Croatia is located in the Middle Europe, by the Adriatic Sea. We had been unaware of the country’s diversity in terms of landscape, food and culture before we went there. On our way south along the Adriatic Sea, we can observe the original nature attractions. The Pannonian Lowland welcomes us with the cities and villages typical for this region, we drive through the oak and beech forests, enchanting grasslands and can observe typical European fauna. The picturesque karstic scenery takes as to the motorway which runs across limestone mountains and hills overgrown with short coniferous flora up to the South borders of Croatia. The highest peak in Croatia, Dinara (1831m) is one of the most impressive sites, which cannot be overlooked on the way to Dubrovnik.

    There are two routes: along the coastline or faster motorway. If you are not in a rush, you can stray from the path to marvel at the beauty of the seaside landscape. Why do I mention about this? Croatia has extremely well developed tourist infrastructure, which will satisfy even the most fastidious tourist, depending on his financial possibilities. The Adriatic coastline is full of hotels and other accommodation facilities. The prices fluctuate between 15 euro for the private accommodation and 20 - 35 euro for a room in the hotel or guesthouse.

    What is interesting, the shore line is rugged with 1185 islands and small islands. It is worth to park the car somewhere near the harbor and go by ferry or boat to the gorgeous places which have not been spoiled by the mass tourism yet. Remember about the gum footwear before entering the sea. There are small hedgehogs on the rocky seashore. This little black hedgehogs have numerous thorns which are their natural protection. If the creatures feel at risk, they attack unprotected human body with their little and sharp thorns. As the result, many tourists have to visit their physician when they are back home. Besides, procrastination leads to infection. You can buy flip-flops in Croatia but it is much cheaper to buy them in your home country.

    Sightseeing the country along the shore enables us to get to know people, their culture and manners. It is easy to communicate with young Croatians in English. Sometimes, good language skills are not indispensable to feel the country's atmosphere. We couldn't believe in what we saw few kilometers from Zagrzeb. We were stunned to see the burnt tanks, relics of the civil war of 1991-1995. Driving through the towns and villages, it is impossible to ignore desolated houses ruined by bombs and missiles. After the war, when the Serbs had been already forced back, the rule of religious loyalty was adapted under which all infidels had to convert to Catholicism. It was the intentional political move against Serbs, who had been trying to assimilate with Croatians before. If the Orthodox Serb did not want to convert into Catholicism (which was typical) he usually had to leave the country and abandon all his property without any compensation. That is why every second or third house is ruined, left desolate and waiting to be nationalized.

    Thanks to the motorway, every place is accessible, network of the motorways stretches on the area of the whole country and is intersected with the numerous tunnels. Nevertheless, all beautiful sites I mentioned before cannot be seen from the perspective of the motorway.

    Euro is the legal currency basically and paying in Euro is recommended, but Kuna (Kn, HRK), divided into 100 lip, is the national currency. Name of the currency is derived from the little animal - the marten. Long time ago, marten skins were the basic currency. Apart from the fact that form of the payment has changed throughout the centuries, the name remained. You can have slight problems however on the stalls and in certain institutions, such as post office when paying in euro. There are also exchange offices, so called mjenjalnice, and banks in the cities. We shouldn’t buy more local currency than we really need, because second exchange is possible in banks only on presentation of the receipt. We did not have such problem, but banks tend to make things difficult.

    Croatia is definitely worth visiting. Unfortunately, it is impossible to see the whole country during one trip. It is recommended to skim through the guidebooks and choose a few strategic places which are relevant to the type of your holiday. It is best to follow the plan. Obviously, the motorway seems to be better choice in such case.