Croatia 2006 Hrvatska

Velebit (Italian: Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. Its highest peak is the Vaganski vrh at 1,757 m. The important characteristic of Velebit is its simple, solid form, stiff cliffs, and the nakedness of seaward side and the wood-covered slopes of the Lika side. The basic geological characteristic of the mountains is karst; flora and fauna are abundant. The whole mountain range is protected as nature park.

STAP is a large grassy valley with a flat base, surrounded by scenic limestone rock and forests. The most beautiful view of the whole Stap valley can be seen from the rocky Čučavac and from Debeli kuk. Hiking shelter Tatekova koliba on Stap is a nice cottage at the edge of the Stap valley, on the Velebit hiking trail (VPP route) - an ideal starting point for a number of interesting shorter ascents in near surroundings, but also an important overnight shelter on the longitudinal route from Baške Oštarije to Struge. The name Tatekova koliba (Daddy's cottage) comes from the nickname of Slavko Tomerlin, who built and furnished the hut. Water is supplied from narrow cavern, about 30 m from shelter.

There were two brothers. One was an architect and a builde, so he built a church in his neighbourhood. The other was an artist, and he crafted the interior, made the sculptures and painted the holy pictures. An inspirative example how individuals can shape their environment, and thence change the world.

Olive tree is a symbol of Dalmatia, it’s hard working people and the land which only the toughest people can cultivate and live from the fruits of their hard work. You can say that olive cultivation and oil production are a big part of rich heritage of this area. The Olive tree in Kastel Stafilić was planted during Roman times inside the villa rusticae, and today stands as a real testimony of those times. Since ancient times, the technology used for olive cultivation in this area – planting, harvesting and refining – had hardly changed and was used until quite recently. The older residents of Kastela still remember the technique for crushing the olive fruits when the olives were ground manually, by pushing a wooden beam around a stone mill. This 1,500 year old olive tree was declared a natural heritage monument in 1990, so you can be sure it will still be there when you come to enjoy in it’s ancient beauty.

In Kaštel Štafilić there is an exceptional natural monument, an olive tree more than 1500 years old. Olea Europea, for the locals is not a wild olive tree. In the wider area of ​​the region, there no such variety is present today, so it is assumed that it was brought from southern Italy or Greece. In ancient times (1st century AD) this area between Salona and Tragurium was an important agricultural area with numerous Roman country villas. In the time of Emperor Claudius (10-54 AD), the land was divided among veterans. This fact leads to the assumption that Roman soldiers brought olive seeds to their agricultural estates in the settlement of Siculi, which was located close to ​​today's Rešnik. The 1,500-year-old olive tree is located in the yard of the Maslina kindergarten in Kaštel Štafilić, owned by the Perišić family. It belongs to the variety of oilseeds, with small leaves and fruits, no robust main roots - but wide rooting system is developed in about ​​100m. The circumference of the trunk is 6 meters, the diameter of the canopy is 22 m, and the height is 10 m. The tree was declared a natural monument in 1990, and the possibility of its inscription on the list of world natural and cultural heritage at UNESCO is being considered. In order to preserve the health of this extremely old tree, biological protection is needed. A project has been made to rehabilitate and revitalize an olive tree whose trunk has been damaged, the central part is dead, ie a cavity, and nutrient juices flow through the outer layer of the bark, which also protects the inner support. The upper part of the canopy is significantly weakened and diseased due to the damaged trunk, and treatment is carried out in cooperation with the Institute of Adriatic Cultures. In addition to the rehabilitation of the olive tree, landscaping is also being carried out, which should contribute to the health of the old tree. Preservation of this rare monument, which combines nature and history and is important for the culture and image of Dalmatia, is important for nurturing tradition and preserving the natural spaces of our country. www.kastela.org/kastela/u-kastelima/284-stara-maslina Streetview: virtualglobetrotting.com/map/over-1500-years-old-olive-tree-stara-maslina/view/google

This is the only photo of a fine young Serbian Magyar boy, whom I met in the city of Split. Travelling on the budget, acompanied by two prettyyoung girls, they.played folk-inspired music on the streets. I have learned about the beautiful song Láttál-e már valaha in a world music version, played on violin, and sang in Hungarian. This song originates from Bekes region in South Hungary (a part where historically lived a large Slovak diaspora) and was collected by Bela Bartok in the beginning of the 20th century. I spent few hours together with this very nice trio, and then we said farewell. So this analogue click is most probably the sole physical evidence of our encounter.

A model of perfect plant symmetry, the four-leaved true lover's knot, in Slovak and Czech known under a popular name crow's eye, inhabits moist shady places, especially in deciduous forests. The plant catches the eye with its delicate, unusually symmetrical yellow-green flowers, which reign over a quartet of broad leaves placed at the top of the stem. Paris quadrifolia, the herb-paris or true lover's knot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in temperate and cool areas throughout Eurasia, from Spain to Yakutia, and from Iceland to Mongolia. The plant flowers during the months of June and July. It has a solitary flower with four narrow greenish filiform (threadlike) petals, four green petaloid sepals, eight golden yellow stamens, and a round purple to red ovary. The flower is borne above a single whorl of four leaves. Each plant produces at most one blueberry-like berry, which is poisonous, as are other plant tissues. Poisonings are rare because the plant's solitary berry has a repulsive taste that makes it difficult to mistake for a bilberry. In such cases, narrow pupils, diarrhea, irritation of the kidneys are typical. The main poisonous substances of the plant are the saponins paridin and paristyphnine - violent poisons that are poorly absorbed in the digestive system. The medical uses of true lover's knot are already mentioned by the Italian botanist Matthioli in his commentaries on De Materia Medica, a 5-volume work on Dioscorides, a treatise on plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them. The plant is also mentioned in the work of the English botanist and healer John Gerard as an antidote for arsenic and mercury poisoning. This plant has also been used in the past as an anti-inflammatory (e.g. for inflamed wounds) and for headaches. It is now part of many homeopathic remedies.