TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Did I tell you that Rovinj is the secret of many Croatians? It is dubbed by locals as the Little Pearl of the Adriatic. I can definitely understand why. On my last day in Rovinj, I woke up to blue skies smiling down at me from my hotel room which has a balcony with glass doors and a spectacular view to Rovinj. Yes, straight from my bed. I stayed at this modern resort hotel along the harbour because of the view really. So after breakfast I spent the morning walking around town and enjoying my last moments with the beautiful little pearl of the Adriatic Sea. Because it was  a promising lovely weather day, locals were out and about, and a few tourists were early out as well. Many Italians come over to Rovinj I noticed. It's just across the Adriatic Sea and via Trieste by land; very near yet a whole different country altogether. I also made sure to buy some postcards and stamps. Afterwhich I sat down at the popular terrace along the harbour and had coffee and some people watc...

On my first night in Rovinj I sighted this ultra charming restaurant. I was smitten. But because I was still full from my late ‘Seafood medley’ lunch in Opatija I didn’t elect to have dinner that night, but promised to come back the next evening. In the winter, there are very few restaurants open in Rovinj and I’m lucky enough to have spotted this lovely and dainty place tucked away on a small corner cul-de-sac in the old centre of town. Al Gastaldo Restaurant is situated in a hidden corner in the old centre of Rovinj.  The restaurant is very homey yet romantic. It’s like Victorian Period Style meets Little House in the Prairie. It is very girly, feminine yet elegant and matured. The design is not really my style but I like it. It has a very pretty ambiance for dining, something the owner I am sure has meticulously spent a great deal of time designing and collecting all sorts of interior paraphernalias. When I arrived the next evening at the restaurant I was introduced...

I think this was the last jogging I did. I have since stopped because I realised jogging is not really healthy for me. It’s not good for my bones but I will spare you the TMI details. The view from the other side of Rovinj. Rovinj, the Blue Pearl of the Adriatic Tourism Website: Rovinj So I woke up early and took my trainers to the cobbled stone streets of Rovinj. I was the lone person jogging around town that morning. The idyllic commune is just waking up to another day. As I ambled along the harbour promenade, I noticed few early risers already on the go, perhaps going to their work or meeting someone. I decided to go to the topmost part of Rovinj where the church is located. Running past stone houses I can clearly see that people live here. It’s not just a touristic town for the show, local Istrian Croatians live here and bring on their daily lives in this town. When I reached the top, I headed to the church and checked the doors. They were locked so I just focused my...