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SANDA BARETIC<br />
Croatian Experience<br />
Q&A<br />
Tell us a little about Croatian Experience<br />
with Sanda<br />
Croatian Experience with Sanda is an<br />
online window into Croatia, where you<br />
can watch inspiring and useful videos, nice<br />
photographs and get first-hand stories,<br />
experiences and useful information that I<br />
share about Croatia.<br />
I want to show people what Croatia<br />
offers, and share tips for future travelers,<br />
with my opinion on various Croatian and<br />
travel – related subjects. Through Croatian<br />
Experience with Sanda I also teach Croatian<br />
language to English speakers, while its<br />
sisterly culture and language project Curso<br />
Aprende Croata is a platform for Spanish<br />
speakers.<br />
My main focus is creating videos on my<br />
YouTube channel on a weekly basis.<br />
Your videos are very informative and<br />
offer sound advice. Who would you say<br />
is your target market?<br />
Thank you. Croatia is a beautiful country<br />
and it has rightly be<strong>com</strong>e quite popular<br />
worldwide. I envision my Croatian<br />
Experience with Sanda to connect and<br />
<strong>com</strong>municate with various people around<br />
the globe, giving them interesting<br />
information about Croatia, presenting it<br />
in a fun and personalized way. I publish<br />
new videos every week because there is so<br />
much to say about Croatia!<br />
My target market are people who are<br />
generally interested in Croatia and want<br />
to get an insider’s experience, people who<br />
already plan to travel to Croatia and want<br />
to check things out or get ideas for their<br />
stay here, and people who are looking for<br />
the next best destination to visit. Another<br />
more specific audience are the persons<br />
who wish to learn Croatian language and<br />
its culture.<br />
Over the last 20 years Croatia has grown<br />
as a tourist destination, it’s now one of<br />
Europe’s premier hotspots. Why do you<br />
think this is?<br />
First and foremost, Croatia is a beautiful<br />
country with spectacular and breathtaking<br />
nature. We have everything here:<br />
mountains, hills, plains, rivers, lakes and,<br />
of course, the wonderful Adriatic Sea with<br />
more than thousand islands! Combine<br />
that with hospitality, safety, delicious food,<br />
history, beautiful architecture, and a lot of<br />
amazing activities that you can experience<br />
here, and you will get a top destination. You<br />
can find something amazing for everyone<br />
here, regardless of age. Croatia is relaxing,<br />
beautiful, interesting and fun!<br />
Split and Dubrovnik get a lot of attention.<br />
Is there anywhere you’d re<strong>com</strong>mend<br />
that isn’t visited very often?<br />
Of course! Croatia is full of hidden gems,<br />
so I would really re<strong>com</strong>mend tourists to<br />
take time for their visit and to explore it.<br />
It’s great to rent a car and experience<br />
more of Croatia that way, or to take a<br />
sailing tour that you’ll always remember.<br />
Mediterranean coastal part, which is most<br />
popular is a must, but also the continental<br />
part of the country is really interesting, with<br />
a very central <strong>European</strong> feel.<br />
Together with Split and Dubrovnik, I’d<br />
re<strong>com</strong>mend the Plitvice lakes and Krka<br />
river, both breathtaking national parks. The<br />
whole peninsula of Istria is magical: in the<br />
city of Pula you will find a Roman colosseum,<br />
Rovinj is a beautiful and picturesque town,<br />
a hidden gem in Istria is a village Bale, and<br />
finally Hum, supposedly the smallest town<br />
in the world. My favorite island is Cres,<br />
Croatia’s biggest island whose northern<br />
part has the most magical nature. The<br />
locals maintain a tradition of having their<br />
sheep running around freely, so wherever<br />
you go, you will encounter those nice<br />
animals, together with the protected and<br />
endangered Eurasian griffons flying in the<br />
blue skies. I must say that Cres is ideal for<br />
hiking and for nature and adventure lovers.<br />
My favorite place there is called Beli.<br />
Further south, I’d re<strong>com</strong>mend the islands<br />
of Hvar, Korčula and Brač, and a hidden<br />
gem Palmižana. Of course, impressive is<br />
the Kornati national park, which consists of<br />
89 protected islands in the open sea area.<br />
In continental Croatia my favorite place<br />
is the city of Varaždin, with its splendid<br />
historical sites, and of course Zagreb,<br />
Croatia’s capital city!<br />
What is the best time of year to visit<br />
Croatia?<br />
The peak tourist season is in the summer<br />
months of July and August, when the<br />
temperatures are over 30°C, the sun shines<br />
brightly, and the skies are among the bluest<br />
I have ever seen. The sunsets in Croatia are<br />
spectacular, too! Tourists love the summer<br />
season in Croatia, because the sea is the<br />
warmest then, and they can spend the<br />
whole day at the beach.<br />
In the months of June and September<br />
it is still warm enough to enjoy the sea<br />
and swim, and all the tourist facilities are<br />
cheaper and less crowded.<br />
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