I was awake early this morning, listening to the sounds of the night. The 4 o’clock bells had just struck and it occurred to me that it would be beautifully cool out on the terrace, and maybe the moon would be setting so I could see the stars. A full moon, particularly a supermoon, is…
It’s fun to take my sketchbook along on a walk instead of the camera, although it doesn’t half slow down progress! But what I lose in distance covered and numbers of images, I gain in terms of the quality of the scene imprinted on my memory. Places that I’ve sat and sketched are much more…
It’s fascinating to me what kind of equipment other artists choose to take when painting outdoors. We’re all looking for lightweight and compact, but at the same time we want all the familiar bits and pieces from the studio, just, you know, in case! So what do I take in my painting kit? To start…
Our week of exploring the Dalmatian coast is up and it’s time for us to head back home. On the way, though, we’ll be visiting another of Croatia’s National Parks – the spectacular Paklenica canyons. Velebit mountain is a huge coastal ridge, part of the Dinaric range bordering the eastern side of the Adriatic coast…
Arriving on Pag at the southern end across a big blue bridge, it felt like we’d landed on Mars. This is a very stark landscape, with red rocks strewn everywhere, no vegetation whatever, and the massive wall of Velebit looming across the channel. The lack of anything growing on the side of the island facing…
Interesting how the fates of two nearby prehistoric settlements should go in such different directions. Take for instance Iader and Aenona, both Liburnian towns on the Dalmatian coast, within about 14 km (9 miles) of each other. Both were mentioned by Pliny the Elder some 3,000 years ago. Iader is now a thriving city with…
Zadar is one of the few places on this trip that we’ve visited before, but that was only as a quick detour and we hadn’t actually stayed overnight. The old city is a lovely place to stay, as you can forget about driving, and simply walk around. And after dark it gets particularly magical! Anyway,…
Leaving Šibenik behind us, we headed northwards up the Dalmatian coast towards Zadar, with a bit of a detour around the lovely Lake Vrana Nature Park (not to be confused with the other Lake Vrana on the island of Cres.) This is Croatia’s largest lake, and a very important stop-off for birds on their annual…
Just inland from Šibenik lies the beautiful Krka National Park. Basically, it’s a deep canyon cut into the high karst plateau by the river Krka as it wends its way down to the sea. There are spectacular waterfalls, lakes, caves, natural rock formations, interesting flora and fauna – plus there’s cultural heritage, starting with the…
Just inland from Šibenik is the Sokolarski Centar for Falconry & Raptor Rescue. It’s in a small place called Dubrava, set in a woodland area with paths and buildings. This is a veterinary centre that rescues and rehabilitates wildlife, at the same time educating the public about birds of prey, and promoting the ancient art…
Go Hvar 
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