Dubrovnik

Vladimir from Croatia contacted me through my blog to arrange a swap. The postcards from Croatia always show those beautiful typically summerish scenes, so I gladly said yes! Along with a splendid view of Dubrovnik, I found some very pretty stamps on the card as well.

Lord Byron was not overstating the matter when he proclaimed Dubrovnik ‘the pearl of the Adriatic’. Dubrovnik is clearly special. A magnificent curtain of walls surrounds marble streets and baroque buildings that exude a pearly light in the Adriatic sun. The main pedestrian thoroughfare, Placa, is a melange of cafés and shops with outstanding monuments at either end. Churches, monasteries and museums ornamented with finely carved stone recall an eventful history and a vibrant artistic tradition. Beyond the city is a heavenly landscape of beaches, wooded peninsulas and a sea strewn with lush islands. [source: lonelyplanet]


Thank you very much Vladimir!

Pula

Pula (ancient Polensium) is a large regional centre with a wealth of Roman ruins to explore. The highlight is a remarkably well preserved Roman amphitheatre that dominates the town centre and is often the scene of concerts and shows. Despite the busy commercial life, Pula retains an easy-going small-town appeal. The nightlife, restaurants and cultural activity are the best in Istria. Although there are no beaches within the city, a short bus ride takes you south to the resorts on the Verudela Peninsula. The scenery around Pula is undramatic, as the region is relatively flat and its original oak forests have been replaced with shrubs and pine groves. The landscape is also marred by a crush of residential and holiday developments, but the indented coastline south of the city that extends to the Premantura Peninsula is studded with rocky bays and coves. [source: lonelyplanet]


Thank you very much Nenad!

Zagreb

Too often overlooked by tourists making a beeline for the coast, Zagreb is a fascinating destination on its own, combining the best of Eastern and Western Europe. As the polit­ical, economic and cultural capital of Croatia, the city throbs with energy but has retained a good deal of old-world graciousness. The sober Austro-Hungarian buildings in the town centre house elegant restaurants and fashionable boutiques along with scruffy pubs and rowdy beer halls. A proliferation of galleries display the works of the artistic community, a parade of inter­national stars perform in the concert halls, and local DJs fill clubs with the latest sounds. [source: lonelyplanet]