A perfect place by the sea
Every year the Czechs’ top summer destination is the beautiful sun-drenched coast of Croatia, with Czechs travelling from Istria in the north to further south to towns like Zadar, Trogir, Split and Dubrovnik. It’s no surprise: the country is relatively close, has a wonderful sea, beautiful medieval as well as older Roman and Byzantine architecture, in short, it’s a fantastic place to go. The last time I was there, I travelled by bus and boat; this year, my return visit, was different – my first time by car with my wife, and our first vacation with our one-year-old boy.
Back in the cool days of March when we planned our trip, friends warned us off going by car, saying it would be too tough on the toddler, but in the end our boy was great. Sure, we had to stop over on the 1,000 kilometre drive to Istria but finally without too much trouble we made it to our destination: a village near a famous nature reserve known as Kamenjak, with a jagged coast right on the sea. It was marvelous. The thing I love about Croatia, apart from the sun, is the smell of the pine forests: this time I could share walks with my wife and child: for the first time, he heard the endless ‘zee-zeeing’ of crickets, watched lizards scamper across walls and rocks, and watched waves and boats on the sea.
Naturally, over fourteen days, the kid got used to the beach (one tiny cove where there was dark sand and not the rock typical of Croatia’s coast), perfect for a toddler. Older children hunted for tiny crabs and crayfish with nets, while sailboats rocked and powerful yachts moored in the distance. Our boy got used to running through cobbled streets of ancient towns we visited on day-trips. He got used to peering into open restaurant kitchens where chefs sautéed vegetables or fried squid. He even developed a taste for seafood by the time we headed back. All at the tender age of one and one month.
Along the way he also became something of a car addict: no day was complete without us allowing him behind the wheel of the parked car to play for half an hour with the steering wheel and various knobs and dials on the dashboard. Cars – or ‘Brrrrms’ as he calls them – became a major obsession before we headed back.
Speaking of which, departure from Croatia, was agonizing, as always. Just one more day, we wished. But eventually, it couldn’t be put off! It was time to head back.
As it was the first week into September, we hoped we would return to find an Indian summer in the Czech Republic, often still warm and pleasant at this time of the year. This year? We couldn’t have been more wrong! It was just 14 degrees when we crossed the border near Znojmo and we shivered until we unpacked warmer things from the trunk. The trip back, the kid slept through it all – one quick stop in Slovenia was really our last taste of summer, where we had a rich, fish and shrimp broth at a local pub. It was good.
Now the vacation is over, memories and photographs. At least the kid still has a mild tan (although we used a lot of powerful sunscreen) but it’s just enough to show where we went and spent 14 days: a perfect place, not too far away, by the sea.
