Magic of the Adriatic - Venice to Dubrovnik
My husband and I are experienced international travelers. We’ve been to many places and had many great experiences, but we have never felt compelled to write a review. Our recent trip to Croatia with Zagreb Tours made us feel differently …
Croatia is an undiscovered gem. We’ve wanted to go to D
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My husband and I are experienced international travelers. We’ve been to many places and had many great experiences, but we have never felt compelled to write a review. Our recent trip to Croatia with Zagreb Tours made us feel differently …
Croatia is an undiscovered gem. We’ve wanted to go to Dubrovnik for a while, since seeing it on a TV several years ago. We expanded our trip to two weeks, however, once we started reading about all of the things to see – more UNESCO sites within reachable distance than anywhere else I can recall visiting.
Dubrovnik is, in fact, one of the most romantic and charming old towns of Europe, but Croatia more generally is the real story here. From amazing national parks with terraced lakes and hundreds of waterfalls to a breathtaking coastline that hugs the Adriatic Sea – including magnificent churches adorned with stone carvings, fertile grasslands, arid mountains spotted with ornamental cacti, fjord-like azure waters filled with oyster traps and mussel farms, salt pans, walled fortresses protecting charming towns, vineyards with unique varietals, and finally, the most beautiful islands and posh coastal towns – Croatia literally has something for everyone. There are so many things to fall in love with, one more beautiful than the next. So for anyone tempted by places like Italy, France, and Spain, try the undiscovered gem of Croatia. It has as more to offer than many other destinations … and at a much more affordable price.
Croatia lacks efficient train service between towns, so getting around is best done by car. Although we’ve driven in Europe many times, I thought having a driver/guide would be more relaxing and enable us to better experience Croatia. Although I had my doubts about traveling with one person for two weeks, I made arrangements with Zagreb Tours for a private tour starting in Zagreb, traveling down the coast, and ending in Dubrovnik. Two of our friends joined us for the first few days and then it was my husband and I for the rest.
Going with Zagreb Tours was a great decision – we had one of the best trips ever – compared to many previous trips - and got so much more than a driver and guide. Enter Jakov – a personable, funny, upbeat, energetic, hard-working, accommodating guy – who did everything he possibly could to make sure we had a great time. His enthusiasm and love of Croatia were infectious. While Jakov shared a great deal of knowledge about all of the historical sites we visited, more touching was the personal insight he shared about the fabric of Croatia, its people, and their experience. We did not understand a lot about this area of the world, the struggles of the people there, or how they have prevailed, rebuilt, and evolved. We had opportunities to talk with people who lived through the war, hear their stories, and even see some of their personal videos. We met Jakov’s brother and parents, saw their house, and learned some about how people actually live.
As we traveled from the Istrian peninsula, sometimes reminiscent of the Italian coast and sometimes reminiscent of Tuscany, to the tranquil Caribbean-like islands of Dalmacia, we experienced many unique local specialties. In restaurants that were off-the-beaten-and-path, we had many Croatian feasts – truffles, squid ink pasta, tender grilled calamari, fresh trout from the river next to us, mussels, Croatian wine, grilled bread, great olive oils, grappa of every kind (cherry, mistletoe, dandelion, fig, and others), rozata (Croatian flan), peka – (baked dish with meat and vegetables made in a pot that is put into the embers of a fire), nuts and fruit soaked in honey, huge plates of grilled meat, sugared lemon and orange peels, and much, much more.
One day when we wanted to go sailing, Jakov called “his guy” (girl in this case) Eva “the Legend,” who hooked us up for this tremendous sailing trip at half the price others were offering. Then in Dubrovnik there was another guy with a boat – just because my husband loved boating. Once Jackov got to know what we liked, he switched things up – like an unexpected day trip to Mostar in Bosnia, a fascinating war-torn confluence of Muslim and Catholic existence; regular stops for “art photos;” and live tastes and smells of goodies all along the way – figs, oranges, lavender, which surrounded us. Whatever we needed, from souvenirs to Coke Zero to new shorts (for boating), Jakov made it happen. Not only were we extremely well taken care of, but Jakov always arrived early – with a smile on his face, good sense of humor, eager to go. We did not merely “look at” Croatia as tourists, like most other places we’ve visited. Rather, we had this incredible opportunity to spend time with a special, native Croatian who gave us a glimpse into Croatia’s heart.
While we could have traveled through Croatia many ways, none would have given us the unique, wonderful experience we had traveling with Zagreb Tours. This trip was special, ergo our first travel review - high value and well worth our limited vacation time. We hope to go back someday and again experience Croatia with our friend, Jakov.
