Plomin and Rabac, Istria, Croatia

It was hilarious watching Her Ladyship trying to figure out which shower block was the ladies’ in the campsite in Bojnice in Slovakia. The signage there was hilarious too…

I wouldn’t be surprised if our current Croatian campsite has showers for bicycles. It has miniature bathrooms for kids. It even has dog showers, for goodness sake. I wonder if it has seagull showers? What am I saying? Who cares anyway? The main thing is, we are back near Vrsar on the Istrian Peninsula, which of course means we are back by the sea! I am one happy seagull.

It is so pleasant to be here in September. There is a definite autumnal feel to the air, yet the days are still very warm and sunny. Like the birds gathering on wires, preparing to fly southwards for the winter, the tourists are gathering up all their belongings, preparing to head back northwards, so the place is quietening down each day. Thank goodness the scops owls are quietening down too!

Just when I was getting nicely settled in, the Oldies announced yet another Oldie outing. But I had no reason to object. They were setting off to explore a little of the east coast of the peninsula. Just mention the word ‘coast’ and I’m on board!

The most striking thing about the east coast of Istria is how striking it is. Dramatic, steep inclines sweeping down to the sea and views across the bay guaranteed to stop you in your tracks. Stunning.

Even over the noise of the car engine, His Lordship could hear Her Ladyship’s stomach rumbling, so he made a beeline for a restaurant he remembered from their very first trip to Istria many years ago. The food at Hotel Flanona in Plomin sure looked good, and there were some imaginative creations. His Lordship, for example, treated himself to monkfish in a poppy seed sauce served on green tagliatelle. The marvellous food was complemented by the marvellous views along the bay from Rijeka, over to Cres, Losinj and Unije islands and beyond. Simply fabulous!

When we finally managed to drag ourselves away, we headed southward. Looking down on Rabac on our approach from Labin, I would have loved to stay up on the hill all day, enjoying the view of this coastal town in its idyllic setting from afar. But of course, I also couldn’t wait to get down to the town – and the sea.

The modern parts of Rabac are sprawling up that steep hill. The residents must be super fit! The bay itself is quite built-up too and I thought some of the old hotels there were far from beautiful, but what a location! I loved the walk along the promenade. Humans no doubt enjoy the little shops and restaurants along the way, but I only had eyes for the sea.

As we progressed around the bay, the views got better and better, especially as lovely Cres Island came back into view. There are beaches with crystal clear water along here, and the hotels on this side are all very modern. The family hotels appear to have plenty of activities to keep the little ones amused. The Oldies were themselves amused to see that there is also an adult only hotel, catering to those who value peace and quiet. Not a bad idea!

Apart from being nearly run down several times by one particularly manic tourist train driver, I didn’t mind being in such a touristy resort. Being so popular doesn’t take away from its beauty. And the tourists sure are friendly.

I’m still recovering from being hugged and kissed by this bonnie wee lassie from Scotland. His Lordship claims my cheeks were burning. The cheek of him! My feathers remained as white as the driven snow.

Speaking of which, I had to admire this local gull braving the icebergs. What a toughie!

Rabac is a lovely place. Lovely views, lovely beaches, lovely girls. And would you look: it even has a seagull shower!

What more could a seagull want?