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How can I describe Istra? Words fail me, maybe... a feast for the senses....? We had been told that it was like Tuscany, but not having been there, I can't comment. It is beautiful, rolling hills, fertile valleys and everything is green. Istra is famous for its wine, olive oil and truffles- we can certainly second that!
We chose to stay the week in a small village just out of Pazin, in central Istra, which meant that we could make day trips easily to the surrounding countryside.
Our stone cottage was amazing, tucked away down a tiny lane on top of a hill, surrounded by forest. It took some finding but we did it. The villagers did not speak English but they were quick with a smile and a wave!
Each day we followed our noses to medieval hilltop villages and hidden Konobas, stopping here and there to taste olive oils and sample the local wines. (Geoff has become an ardent fan of Ožujško beer) . We saw a farmer harvesting feed for his animals with a scythe and tossing it onto a tractor with a huge pitchfork and one time ... a deer jumped out in front of the car! It was just so picturesque....
But I have to confess, it has all been about truffles....Istra is famous for truffles and, we found ourselves right in the heart of truffle country , unaware of the delights awaiting us.
We have been seduced by truffle pasta, truffle pizza, truffle salad, truffle soup with wild asparagus, truffle cheese .....and we have developed a "nose" of our own- we could smell truffles when we walked into a restaurant last night! The best thing is, we are not "truffled out," ( a bit of a worry...)
We managed to drag ourselves away from the interior and visit Novigrad on the west coast where all the fishing boats were lined up along the wharf and indulged in fried sardines and grilled squid. Yesterday, we took the ferry to the Brijuni Islands . Josip Broz Tito spent six months of every year here and the photos depicting his life there were riveting. However, the "safari park" featuring the descendants of the animals gifted to Tito by world leaders, left a lot to be desired......
Today we drive back to Zagreb. Two days before we reconnect with our wonderful family and friends...... (That is if we fit on the plane...)
- comments
Lulu Expensive tastes!!...but when on holiday,why not!!!? oooxxx
Theresa Not so, Lulu, they are so cheap here.... Everyone serves them from the cheapest cafe to the most expensive restoran! You can have them with anything....