Discover Croatia - Kvarner

Here the littoral landscape is practically in the immediate vicinity of the mountainous and forested region of Gorski kotar, the Mediterranean clime and way of life are first neighbours with the harsh mountain climate, while the world of a fashionable tourist resort boasting a150 year long tradition is so vastly different from the simple rhythm of the island life. Kvarner is a place where those seeking the glitter of trendy summer resort - like the lovely Opatija whose tourist tradition, parks replete with lush greenery and elegant villas, combined with the 12 km long promenade by the sea, attract guests throughout the year. 

Perhaps you imagine an ideal holiday, one where you can set off from the shore towards sunny islands, and then sail back to seek the peace and quiet of a mountain peak. In the process you dream of a sun-bathed Riviera that can, should you so wish, be replaced within a span of 10 km by ascetic peace and fresh mountain air where you are in the company of eagles, wolves and bears, and where your lungs are filled with forest scented air. If that is indeed the case, then you are looking for Kvarner and Gorski kotar - separate parts of this small country that differ significantly one from the other.

Kvarner covers the area of the mythical Absytrus islands and has unforgettable rivieras: Opatija, Crikvenica, Vinodol and Rijeka. Asides for being famous as the celebrated elite summer destination of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the coastal Rijeka metropolis is also here. The Kvarner islands are, however, a totally different story. Called the Absytrus islands, after Medea’s brother Absytrus, the islands of Krk, Cres and Lošinj have a rich antique and medieval heritage. The Apoxiomen should definitely be mentioned here, a very famous bronze statue of an athlete found in 1999 in the sea near Lošinj, which was the work of the Greek sculptor Lizip from the 4th century B.C. The Baška tablet should also be mentioned, the first sculpted memorial of the Croatian language from 1100 found on the island of Krk.

Discover Croatia - Slavonia

Osijek

Đakovo

Donji Miholjac

Come the harvest time this song reverberates through the air, precious folks costumes are taken out of old wooden chests and age-old customs brought to life – all in order to preserve the Slavonia as it used to be for the future of Slavonia. Take a walk through the Old Town of Osijek, visit the traditional villages of Baranja and the Kopački rit Nature Park, go mountaineering, enjoy the many rich thermal spring. And wherever you find yourself, you are going to be met with a warm welcome and friendship so typical of Slavonia and its people.

Shaped by the force of the mighty rivers Drava, Danube, Sava and Ilova, Slavonia is a mythical region that for centuries has guarded its treasures. It is characterised by the wide, endless expanse of the golden Pannonia plains, and by rivers that gave birth to the flood areas, which, in turn, provide an ideal habitat for the now centuries-old forestsof common oak (Quercus robur) as well as for more than 2000 biological species. The soil of Slavonia has been tilled by human hand for over 8000 years.

Ever since this part of the continent rose from the Pannonian Sea some 370 million years ago - the geological history of which is best told through the eruptive rocks of the bulky Papuk mountain that sits like a crown upon this noble land - the fertile Slavonian plains have been a promised land.

PORT WINE - Portugal

A glass of tawny port.

Aging in wooden barrels.

Rabelos, a type of boat traditionally used to transport barrels of port down the River Douro for storage and aging in caves at Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.

The vineyards that produce port wine are common along the hillsides that flank the valley of the River Douro in northern Portugal.

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside Portugal, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto.  In the United States, wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world, while the names "Dão", "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognized as foreign, non-generic names for wines originating in Portugal.

Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region. The wine produced is then fortified by the addition of a neutral grape spirit known as aguardente in order to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the alcohol content. The fortification spirit is sometimes referred to as brandy but it bears little resemblance to commercial brandies. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in a cave (pronounced kah-vee and meaning "cellar" in Portuguese) as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. 

The wine received its name, "port", in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756, making it the oldest defined and protected wine region in the world. Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730) have older demarcation but no regulation associated and thus, in terms of regulated demarcated regions, Porto is the oldest.

Lisboa Unforgettable

Wonderful Portugal 1

There's so much to see - varied landscapes, historic towns and cities, nature reserves and parks, mountains and beaches... all so close at hand! If you think we're exaggerating, find out for yourself.

10 reasons to visit Portugal