Croatia
So here I am, in beautiful Istria, where the green of the landscape competes for attention with the blues of the water. As I take a morning walk in the countryside, I breath in a lungful of dewdrop fresh clean air and take in views of the majestic Limski Kanal. I walk in silence without my trusty phone or the usual Spotify collection playing in my ear. The chirp of small birds and the crunch of pebbles under my feet are my only companions and no conducted music in the world can garner more attention or appreciation in this space. Although it is a new trail & an unknown one for me, my feet carry me on as if they had tread these pebbly paths a million times before. Although I am all alone, for miles on end, a strange comfort wraps around me. As I walk, I feel like pieces of myself, that I had left behind on my previous journeys here, rejoin me and fill in the gaps. I feel myself walking towards becoming whole again.
Istria has many picture perfect little coastal towns.. Pula, Rovinj, Poreč, Vrsar, to name a few...these towns looks similar from afar...a hill of brightly colored, red tiled homes with a single church tower that rises up like a sentinel...but each has an undeniable spirit of its own. The atmosphere in these little towns is best described as a tranquil languor that magically influences anyone who sets foot on the smooth cobbled streets into what the Croatians call 'Fjaka'...a sublime state of mind & body that fosters an unwillingness & inability to do anything because you are so content in just being.
We rented a beautiful house on the Limski Kanal, only minutes away from Vrsar. The owner and designer of the property, Alan Mikac, a sprightly guy was passionate about sharing the beauty of his country with us. He was ever ready to drive me everywhere, indulge my practice of photography by guiding me with an insider’s eye into all that Istria had to offer. His warmth and hospitality made all the difference in our stay. His girlfriend Veronica made sure our every need was taken care of and made our stay there even more comfortable. The view from the house looked out into the serene kanal and we could see boats of all sizes and shapes go by the house. We were told that we could see Dolphins too if we were lucky in the mornings. The thing that stood out for me was a sports airport right next door…we had planes flying so low that we could literally wave to the pilot if we stood on the lawn outside. Loved it!
It was summer and families were out everyday, all day in the many parks, beaches & waterfronts. We spent a particularly blissful evening on the beach in the little town of Fažana near Pula. There was a bouncy obstacle course in the water that kept the kids occupied for a whole 2 hours, while I sunbathed in silence, listening to the gentle waves serenade me into a surreal place. At night, we got pizza & gelatos and walked around the crowded promenade, where there were acrobats, balloon artists, performance installations, sculptures in the water, a lazer show and opera singing…quintessential Europe!
