Pazin is the capitol of Istria yet it is probably the least important city of the bunch. I found the city of Pazin to be relatively uneventful but the fun is not in the city but in the natural wonders around the city. I must have walked 10 miles throughout the whole day. The bus from Pula dropped me off about half-past noon and the first thing I did was look for a bus back. In the summer it seems there are less buses to rural areas like Pazin, because the school season has stopped…I’m still surprised there isn’t more demand [View Full Entry]

---

---

Rovinj (pronounced ro-veen) is a small beach community and Mediterranean fishing port. It was mostly built by Venetians when they controlled most of Istria and so the town follows a similar structure to all Venetian cities, just walk around the alleys looking at all the beautiful houses and windows and then eventually you will find the main area of the city. The idea is that no matter where you start, eventually you’ll end up at the most important part of the city (where the ruler or richest person lived). The most important part of the city, for sight seeing, is St. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Elvis was some I met through Ivana. They met at a xenophobia prevention workshop in Zadar. I searched for weeks on CouchSurfing for people in Istria, but either they were not responding to anyone or they were not hosting. The night before we left for Zadar she said, oh hey, I have a friend in Pula, maybe he will host you. She contacted him and everything was set up. I got into Pula and met Elvis at the bus stop. He told me about where I’d be staying: a fortress, close to his apartment, he sleeps there in the summer because [View Full Entry]

---

---

Labin is a small mining community that is divided into two sections…like most places in Europe. There is the new town, which is full of apartment buildings despite the small population of 7,000, and the old town. The old town, as you can probably guess, is the one I was visiting. The old town rests on a hill that overlooks the new town as well as the beach town Rabac. From the new town trees cover the view of most of the old town, all you can see is the bell tower of the church, which is the highest point in [View Full Entry]

---

---

I followed Ivana down to Zadar for her flight to the Netherlands. She was enrolled in a summer exchange for two weeks in several cities around the country. I still hadn’t seen Zadar so I figured I could kill to birds with one stone and stay a night there. I stayed in a hostel, something that is not very cheap in Croatia, but manageable and a guaranteed bed. I left Ivana for her very first flight around 9 and made it to the hostel by 10 but check in wasn’t till 1 so I sat in the lounge and read. We [View Full Entry]

---

---

As may notice, Generalski is extremely close to the word General, which is exactly what it means, and stol being the word for table, thus making Generalski Stol translate to General’s Table. It is south of Karlovac, the major military base in Croatia, and thus was a hot spot during the war in ’91. Most every adult in the town was enlisted to help in the battle and the other side of Mreznica (the river that runs through the city) is still covered with land mines, luckily there are no houses on that side of the village. Ivana’s mother’s side of [View Full Entry]

---

---

This castle is one (if not) the best preserved castles in Croatia. It sits atop a hill that over looks the northern region of Croatia and a man made lake below. The castle held a lot of owners in its early years but was later acquired by the Drašković family. They were not kings or queens but simply an aristocratic family that led a good military career and was given the castle as a token of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s appreciation. The castle is furnished with original furniture all dating from the years in which the family occupied the castle which was [View Full Entry]

---

---

Another day trip was to Medvedgrad. Not exactly far from Zagreb, the town is easily accessed by a quick bus ride and maybe 20 minutes of hiking. It is placed on the mountain that towers over Zagreb called Medvednica. Medvegrad (built in the 1250’s) was used as a castle to protect the kings and queens of Croatia during the middle ages. One popular story, orated to me by Ivana is of Queen Jelena (Yelena). During her reign the Turks were attacking Zagreb and legend says that in order to save Zagreb she sold her soul to the Devil. The only way [View Full Entry]

---

---

Nela, a friend of Ivana, invited us to a village that her grandparents lived. It was just outside of Zagreb, maybe an hour and a half drive. On the way we kept seeing stork nests. Recently the Croatian government made a law to pay people for having a nest on their house (I think then to remove it), but we only saw them on telephone poles. When we arrived we were instantly fed, and a lot. Food kept coming, even after we stopped eating. Nela’s grandparents were excellent hosts and really happy to have us. Even though her Grandpa was told [View Full Entry]

---

---

Brasov is said to be the most visited area in all of Romania, but you would never know. The town is tiny and is easily explored on foot. The train ride from Bucharest to Brasov is pleasurable; you wind in and out of mountain villages in the Carpathian Mountain Range. The mountains, like back home, are covered with trees but are relatively low, because of their age. But there were still ice cream coatings on some of the peaks. Unfortunately the rivers are used as a secondary trash bin, so every now and then when some water gets caught, you can [View Full Entry]

---

---