Rovinj wrap up

It's my last night in Rovinj. And I am two days behind - and they have been busy ones. But I am snuggled in at my favorite cliffside bar so I will try to catch up.

  

Fjords in Croatia - who knew?

Late Monday night I was able to confirm a boat trip to the area just slightly north of here called - Lim Fjord. It's technically not a fjord as a river cut the channel into the land but it's close enough.

I met this lovely Bosnian girl, Gaby, on my first night while inquiring about fishing trips. She was able to organize this trip with her boss, Palo. It wasn't inexpensive but it was a fun day visiting places that would be hard to visit otherwise. And it was a day on the water too. Win/win

Our first stop -after a brief tour around the waters and islands of Rovinj, was Tony's Oyster Shack for a few very mineral flavored but good oysters, a couple tasty cherry stone clams and a glass of wine. The fjord is completely protected environmentally so the water is perfect for farmed shellfish. They are also growing mussels too but it is between seasons.

Tony's operation is farm to table with his helper pretty much shucking continually. It's not really a restaurant as it is a tasting dock. But it was worth it.

(The other non-private charters just tour the fjord and make a quick stop where we head next. )

That stop was a cave formed in the middle of the limestone cliffs. It is proported to have been used by Captain Morgan - who I didn't even know was a real person. (Apparently the 'Morgan' surname is popular around Lim and that isn't very Croatian) after the climb up from the dock, I guess this would be a good pirate hideout. At least it makes a good tourist story. We skipped the rum and went straight to raki which is much like grappa or that ouzo-like drink I had in Iraq. The only difference is the flavoring that is added. We had an herbal variety and a sweeter version. They were both nice and surprisingly smooth. (It's moonshine made from fruit - just add sugar, cook down and run through the still. It you want more flavor, soak more fruit in it)

We made a quick trip to a little town - strange to see a marine at the base of a medieval hill town. But everything was running long so we opted for a quick walk around and then off for a swim.

Much like the waters in Slovenia, the sea is incredibly clear due to the white limestone floor. And after I dove in, I realized it is highly saline and it is almost impossible to sink.

The next thing I noticed was the amount of naked people wandering around their boats. There are a lot of Germans here and they aren't shy. So I guess anything goes.

I couldn't believe we chewed up 4+ hours so quickly.

During the ride back Palo explained that his father fishes as a hobby but it isn't easy to run charter trips. And there isn't a huge demand.

(As you are reading this, you are surely asking, why were these people so nice to a stranger. Gaby was incredibly sweet and I think liked to idea of helping a fellow traveller. And she is only here for two more weeks, so perhaps it was a nice end of season treat. Who knows!)

After a quick rest at the apartment, I had one of my best meals of the trip. Tutto Bene is a tiny place just over the fake bridge to the mainland. The owner Joseph was a complete lunatic who insisted on calling me Scotty.

Dinner was an amazing 'tuna ham' carpaccio salad - which was slightly cured but still moist and flavorful. My main was an octopus goulash - tender tentacles in a thick tomato broth with homemade spinach pasta. A few glasses of local white wine and it was time for bed. Couldn't even muster a gelato - but Joseph did send me two glasses of homemade limoncello.

Wine tasting near Porec

This morning I had an early call for planned wine tasting/tour. I met my companions, a nice couple from Canada while we waited for our guide, Goran. I booked this so long ago, I mostly forgot the schedule. But we visited three wineries in the general area - one very small and local, and two that are larger and but quite different approaches.



Croatia has produced wine for decades but under Tito it was only distribute internally. And the breakup, entrepreneurs began to educate themselves and reinvigorate the vineyards. The two home favorite grapes are white - Malvazija and red - Teran. They are both lovely easy drinking wines. And they are mostly drunk young without aging.

The orange wines that are so popular in the US and were readily available in Slovenia are a bit of an afterthought in Croatia. The key to the orange wine and the reason it is thought to be the original process - is the white grape skins are not separated from the juice, so the wine takes on an orange color. The skins also maintain the tannic finish of a red wine. I had specifically asked to taste a few but the skins are only kept in contact for a less than a day, giving a darker color but not a huge taste distinction.

We had a fabulous lunch of assorted pastas and a nice salad. And several servings of locals meets and cheeses, fresh bread and olive oil. (And I had a raki)

    

Goran was very knowledgeable and good fun as a guide. It was a good day.

I am mostly packed, hence a cocktail break. Headed out early to get another rental car and find lunch in Istria before I wind up in Opatija, a beautiful Austria inspired city.