Bablje Ljeto / Indian Summer
Rovinj’s sunshine continues to shine and we are having the best Bablje Ljeto we could ask for.
I have absolutely loved the crazy summer buzz, action, crowds, concerts, thousands of tourists roaming the narrow cobblestone streets of Rovinj. Movie stars coming for a visit, buying apartments here in the old town!
Believe it or not, I also love quiet September in Rovinj. The city is breathing again, weather is beautiful, the sea is still warm, beaches are less crowded and locals are out enjoying the nature beauty, peacefulness and serenity. It feels different, yet very beautiful 😍. We are simply in love with this place and can totally see ourselves spending more time here as we get closer to our retirement days, if not earlier!
In our language there is an expression that describes this time of the year and it’s called Bablje Ljeto or Miholjsko Ljeto, translated to English as Indian Summer.
There are several theories about the origin of this term😎!
According to one theory in most Slavic languages, these are called "bapske vlasi" (from "baba" meaning old woman). In folk belief, this is the period when witches were recruiting new members, and this spider silk was believed to be their hair. Additionally, this spider silk was also considered the weaving of fairies, dwarves, norns, or the Virgin Mary. It was believed that a wedding would soon take place if the flying spider silk became entangled in a young girl's hair.
According to a different theory this is the period "when old women can still warm their bones in the sun."
The third theory is linked to an autumn holiday known as "Miholjsko ljeto" and "Martinjsko ljeto" (according to St. Martin, on November 11), as well as "Cigansko (sirotinjsko) ljeto" in Bulgaria or "kasno ljeto" in the Netherlands.
In the North America, the same phenomenon is referred to as "Indian summer."
Now that we have learnt a few theories about it, let me tell you what we’ve been up to!
We have had a very few cloudy days since we’ve got here and that gave me the opportunity to drag Nebojsa away from the daily 3B routine - beach, bike, board, and to spend the time exploring a few inland places around us.
There is so much to see, and yes, it can be nice here even when you are not at the beach! Although I am having to persuade Nebojsa, I know for certain he’ll have the same challenge during the winter months when I’ll be the first and the last on the ski slopes, and nothing else will matter! 😉
So, where did we go? We visited Hum, Učka, and did Štrika Ferata bike ride, and we have had a great time!
Hum is famous for being the smallest town in the world!
It is perched on a high hilltop, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the smallest town in the world with a population of 30 (in 2022). The town is located in the centre of the Istria region, near the town of Buzet, only 100 meters long and 30 meters wide.
On its western side, the town is enclosed by walls and on the remaining sides houses are built into the defensive walls.
It was first mentioned in documents dating from 1102, at which time it was called Cholm which is derived from the Italian name Colmo. A bell and watch tower was built in 1552 as part of the town's defenses beside the town loggia.
The town's parish church was built in 1802 by the locals.
The "Hum Glagolitic” wall writings are preserved in the church, written in the formative period of Glagolitic ( the second half of the 12th century) and they are one of the oldest examples of Croatian Glagolitic literary culture in the Middle Ages.
Učka
The Učka is designated a nature park and is protected in Croatia.
The Učka, in Italian Monte Maggiore is a mountain range in western Croatia, an hour drive from our home in Rovinj. It rises behind the Opatija riviera, on the eastern side of the Istrian peninsula.
It differs from all the other coastal mountains in Croatia because of its abundant vegetation on the seaward side. Best known are the forests of sweet chestnuts in the area around Lovran.
Učka's highest peaks are considered nature reserves and memorial areas. The highest peak, Vojak, is located at 1396 meters above sea level. From it there are views over Istria, the Bat of Trieste, the Julian Alps, and the Adriatic Islands.
We parked next to the restaurant Dopolavoro and went hiking in the area. After a few hours of beautiful walks in the misty rainy weather the sun came out and the views were spectacular.
We saw so many cyclamens happily growing in the forest next to the hiking pathways. I was so surprised and ended up with so many photos of these beautiful flowers.
On the way back we stopped at Dopolavoro restaurant and enjoyed a home cooked meal. Dopolavoro restaurant has a cool history:- it was established in 1930ties by the Peruzzi family, during the 20 year Italian ( actually fascist) “ occupation “ of these areas, which between de facto occupation and jure annexation, lasted from the end of the WW I to the end of the WW II.
An ancient road connecting with the interior of Istria passed from here, and the place was alternately the land of bears, coal miners, smugglers, and travelers, today tourists.
Dopolavoro still carries its name and remains famous for its game dishes, including deer, roe deer, wild boar, and bear. But also for lamb, pork or veal cooked under the oven(peka) Croatian version of hāngi. 🤗
Štrika Ferata / Pista ciclabile sterrata sulla vecchia ferrivia di Rovigno
The route of the bicycle-pedestrian path Štrika-Ferata stretches along the former railway branch Kanfanar - Rovinj.
The Kanfanar-Rovinj railway line stretched for 20,561 m and served to connect the economic centres of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy with the town of Rovinj, then a strong industrial centre.
The traffic was opened on 20 September 1876 and was closed 20 October 1966.
The route of the former railway passes through the cadastral municipalities of Rovinj, Rovinjsko Selo, Sošići and Kanfanar.
Along the route, which passes over three bridges, there are also four railway stations and 14 guardhouses, 22.7km in total.
We completed the route to Šošići in a few hours. It was so nice to bike in the nature and stop by some historical sites along the way.
Funnily, I had no idea we were biking uphill. It didn’t feel too hard and I was obviously unaware. When we reached our friends house in Šošići we stopped for a beer and a chit chat. Soon after, I started saying we should head back in order to avoid late night return home. As we left, they all laughed at me, I realised the way back was super easy using the gravity! We smashed it on return and had enough time for a swim before the nighttime.
We will definitely do it again and all the way to Kanfanar, when we come back to Rovinj later in the year!
Ticket to ride
If you’ve been thinking we must be bored on a rainy day let me tell you, no way!
By the time I do my Italian lessons, do a few Sudoku games, read a book, listen to podcasts, travel plan where to go next, it’s time for another game “Ticket to Ride” across Europe. So. even when we are not travelling, we are indeed travelling while playing this cool game! Thank you to family Nikolić for introducing us to the game!
And if you think we are not competitive you are very wrong! Nebojsa is competing against me, and I am competing with myself to complete all routes as best as I can! Loads of fun and arguments 👍😂!
Reflection
It’s been 101 days since we touched Istanbul, it is hard to believe!
There are so many things to reflect on, I’d start by saying I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE how active we are each and every day. This trip is definitely doing us so much good on so many different fronts, we are feeling very happy and grateful for having the courage to go on this adventure.
We have seen so many amazing places, met great people and made new friendships, have had an amazing summer in Rovinj with busy days filled with visitors, kids, family, and lonely days just for the two of us, and each chapter has had its special moments, and has created lovely life long memories.
The budget is under control, the spreadsheet now has an executive summary (thanks darling :), and it’s proven us we can do this, for as long as we behave more like travelers then tourists. It is fair to say we are having a good mix of both! Living like locals while we are in our own home helps with the budget and it gives us so much joy as we indulge in fresh silver-beet, local olive oil, garlic and freshly caught sardines, yum, yum, yum! Having a local macchiato with a cold milk and Schweppes Bitter Lemon has become our daily routine. We know how to enjoy, that’s for sure!
The time has come to jump on the wheels and embark on exciting new travels from 1 October, again we are off to do something we’ve never ever dreamed we would do!
Off we go…..safe travels to us❤️
Hum Photo Album
Učka Photo Album
Štrika Ferata Photo Album
Indian Summer Photo Album
