by Helen | Aug 29, 2023 | Croatia, Travel
Although we’ve now lived in Croatia (Istria, to be exact) over six years, and we’ve done lots of exploring, we are still yet to discover the hotspots of Split and Dubrovnik and the more southerly islands. It’s not out of lack of interest or for want of trying, but we’re still finding so much to still discover closer to home. And especially now that Croatia has joined the Schengen Zone, living very close to the Slovenian border, we find that heading north or over into Italy, is so easy. But, we’ve not neglected the more southerly parts of Croatia, having visited Zadar two or three times, Murter Island and the beautiful city of Šibenik. About four hours down the Adriatic highway, this is a real gem of a city – especially if you love your history, as it is steeped in it.
It’s the perfect city for wandering, as its centre is compact and you can just lose yourself along the winding, cobbled streets. You’ll never get lost as you can always head back down to the sea to get your bearings, or just keep the imposing UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sibenik Cathedral of St. James, as your marker, as it dominates the skyline of the old town. Built over 105 years (1431-1536) in Gothic and Renaissance styles, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered one of the best examples of medieval architecture. There are a few unique features to this Cathedral such as its walls which were built entirely of stone with no mortar or other binding material. On the outside of the walls are 71 sculpted human heads of some of Sibenik’s residents during the period of the Cathedral’s construction – and this was quite something at the time, as ordinary people were given recognition for an important development in the city.
The town hall is located across from the Cathedral of St James, on the city’s main medieval square, the Square of the Republic of Croatia. It’s a Venetian-styled building, resplendent with elaborate carvings. Although the Town Hall was rebuilt after it was damaged during World War II, it still resembles the original one which was built in the middle of the 16th century. The cafe style restaurant is a perfect vantage point for viewing the Cathedral and doing a spot of people watching.
The Old Town’s streets, paved with now shiny white marble, are filled with beautiful old stone buildings and pretty squares full of small boutiques, souvenir shops, modern cafes, restaurants, laid-back bars, museums, old churches and monasteries. Sibenik is a walking-friendly city because it’s mostly pedestrianised. The lack of cars, whizzing around, is a real bonus, and the city feels tranquil and peaceful as noise is really reduced. The promenade fringes the edges of the Old Town, so it’s very easy to be in the beating heart of the city one minute and sitting by the sea, the next.
We stayed for three nights (all paid, no freebies etc etc) at the absolutely stunning Life Palace Hotel, located right in the centre of the old town, on Ulica Kralja Tomislava. Right outside the 15th-century Marenci Palace, is a beautiful little piazza, which was the perfect place for an evening drink, and breakfast in the morning. With only seventeen rooms, this hotel could really be described as boutique, with its very sympathetic restoration, combining the heritage of the building and some luxurious modern touches, including a little roof top spa.
With a history as rich as Dubrovnik’s, although definitely more tranquil, Šibenik is perfect for a mini city break on its own, or as stopover if you are exploring the nearby Kornati islands. Whatever you do, though, don’t overlook it. You won’t regret it.
by Helen | Aug 29, 2023 | Renovation
Ever since I saw this photo, I knew exactly what the garden at the rear of the house needed to look like. And, luckily, our builder was totally on board and could see the vision we had. Now, four months on, I couldn’t be happier with the way it has turned out. For six years, we’ve tinkered around the edges of the space at the back of the house, not really knowing what to do with it, because we weren’t entirely sure what we wanted to do with the little stone house we’d bought from a neighbour, to increase our footprint and to ensure that no-one else could buy so close to our property. It’s been through various stages of “renovation” but nothing we did ourselves, ever seemed right, as our attempts were pretty amateurish because we aren’t builders.
However, I think even our pretty unprofessional attempts did improve the area, from what it was like when we first moved in. The photos above show what sat behind our house – and it was in this state for a good three of four years, as we focused on other renovation priorities. But gradually we did start to tackle this tumbledown mess, and clear it, whilst still working out what we were going to do with it eventually. Would we renovate it? Would we demolish it? We kept coming back to these questions, as we tinkered around the edges, but we know that either option could be a potential money pit. So, the house walls were cleared of the years of accumulated vines – we couldn’t touch the roof, as this was too unstable and would need a specialist who knew what they were doing, and the area around was dug out and cleared, too. White stones were laid and conifer trees, in pots, were finally put in place, to create a “wall” for privacy and also to demarcate our boundaries.
But, even when cleared, this still seemed very makeshift and I think our minds were made up over Christmas 2022, when, in high winds, some of the roof tiles and stones were dislodged and fell into the house. It was becoming a potential danger and so we set about planning the demolition and creation of a private, walled garden. Demolition work started in February 2023, and we thought that by the start of spring, we’d have a beautiful walled garden. Wrong! It was in fact August, by the time it was all completed. partly due to a prolonged rainy spell in the spring and also due to me asking for lots of changes. I do probably need to stay off Instagram and Pinterest.
However, thanks to our two lovely builders, we do now have the garden of our dreams. We also took the decision to have the living room window (middle one in the photo above) replaced with French doors and with a small balcony leading out and steps down into the garden. During the initial stages of the build, a neighbour also insisted that everything stop and we have our boundaries double checked, causing a pretty costly delay. But hey, that’s all behind us now and we’ve been able to totally kick back and enjoy our Mediterranean inspired garden. The absolute garden of our dreams.
by Helen | Aug 17, 2023 | Slovenia, Travel
Piran, on the tiny sliver of Slovenian coastline, is very close to our home – about 35kms, through beautiful countryside and across the border, which now, thanks to Croatia joining the Schengen Zone, is open and we have free passage. Hurrah! Recently, we visited this lovely coastal town, and rather than heading home, we decided to stay over, and opted for Art Hotel Tartini, located right on Tartini Square, overlooking the Adriatic. The square is named after one of Piran’s most famous sons – Giuseppe Tartini, born in 1692, an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. A statue of Tartini now stands in the main square.
Art Hotel Tartini sits on the main square, and its location is perfect if you want to be in the hustle and bustle. Although, to be fair, we’re not talking a town which is rammed – when we stayed, in July, by the evening, the square was pleasantly busy, as a lot of day-trippers had left and it was evident that lots of locals were out and about. The hotel has been renovated and is quirky and in places, really beautiful.
Photo credit : www.arthoteltartini.com
It’s definitely what we’d think of as an “art” hotel – unique pieces of original artwork on the walls, by renowned Slovenian artist Jaša, and lots of graffiti inspired work on communal walls and floors. Yes, do look down! The communal areas – reception and dining area, in particular – are utterly gorgeous.
We booked a room which was described as a double room, with a balcony and sea view – which to be fair, was accurate, but the balcony was tiny. Only room for two small fold up wooden chairs. As we were only there for one night, this was not an issue for us, but for anyone staying any longer, hoping for a balcony to sit out on, and enjoy the views, it might be worth knowing that there isn’t the space to do this…
View from our room
To be fair, the room did have a balcony…
Perhaps the best way to sum up this hotel is to read the review I did of it, after our stay – which I titled “An Enigma of a Hotel”…
This hotel is a bit of an enigma. In a stunning location, right on Tartini Square, and with the most beautiful communal areas – lovely artwork, furnishings etc. The breakfast area is lovely – as is breakfast. Unfortunately, when we stayed (a Monday in July), both the restaurant and the roof top terrace were closed. We couldn’t ascertain if this was because it was of the day of the week, or if one/both of them are permanently closed. Such a shame because we could see the bar & it looked fab. So, why an enigma? Well, the refurbishment has been executed brilliantly in places – we particularly liked the floors. These had obviously originally been carpeted and glued down – and we all know how difficult carpet glue is to remove. Well, if we’re right, the hotel came up with an ingenious solution – cover in resin! The result was very unique and individual, and in some places, messages are written on the floors. Look down in the lift. Our room was quite basic, but clean – a very comfy bed with great linen, and ample storage if you were staying a few nights. We did have a balcony & a sea view, as requested, but the balcony was very small. Only enough space for two fold up wooden chairs, so if your idea is to relax on the balcony, you might want to check out what else is available in the hotel. The bathroom was a bit strange & I’m still undecided if it was “arty” (shabby chic), or just a bit in need of some TLC. Original tiles have obviously been painted over & some are peeling in places. A strange contraption – for air con maybe? – made intermittent noises which were annoying, but I have to say we didn’t hear them in the night. Wi-Fi kicked in OK but then was very inconsistent – not an issue for us as we were only there for a night, but any longer and I think you’d want it looking at.
However, even with the little “quirks”, there was sufficient about Art Hotel Tartini to make it a very enjoyable stay, and we wouldn’t hesitate to book again, next time we’re over in Piran. Special mention must go to the breakfast – an extensive collection of good quality food, including cold meats, cheeses, pastries, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, yogurts, juices, coffees. I think I also spotted a bottle or two of prosecco, if a Buck’s Fizz is to your fancy in the morning.
It’s also worth knowing that there is NO public parking at all in the centre of Piran. There is a large car park about 1km away, where you need to park up and either take a stroll along the sea front, or hop on of the free shuttle buses where you can get off at Tartini Square, just opposite the hotel. The hotel also validates the parking ticket on check-out and you receive a discount.
by Helen | Aug 16, 2023 | Renovation
It seems as if we have once again, shared our home and garden, with builders, for a considerable period of time. But we haven’t really – it’s only been four months – but we’ve been so keen and excited to get to the finishing line, that it just seems like we’ve lived in construction chaos for a long time. It’s now all done at the rear of the house – the last lick of paint has been applied, the last payment tranche has been made and the plants and sunbeds and accessories are all in place. And finally being used! I suppose we should be delighted that all work has finished, but it never really does, does it? And, so the builders are back – this time tackling the steps and small balcony at the front of the house. An area which should have been done way back, as the steps are horrible, the concrete has cracks in it and the balcony has no wall, so anyone could take a tumble. But anyway, back to the rear of the house and how our beautiful garden emerged…
Next up. How we designed and filled our Mediterranean inspired garden…
by Helen | Jul 6, 2023 | Lifestyle
We made this last night, and it is utterly delicious. It’s super simple to make and requires very few ingredients that you’d probably have in the cupboard anyway.
what you’ll need
- 2 tbsp butter/olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 500 g (1lb) mushrooms sliced
- 1 tsp heaped fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp flour
- 300ml cups stock (we used veggie stock)
- 250 ml sour cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (didn’t have this & leaving it out made no difference to its taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Fresh parsley to serve
We think it was the fresh thyme which made this so delicious – there are very few herbs/seasonings in it, but it packed a punch taste-wise. Well worth using the fresh stuff if you can, as it tastes, for some reason, very different to any other mushroom stroganoff we’ve made/had in a restaurant.
what you’ll need to do
- Heat butter/olive oil over low heat;
- Add the chopped onions and sliced mushrooms and cook for 15 minutes until the mushrooms are golden brown and the onions are soft;
- Add the garlic and thyme leaves then sauté for another minute;
- Stir in the flour and cook for a minute then pour in the stock and whisk until the flour has been mixed into the liquid;
- Reduce the heat then gently simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly then stir in the sour cream (and mustard);
- Season with salt and pepper and cook for another minute or two;
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary then serve over pasta or rice with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Served with rice and crusty bread – and a nice, crisp white wine – it was a lovely summery meat-free dinner dish. Highly recommended.
Image : www.simply-delicious-food.com
by Helen | Jun 30, 2023 | Renovation
It’s only called the Secret Garden because it’s partly hidden from view and it sounds a whole nicer than the back garden. Since the weather broke and we’ve had lovely long days of hot sunshine, the builders have been beavering away, trying to recreate our vision. Back in Manchester this was easy, as we just discussed with our builder, what we wanted. Here, it’s a bit different, as we have four languages on the go between us – English, Croatian, Italian and German – and so we’re reliant on translation apps, long word docs translated and diagrams. We’re delighted that this diagram is being interpreted pretty well, and soon, we should in reality, what we’ve been holding in our heads for a very long time.
So, lots of progress has been made over the last couple of weeks.
- the istrian stone surrounds have been finished around the opening for the French doors;
- a beautiful Istrian stone slab has been laid just inside the doors, in the living room;
- the French doors, after much tussling and manoeuvring to get them to fit snugly against our wonky walls, have finally been installed;
- the concrete platform, outside the living room has been constructed, with a lovely wall around the edges, and the steps going down into the garden are in now in place – the wall has been rendered and tomorrow all will be painted white;
- the digger has arrived and the excavation in the new garden has started to create the two levels which will be joined by wide concrete steps – however, work on this has stopped as more drilling machinery has to be brought in to smash up a HUGE foundation stone (from the old house) which has just been discovered:
But, things are now looking very different and a real shape is beginning to emerge. The attention to detail to which our builder pays is absolutely second to none, and we are so delighted with what is emerging. A particularly lovely feature – which seems very small and inconsequential – is that at the bottom of the balcony (which has been built with a very slight decline), there is a square shaped “hole” and a metal plate inserted, where the rain water will flow into, and off and away. To us, this is a massive bonus, as when it rains here, it really rains, and the last thing we want is water pooling outside the living room.
We’ve also had major progress along the side of the house. This area, when we bought the house, six years ago, was nothing more than a track. Quite pretty in the summer, when the grass grew and we had wildflowers but a complete mess in the winter, when it was bare and it turned into a mud bath when it rained, because the cars churned it up. This access road also made finding the house for anyone, quite tricky, as it did look like part of a field – and who accesses their house via a field?
The house, when we viewed it…
When the rains came…
Mudbath….
This situation obviously couldn’t continue, but we couldn’t just address it ourselves, as this used to be the old road into the village and is owned largely by the local municipality, and also a number of locals. The road is no longer used as a road – there is a dead end and it’s only used by us to access our house and occasionally, one neighbour to access the rear of his property. So, we approached the local council, who came out to see the “road” and agreed that something had to be done about it. The result being that a big lorry load of stones arrived and the road was hard surfaced, all the way from the main entrance to beyond our house. We were very grateful for this, as it happened in the winter time, and so for the first time since we moved in, when it rained, we could drive into our property without fear of skidding, when it was muddy. However, as with most things which are done by other people who don’t perhaps have the same investment as you, over time, it became clear that the road really needed to be “finished off”. Large stones were still at surface level, because they hadn’t been properly compressed and this made walking on it, quite tricky in places. The stones also didn’t go to the edges, and it was starting to look a bit raggedy. So, we decided to complete what had been started.
This week, our go-to-white-stones guy, delivered twelve cubic metres and along with one of our builders, who’s been compressing the stones with proper machinery, we’ve been spreading and levelling…
We’re still not entirely finished – there’s still raking and filling to be done, but wowsers – it’s an improvement from 2016!
by Helen | Jun 21, 2023 | Interiors
In keeping with a lot of the renovation and redecoration work we’ve been doing throughout the house, we’ve taken the decision to revamp the largest bedroom. This is a lovely room, with two windows with views across the fields, and over to the woods. In the winter, when the trees are bare, you can see up to the village of Zrenj and its pretty, illuminated campanile. The room is really spacious, with a very high apex ceiling and beautiful original beams, now painted a very soft pale grey.
I’ve become a bit obsessed with finally living a house that is inspired by those amazing white/neutral houses you see on Instagram. You know the ones – in an impossibly beautiful location, usually on a Greek island. Or Mallorca. Or Puglia. I’ve also become a bit obsessed with decluttering and creating a feeling of space around us. The Well Room has been transformed into a white oasis – perfect in the summer, because the windows overlook a little copse and the contrast between the white room and the lush, green foliage outside is just beautiful. The bedroom was chosen as the next room to be made-over as it’s the one we use most often, and it was definitely time for a change.
- The vines which we’ve had wrapped around the beams for a few years, lovely as they were, have now gone, meaning that the full height of the room, and the gorgeous beams, can be fully appreciated;
- The navy blue floor – gone. Now a lovely satinwood white, which has immediately lifted the room;
- All of the woodwork – door, door frames, window frames and surrounds – are all painted white, meaning that the whole room just feels a lot more balanced;
- Patterned/coloured bedding has been replaced with all white;
- Accessories have been pared back – it’s been quite satisfying boxing quite a bit up, as it feels as if we are beginning to organise our lives for the next big move;
- The one big splash of colour we have added, is to replace the long floor length cream curtains, with the most gorgeous velvet duck egg blue black out curtains – making sleep, especially in the summer, a lot better!
It’s still not quite finished – we still have the new outdoor rattan sofa and twp chairs and a table, for the new garden, sitting in this room – and we’re still stripping back on accessories and throws etc. But it’s getting closer and closer to that white Mediterranean inspired bedroom, I think I’ve always wanted.
by Helen | Jun 19, 2023 | Lifestyle
I’m so glad summer is here for lots of reasons, but one of the main ones, is that our food intake changes. Gone are the stews and heavy soups of winter, which are delicious, but can be just a bit too much on the comfort side of food. Over the past couple of months, these have been gradually swapped out for much lighter meals, which are also generally now eaten outdoors, rather than in front of the fire, watching TV. A delicious summery savoury tart was the order the day recently – very few ingredients and so easy to make, you literally don’t need a recipe for it…
what you’ll need
- one packet of filo pastry
- jar of basil pesto
- cherry tomatoes
- feta cheese
- fresh thyme
- chilli flakes
- salt and pepper
I suppose you could definitely make your own filo pastry, but when you can buy this frozen and just roll out, when needed, why bother? I like cooking when it’s uncomplicated and faff-free, and to me, making your own pastry, is neither of these. And, unless you are a pastry maestro, I’m guessing it tastes just as good as home made. On this occasion, we used a jar of pesto, but this is one thing I usually don’t mind making, as it’s all just blitzed in the nutri-bullet.
what you’ll need to do
- roll out the pastry into an ovenproof dish/tin – keep it on the paper it’s rolled in too, as this is OK to go into the oven and it makes slicing and lifting the tart very easy, Prick the pastry all over with a fork;
- Dollop big spoonfuls across the pastry – leave a little in the jar for later – and smooth out so that the base is covered;
- Slice the cherry tomatoes and feta and squash down into the pesto;
- Sprinkle with the fresh sprigs of thyme, olive oil and chilli flakes and season with salt and pepper
Cook at 180° for about 25 minutes. Slice and serve. What could be easier?
by Helen | Jun 13, 2023 | Slovenia, Travel
Slovenia has just 47km of coastline on the Adriatic Sea, but it certainly makes the most of it. Three seaside towns – Koper, with its medieval core, Izola, known for its good restaurants, and glorious Piran – are full of important Venetian Gothic architecture, and have clean beaches, boats for rent and rollicking bars. That said, the coast is overbuilt, and jammed with tourists from May to September. If you’re looking for solitude, head for the hinterland to the south or east where ‘Slovenian Istria’ still goes about its daily life.
Lonely Planet is spot on about the Slovenian coastline, especially the bit about “Slovenian Istria”. When we drive to Italy – the big supermarkets in Trieste are as close as the ones here in Istria – we often take the longer coastal route, because it is stunning. It’s also so much easier now that Croatia has joined the Schengen Area, as we now just drive through what used to be the manned border points – this all became a bit more stressy after Brexit, but since 1st Jan, our journeys into Slovenia are a joy. The towns on the Adriatic coast – Portoroz, Piran and Izola, as well as the main port of Koper – are all beautiful. Very Venetian, unsurprisingly, as this area was under Venetain rule for many years. Cobbled streets, cplourful houses, loggias, and salt pans. Yes, that’s right – salt pans, established over a thousand years ago, and still being worked, with a very beautiful salt spa in the heart of the Sečovlje Salt Pans.
We’ve rarely stopped here though, as we’re normally on a mission – supermarket, IKEA, diy store etc. But at the weekend, after days of rain, the sun returned and we decided to stop off at the beach on the edge of the of the Strunjan Landscape Park, unique due its location by the sea. As with lots of “beaches” around the Gulf of Trieste and the northern Adriatic, these areas are normally pebbly or man-made concrete structures. Forget your fine sand. But, and this is a massive *but*, the lack of sand does NOT, in any way, put people off sunbathing. You’ll always see, throughout the season, hardy sunbathers, often lying on the concrete on nothing more than a beach towel. The thought of it makes me shudder!
So, on Saturday, when we decided to make a post-Koper detour to Strunjan, I was delighted to find more comfortable options were available. The car park is almost on the beach, fringed by pine forests and along the very lovely front are two or three bar/restaurants with outside seating. An area with sunbeds is also available, slightly away from the bars. This little bay is just so pretty, surrounded by forested hills, a view of Piran across the bay and lovely villas dotted across the hills. The water was clear and turquoise blue, with morning swimmers and paddle boarders enjoying the warm sunshine. A couple of snazzy, but understated cream and navy blue yachts, were moored up just off the coastline – these always make me want to just sail away…
We’ve had some very awful weather recently, with torrential summer rain and thunderstorms which have been accompanied by fierce lightning. We did manage to squeeze in an hour of hot sunshine at the beach, before the thunder storm clouds rolled in again. By the time we got home, the storm had passed, leaving behind some pretty dramatic cloud formations, wrapped around the pink Palazzo in Oprtalj. Which looks stunning at any time of year and in any kind of weather.
Thankfully, the very dramatic weather seems to have retreated and we are back to normal with our summer weather in Istria – hot, sunny, humid and when a cool breeze drifts by, you are very grateful for it. And with these increasing temperatures, I think we’ll be forcing ourselves to spend quite a bit more time by the Adriatic. Although not on a concrete sunbathing platform…
by Helen | Jun 13, 2023 | Lifestyle
It’s definitely red pepper season here, as supermarkets are bursting with them. We picked up a big bag of them recently and made a super spicy chilli at the weekend, full of these flavoursome ruby red vegetables. But there was still an excess of them and rather than letting go off – which often happens – I decided that a soup was the order of the day, for a meat free Monday meal. Soup is so, so easy to whizz up and everyone will have their own favourites and ways of doing them, but this was so delicious, I just thought I’d share what was used to enhance the flavour.
Firstly, the remaining peppers (of which there were quite a few – maybe seven or eight), were roasted in an oven proof dish, with olive oil, salt and pepper, until charred. To speed up the charring, they were blitzed under the grill for a final five minutes.
A large white onion was finely chopped and sauted with a little olive oil until translucent and soft in a large pot. Once it had softened down, the charred roasted peppers were added, along with a few whole garlic cloves, half a jar of sun dried tomatoes and vegetable stock.
This was simmered for about 30 minutes and then blended until completely smooth and creamy using an immersion blender. Plenty of black pepper was added at this point, but only a pinch of salt, as there was enough saltiness from the stock, sun dried tomatoes and pre-seasoned peppers. Once blended to a creamy consistency, the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon was stirred in, to give it a little bit of a tart taste, and to balance out the sweetness of the peppers and tomatoes. It could easily be served just like this, straight from the pan, but a dollop of Greek yoghurt was added and drops of basil pesto – perfect for dipping big chunks of nutty bread into.
what you’ll need
- red bell or pointed peppers (we used 7 or 8)
- 1 yellow onion
- half a jar of sundried tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and whole
- 1 fresh lemon, squeezed to get all of the juice
- vegetable stock (how much depends on how thick you want the soup’s consistency to be)
- salt and pepper to season
- olive oil
- basil pesto
- Greek yoghurt or creme fraiche for topping
