Travel Sabbatical: Picture-Perfect Coastal Town of Rovinj, Croatia on Istrian Peninsula

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Picture-Perfect Coastal Town of Rovinj, Croatia on Istrian Peninsula

We can't believe we're actually in Croatia - a country that's been on our must-visit list for awhile. A place with fairy tale like scenery, crystal clear waters, off the beaten-path and still undiscovered (by Americans anyway) although apparently the rest of Europe has been in on this secret as a major holiday destination spot for quite some time. The most surprising aspect? No Japanese tourists. We've seen Japanese tourists in the most out-of-the-way villages of South America, but not here, or not yet anyway. As a result, Akiko is quite a novelty - being stared at by the older locals from their apartment windows above the meandering streets of Rovinj. A waiter we were talking to has seen large groups of Japanese tourists in Rovinj but never one traveling independently. He kept thinking Akiko was from Alaska (eg. Eskimo) because of the way she looked and talked American English. Weird. Our pension host was also very excited as she has never hosted a Japanese guest before!

Rovinj is one of the prettiest places on the Istrian Peninsula along the Adriatic Sea with its medieval city along the waters. It is a fishing port as well as a major destination for Europeans taking their holiday in August. Therefore, we were very lucky to have found a place to stay within the port and old town area. Pension Matohanca isn't listed in any English websites, but after some emails back and forth with other pensions that were full, this place was recommended to us. It is costing us over $90/night (our usual limit is about $60/night, otherwise, it cuts into our food/drink budget!) for a pension room or a "sobe" but there was literally nothing else, unless we got way out of town. The place was very comfortable and well-worth the cost for its location, comfort, hospitality, and breakfast. We would recommend this place to anyone staying in Rovinj.

Garni Pansion Matohanca - our home away from home for a couple of days.

Nice comfortable room with a refrigerator, TV, and large patio.

View of old town Rovinj from patio.

Enjoying a bottle of home made fig brandy on our pension patio.

Another day of doing laundry in the sink. At least we had a nice patio and hanger to air dry our clothes...

We arrived via ferry from Venice, Italy to the biggest summer bash ever! It is called Rovinj Day - the main party of the town to mark the end of summer. There were multiple outdoor stages with live bands, food and beer/wine vendors on the streets, artists selling their goods, and people everywhere! It was difficult trying to find our pension through the crowds, especially at night when we didn't even know where we were going. After walking for an hour (the long way, we found out the next day), we finally got to the house where our lodging was. Our room had a really nice patio, so with some beers in hand, we watched the fireworks display that brought Rovinj Day to a close.

Rovinj is the opposite of big - very quaint and charming. Dare we say, there's not a village, town, city a whole lot more charming, beautiful, and picture-perfect than Rovinj. It has a long history of being part of the Republic of Venice, then under Austrian rule, then back to Italian occupation, so there's a significant Italian influence in the architecture and food. You could definitely explore the main area in less than a day, but why rush? You'd need more than a day to enjoy the nightlife, cafe life overlooking the Adriatic during the day, swimming, boating, scuba diving, shopping, and just simply enjoying the relaxed ambience.

As much as we'd like to just stay here, we are moving on to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, for more adventures to follow. Here are some photos of our short stay.