Hi friends and welcome back
As I mentioned in my previous blog, we decided to have a quick pre-christmas holiday break and explore Croatia in Winter. I have never experienced a European Christmas market but my interest was piqued on a previous visit to Croatia. Our tourguide, Ivan, from Croatia-a-la-carte, had told me so much about the amazing Christmas market in Zagreb, the capital, where the entire centre of the town is converted into a Winter Wonderland. Hearing about this along with stories of an open air Ice-rink and qaint markets adorning the streets, we decided that this would be our European Chtistmas market of choice.
We went all out and treated ourselves to a two night stay at the beautiful Esplanade Hotel. This majestic old girl is full of old world charm. Its renowned for being one of the stops of the original Orient Express train ride. We really did feel like we stepped back in time, even though the hotel has all the modern touches, it has retained that old luxury style hotel which was just what I had in mind for the beginning of our week stay.
Coming from South Africa and experiencing Christmas in Summer, the winter chill and frosty evenings only added to our experience, and my hubby and I were like children exploring the markets and many beautiful sites. The photos I have included below will hopefully evoke some of the excitement we felt!
The second part of our trip we drove down south to an town named Kastela. We stayed in Kastela Stari, which is closest to Trogir. Stari is one of about 7 Kastela between Trogir and Split. The history of this area is that these castles were part of at least 20 castles built almost 500 years ago to fortify the region. We used this as a base to travel to Dubrovnik and surrounding areas. Our motivation was to look at the possiblity of purchasing a property as a holiday rental on the Dalmatian coast…. hopefully in one of the Kastela! As yet, we haven’t found the perfect property, but I am sure that this dream may one day become a reality for us.
Hiring a vehicle was so worthwhile, as we were able to get to places we had not previously seen, and the drive down to Dubrovnik is absolutely picturesque. The old walled city of Dubrovnik was a far cry from our previous experience where masses of tourists had previosly filled every corner. It was now like a sleepy town and we were able to appreciate the architecture of this beautiful city – incidentally Game of Thrones is filmed here! We stayed in a room in one of the houses of the old town (booked on air-bnb) It was very basic accommodation, but it was awesome to be able to spend the evening in the centre and then stroll back up the narrow little alley to the room after a wonderul evening of wining and dining. I am amazed at the elederly who live in this walled town though. The little streets are extemely steep and any shopping you have to do requires going either up or down at least 60 steps at any one time! #goals.
This trip was really such a contrast to our summer trip for obvious reasons – ie very few tourists visit Croatia in winter and the country is definitely geared for summer travelers! The only exception to this was Zagreb, and we decided to end our trip back here and enjoy the wonderful vibe of the city. This time we stayed in an apartment just off the main square. Also well priced accommodation with lovely modern finishes.
I have included below a list of all the places we stayed on our trip with links to their websites.
I hope I have inspired an interest in this beautiful country and that you consider including it in your future travels. Be it summer or winter, Croatia will not dissapoint!
until next time, thank you for reading
xx B
Apartment and Room, Old Town Dubrovnik (find it on Booking.com – 9.2 customer rating)
THE MOY LIFE 