Category: Croatia

It seems like quite a while since we left Bohinj and that’s likely because we have seen so many incredible things since we packed up Twiggy, our rental car, and started our journey back to Croatia.

We only had a couple hours drive ahead of us so we decided to visit one last Slovenian jewel for a lunch stop before we crossed the border.

Predjama Castle is built into the side of the mountain and was an impressive sight to behold. We did not go inside because we really just wanted to see the exterior. Fortunately the parking attendant let us park our car unusually close for 10 minutes so we could take some pictures. We were happy to cash in some travel karma and save ourselves the hike and the potential parking cost which seem to run rampant in Eastern Europe.

We didn’t stay longer than allowed because our next stop was Motovun, Croatia! This mountain top town could be seen from miles away. It looked like it was larger than life but surprisingly took no time at all to explore.

We stayed in the neighbouring town but it was only a 30 minute walk from our door to the top of the mountain. It was shocking how fast we made it to the top.

When we got back to our AirBnB our host’s dog, Pico, was there to great us. He was dealing with some health problems so he was wearing a cone of shame. He didn’t want to talk about it so we didn’t press him for information. Poor little guy.

Motovun has a few things it’s known for. It is the birthplace of Mario Andretti (and his twin brother), is a gastronomy Mecca, and is one of the few places in the world where truffles thrive in Istria’s micro-climate. With that in mind we raced to book ourselves a table to a 4 course meal that evening. The food was spectacular, though we ate way too much, and the view of the sunset over the Moran River Valley was breathtaking.

The next day we embarked on a truffle hunt! We made our way to Karlić Tartufi, in Paladini where we got to meet the dogs they use for the “hunt”. We learned that female dogs were the preferred dog to use for a hunt because male dogs cannot focus as easily. Neutering is not a common practice in the area so male dogs tend to have the ladies on their minds. We also learned that pigs are no longer used to truffle hunt. The animals are all trained to start digging for the truffles but pigs are harder to call off. If a truffle is scratched at all the value of it can decrease by 90%. There are two types of truffles, black and white. Black truffles will fetch you up to €700/kg while white truffles are valued at €10,000/kg.

We went about a minute down the road to where the truffle treasures were hiding. The dogs would lead, sniffing the ground as they went. Once they start digging in a spot, the hunter would call them off and carefully dig around the area to extract the truffle.

We went about 3 trees deep before the dogs found something. The hunter immediately dug up a black truffle, but it was not a good one. Too soft, but man was it exciting to find something! DawnO later told me she thought it was set up for the tour. She was probably right.

After the hunt, which only lasted about an hour, we made our way back to the truffle shop where we were treated to a meal of truffle infused dishes. We were invited to watch the owner cook the meals all while teaching us about their family owned and operated business. They ship their truffles all over the world and make quite a profit off the sales. Next to saffron it’s the highest priced food. Though because you need to use more of it while cooking, technically it is the most expensive food per dish.

I can safely say that I’m a truffle fan! We may have bought some truffle powder to put on our Canadian eggs once we are home.

In keeping with our dog theme, next we head to the Dalmatian Coast. First stop, Dubrovnik!

I think it’s fair to say that between the two of us, I have a much shorter list of countries I must see. New Zealand and Jordan (Petra), were on that list. This time, Croatia is the destination of choice. I confess, I’m not a complicated guy. If you were to peruse my list of must-do countries, you’ll likely notice a theme. They all have been featured in some movie or tv show that made an impression on me. Game of Thrones is what cemented Croatia to my list as its beautiful scenery was featured throughout the series. When we booked this trip we also decided to check out the neighbouring country of Slovenia. In our first few days we have visited the Capital cities of each country and I’m pleased to tell you that both are worth the trip.

We touched down in Zagreb, the Croatian capital and only had a couple of days to tour around the city and see what it had to offer. It had a familiar Eastern European feel to it that reminded me of places like Krakow, Budapest and Bratislava. The city feels like it has evolved through the centuries with each era leaving its mark. There are cathedrals, statues of liberators, graffitied murals and what I can only describe as a Soviet aftertaste.

One of the city’s main attractions is to gather near the base of Lotrščak Tower at noon. Every day at precisely 12 o’clock a cannon is fired from the top floor of the medieval defence tower. You can feel the shockwave when it goes off, and if you aren’t covering your ears, they will definitely be ringing until 12:02.

After visiting the tower, we descended back down to the city centre and happened upon a tunnel that warranted a closer inspection. The entrance was at a dilapidated park that looked like it was transplanted from Chernobyl. We could hear some creepy music coming out of rickety speakers deep inside the tunnel. For some reason both of us were compelled to investigate, though each step we took felt like a mistake.

Once our eyes adjusted to the light we could see something ahead of us, which turned out to be public toilets and a water fountain that had seen better days. Did we turn around? Not a chance…

Eventually we turned a corner and were in the middle of a literal underground art gallery.

We made it out alive and finished off our walking tour before returning to our AirBnB.

The next morning we picked up our rental car (Twiggy), and drove 1.5 hours to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. This city took us by surprise! We spent the entire two days we were there taking photographs of anything and everything. It was the kind of place where you could swing your camera around your head letting it snap away and you’d never get a bad picture.

Nighttime was equally stunning.

Day two had us hiking up to Ljubljana Castle for a bird’s eye view of the Capital. The Castle also has a few attractions like a 4D movie about the Castle’s history, a gallery of medieval weapons, and a puppet museum, which was slightly creepy but ultimately amusing.

That afternoon we walked to an old converted military barracks which is now an Autonomous Cultural Centre. I wasn’t sure what that meant before we went there and I would have never guessed what it actually was. From what we surmised, it was an outdoor venue for nighttime shenanigans. There were posters advertising live music events but we were likely to be in bed long before the fun began.

Both cities were impressive but I have to give Ljubljana the edge for my favourite of the two. We will be seeing more of Slovenia before we head back to Croatia. Stay tuned for Lake Bled and truffle hunting!