Anna M•••

About

On the record

Why Croatia (in lieu of my summary) Last summer I went to Novi Vinodolski, a scenic village with a small marina some 40 km south of Rijeka. It was my first journey to this fab country, the mecca of holidaymakers. Now I know why so many people visit Croatia repeatedly. One night, my husband and I climbed to Novi Vinodolski’s old town, and while negotiating its narrow streets we ran into three groups playing local folklore ringing with Italian harmonies against the background of historic buildings. I went into raptures. Just as rapturous were our visits in local tavernas serving deli seafood. Croatia is a one-of-a-kind mixture of Mediterranean landscape, Venetian-influenced architecture and Slavic cordiality. Add to this its incredible light, changing all the time, that would satisfy the most sophisticated painter’s eye. Nowhere else have I seen so many shades of blue and gold, so many kinds of morning haze, equally glorious sunsets and shapes and colours of clouds reflected by the thrillingly chilly sea.