onerideaway
CROATIA
"To stay is to exist. To travel is to live."
Gustave Nabaud
Winter is a time of year when you meet very few people. We do a lot of sports, so we don't get bored, but we know that for other travelers, those who are mainly looking for the meetings and the animation of the cities, it is a much more difficult time of the year. In addition, let's be honest, life in a van in winter is not the easiest thing. Cold, humidity and loneliness are all factors that complicate the journey.
As soon as we arrived in the country, Croatia gave us a boost. She is also one of our favourites. Indeed, the milder temperatures, the sun and the sea make life in a van so much easier. Even though we love winter and winter sports, this change of atmosphere, the possibility of landing by the sea, buying fresh fish and being able to put on lighter outfits made us the greatest GOOD.
DECEMBER 2021
SIM - 120 GB for 19 CHF / 90 days at T-Hrvatski.
DIESEL - 1,618 CHF/L
EXCHANGE - 1 CHF = 7.75 HRK
WILD CAMPING - wild camping is prohibited in the country. A fine of 1500 euros, payable immediately, may be required. In the low season, however, there is some tolerance.
THINGS TO KNOW
the climb
In a few kilometers of road, we swapped our ski boots and our winter clothes for our climbing shoes and more spring outfits. We discovered the world of climbing in Croatia and we fell in love with the many spots and sectors dedicated to it. The different sites we discovered are: in the Buzet region, the Kompanj sector; Paklenica Park (amusement park for climbers); Karin near Zadar; Splitsko-dalmatinska in Split.
Plitvicka Jezera
This natural park is renowned for its many waterfalls and lakes. Even if this site is very touristy and you have to pay an entrance, it is really worth the detour. We are not usually a fan of places where nature pays off, but here the park offers a real plus. There is a nature without waste (this is not always the case here), wooden pontoons to navigate steep areas and to pass from one shore to the other of the lakes as well as boats and buses, them also included in the entrance ticket.
This corner of Croatia is so beautiful that there is something magical about it. We had a lot of fun walking around there.
The moment when everything stops
This photo is taken one day, when we wake up, when we don't know where we really are.
We arrive there at night without knowing what the place looks like. We park the van as flat as we can and go to bed. In the morning, when opening the sliding door, we discover this fabulous landscape, this enormous rocky canyon which overlooks this river. We are both inspired like never before. Chloé takes her pen and her travel diary to write and Sevan takes out his camera.
Sunrise
That morning, we woke up facing the sea with the sunrise. We admire this orange and pink landscape for a few minutes without saying a word. These are such precious moments of the trip that we will never tire of. Croatia is a place where we see a lot of sunsets and sunrises, each one more beautiful than the other.
New Year's Sunset
That evening, we admire the sunset brushing against the cliffs that we were still climbing just before nightfall. It's our New Year's Eve and we intend to have a little aperitif in front of the wind turbines which point the tips of their propellers above the sea of clouds. A beautiful show that life offers us to end this year 2021.
Šibenik
We visited different cities throughout our trip in Croatia, the city of Trogiv, Zadar, Rijeka, Split and finally Šibenik.
A city which, at first glance, makes you want to run away. We passed through an industrial area before arriving in the city whose urban fabric did not make you want to stop there. And yet, we went for a walk on entering the well-hidden gem of the city. We discover a somewhat medieval old town with old stone buildings and churches everywhere. We want to enter and cross every corner of the city, it's so beautiful and in a different context.
