old Town), the first thing I did was walk down to the Old Town and onto Stradun, the main street running through the centre of it. As luck would have it, that day the 10th anniversary celebrations of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Convention were being held. The square at the top of Stradun was filled with Linđo dancers affording me an instant immersion in Croatian culture.

What little things catch your eye?

Croatia Diary: A Snapshot of Dubrovnik | The Big Picture(s)

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Jutting out into the Adriatic, Dubrovnik’s Old Town is likely the first glimpse anyone en route to the city from the airport will get. And what a sight it is – high walls full to the brim with orange-roofed buildings and church towers, hooked around a protected harbour, white wash from the sea foaming around the supporting rocks. The city was built with defences against invaders from the sea as is evident from its fortress-like appearance. Nearer the sheer number of visitors it receives is also evident, with sightseers cluttered atop the city walls.

There’s definitely more to Dubrovnik than the Old Town but it is just so photogenic. I’ve seen plenty of photos with bright blues seas but unfortunately my visit was in October and I had no such luck. According to the locals, last October was much wetter than any October they could remember too but the milder temperatures still made a welcome break from the encroaching winter back in the UK.

One of my favourite things to do in this part of town was to simply wander in and around the tiny alleys that snake through the buildings and skirt around the city walls. Some are lined with cafés, restuarants and shops; others give a small glimpse of life for those resident within the Old Town. I decided not to walk on the actual city walls – partly due to the rain, partly due to the £10 entrance fee, and partly down to how busy they were even at this time of year (much the same reasons I also decided against taking the cable car). There were also some lovely views from walking out in either direction along the coastal road or footpaths without any of the cost or crowds.

Another thing I did in the Old Town was visit the War Photo Ltd exhibition which houses images taken during the 1993 seige of Mostar, over in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’d fully recommend this to anyone planning to take a day trip over to Mostar (even more recommended!) for a glimpse of what life was like in the city for residents confined to the ghetto and the scale of damage the city experienced – thankfully in contrast to the stunning old town of Mostar of today. More information on the exhbition can be found here.

Back to Dubrovnik, here’s a selection of those views I’ve been talking about:

Tomorrow I’ll share a closer look around the city, and keep a look out for a review of Dubrovnik’s very own veggie restaurant to follow.