Expat in Croatia

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Expat in Croatia
All you need to live and travel like a local in Croatia

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Expat in Croatia
All you need to live and travel like a local in Croatia

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Immigration
Healthcare
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- Music
- People
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Where should I go?

Home > Travel > Where should I go?

Latest Posts

Visiting Kornati National Park

Visiting Kornati National Park

Peaks of the Balkans Trail

Peaks of the Balkans Trail

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expatincroatia

Food porn, anyone? Why do I even bother asking. W

Food porn, anyone?

Why do I even bother asking. We all like food. Food is good and in Croatia it can be very good. It can be downright triple X.

These dishes are some of my favorite in Croatia and inspired more than yummy noises.

1) Black truffle risotto from Pod Voltom in Motovun

2) Fennel, beet, hake, pickled onion, olive oil and seaweed at Draga di Lovrana in Lovran

3) Bolduska pizza with Brač shrimps drizzled post-bake with olive oil, garlic and parsley at Pizzeria Bepina in Split

4) Skradin risotto made over 3 days from rooster stock, veal, and Pag cheese at La Cantinetta in Skradin

5) Octopus salad from Kapetanova Lozje in Milna on island Brač

6) Black truffle omelette with olive oil at Stari Podrum (this is my favorite of this list)

7) Tuna carpaccio with capers at Konoba Levrnaka in the Kornati archipelago

Which one do you want to eat right gosh darn now? Choose between 1 to 7 in the comments.

Maybe there is a spectacular dish you just keep going back for somewhere in Croatia. Tell me about it! I could talk about food all day, we all as the Croatian bureacracy. 😊
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#truffle #blacktruffle #tuna #tunacarpaccio #risotto #octopus #octopussalad #hobotnica #omelette #pizza #motovun #motovuncroatia
#lovran #lovrancroatia #split
#splitfood #splitcroatia #kornati #kornatiislands #milnabrač #brac #islandbrač #islandbrac #foodporn #croatianfood #croatianfoodporn #hrvatskahrana #skradin #skradincroatia #tartufo

The end of the line. When people visit Split, it

The end of the line.

When people visit Split, it is easy to point to Diocletian's Palace or Marjan Hill or the beaches or the endless ferries shooting out to islands in a steady stream or the long coffees or Riva or even the fjaka as the reason this city is special.

For me, there is more to it than that. To love a city, to truly feel it in your bones, one needs to see and love the whole picture.

I have never lived in Split's city center. It's nice, but it's not all there is. I've spent a lot of time getting lost in the Yugoslav-built brutalist labyrinths that dominate most of Split. Each neighborhood has its own personality and architectural style. And of course, there is the graffiti.

Many of my fellow expats complain about all of the graffiti. I do not share this view. Of course, I could do with fewer dicks and zero swastikas. But, my feeling is that most of it adds character and color and dimension and also tells a story of that neighborhood and the people who have lived there.

During my road trip last week, everyone asked me "why Split?" I couldn't manage to summarize it into one bite size piece. The answer could not be pointed to.

After a long sunny meander around the city this weekend when I took these photos, all I could think was "this is why".
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#splitcroatia #split #splitgraffiti

“But Sara, you live in Split?” On my road

“But Sara, you live in Split?”

On my road trip up the coast last week, I could not hide my excitement about visiting Istria. More specifically, the forested, truffley part between Motovun and the Slovenian border.

I told all of you, and as well as anyone in earshot, how much I love Istria all week long, even before I got there. My exuberance could not be contained. I was bursting at the seams with joy. To which many responded “But Sara, you live in Split?”

Yes, I live in Split and work in Split and pay bills in Split. Anyone who has ever met me or read my posts or followed my social media or has met someone who has met me, knows I love living in Split. But, when I want to get away from it all and truly disconnect, I rent a car and hide in Istria. This županija allows me to completely drown in all the things that made me fall in love with Croatia in the first place.

Kind and generous people. Extraordinary food. Stone houses. Great wine. Windy roads. Clean air. Untouched nature. And silence, so much SILENCE.

I always stay in the same stone house atop a mountain overlooking the valley and reservoir. It is owned by a Slovenian and Istrian couple who make delicious olive oil and make me feel like family every time I’m there. Reaching their cottage alone is an experience I look forward to. First, I drive through a canopied fairytale forest, then make a comically vertical ascent that always makes my rental car struggle. The home stretch is a bob and weave over the mountain’s summit through little one-house villages.

Pulling into their rocky drive sets my holiday in motion and also signals Vlado and Nevija that I’ve arrived.

I’m barely out of the car before I see them cheerfully coming to greet me. After we exchange the customary dobar dan and kako ste, Vlado quickly jumps to the next stage in our ritual. “Sara, would you like to maybe drink something?” And thus, my Istrian adventure begins…

Everyone needs a place free of responsibilities and full of special treats. Where is your safe place?
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#istria #livade #motovun #istra #safeplace #croatia #roadtrip #stonehouse #split #istriacroatia #motovuncroatia #livadecroatia #oliveoil #villages #villa

Perfect timing. Five years ago, I took a wrong t

Perfect timing.

Five years ago, I took a wrong turn and ended up winding up and over Učka mountain instead of making it to the highway leading to the tunnel to Istria. I was so happy to have made that mistake.

It was Halloween. All the leaves had changed to yellow, red and orange. The breeze and sunshine flowed through the trees, causing all the leaves to glisten like flecks of gold.

Now, I am here again and on purpose. Thankfully my timing was spot on. I made it just in time to see the peak of Učka's vibrant colors.

Where do you like to see the fall colors? Or where do you hope to seem them one day?
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#fallcolors #naturepark #ucka #učka #uckanaturepark #beautifuldrives #istria #istra #mountain #roadtrip #fallroadtrip #fallroadtrips #changingleaves #changingleaves🍁 #falltrees #falltrees🍂🍁🍂 #redleavesofautumn #yellowleavesofautumn #autumn #autumnleaves #autumnleaves🍂 #croatiafulloflife #croatiafullofnature #croatiafullofcolours #croatiafullofmagic #croatia #hikingcroatia

Self portrait. Yesterday, I explored just a frac $Self portrait. Yesterday, I explored just a fraction of Risnjak National Park. I got in for free, because the attendant couldn't be bothered to sell me a ticket, which is such a classically Croatia thing to happen. So, my visit was off to a good start. I wandered through its fairytale woods for 3 hours, only to find out I probably saw only 2% of the park. Three things came to mind during my visit. 1. Will I run into Hansel and Gretel? 2. I should have brought my Little Red Riding Hood cape. 3. Am I going to get Blair Witched? I love that Risnjak is so "off the beaten path". While I loathe that phrase, it's appropriate in this context. Some trails didn't even look like trails at all. It felt like I was really on my own in the middle of the woods. That's just not possible in Plitvice and Krka where the path is obvious, planked and strict. I will always and forever encourage my Croatia lovers to go beyond the popular Krka and Plitvice to see Croatia's other national parks as well as its nature parks and reserves. They are vastly cheaper, practically empty and offer the same level of natural beauty. Have you visited one of Croatia's parks (that is NOT Plitvice or Krka)? If you haven't, which one would you like to visit? Tell me all about it in the comments. . . . #nationalparks #parkovi #parkovihrvatske #risnjak #risnjaknationalpark #gorskikotar #rijeka #forest #suma #woods #selfportrait #selfportraitphotography #croatia #offthebeatenpath #plitvice #plitvicelakes #plitvicejezero #krkanationalpark #plitvicenationalpark #krka #nacionalniparkrisnjak #nacionalni #nacionalnipark #nacionalniparkplitvice #nacionalniparkkrka #roadtrip$

During an evening stroll through the palace this w

During an evening stroll through the palace this weekend, I came across a poster of Grgur Ninski that said "Split. Where wishes come true.”

For those who don’t know, Grgur Ninski (Gregory of Nin) was a medieval Croatian bishop who, among other things, opposed the Pope. GASP.

Presently, a statue of Grgur guards the Golden Gate entrance to Diocletian’s Palace. It is said that you will be granted a wish by rubbing his big toe. So many have done this, his big toe is now a distinctly different color than the rest of his foot.

It’s unclear when or how this legend started. Even my history buff best friend who literally knows everything about everything @gytha_galic told me she didn’t know where it came from. GASP.

Regardless of where it came from, people every day roll by Grgur to fondle his big toe for a little bit of luck.

I did a drive by last week with a couple of my fellow Americans to do a covid-safe hover over the toe in hope of a favorable outcome to next week’s election in our motherland. Only time will tell if it works.

Whether it does or not, I do believe wishes come true in Split. From the time I was a little girl in Texas, I wished that I could live in Europe. I’m certain I told Grgur about it when I moved here. Now I do and can forever. That wish came true as have many others.

I’ve always wished to become a European citizen. I’m working on that right now, and I’m hoping Grgur will do me a solid once again.

Does Grgur really grant wishes or do we grant our own wishes? I’d like to think that all it takes is rubbing the toe of a giant statue that looks like Merlin the wizard to get what I want out of life, but that’s just wishful thinking. We have to work hard for what we want. Make choices. Take risks. Step outside of our comfort zone.

When I pass by Grgur and see that line of tourists queued up to get their photo rubbing the toe, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to live here. And that’s all I need.

If you were at the foot of Grgur right now, what would you wish for?
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#wishes #splitcroatia #grgur #dreamscometrue #statue #dalmatia #folklore #expatlife #expatsincroatia

I'm not sure water can get any cleaner than this.

I'm not sure water can get any cleaner than this. Growing up in the US, the "best beaches" we were told to dream about from the covers of magazines and travel shows were usually in the Caribbean or in Fiji or some faraway oasis in the middle of the Pacific. Long stretches of bleached white sand and deeply turquoise waters were the only criteria that matter, or so they said.

After coming to Croatia, I was exposed to a different kind of beach. In my opinion, it's a better beach. Water so clean, you can see 10 meters down and sea urchins monopolize the coast. The rippling blues are so richly hued, the sea is practically slurpable. And the best part of all, THERE IS NO SAND (for the most part).

Sand is overrated. Like glitter, it gets into everything and sticks around for a decade.

Beaches in Croatia are all unique of different shapes and sizes and colors and configurations and I love them so much.

Which is your favorite beach in Croatia? Are you a sand, stone or pebble person?
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#beaches #croatiabeaches #croatiafulloflife #seaurchins #adriaticsea #korcula #bluewater #bestbeachesintheworld #croatia #lumbarda

It was an unexpectedly sunny day in Split. Weather

It was an unexpectedly sunny day in Split. Weather forecast made it sound like we would need an ark to survive. Instead we enjoyed bright blue skies all day. Mother Nature said "I think you've had enough rain and cold. But you better make the most of it." Well lady, thank you. I did. 😊

What did your Saturday look like?
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#splitcroatia #diocletianspalace #palace #blueskies #Split #stonewalls

What is this little dinghy trying to tell me as it

What is this little dinghy trying to tell me as it gets tossed around the stormy seas?

Nikad dosta, which means "never enough". Never enough what? Perhaps the beauty is in the brevity, leading us to finish the statement on our own.

But, I can't help but wonder what the dinghy owner had in mind when he painted those red and blue letters. Never enough sun? Never enough chocolate cake? Never enough Hajduk? Probably the latter honestly.

For me, never enough friends. Never enough tacos. Never enough Croatia!

What is your never enough?
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#boat #storm #adriaticsea #littleboat #nikaddosta #dalmatia

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