Would you buy a fruit that sounds like a disease? If not, you’d better call the physalis by one of its many other names, perhaps Cape gooseberry or ground cherry. Sweet and tart, with an exotic perfume, these golden berries are enclosed in a papery straw-coloured calyx that adds to their mystique. Pull it back … Continue reading »
On our last full day in Croatia, we set off south from the hilltop town of Buzet to the heart of Istria to hunt for truffles. Both black and prized white truffles are plentiful in the triangle between Pazin, Buje and Buzet, especially in the valley of the river Mirna and in the lush Motovun … Continue reading »
Our second last day dawned grey with the promise of warm sun. Surely nothing could interfere with today’s 30- km bike ride. We arrived in Istria’s medieval town of Roc, with its flower boxes and thick limestone walls. Between the 12th and 20th century it was the centre of Croatian publishing, based on the Glagolitic … Continue reading »
I’d been mentally preparing for this day for a month. Yes, you will climb Croatia’s highest mountain, where lunch awaited, and perhaps even make the “hard” climb to the top. After we left Zagreb, Mia learned that 10 cm of snow had fallen on the mountain three days before. This morning it was pouring rain … Continue reading »
Orphan 3-yr old Today was a walk in the park, literally! We drove a short way to Plitvice Lakes National Park, the largest in Croatia at 284.82 square kilometres, for a three-hour stroll. Judging from the number of tour buses and the crowds from all over the world pouring through the gate, we were the … Continue reading »
Another day, another test – a 2-hour kayak tour of the Mreznica River in rubber canoes. I had a feeling it was not going to be a gentle trip down a calm river! We met our guide, Mario, at the Museum of Croatian Independence War, an outdoor collection of WW2 tanks and guns and more … Continue reading »
Breakfast at Zagreb’s Hotel Esplanade is a splendid affair. Every uniformed staff member in the dining room says hello amid a sea of white tablecloths under chandeliers. There’s sparkling wine and fresh-squeezed orange juice chilling at the buffet if you care to start the day with a mimosa. Out on the terrace on an unusually … Continue reading »
Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia, first leg in this week’s Survivor-meets-Amazing-Race press trip. The first test was the night flight over. No more business class for me … it was back of the Air Canada bus with mystery beef, a lousy selection of movies we couldn’t hear through the earphones provided and a truly uncomfortable seat … Continue reading »
By: Cynthia David Special to the Star, Published May 16, 2013 If there were a design award for legumes, the fava bean would win hands down. Crack open a shiny green pod and you’ll understand why. Each bean is nestled in a velvety white bed attached to a jaunty nightcap that snaps off when you … Continue reading »
Move over broccoli, it’s fiddlehead season! These tightly coiled fronds, wrapped in copper-coloured kerchiefs that glint in the sun, are a sure sign of spring. Leave them a day or two and they’ll unfurl into an elegant fern any shade garden would love if they weren’t so invasive. Nick Secord, president of NorCliff Farms Inc., … Continue reading »
