Adriatic coast of Croatia has become popular again, after the civil war and unrest of the 1990s. Its beaches, islands and delightful towns testify to the truthfulness of the Croatian Tourist Board’s official motto: “The Mediterranean as it once was.” It didn’t take me much persuading to pay a visit, for the first time since the late 1980s.
I decided to travel by bus, for a number of reasons. The bus fare was quite cheap and so a great saver. Since the roads in Croatia are well maintained, the twelve-hour journey from Belgrade didn’t seem so long or tiresome at all. Each stop along the way proved to be a small adventure in itself, showing that Croatia’s rich cultural diversity doesn’t all come down to familiar, as-seen-on-TV, sights of Dubrovnik.
I left Belgrade on a hot July afternoon, reaching Serbian-Croatian border by midnight, amid old, tall trees of Sipovacka Forest of the country's continental, northeastern region. Several hours later, having quickly passed by Zagreb, the nation’s capital, we reached Lika, the region connecting continental and maritime parts of the country. Another short stop in one of its small towns, amidst white karst and cool air smelling of mountain herbs – and sheep! Adorably rustic.
After two more hours of wonderful scenery I got off the bus to Split, in the middle of Dalmatian nowhere. Below me, down the rocky hills, the so-called Karin Sea - actually a small bay of sorts, situated not far from Dalmatia’s highest mountain, Velebit. An unlikely tourist destination, with population of only several hundred (climbing up to several thousand during summer months). Karin certainly has its treasures: pristine nature, fine local wines, medieval Franciscan cloister and ancient monuments along the roads, dedicated to local pagan deities of many centuries ago.
Off the beaten path, it’s a Mediterranean pastoral idyll if there ever was one.
