Gorski Kotar impresses at first with its greenery, smell, air and overall ambience. Whatever time of the year you visit it, be sure that it will put you in a good mood, and contact with pure nature will regenerate your mind and body.
What is luxury today, we ask, to book the first row to the sea or to the peace? Read the story of the commendable campaign ON THE LINK, and today we are telling you a tourist story about the beauties of this green paradise, which we have seen for ourselves. Here's what we visited and learned in just one day.
Lokvarsko Lake
Photo: Stanislav Horaček / Gorski kotar Tourist Board
Goranian Riviera - Lokve
If you are looking for a place where you can refresh yourself, breathe in the fresh air of pure nature, and still have a piece of paradise all to yourself without too many crowds – you will find it in Lokva.
Lokve, a place of exceptional nature and tourist attractions, is mentioned as far back as the 15th century, which makes it the oldest place in Gorski kotar, and is located in the very heart of Gorski kotar - halfway between Delnice and Fužine.
In the immediate vicinity is the popular Lokvar lake - The artificial lake in Lokva is up to 40 meters deep in some places. It stretches all the way to the foot of Risnjak, which makes a unique visual postcard of Gorski Kotar. It was created by the construction of a dam in 1954, which stopped the flow of the Lokvarka river. A meeting of mountaineers, hikers and cyclists is traditionally held by Lake Lokvar. In addition to walking along the lake, you can also swim in it in the summer, and it is suitable for fishing all year round. Some of the biggest trout in the world have been caught in this lake!
We visited it and saw for ourselves the beauty and special charms of swimming on the Goran Riviera. The first thing we noticed was how warm it is on the coast, and there is no shortage of bathers who have recognized the charms of swimming on this lake. However, here you don't have to worry about not finding your spot for a towel because of the crowd.
A relaxing ride through which you will get to know the destination the best - Čačin Splav
"Cacina Raft" is an attraction built by the Crnković family, Ferdinand with his wife Antonija and his sister Bruna Arbanas Crnković, after several years of hard work. Ferdinad came up with the idea of building a raft, and with this act he wanted to revive the beautiful days of his youth and give it away a kind of tribute to his father Viktor Crnković.
The raft is officially registered for 40 people, but it is ideal if there are 25 people on it, because then it is possible to explain everything necessary to everyone at the same time and introduce them in detail to the beauty of this lake.
They are offered to everyone who wants to get to know the beauty of Lake Lokvar and its shores along with Čača four basic tours - "Thematic route of sunken Louisiana", "Significant objects on the lake", "Unspoiled nature of Lokvar lake" and "Meditational drives". Rafting is a real attraction and lasts 50 minutes.
*If you happen to be in the vicinity, we highly recommend a relaxing, but also educational ride on the lake, and you can sign up via the number: 0989822718
Lokvarka cave
Nearby, it would be a real shame to miss the deepest cave in Croatia - the Lokvarka cave. This cave has six floors, the first four of which are open to visitors. The length of the so far discovered part of the cave amounts to 1179 meters, depth 275 meters and the depth of the restored part 75 meters. The temperature inside the cave ranges from 6 to 8 degrees. It was renovated for tourism in 1912.
The Lokvarka cave is located right next to the Zagreb-Rijeka highway, about two kilometers east of the center of Lokva, on the southeastern slopes of Kameni vrh hill at 760 meters above sea level.
Gorski Kotar offers pleasure for all the senses: We learned what an aperitif is, what a digestif is, and how to drink them properly.
After enjoying all the natural attractions it has to offer, we indulged in irresistible pleasures for the palate and found respite in Houses of nature Kotač where is it for us owner Vid Arbanas - the good soul of Gorski Kotar and the real one a wizard for premium and healing drinks told a story after which we began to look at dinner, aperitifs and digestifs completely differently.
Gorski Kotar has mostly types of grass in one area, and he really knows how to use them. Its products are widely known, a tasting room is a place we recommend to visit.
It is the house of nature a project initiated by Vid Arbanas in 1996 together with his wife Mira, which opened its doors on September 03.09.2011, XNUMX. It is a facility where the production of autochthonous liqueurs from various herbs takes place, which can also be tasted in the tasting room.
Throughout the year, visitors are offered a permanent exhibition space, mostly related to the history of the Luzinska road: the 200-year-old road that connects Rijeka and Karlovac and which was one of the key factors of development for the Gorski kotar area.
The whole story surrounding the production of Goran beverages began when Vid's wife Mira tried a sip of jaeger - a popular herbal liqueur - at a joint gathering with friends and called it pure chemistry, after which she was awakened by the desire to make a similar drink herself, her own and completely natural.
That's how it was created San Hubert (protector of hunters) whose label features a brown bear, its base is Malvasia brandy, and the main ingredients are 57 types of mountain grasses te seven types of forest fruits. Over the years, the "Protector of Hunters" has also been joined by Wild Rose, Pepper, Plava mrča, Svittera and Dujina počet. It is interesting how each drink has its own story about how it was created and how it got its name.
Do you know how to drink an aperitif correctly?
It is best to drink an aperitif five to ten minutes before eating, one or two glasses, and instead of drinking it in one gulp (slurping), it is necessary to swish the drink in the mouth for a few seconds before swallowing it.
Alcohol has the function of calming the stomach, widening blood vessels, and not dropping like a bomb into our stomach. The aperitif must not be sweet, and unfortunately people usually drink dessert liqueurs such as mead or pine that are offered to them as aperitifs, which is completely wrong.
Has anyone in a restaurant offered you digestives after a meal?
Aperitifs and digestifs came to us from exceptional France and became a wonderful addition to any meal. We all know well about the aperitif, as well as the dessert drinks that complete the meal, but what about digestif? After the main meal, digestion is made easier by a glass of digestif.
Namely, it is an alcoholic drink that is served cold (but not with ice) after the main course. The drinking ritual is what makes it special - it is drunk by taking a sip and swish it around in your mouth for ten seconds, which will make your mouth burn. Only after that you drink it, and you will feel the heat in your stomach after a few minutes.
Why digestive?
After the main meal, which includes many flavors, it is necessary to restore circulation and the senses to function, which is helped by the digestive system, which naturally releases trapped air from our digestive system, which is the main reason for the feeling of heaviness after a meal.
The most famous digestif from Vid's distillery is Pepper which, in addition to the base, muscat brandy, contains 14 types of herbs and four roots; angelica, bear's paw and horseradish. This digestif has gained a large number of fans in a very short time and has won several awards, just a few of which are the award for the best autochthonous mountain drink and the first county award in the competition of the Croatian Tourist Board - Green Heart of Croatia. Papra also won bronze at the international alcoholic beverage competition organized by the Economic Interest Association of Croatian Beverage Producers at the International Hotel in Zagreb.
