Depending on where you live, your experience of a southerly wind may be a warm, gentle breeze, or if you’re from Australia it’ll be something much more stormy! I’ve already mentioned that around the Adriatic, and indeed throughout the Mediterranean, the winds have names. The most powerful of them is the bura – that powerful…
This week marked the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto on 7th October 1571, which still ranks as one of the major events in the history of the Mediterranean, and indeed around the world. The Ottoman fleet was defeated by the Holy League in what was the last sea battle to be fought by man-powered…
There’s something rather attractive about the colours and textures of rust. It adds a warmth and interest to metal objects, and although it can be destructive, it’s also rather lovely. Rust, that is iron oxide, often has flakes and crusty layers in a complex mix of shades, as the process involves both oxygen and water…
The word for a door in Croatian is vrata, which comes from the old Slavic word vorta. It’s always plural, in the same way that trousers or pants are in English. And vrata means both the opening, and the object we use to close it up. Now that may be a wooden door, glass door or wrought-iron gate, inside or outside, in the house or garden or field – vrata covers all types.
The Dalmatian fjaka doesn’t really have a simple translation. Even the Spanish concept of siesta, taking a snooze on a hot afternoon, although related, doesn’t quite cover it. Fjaka is more of a trancendental mood where time stands still and mind and body drift in a totally relaxed state. Nothing happens. Any movement is simply…
Plavac Mali is a relative of Zinfandel in California, and Primitivo in Italy, so we’re generally comfortable that we know what a glass of Plavac will taste like. However, growing this Dalmatian native in its own, frankly marginal terrain can give very different results depending on the the soil, environment, heat, sea, rocks, etc, etc. We recently attended a guided tasting by Croatian wine authority, Saša Spiranec of some of the best Plavac wines from the prestigious locations throughout Dalmatia, to assess the quality, style and aging potential.
Birdwatchers on Hvar between May and September will encounter beautiful colourful bee-eaters. The European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) is a gorgeous bird which migrates between tropical Africa and southern Europe. Occasional pairs have tried to breed in Southern England but only five pairs in the last fifty years. On Hvar they can most often be heard…
Hvar is not just the island of sun, wine, and nude beaches. Because of its lush vegetation and plentiful water, it is an important staging post for migrating birds, and many of them spend the summer here. The lack of pesticides on the island is also a big factor in keeping the bird and other…
We always love to visit Carić winery, not just for their excellent wines, but also for the friendly chat and a chance to catch up with owners Ivana and Ivo Carić. Theirs is a small, family run operation with a growing reputation both within Croatia and internationally – in fact their Bogdanjuša wine was recently…
Where I grew up, in Edinburgh, only the older stone houses had working shutters, and those were on the inside of the windows to keep out the cold in winter. In much of southern Europe, houses are shuttered in the summer to keep out the heat. I also really enjoy the ability to close out the world when it gets cold, dark and wet in winter, especially when there’s a bura blowing! It’s all terribly convenient, and so much cheaper than extra heating or air conditioning.
Go Hvar 
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