Since Croatia has had an impressive World Cup in football, I will use this post to say something about the country and the people. It is easy to win peoples heart when you, as an underdog, outcompete big nations as England, Argentina - and even Russia on their home ground. I think this can mirror the Croats as people, they have enormous hearts, they really care for others - and in recent past they have had their problems.
My first experience with the country was Zagreb, a cosy Capital with a beautiful old town. The architecture is not very different from the one in Czech Republic, but this city is not as big as Prague - and do not have such a significant river in the middle of it. However, Prague is outcompeted by the people living in Croatia. They are superfriendly, and the price level suites everyone. Additional to that, their food is is often from a grill and instead of Kebab, Hamburgers or Fish & Chips they have their own variant when it comes to fastfood - it is called Cevapcici. You heard it right, and I give you the chance to spell it correct.
Furthermore, since I have Croatian friends - I listened to them when they advised me where to travel. Just an hour south, but still inland they have a national park with one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. This is called Pivnice, however, if you jump of the bus 30 minutes before - you come to Rastoke. It is less polluted by tourists and are a recreational spot in the forest with with smaller waterfalls and is absolutely stunning.
You cannot travel to Croatia without visiting their coastline, the ocean is crystal blue and is called the Adriatic sea. I must admit that nature is a bit naked with the lack of trees, and I have wondered why it is like this. However, I guess I found the answer in their local weather pehonemena called Bora, with winds I had never seen before passing 200 km per hour. Luckily enough I experienced this only ones, and we were stranded on an island with no chance to get back since it basically paralyzed everything that came in it`s way. Additional to this they might have hard winters too, so the soil is not optimal for vegetation.
I visited the north part of the country, which I really loved, and if you are as lucky as me to know the locals - they are taking care of you as you were one of them. Rijeka is the biggest port in the country, and is not a typical tourist town - but for me who is avoiding tourist spots it is an eldorado. This is also a student city, and if you like to have a party - or just a day for yourself, I can recommend it. I have heard nice stories about the south part of the country too, and Dubvrovnik was even an own republic until Napoelon wanted it different.
Conclusion:
Croatia is definitely one of my favorite countries in the world. It has everything and worth mentioning is beautiful nature, good food, cheap beer and great people with lovely hearts. This is all you are looking for in a country that you would like to visit. If you ever had doubts about visiting Balkan and Croatia, remove those doubts now and order a ticket. I know you will love it, and I even took the train back to Zagreb after visiting the coast - which is one of the most extreme train journeys I have had. I hope they will win the World Cup, they deserve it - not only would it be a good recognition for the problems they had in recent past, but it really mirror their hearts too.
