Croatia!

Our travels in Croatia began in Pula which is in the NW corner along the Mediterranean. We were greeted with 35 degrees and blue skies..a vast improvement from the grey weather in Western Europe. First stop was the bakery for some pizza (Italy is only 80 km away - so it is Good!) followed by a tour of an old Roman coliseum. The next morning we headed for a day trip to the old town of Rovinj which protrudes into the Mediterranean making for a terrific setting. We also made a quick stop in Bale (tiny old village) on the return trip to Pula.

The next day brought about some excitement and buzz in the city as Croatia was scheduled to play a Euro Cup match in the evening (more on that in a moment). First things first, we rented a couple of bikes and toured up the coastline visiting some amazing swimming holes and caves. The hostel was kind enough to give us free snorkels which we made good use of (No reefs but lots of fish). We got some insider knowledge from our host to go to the farmers market and pay a visit to the lady selling eggs (egg stall 2), and ask for some ''special vino''. We did just that and got a bottle of homemade wine for 3 dollars, she sells it under the table and you get it in a 1.5 L plastic bottle...how could we say no?! We estimate the alcohol content to be pushing 25% as we were both pleasantly buzzed after one glass.

Next stop was the football match to be viewed with a few thousand die-hards in the town square. Earlier in the week Croatia Football federation was fined $100,000 dollars for hooliganism at previous football matches. We confirmed they are both passionate and hooligans by our beer soaked clothes and constant dancing around flares and fires. It was a A-class cultural experience!

Off to the capital, Zagreb. We didn't even know what or where Zagreb was 2 days earlier, nonetheless here we are. The city is in constant buzz all day, few tourists, just locals. We stumbled across a pub serving a 7.5% dark beer from a microbrewery. (Large Beer  - $1.50) It was so good we went back the next day. We also came across a vast lake in the middle of the city where the locals go for a dip. We joined them for a swim, being 36 degrees it was much needed.

The night life is very lively with people walking around with bottle of wine making stops on the street to listen to live bands. Great atmosphere throughout the city, with bakeries and ice-cream shops on every corner. In 2 days we entered (to buy OR just look) 20 bakeries and icecream shops. They are addicting and tasty!

COLIN