I´m back with a new post! It´s been quite some time since my last post, I know, but I´m really happy to be posting again😊
I want to tell you all about our recent family trip to Ogulin, a town in north- western Croatia, situated in Karlovac County. The reason for our trip was visit to Ivana´s House of Fairy Tales, a unique multimedia and interactive visitor´s centre which celebrates fairy tales and their makers.
"Based on the principles of knowledge, creativity and the use of new technologies, the centre presents the fairy tales of Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (born in Ogulin in 1874), Croatia's foremost writer of fairy tales, as well as the fairy tales of many other writers from both Croatia and the world.
Located within the mediaeval Frankopan Castle, Ivana's House of Fairy Tales consists of a permanent multimedia exhibition, a library, a multifunctional space for workshops, and a souvenir shop.
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It was a really fun experience and I definitely would recommend visiting Ivana´s House of Fairy Tales, especially to families with kids, but not only!
We bought two books in the little souvenir shop, "Cudnovate Zgode Segrta Hlapica", kids tale for my son (I read this book when I was his age), and Ivana´s personal diaries (which I thought would be something interesting to read for my Mum and myself!)
Afterwards we grabbed something to eat at a local fast food "Strauss" (it was recommended to us by locals). They have delicious hamburgers, french fries, grilled vegetables, and "cevapcici".
My hubby recommends you try "Balkan burger", and I really liked my grilled vegetables with mushrooms.
By the end of the day, just before returning home, we visited nearby lake "Sabljaci". It was really nice to just sit by the lake, play cards and enjoy the scenery!
I filmed a short instagram vlog that you can watch here, and longer version of this vlog will soon be uploaded on my youtube channel 💋
I hope you get a chance to visit Ogulin someday and enjoy all these fun activities that we did!
Let me know if you already visited Ivana´s House of Fairy Tales, or lake Sabljaci, and how did you like it?
In this post I'm going to share with you this fun TAG that I did with my lovely youtube friend of many years, Michela!
As I already mentioned, I love doing collabs with my blogger and vlogger friends, it's the best way to get to know each other a bit better and support each other.
I also love participating in TAGs and similar challenges as I think they're always fun to watch!
So Michela and I filmed a video TAG, "Living Abroad" in which we both answer to some questions and talk about our experience of living in a foreign country.
As you guys probably already know, I'm Croatian and I have been living in Italy for the past 10 years now! Actually, in July of this year it's going to be 11 years! That's crazy, right? It definitely sounds surreal to me, time flies by so incredibly fast!!!
My husband is Italian (born in Venice), and he is the reason why I moved from Croatia.
Ever since I moved to Italy, I've been living very close to Venice, a beautiful tourist attraction known for its beauty in the whole world!
I love living here, but Italy is full of gorgeous places that tell history, culture, tradition...a true must see for every curious tourist!
For example, I was left speachless by Rome's beauty!
Me doing some sightseeing in Rome: This is the gorgeous Fontana di Trevi.
It was so splendid, white and shiny (that year when we visited they had just finished restoring it, and it was a work that took place for many years!)
In front of the ancient Colosseum!
Michela, on the other hand, is Italian and she lives in Northern Ireland.
She also had a lot of interesting things to say about her experience, as an Italian and a true sun and food lover, of living in always cloudy northern country! But on the contrary of what you may think, she seems to love it!
We talk & talk & talk some more (lol, we sad a lot to say) about our experiences in our TAG videos, so if you fancy taking a look, here is mine.
5) Have you ever lived in another country? Which one?
6) How old are you?
7) Why did you decide to move abroad?
8) Was it hard do get a residence permit/visas?
9) What was the worst experience you've had there?
10) Tells us about a tourist attraction/sightseeing place you like and talk a little bit about it.
11) Do you speak the local language? Do you think it's important to learn it?
12) What do you think about the country you live in? How well do they receive foreigners?
13) Do you miss your family?
14) What products from your home country do you miss the most?
15) What are your plans for the future? Do you want to live there forever?
16) What's something you use everyday where you live that you think your home country should also have?
17)What suggestions or tips would you give to someone who wants to live in this country?
18) If you could describe in one word your experience in this country, what would it be?
In the video, I somehow skipped a question (#17), so I promised I would answer to it in my blog post!
What suggestions or tips would you give to someone who wants to live in this country?
Whether it's a short term, or a long term stay, I'd say go for it!
Italy is a country that isn't difficult to adjust to! It's a very beautiful country, known for many tourist attractions, history, tradition and culture. Try to make the most out of your stay here and visit it from North to South!
Also, enjoy the food! Italians are true gourmands and they truly have some of the best world's delicacy to offer (as a part of their normal, everyday cuisine and lifestyle!)
Italians love to sing and are usually very friendly.
However, the years of economic crisis that stroke Italy (and the rest of the Europe for that matter), left its trace, so sometimes you can come across them being not so polite and closed towards receiving foreigners. However, that's a smaller percentage of population, at least in my opinion!
Every culture is different and you'll probably come across some culture shock: But be open minded, try to embrace the good and the bad this country has to offer and don't try to compare it to your own country (of course you're going to be homesick at times, but it's only natural to feel this way).
Try to learn the language, as it'll help you make friends. Many places offer free Italian lessons for foreigners!
It's important to know the language to feel as a part of the community and not to feel isolated: The majority of Italians aren't really brilliant at English!
These were some of my tips for how to live happily in Italy. I hope I was able to help a bit.
Let me know, have you ever lived abroad? If so, where and how was your experience?
I'd love to hear everything about it!!!
xo from Italy,
*read more fashion, beauty & lifestyle posts at Glam Express
