Ilovik, Croatia, Summer 2024

Ilovik is a Heaven for sailor-tourists, adventurers & people who want peace & silence. The ruin on the island in the background is called St. Peter Fortress. The island is also called St. Peter.

A week ago an older lady for whom I sometimes do some jobs asked me for a favor: To escort her on a trip from Krk to Ilovik to visit her friends there before they go back home to Germany. The plan was to travel by car VW Beetle convertible, take a ferry from Krk to Lošinj, drive again to the southernmost possible point of Lošinj, called Mrtvaška, park the car there and be picked up by her friends, by their boat. She needed me in case anything happens with the Beetle so I can help her on the road. It sounded as a nice plan to me so I accepted the invite & was really nice indeed!

A nice street of a small Adriatic maritime village

The ride was smooth and easy. Maybe a bit of traffic still on the road cause of the summer tourist season, mostly on the ferry boat but we didn't mind that too much. We lower down the rooftop of the Beetle & enjoyed the ride.

When her friends picked us up in Mrtvaška by their speedboat we continued the trip with the same wind carrying our hairs in the air like in the Beetle. Upon the arrival our hosts already prepared the lunch & welcomed us with a cool drink too.

The rest of the afternoon we spent on a boat exploring 2 nearby bays & beaches & cooling down while swimming & bathing. My choice was snorkeling - my favorite way of being in the sea. I always like to view the sea world below me.

I adore the traditional architecture of Adriatic & plants which found their home here in many gardens - especially the artichoke - a very special plant to me in any shape I find it, even dry like here.

When the Sun was setting low on the West, directly in the sea, we decided to go back home & get ready for another boat ride to a special restaurant in Rovenska, Lošinj. It will be a night ride. We grabbed a snack as soon as we arrived back from the beaches. I took a dog for a walk & chased the sunset on the other side. Ilovik is such a small island that by walking you can reach any place in the few minutes of walking. The sunset was incredibly beautiful. It reminded me of my travels to India but also made me remember how incredibly beautiful is my homeland Croatia & Mother Earth as a whole. Soon after I came back to the house, everybody was ready so we jumped on the boat & headed for dinner. It was approximately 20 min by boat even thou driving a boat in the night is not as easy as the daytime but everything was fine & we arrived to this special restaurant called Bora Bar.

I didn't take the camera on the boat in the daytime nor the nighttime neither for the sunset. Some moment deserve not to be caught on camera, just exist in the memory...

The dinner was extraordinary tasty & the service was of very high quality only the price of all of it was a bit high for my pocket. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every bite & it worth every cent we paid! I will not reveal what we ate there, only take my advise & go there for yourself to taste some of the best food ever! Very special place!

Ilovik is still very rural so people still keep chickens & used their eggs to eat & probably the meat too.

After dinner at Bora bar we jumped into the boat & enjoy another night ride back home to Ilovik. There I immediately washed my teeth & went straight to bed & fell asleep in few seconds. Active summer days make me tired but fulfilled & satisfied - especially when I'm travelling & experiencing exotic places.

Another charming Adriatic traditional stone house.

With that kind of chimney there must be wood stoves/heaters on both floors of this house!

In the morning I was the laziest! I got up the last & came down for breakfast. They already had a plan for the day & around 14:00 h we should have leave back for Lošinj-Cres-Krk anyway so we still wanted to use the morning time to explore the island more & at least go for a swim.

Many plants grow successfully in that kind of almost perfect microclimate.

After breakfast I went for a longer walk with intention to shoot around the village & exactly these photos that I'm publishing here, I made during that walk. It is not much but at least a bit so that you can get a clew what I'm writing about.

This sandy terrain we call boćalište or jog & it serves for a sport called boćanje or boće & have no idea how to translate this to English or any other language. It is a sport played with heavy balls & the goal is to hit or to throw as near as possible to a light small ball. Something like that.

Ilovik has a small port & quiet a fleet of smaller boats & only few bigger ones. I would bet that in the past every family living here had a boat or even more than one! I also would bet they were building wooden boats too! I found some very beautiful examples of traditional wooden boats in the harbor but most of them are now covered with plastic to preserve the wood & make them easier to maintain.

This was the most beautiful I found - no plastic yet! You can really see the original wood. For me it is always a pleasure to see such a piece of art!

Soon I got back to the house & we were ready for a last boat ride to the beach before we actually leave the island. One other girl who lives in Ilovik all year long joined us. We swam & I snorkeled again looking for fish cause there around those islands the underwaters are much richer with fish so you can really see a lot of different fish.

This chair was long time on the sea bottom & pulled it out & left it on the pier. In the background you can see one of the biggest & nice architectural examples that I encountered on the island.

While I was walking around and shooting I noticed numerous lemon, tangerine & orange trees & I really like to eat natural grown local domestic & not sprayed fruit so I asked the girl who joined to help me in getting those fruits. Anyway, we got an agreement that I can come & pick myself all those fruits in November, when it gets ripe! That made me so happy!

Sheep is another domesticated specie that people still keep on the island to make cheese & produce meat. The detail on the photo took my attention cause I admire the horns but also was a bit spooky.

We stayed on Ilovik only for 1 day but it felt for me like 7 days holiday. I rest so well! Pure wellness. Soon we got back to Lošinj by speedboat, started the Beetle & ride towards Cres to catch the ferry again to transfer us to Krk. When I set foot on Lošinj I felt like all the magic is gone or just a different kind of magic or back to the harsh reality...

There are many abandoned houses in Ilovik.

And special kind of properties too.

And even more special!

The house we stayed over night. The extra special place!

If you need a private tour guide & a photographer all along the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, feel free to contact me: +385923720382.

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