Dogs and fishing in Croatia

Finally - the sea!

Thermal baths, rivers and lakes in all their glory - after traveling through a sizzling hot Europe where we've been constantly sweating and looking for shade, we couldn't wait to get to the Mediterranean. Or, to be precise, the Adriatic Sea, which we reached after a few hours by rail from Slovenia. What an amazing feeling when the train finally came into the station in Pula and the glittering blue water appeared outside the train window! 🌊🌞🚄

 

 

As Pula is located by the sea and is a typical seasonal tourist town, an abundance of boat trips promoted by the many guide companies were lined up along the quay and beach promenade. Just like bouncers in bars and nightclubs, the salesmen would scout the tourists strolling by, eager to sell them a trip to the Brijuni Islands National Park, snorkelling excursions, sunset sailing and dolphin tours. Through our CS host Marusa, we got in touch with Zana, a woman who organizes various boat trips from the nearby beach village of Fažana, and decided to join a trip out to the Brijuni Islands. Touristy, yep definitely. But there was no other way to get out at sea and discover the protected Brijuni archipelago. And it was actually quite a nice trip. On the Jerolim island we stopped for a couple of hours and took the opportunity to go for some snorkelling. Tim spent the entire time in the crystal clear water and was totally fascinated by the world below the surface with all the amazing colorful fish 🌈.

And speaking of fish, what would a trip to the Mediterranean be like if we didn't get the chance to try the local fishing? 🐟🐟🐟 Unfortunately, it turned out that, like most seaside tourist destinations, booking a trip with a fishing guide was staggeringly expensive. However, through our contact Zana, we managed to get hold of a fishing guide who agreed to take a trip with us at a lower price. His name was Čedo (pronounced "chedo", which had led to him get a tattoo of Che Guavara on his forearm. "Not that I'm a fan of his or anything, it was just for fun") and had been fishing since the age of 4, the last 15 years as a fishing guide for tourists. Every morning he got up at 3 o'clock to be ready to go out on the boat an hour later. The early morning fishing was the best, he said. By the time we left Fazana harbour - around dinner time - it was usually at its worst. And we were soon to find out. The first two hours were completely silent, not a nudge on the hook, and only when we were about to throw in the towel and head back ashore, things started to happen. But even if just two small fish bit and we let them both return into the big blue again, it was better than nothing and we returned home with a great feeling of gratitude after our evening at sea.

This is what we did in Croatia:

Tim went through every tourist shop in Pula

 

Walked and cuddled the dogs

Had a home-cooked dinner with our host couple