TOUR TO CROATIA With David Richardson

Transcription

1 TOUR TO CROATIA With David Richardson 12 TH - 22 nd MAY 2019 Introduction from David Richardson... I haven t chosen Croatia because their football team beat England in the World Cup, nor because the country s voluptuous president likes posing for photographs in her bikini, although she is a fine looking woman. No, I have chosen it because the more I learn about it the more interesting it becomes. Situated just across the Adriatic from Italy it enjoys a Mediterranean climate along its coastline and somewhat cooler moister weather, suitable for arable agriculture, at its eastern extremities. Quite apart from these attractions for our party it is ranked the 18 th most popular tourist destination in the world. In short it is both productive and scenic. Those of us of a certain vintage will, of course, remember it as part of Yugoslavia, the Federation of Balkans states including Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. For most of our lifetimes it was ruled over by Marshall Tito who adopted his own style of Communism and managed to keep the peace between them. But soon after he died and the Soviet Union disintegrated tribalism reared its ugly head and a new phrase entered our vocabulary Ethnic Cleansing. The 1990 s was a sad time for the region explained to us in graphic detail every evening on the BBC News by my friend Martin Bell in his white suit. And both British and American troops eventually helped calm things down. Indeed so quickly did this happen that Croatia applied to join the EU and did so on 1 st July Today the country s economy is one of the fastest growing in the EU and agriculture together with tourism is leading the way. Please read the attached programme proposal we have put together and I hope you will agree it looks to have something for everybody. As always a few details may have to be changed according to circumstances but my daughter in law, Liesl, and I are very much looking forward to the tour and we hope you may be able to join us. See you in Zagreb!

2 Croatia Country Information The Country Croatia is a Central European and Mediterranean country, bordering Slovenia in the west, Hungary in the north, Serbia in the east and Bosnia in the south. Croatia has an unusual shape (similar to a croissant) and covers a land area of 56,691 square kilometers. The country also has an amazing coastline with islands, cliffs and reefs. The country is a parliamentary democracy, with the parliament building in Croatia s capital city, Zagreb. They have only been a part of the European Union since 2013, having officially applied in The Agriculture Agriculture occupies less than one-fourth of Croatia s land and most is privately held. Slavonia is the most fertile agricultural region with major crops including sugar beet, corn, wheat, potatoes, carrots, barley and sunflowers. The central mountain belt offers large areas of meadow and pasture suitable for raising sheep and cattle. Fruits are also grown in the area including plums, apples, pears, sour cherries, peaches and apricots. The Weather The climate is Mediterranean along the Adriatic coast, meaning warm dry summers and mild winters. At this time of year you should expect temperatures of 21 C with a low of 11 C. The People Croatia has a population of approx 4.29 million people with the majority based in the capital city of Zagreb. The natives are called Croats and make up the majority of the population. They keep their culture alive through song, dance, costumes, folk tales and cultural rituals. The official language is Croatian which is written in Latin script. Time Croatia is GMT + 1:00 hour Web reference:

3 TOUR ITINERARY Day 1 Sunday 12th May 2019 (-LD) Flight from London Heathrow direct to Zagreb, arriving late morning. On arrival, meet your English speaking guide and transfer by private coach to Zagreb for a light lunch. Check into Hotel Academia 4* or similar for a 1 night stay. Enjoy an afternoon guided tour of Zagreb to include the Bans Palace, The Parliament, The Upper Town with its stone gate entry and shrine, The Tower of Lotrscak and the Museum Quarter with the panoramic views over the lower part of the city. Dinner will be in a local restaurant. Return to your hotel for overnight. Day 2 Monday 13th May 2019 Breakfast and check out. Depart towards east to Križevci where we find the more traditional European landscapes and weather types. Visit the pig breeding A.I. Centre where work is being done to both improve the breeding of the European imported breeds that now dominate the Croation pig meat market and the traditional Black Pig breed, which they think has the potential to compete with the more traditional meats for quality and taste. Lunch in a local style restaurant Gornjevinska Klet. Transfer to the regional Croation Agricultural Agency for a presentation about agriculture in Croatia. Continue to Osijek - capital of Eastern Croatia known as the most productive agricultural region in Croatia and check-in to your 4* Hotel Osijek or similar for dinner and a two night stay. Day 3 Tuesday 14th May 2019 Breakfast. Transfer to the Belje Agriculture operation. Part of the Agrikor Group, it is a major food production and manufacturing operation that has 20,000ha of land in the region. Visits will include the cereal division of the farm and the holstein dairy operation in Mitrovac, where they are milking 1500 cows from a total herd of 1800 head. Visits will be led by division managers from the company. Enjoy a coach journey through the the panoramic scenery of the area s vineyeards with a stop at a winery for lunch and tasting. Transfer to the delta where the Danube and the Drava Rivers meet. This is a designated national park where you will enjoy a boat cruise to the Kopacki rit, where the Beljie company own a further 500 ha of reclaimed land where they operate a pasture fed herd of 800 Hereford cattle and 30 Hungarian Fray beef cattle. Return to the hotel to freshen up. Dinner will be in the famous restaurant Kod Ruže in Osijek. Day 4 Wednesday 15th May 2019 Breakfast and check-out. Depart to Đakovo to visit the National Stud Farm. One of the oldest stud farms in Croatia, it can trace its history back to Lipizzaner Horses have been bred on the Stud Farm since the beginning of the 19th century. Today, the National Stud Farm uses two locations for horse breeding and horse selection one of which is Stallion Station, located at the heart of Đakovo and the second, Ivandvor, in the town. Apart from breeding and selecting horses, the Stud Farm offers dressage services whose success can be measured by the number of international winners trained there. Continue to Nova Gradiška for lunch followed by a visit to a private company, Fridrih Mushrooms, in Garešnica and their new mushroom production. Continue to Rastoke (near Plitvica lakes) and check into Hotel Mirjana 4* or similar for a one night stay. Traditional regional dinner near the hotel. Day 5 Thursday 16th May 2019 Breakfast, check-out and enjoy a short tour of the picturesque village of Rastoke with its springs, rivers and small waterfalls. The region is a water paradise with the landscape having been sculpted by the water and the limestone mountain range close by. Historically, the region has been famous for the many water mills that milled cereals and brought wealth to the region. The introduction of electricity saw the demise of the milling industry. Depart to Udbina for a visit to a beef farm followed by lunch in a local restaurant. Continue to the Istrian Coast and the town of Petrčane. Check into 4* Hotel Pinija or similar for a 3 night stay. Relax by the pool or stroll on the beach before dinner in the hotel.

4 Day 6 Friday 17th May 2019 (BL-) Breakfast. Free morning to enjoy the hotel facilities. Late morning departure to Stankovci to see Dalmatian prosciutto production where lunch is included. The owner has a pig fattening unit on site and smokes and produces his own Dalmation smoked ham products. In addition, the small estate style operation has an olive grove, keeps chickens and rabbits which all support his traditional Dalmation tavern restaurant that attracts lots of tourist visitors. Depart to Zadar for a short guided city tour including the Wave Organ, a modern, man made feature that includes pipes that blow when the waves are forced through them, and the Sun Dial, a large solar panel built into the walk way that collects energy through the day and provides a light display through the night. Enjoy some free time to find your own dinner before returning to the hotel for overnight. Day 7 Saturday 18th May 2019 Breakfast. Depart for a full day tour to Pag Island for visits to a sheep farm and Gligora Dairy, an international Gold award winning dairy and cheese producer, tasting included. The Island has 2 mountain chains running on either side that funnel a wind called the Bura through the island. The wind creates a barren rock landscape across the island coastlines, but drops sea salts and other minerals that become part of the unique aromatic herbs that grow and form part of the diet for the hefted sheep. The sheep are unique to the islands and produce high quality milk for the cheese industry that exists on the island. Enjoy a traditional lunch of lamb in a local restaurant. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Day 8 Sunday 19th May 2019 Breakfast and check out. Depart to Metković and the Nereta River Valley. The land is rich and fertile having been reclaimed from the river delta and is home to a large tangerine industry. Visits to an orange plantation and fruit & vegetables along the river delta. Lunch in a local style restaurant and continue to Ston. Visit a local organic wine and olive oil producer with tastings included. The town of Ston is famous for its salt production and the sea food industry, especially oysters, which can be traced back thousands of years. Due to the frequent invaders trying to enjoy the wealth of the region the whole area became a walled castle, inlcuding the salt flats. Continue to Dubrovnik to check into your 4* beach location hotel for a 3 night stay. Dinner in your hotel. Day 11 Wednesday 22nd May 2019 Day 9 Monday 20th May 2019 (B-D) Breakfast. Transfer to Dubrovnik Old Town for a guided city tour followed by free time for own lunch in the city. Either enjoy free time in the city to shop and sightsee or return to the hotel to enjoy the hotel facilities, beach area etc. Dinner is included at the hotel. Day 10 Tuesday 21st May 2019 (B-D) Breakfast in the hotel. Enjoy a full day at leisure to relax and enjoy the facilites. Lunch on your own. Farewell dinner in the hotel included. (B ) Breakfast and check out. Transfer to Dubrovnik Airport for mid morning flight back to London Gatwick. A transfer will be provided to London Heathrow arriving to Heathrow around 4pm (depending upon traffic on the day). End of Tour Arrangements. (Meal basis: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

5 Tour Cost: Based on a minimum of 20 travellers per person (sharing a twin/double room) PLUS Airport taxes (subject to change at time of ticket issue) Single Supplement Tour Includes: Return flights with British Airways (Out of Heathrow, returning into Gatwick) Coach transfer from Gatwick to Heathrow on last day Good class hotels (10 nights) Meals as indicated B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner. Private Coach Transportation. English speaking guide with agricultural knowledge Step on city guides as indicated Technical & touristic visits as stated, subject to local conditions at the time of travel (weather, crops etc) Escorted by tour leader, David Richardson Tour Excludes: Travel to/from airport other than described Airport taxes Upgrade flights. Meals or drinks other than stated Travel Insurance - you need to be insured to travel with Field Farm Tours Ltd. Gratuities to local guides and drivers Drinks / Personal items Other Info: A visa is not required for travel to Croatia. No compulsory health requirements, but consult your doctor or health centre for professional advice Passport needs to be valid for 6 months after your return date. The tour is scheduled for post Brexit so any impact on travel requirements will be advised as soon as known To secure a place on this tour, please complete a booking form enclosed and return with your deposit of per person. Notes: The itinerary is subject to change without notice (local conditions, availability of visits at the time of travel, etc) and to terms and conditions as per the Company s booking conditions. The air holiday package in this brochure is ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL Please see our booking conditions for more information.

6 OTHER FORTHCOMING TOURS CHINA - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 CUBA - NOVEMBER 2018 WINTER GATHERING - DECEMBER 2018 ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS - JANUARY 2019 CHILE & ARGENTINA - JANUARY 2019 TANZANIA - JANUARY 2019 NEW ZEALAND - JAN/FEB 2019 MAURITIUS - FEB/MARCH 2019 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MARCH 2019 FIELD FARM TOURS LTD FIELD HOUSE, 3 STEPHENSON COURT, STEPHENSON WAY, NEWARK, NOTTS, NG24 2TQ Tel no: Fax no: info@fieldfarmtours.co.uk The air holiday package in this brochure is ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL Please see our booking conditions for more information.