Romance in the Trogir Noble House

The bell from Trogir’s city tower strikes twelve. The sun shines on the old town, inviting the tourists to take a short break because, after sunset, many of them eager for discoveries and new experiences will revisit them. Curious, they will walk the streets, peeking through half-open wooden windows whose lace curtains hide the intimacy of Trogir families and the charming spirit of the surrounding restaurants.

That is so good, what a pleasant smell! The fish is grilled somewhere nearby! I follow a street lined with stone houses, built several centuries ago.  Curious, I enter through a wooden door to one of the most beautiful stone courtyards still only seen in nobles families’ houses.

I have to sit and enjoy the sumptuous court’s ambiance. I imagine tender tones of the harp and dancing ladies dressed in lavish crinolines in arms of sleek nobles. Delicacies from the richly set tables sweetened their mouth and stolen kisses in one of the dark corners of this courtyard.

That place is magical! Happy people are sitting around the tables full of excellent food. Lobster on buzara, grilled white fish, shrimp wrapped in bacon, black cuttlefish risotto, pasta with seafood. Meat, grilled, cooked in a real Dalmatian sauce.  I can’t even talk about imaginatively prepared cakes, especially Dalmatian rožada, because while I’m just looking at it, I want to feel its caramelized taste in my mouth. I feel so good while my imaginations wander through,  from the past to the present.

Unbeknownst to me, thanks to the fantastic smell of grilled fish, I came to the well-known restaurant and hotel Monika, located in the noble, Cega family house’s historic ambiance. The restaurant, with its fifty years of gastronomic tradition, does not lag behind the rich past.

I wonder who owns this hotel and restaurant, who had the strength to make this splendor in the middle of the old urban city and restore it to its former aristocratic splendor? Each piece exudes with luxury and carefully selected details,  with a specific style and taste.

It would be best to meet Jasminka Vranješ, the owner who belongs here with her charming and engaging behavior. Only a woman with an uncompromising will, inexhaustible energy, professional experience, and personal wisdom can build this “empire.” She had the pleasure to refurbish this space for herself and guests worldwide who have been faithfully returning to her for half a century.

She started putting together her catering story back in the seventies with her husband Vinko. In an instant, she had to continue their familiar story on her own, fighting like a lioness, all to make their dreams come true. “There have been ups and downs, crisis years, but I always went forward, believing in myself. If I had succumbed to bad thoughts at any moment, my dream would never become shattered.” She did it! She kept her promise!

In the beautiful authentic the ambiance of the old Trogir stone court, there is an open part of the restaurant with a hundred seats, accompanied by an interior space, specially decorated for romantics who want a unique atmosphere and intimacy.

Visiting the hotel means experiencing Trogir as it once was, the style and way of life of the Cega noble family, whose tradition collapsed in a historically turbulent and relentless moment. But new times have brought new opportunities as well. Jasminka had a mission! Renovated the house and gave it back the look and sophistication of a noble home. “For twenty years, I bought part by part of the house. When I put all the torn parts back under the same roof, I started renovating the space. After three years, I opened a hotel with sixteen spacious rooms, decorated in a synergy of a traditional and modern style”.

Luxurious, soft beds covered in red satin and velvet dominate the space, facing the windows that each overlook their part of the old town. Unique charm is given by refined, imaginative decorations that fill the rooms, giving them dreamy warmth and harmony. The terrace between the roofs of Trogir houses and the view to the surrounding city gardens, the old town, and the bell tower of The Cathedral of St. Lawrence intertwined with the blue sky and sea is a new experience that I will remember for a long time.

Jasminka has given her whole life into the restaurant and hotel, past, present, and future. “I have nurtured this hotel as a child, giving all my best. I can see that I am successful by the guests’ reactions who are delighted with what they feel. I am happy and grateful when I see a smile and shine in their eyes; it means that I have fulfilled my mission. ”

Even today, after fifty years of working,” My every new day is my new beginning, I work there with equal passion, paying attention to every detail.  There is a vast love for work, long-term  staff, and this building that I have renovated, to the pride of myself and the city of Trogir!”

She has successfully built and edited, but she has always primarily cared for the guests’ wishes, desires, and comfort. Grateful for the hospitality, welcome, and goodwill, the guests give it to her back with kind words and selfless attention, proposing that everybody must experience it in person.

 

 

 

paris holiday

Come With Me And Feel Paris Vibes!

Written by Anita Palada

Photos by Pixabay

Paris, Rome, San Gimignano!

Can you guess what is common to those places? They are tourist destinations but not very ordinary, as well-known, special ones.

Paris by night
Paris by night

Those cities aren’t only simple places with many buildings or properties built many centuries ago, where people luxuriate in every moment. Those spots have unique and magic vibes.

Paris is a magical jewel, an extraordinary destination, a place that transforms the spirit, that leaves indelible memories — Paris a timeless destination that remains a cultural wonderland and romantic idyll.

“When I am there, I feel welcomed.  Something exceptional is in the air. I love Paris, especially during Christmas when all is so magic,”–my friend, a life traveler, said to me many times, describing Paris’ atmosphere.

“There are special sentiments that circle “three feet above the sky’—the stars on the sky sparkle with beautiful luminosity, inspiring lovers to open, passionate affection.  The magic vibes make them more amorous, happy and fulfilled.  Those places enchant and intrigue, make people experience particular moments, provoking them to talk about their pleasant feelings.”

Montmartre Paris
Montmartre Paris

What can be better than a walk-in Paris along Montmartre, sitting in the small café, eating a delicious croissant, looking at walking people and enthusiastic painters? These graces make guests grateful to God to be alive and be there. When they travel to Italy and stop in Rome, they “run” to throw the change into the  Fontana di Trevi with powerful desires to return. In San Gimignano, they are curious to taste the best ice cream flavors in the world and traditional Italian pasta at the small, traditionally decorated restaurants in the narrow streets.

Tourists prefer to go to those cities, stay at their hotels and restaurants, walking along the streets than to the other ones? Do you know why? Why are those places so memorable? Because of delicate senses that float between land and sky, making an unforgettable harmony of body and mind.

Places and buildings without impressive vibes are the same as a handsome person with an “empty soul,” without personality, warmth, and charisma. Because of that, somebody is more liked and adore than other ones. The same is for cities and buildings.  Only good vibes can attract, charm, and stop people at the same place.

Fontana di Trevi Rome
Fontana di Trevi Rome

How to achieve it?

If you are the city’s mayor, a hotel’s owner, entrepreneur, wine producer or manager, immerse your feelings into your city, heritage, tradition, and customs. Write, speak, and present it with love. Don’t be ashamed!  Be loyal and passionate! Remember that love and engagement can move the world!  Do your best to tell the best STORY about you and your city!  Create exciting content, highlight pretty photos with smiling and joyful people,  charming places, and picturesque landscapes of your region.

The suggestion is to create a story and publish it on different media, boosting pleasure, emotion, and desire. In this way, your material properties “wrapped in love” will achieve higher value. In effect, it will present you, your energy and passion.

If you don’t know how to create artistic, emotional, and dynamic stories, I am here.  Just call me, and I will do it for you. 

Stradun Dubrovnik
Stradun Dubrovnik

I am Anita Palada, a travel journalist from Croatia.

My journalism experience and creative writing skills allow me to describe the best of all I see and feel. I am fortunate that I have had the possibility to write original stories about various regions, cultures, travel, recognized and undiscovered touristic destinations, luxury hotels, restaurants, chefs, traditional and modern food, wineries and quality wine, fun, and adventures. 

As a writer, professional photographer, and successful digital content creator, I attract over 10000 people per day over my online channels and much more in association with clients.

We will create and share out your best story. Dare to be different from your competitors!

Contact me!!!!

My imaginative writing stories can evoke each person to visit your country, your hotel, restaurant, winery, and other exciting places among it.

paris vacation

 

 

 

 

Authentic Fish Market Trogir

        The Cat and Mouse Game at the Trogir Fish Market

Smiling flirtatiously, the blonde, elegantly-dressed woman approached the man behind a table lined with mounds of anchovies, sardines, squirming lobsters and bright-orange shrimp.

Immediately the seductress, playing a “cat and mouse” game in this Trogir, Croatia fish market, she mischievously asked, “What can you offer me that is  right out of the sea, something really good for my husband?”

Trogir Fish Market
Trogir Fish Market

A place for gossip, romantic liaisons, and heated arguments, Ribarnica is more than a mere market. This historic, red-tiled institution only a short drive from Split on the Adriatic Sea, is a raucous, often salty-tongued “playground.”

Beyond the shouts of “fresh fish, fresh fish scallops that will change your life tonight,” the emotional, passionate, and even volcanic temperament of Croatian people becomes very evident.

“Pretty lady, I have something very delicious for you, I am here just to please you,” laughs the fish seller, grabbing a lobster and rather provocatively dangling it close to the woman.

“I am here just for you, speak to me, how can I help you,” he quickly adds, reaching for a long knife, and adding, “try this swordfish. So perfect for grilling. So are these sardines. Believe me. Eating them with some good wine will make your husband a new man.”

The thinly-veiled innuendos—and acerbic repartee that eventually entails haggling over prices—evokes the fun and entertainment of a Middle Eastern bazaar.

Very crowded around the stand
Very crowded around the stand

“It’s always a knockdown fight, a contest of wills between egos and pocketbooks,” observes an elderly man in between sips of coffee from a nearby cafe.

“Everyday it’s different here. Who knows, always exciting, sometimes a dog barks, and sometimes a rabbit runs. Tomorrow that money thing could change. The rabbit, not the seller, will have a good day.”

Visitors win everyday. Ribarnica is theatre. There are so many verbal acrobatics, jousting for position, give-n-take over tables filled with exotic-looking creatures, this colorful market has a distinctly earthy Mediterranean flavor.

But “dangers” still lurk. Especially from stampedes.

Provoking this wild, very amusing spree, a fisherman yells, “Skuša, skuša, mackerel, the freshest, heavenly mackerel. Come! Come! Now!”

Dozens of housewives and men over-burdened with packages start dashing towards the fisherman’s stand.

“What’s the price of your unbelievable mackerel?” scoffs a wry skeptic.

“100 Kuna (13 Euros). That’s nothing. Very good price!,” barks the fisherman.

“100 Kuna? Are you crazy?”

“You don’t like? Then go home to your wife with no fish. See what that gets you tonight”

The banter continues. Soon there is no more mackerel. It’s been  good day for this particular “barking dog.”

One more day is over, one more Ribarnica story has been written.

A meeting place for women to secretly talk about their husbands; a rendezvous point for lovers; and a convenient, relaxed setting for arranging business deals; Ribarnica is all about anger, love and mystery.

If only its’ stone walls and tiles could talk.

Or perhaps not.

Maybe it is far better to savor some grilled sardines, and to allow those mysteries to remain hidden.

What do you think? Please let us know!

 

Trogir Dalmatia Croatia

Trogir – discover the little gem by the sea

Stirring her magical boiled dish of squid, octopus and cuttlefish in black ink, the aromatic sensation that transports her patrons to gastronomic heaven, chef Marija Hell smiles delightedly.

Clearly excited by the alchemy she is performing in her  Pašike restaurant, Hell gushes, “We want our guests to taste a part of Dalmatia and our traditions. To enjoy dishes that caress the palate—the happiest of moments.”

Reputed for such “taste explosions” as pasticada, and the delectable almond cake Trogirski rafiol,” she is well worth a visit to Trogir, an inviting town with a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation only 17 miles from Split on the Croatian coast.

Trogir Dalmatia Croatia
Trogir Croatia

Surrounded by 14th Century walls, the “Stone Beauty,” or the Little Venice of Dalmatia” merited that UNESCO tribute because of its well-preserved Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architecture—a veritable city-museum of enchanting stone buildings and maze of streets that evoke Medieval life.

But a visit here means more than celebrating an illustrious past; cobbled streets promising mystery and romance, a vaunted cathedral, a fairy tale-like Cipiko Palace, and a third century BC relief.

Trogir
Trogir Croatia

One of Dalmatia’s greatest “secrets,” Trogir also flaunts a visual, very playful version of Marija Hell’s “spicy, extra explosion of flavors.” Combining historical streets and vistas with an intensely modernist vibe, the town offers,  along with the neighboring waterfront at Ciovo, all sorts of indulgent hedonism.

Choose your pleasure.

Charter a sightseeing boat and venture out to a diverse array of bewitching, palm tree-lined islands.

Down glasses of locally-produced grappa together with grilled fish at either Restaurant Capo, Restaurant Riva or Restaurant Kamerlengo. These and other seaside places epitomize taking Life Very Easy while feasting on wines and seafood.

Of course there are more “energetic” pursuits at hand.

Stroll in the Old Town among the enchanting stone houses. Then walk  on the Riva embankment, dine at any of the numerous restaurants, or go to Caffe Bar Smokvica, Caffe Bar Trogir or Corte Bar for innovative cocktails, high-decibel music and great people watching.

Trogir Dalmatia Croatia
Trogir Croatia

If more adventurous, and ready for an all-out binge, hop in a taxi and go to Laganini, a Labadusa beach club-cocktail bar that sways to a lulling seaside beat.

Here there’s a beach with lounges, massages for every ache and part of your body, and very devilish cocktails, most notably the elderflowers and crushed raspberries’ burst of wickedness. Yum! The perfect way to greet the night—and AM hours.

Split and other Croatian getaways also pulsate at night. So why go to Trogir?

Get away from the crowds. Trogir offers countless courtyards and terraces for less jarring, more intimate experiences than in nearby Split and the always jammed (but beautiful) Dubrovnik. It is stately, subdued, and waiting to be explored—a homage to history and to the new inventiveness in its’ kitchens

Trogir Dalmatia Croatia
Trogir Croatia

“There is not much philosophy in Dalmatian cuisine, everything is cooked in olive oil, onion, parsley, garlic and wine,” says Hell, who also owns a four star Trogir hotel by the same name. Still intent on extending “love” in every dish, as her very popular almond cake, she adds, “So all the rafiola pieces are there, but several completely different. In this way we respect the traditional cake but give it a modernist look, an extra explosion of flavors.”

Or in keeping with the holiday atmosphere in Trogir, a boundless burst of “happy moments.”

So discover this little gem by the sea, its’ secrets, and sensations.

And be ready to be charmed by “Little Venice’s” magic.

Trogir Dalmatia Croatia
Trogir Croatia