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Kvarner and highlands

Those who cannot make up their minds whether to seek relaxation on the warm pebbles of a beach, or in the cool mountain peaks; whether to stay in an aristocratic villa or in a rural environment; whether to abandon themselves to the adrenalin-charged ferment of Mediterranean volatility, or to the healing infl uence of the silent ambience of a forest – for those, Kvarner is the ideal destination. Kvarner is all of that rolled into one. Kvarner makes everything possible since it combines three quite specific wonders: the wonders of the littoral, the islands and the mountains.

The littoral comprises a string of beautiful rivieras: Opatija, Crikvenica, Novi Vinodolski, and the area of Rijeka. Following one after another are locations originally designed for the pleasure of their aristocratic guests, while refl ecting the way of life of the common folk. The faces of the fi rst are dominated by elegant villas and parks that bring a breath of Mitteleuropa to the Mediterranean: Opatija is a sea-girt Viennese Court and the birthplace of Croatian tourism, followed closely by Lovran, Crikvenica, Mali Lošinj. Places like Volosko, Mošcenice, Mošcenicka Draga, Kastav, Brsec or Jadranovo show that it is also possible for life to develop around old fi shing villages. For sailors, the islands, those “blue gates to the Adriatic”, are little worlds in themselves. On the islands of Cres and Lošinj the village of Lubenice takes one’s breath away; Osor takes us back to the times of Antiquity; Lošinj is the home of old and seasoned sailors; Valun a hidden fi shing oasis. The island of Krk fascinates with its rich history, telling us stories of the feudal lords of Frankopan
and of Glagolitic traditions. It was there that the Baška Tablet (Bašcanska ploca) dating from AD 1100, this “Baptismal Certifi cate of the Croats” was discovered. The Romans described Rab as a blithesome island, and today its friends do the same. Nature has bestowed stone, sea and sheep to Pag and the human hand has provided it with cheese, lamb and lace.

The mountainous region of Gorski kotar is ruled by silence and clean, unpolluted air, inviting us to visit the source of the River Kupa, or to kayak down the Kupa and Dobra. It draws us to the mountain peaks, from where the view extends all the way to the sea and the Alps. Or to attempt to unravel the underground secrets of caves like Lokvarka, Vrela, and others. It offers us all the excitement inherent in the nature parks of Bijele and Samarske stijene, Vražji prolaz, and the Risnjak National Park. Lika, hidden from the sea by Velebit, the largest mountain in Croatia, is an area of untouched nature and with two national parks: the Plitvice Lakes, with its 16 lakes, listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, and Northern Velebit, rich in its biological diversity, with many species being endemic and practically all of which are protected, not to mention a terrifi c view of the sea. The River Gacka valley, with its ancient mills, crystal-clear waters and nimble, elusive trout, is a fantasy in real life.

croatia-small-hotels.com 2008