St. Nicolas in Baska Voda

In the idyllic town Baska Voda in Croatia a statue is placed on the mole protecting the boats in the harbour. With the pebble beach and the churches to the east and the boats in the harbour to the west, the stature is looking to the south, watching the Adriatic ocean (see map of Baska Voda)

The statue of St. Nicolas holds up his right hand like he is telling the see to be kind. Saints have always played an important role withing Catholicism and the statue in Baska Voda is a strong symbol of the power and protection expected by the saints. If you believe or not - the statue on the mole gives a feeling of peace and safety.

A view over Trogir

The old town of Trogir is found on a small island between the mainland and the island Ciovo (See Trogir on a map). On the picture below you can see the town from the tower of the Kamerlengo Fortress.


The fortress and the unique collection of old bulidings on the small island have placed Trogir on UNESCO 's World Heritage List.

Among the churches seen on this picture we can see the grey roof on the tower of the Church of St. Dominic and further north you can see the tower of the Cathedral of St. Lovro. The third church is the Church of St. Michael.

The pebble beach in Tucepi

One of the best things about Tucepi is the long pebble beach. It is said to be more than 3 kilometers long starting in the harbour and ending up at the western part of the bay near the hotels of Tamaris and Neptun. At first I was a bit worried about the pebbles but after a couple of hours on the beach both adults and children were convinced that the pebbles could compete with sand.

The pebbles make the beach bright and clean. I even dared to bring my camera without beeing afraid of small grains of sand that could damage the camera. Walking along the beach was OK, but I preferred sandals as a longer walk gave an impression of "too much" foot massage.

Between the beach and the promenade there are an alley of pine trees which made spots of shadows where you could redraw if you have had enough of the sun. The children loved this area where they also did some climbing in the trees. Near the centre of Tucepi restaurants are found along the promenade and we could enjoy our meals while the children hurried back to the trees and the beach just a few meters away.
The pebble beach is found in almost every town along this part of the coast. Long pebble beaches is also found in the nearest towns; Podgora and Makarska.

Baska Voda in October

Baska Voda is one of the most popular towns on the Makarska Riviera. Two years ago I was in Tucepi on a holiday and we wanted to see more of this beautiful coastline in Croatia. First we went by bus to Makarska where we saw the harbour and the beach in the wester part of the town. A friend of us then recommended us to visit Baska Voda, and so we did.

15-20 minutes on a bus led us to the harbour in Baska Voda. We had heard about this popular and busy town but in October the town was quiet and peaceful. We went for a walk along the beach found in the centre of the harbor. At the end of the bay a new bay and a new beach started. We passed several hotels in the eastern part of the bay but we were the only ones who used the beach.

Back in the harbour we saw the statue of St. Nicolas. From the pier we could see the beach we had been walking on and the churches in the town. That view can be seen on the picture below.


Like the rest of the riviera Baska Voda also has those beautiful grey mountains as a background.

Sv. Juraj - A chapel in Tucepi

In Croatia chapels can be found in many locations, and in Tucepi there is a small chapel between two of the hotels in the western part of the bay. The old Sv. Juray church dates back to the 13th century and it looks even smaller than it is when found next to Hotel Tamaris.

Surrounded by high standard hotels (Neptun and Tamaris) the sight of the chapel makes you wonder how Tucepi looked like hundreds of years ago. Sv. Jura in more than just an old building; it makes you feel safe and it unerlines the peaceful atmosphere.
When walking in Tucepi and other small towns you will see many capels like this. In the nearby mountains (hills) there are small churches close to every small village along the tracks. Yes, they are small, but still they is an important part of the identity of this part of the coast.

Pismo Ćali - A beautiful version of the song

My favorite Croatian song is (beyond doubt) Pismo Ćali, also known as "Ćale moj". This song is about a young man writing a letter (= pismo) to his father (ćale). The lyric tells a story about a boy who misses his father and wants him to come home - in spite of things that had happened in the past. In the refrain the boy almost cries out; "My dad"(ćale moj).

A new version of this beautiful song is now to be found on youtube. In an "evergreen-program" we can see Đani Stipanićev sing his version of the song (after an introduction of the song and its history = 1 minute)

Norwegians love Tucepi

Norwegian travel agencies were recently asked about their most popular destinations/hotels. One of them declared aparthotel Tamaris in Tucepi as their third most popular hotel. Tamaris is a 4-star aparthotel with 40 apartments and 5 double room. The hotel is built close to an old chapel and only a few meters from the promenade and the beach.

Yes, I have been a guest at Hotel Tamaris and I it was easy to like the hotel, the people who worked there and the location. From our balcony we had a beautiful view.

In the evenings we could see the sun set and the last sunbeams being reflected by the Adriatic Sea.
It is hard not to love such a place. See more pictures of Tucepi.

The bridges to Trogir

The old city of Trogir is situated on a small islet only a few meters from the main land. When you walk around in Trogir you will probably cross one of the bridges shown in this post. Below you can see some photos of the bridges and the canal separating Trogir and the main land.

Some people says that Italy has got Venezia and Croatia has got Trogir. Water is all around.

The beach of Podgora

Podgora is a small and beautiful town on the Makarska Riviera. In this post I would like to show some pictures of the beach. The Croatian beaches are bright and clean, and so is the water. The pictures were taken in October when most of the tourists are gone.

If you visit Podgora in October you will have a lot of space and you don't have to spend time finding a free spot on the beach.

Makarska from a distance

This is the first post on this blog, and I would like to start with some pictures of one of my favourite areas; the Makarska Riviera. The center, and the biggest town, on the Riviera is (as the name says) Makarska. The pictures shown here is taken from a distance and they show how this beautiful town appear in the landscape.

The picture above is taken from the sea from a small boat we hired in Podgora.
Above we see Makarska bay as it appear from the southwest. Below we see the part of the harbour from where tourists can enjoy a trip on the Adriatic Sea and discover the beautiful towns along the Makarska Riviera. I could have cropped the pictures, but I love the grey mountains in this part of Croatia.