Here we are at the beginning of August and it’s been a doozy of a summer so far. Between the sweltering temperatures and the cloying humidity, it’s been difficult to breathe some days, let alone get up the energy to move. These are the days of the Dalmatian fjaka, sort of like a Spanish siesta,…
I wrote last year about the Dalmatian Black Pine, and the efforts to save this endangered species on the island of Hvar. In honour of Earth Day 2017 (22 April), here is my painting of a Dalmation Black PIne on Sv Nikola, the highest peak of the island. In the background is Mt Biokovo on…
A couple of years ago, we took a trip up to the summit of Sv Nikola, the top-most point of the island. It was January and a bitter wind was blowing, not to mention the odd shower of rain, but the scenery and the views were glorious! On the way down, we passed by a…
Sunrise and sunset can be spectacularly beautiful on the island. I love to get up early and enjoy the pretty dawn colours, streaks of delicate yellows, pinks and oranges. I sometimes attempt to capture the subtle lighting with my camera, but there’s only a fleeting window of opportunity to do it in, before the sun…
Tin Ujević was a real character, a bohemian kind of chap, a storyteller who frequented cafés and bars in the first half of the 20th century. He was one of Croatia’s best-loved poets, still is in fact, though he died 60 years ago this year. His work lives on in common culture, and just about…
For most of us, seaplanes seem an echo from the past, a remnant of times gone by, when travel was more adventurous, more glamorous. But they’re also visions of the future for Europe’s many islands and remote coastal areas – for example Scotland’s west coast, the Croatian islands, Italy and Greece. And around the rest…
For our third day of painting, we took the road up to the seasonal village of Humac. It’s a very pretty drive, with sweeping views over the Brač channel and much easier to navigate the road after the recent improvements. Humac itself is a farming village, the houses built by the folks of Vrisnik and…
Road trip day 2 saw us in the delightful medieval town of Šibenik. It lies on a bay created by the river Krka, directly facing the fairly narrow channel where the river exits into the Adriatic. The natural harbour has made the town an important trade centre over the years, and this place is seriously…
We just spent a happy couple of days exploring the latest in Croatian wines at this year’s Dalmatia Wine Expo. We’ve enjoyed going to this event since the first one in a sports hall in Makarska. It’s now a very polished conference complete with educational seminars and exhibiting winemakers, held at the Radisson Blu hotel…
Dalmatians say: To taste good, a fish must swim three times – once in the sea, once in olive oil, and once in wine! Although I’m generally not a fan of munching olives, I have to admit they are good in combination with cheese and anchovies to accompany a glass of wine. And I definitely…
Go Hvar 
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