by Helen | Nov 22, 2018 | Renovation
As autumn gives way to winter, we decided recently that our windows are now going to be our focus. How all were going to be sealed and no more draughts would sneak in. Yes, yes – it’s all still ongoing, but as ever, we guesstimated how much seal we’d need. And guess what? We under-guesstimated. So, until we can get some more, we’re cracking on with the next bit of vital renovation to keep us much warmer than last winter.
Over the summer, we created a “day-bed”, using the concrete block which sits in The Well Room, abutting one of the external walls. We’d been led to believe that this was where the filtration magic happened with the well. But this has been debunked, as a bit of investigation from our builder revealed that this was no sophisticated filtration system, it was a great big hole filled with soil and building debris. Never mind though, we could still make something of it, and as you might know, I have a bit of an overspill of cushions and throws…
However, The Well Room is still a work in progress – wooden flooring to be laid, new front door, windows, woodburner to be fitted, TV to be fitted, concrete table to be finished – and so we don’t routinely use this room at the moment. And so didn’t notice the salt ingress, and patches of dusty damp, behind the cushions, until I moved them this week, to paint the wall into the bathroom. It’s serious when my cushions get damp, so remedial action was required. We had a nice looking Well Room, with one painted statement wall – the same as in the living room – for one night.
It’s all back to chaos now though! The offending wall has been treated with a sealant, usually used in swimming pools, and today insulation tiles have started to be applied. Once these are all in place, a hard mesh will cover them and then the wall will be plastered. We’re taking the opportunity to create a false ledge, into which lighting will be fitted, so that when it’s all finished, not only will this area be sealed and dry, but it will also be a whole lot more comfortable and stylish. The only problem now, is that I am imagining ALL of the stone walls being treated in this way. And imagining a day when we have smooth internal walls…
This is where we’re up to today. Our builder returns tomorrow to finish the wall of insulation tiles, before the mesh is attached and the plastering done. Gyproc (plasterboard) will then be installed, with the creation of a ledge, at the height of the bottom left tile, with lighting. Still working out if this will be of the dimmable LED strip variety or dimmable uplit spots. Whichever, we’ll be so much happier with the new arrangement, which to be fair, on Sunday evening, we hadn’t even considered. Such is life when you are renovating an old stone house in Istria.
by Helen | Nov 11, 2018 | Travel, UK
Recently, we travelled south to Essex to visit a We Are Life client and decided to make a bit of trip of it. Not having ever been to Essex before, assuming it was all brash a-la “The Only Way is Essex”, we weren’t really sure what to expect and I certainly didn’t have high hopes for a bit of high end, but affordable, luxury. In fact, this was probably what I thought Essex was all about…
But, Walton-on-the-Naze, is so much more than jellied eels. Sure, there are very traditional English seaside touches but there’s also a lot of beauty…
And, in a major stroke of luck – especially as they don’t have a website or a twitter account – we found The Georgian House. It’s described as a “B&B” over on website booking sites, but I don’t think it would be stretching it too far to say that it’s as good as any self-described “boutique hotel” we’ve stayed in. The house itself is very large – a stunningly restored Georgian townhouse over four floors, full of the original features. Perhaps one of the reasons it is described as a “B&B”, is that it is primarily a home, lived in by the owners, Geoff & Chris. However, it’s not the kind of B&B where it’s stuffed full of the owner’s mis-matching knick-knacks. This one exudes style, taste and elegance. Everything – from light switches to door handles to cutlery to taps to bedding to Farrow & Ball heritage colours – is in keeping with the style of the property, whilst acknowledging that guests probably also want a bit of 21st century luxury. It is beyond clean – taps literally sparkle. The bathroom was pristine – and like a boutique hotel, with complimentary toiletries. No half used bottle of liquid soap here. Towels were big, white and fluffy. Lush!
There are two “rooms” available for guests. Ours was just off the main staircase on the first floor and it was not a room at all. It was a mini apartment. A huge bedroom (again attention to detail was superb) with a separate bathroom (free standing bath) & toilet – although our room didn’t overlook the sea, this was not a problem because the accommodation was just spectacular.
Now, breakfast. I always have an issue with B&B breakfasts. Either the dining room is pretty horrible, or the food is bland or just plain awful. But The Georgian House does breakfast, with bells on. There’s only one table in the dining room – which is at the front of the house so all you can see is the sea – but as there are only two rooms to let, I don’t think you’d ever be fighting for a seat. Fresh fruit, juices, cereals, fresh breads & croissants, proper coffee served in a proper silver coffee pot and a full English that ranks up there with one of the best I’ve had.
Our first visit to the Georgian Townhouse was in 2013 and we always said if we were ever in the area again, we’d definitely do a stop-over. Fast forward to 2019, and we’d moved to Istria from Manchester. But on a trip back to the UK in September 2019, we drove and did a ferry crossing from Harwich, meaning were back in Essex and close to the Georgian Townhouse, so we made a booking.
It was good to see that, after four years, the high standards were still there. We got to stay in the same room again – but were shown the other – and everything was still pristine. Just as we remembered. As was breakfast – superb quality ingredients, fabulous presentation and all served in a room, with huge Georgian windows, overlooking the sea, right across the road.
We have not been paid to write this blog post – we paid full price for both of our stays – but we felt that The Georgian Townhouse is well deserving of a very high recommendation.
by Helen | Oct 20, 2018 | Renovation
We’re finally beginning to tackle the room which we’ve rarely gone into – the indoor cellar. Indoor, because we also have an outdoor cellar. This room sits under the living room, but feels joined to the house because the staircase down, is open. We had thought this would be a problem, heat-wise, but it’s actually worked out really well. Now that the weather has turned a bit chillier, the burners are starting to be lit. We’ve had our much-loved Dovre Stove, which we bought in The Stove Room, West Didsbury and brought out with us, installed in the cellar – and it definitely pumps out some heat, up into the living room. Up until now, it’s been a bit forlorn, sitting in the corner, surrounded by boxes and everything else that, so far, has been put in the cellar, until we “find a home for it”. We’ve had a vision for this room, since we bought the house, and now as winter approaches, it’s time to create the room we’ve been dreaming about…
When we moved into the house, this was what the cellar looked like :
Although some work had been done – two new windows, walls plastered (with some original stone left exposed) and a concrete floor laid – it was all very unfinished. The ceiling beams were clearly very old, and in need of lots of TLC. Too much else needed to be done elsewhere in the house and we needed an overspill storage space as we worked out where our belongings were going to go. But gradually, we’ve started to make sense of this space and realised we could make it in something very, very cosy. The installation of The Dovre was the first thing that made us think we needed to crack on and get sorted. Which is what we are now doing. It’s going to be a long haul to get it all finished, but with a couple of days of work, it’s already starting to take on a new look…
Next time, I hope to be able to show quite a bit of progress. And, to show what’s being done to the stairs, which have proven to be very rickety and look pretty awful. Delighted to say that work has finally started on transforming these into something that we hope will be quite unusual. Here’s what they’ve looked like until now, making the climb to the living room, a little precarious to say the least…
We have had quotes for two new staircases, but they were pretty eye-wateringly expensive. So, we’ve decide to get creative with what we have – and luckily, we also have a very creative builder who’s helping us to work with what we have, but re-design. Watch this space…
by Helen | Oct 3, 2018 | Travel, UK
We’ve made a few trips back to England since we moved out to Istria, and we’ve just completed our second road trip. Driving is definitely not the quickest way to get back, but it’s surprisingly less stressful than flying. And especially landing in a UK airport. Specifically Manchester…
Last time we drove, we headed across northern Italy, through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, skirting around the edges of Switzerland and up through France to Calais. We decided to try a different route this time and headed north up into Austria, Germany and Holland. We could have chosen a very scenic, mountainous route but that would have added hours and hours to what was already quite a long drive, so we didn’t get to see the best that these countries obviously have to offer. Germany, in particular, was pretty flat for the duration of the route we took and certainly no real Instagramable moments. However, the German motorways made up for lack of spectacular scenery – although very fast, they felt very safe as everyone seemed to really respect the rules of the road. Unlike in Italy. Holland, whilst still very flat – as we expected – became a lot prettier the more north we travelled. It has to be said, all three countries seemed to manage roadworks way, way better than happens in England. There were roadworks along the way, but the traffic largely kept flowing. Until we got to England, and this was what greeted us as we left Harwich, and became almost the norm as we travelled to various points in the country…
This time we decided to try a different ferry crossing, opting for the longer Hook of Holland to Harwich route. This turned out to be a good decision, because finding and navigating both ports was really easy – they are both quite small, compared to Calais and Dover and Portsmouth etc, and well sign-posted. Maybe it was the time of day/year, too but on both journeys, we embarked and disembarked and got through passport control quickly and efficiently.
We didn’t book cabins as the crossings were in the daytime, but did book seats in the Stena Lounge. This was described as a quiet lounge, where you could relax or work, in comfort. In reality, it was a little bit like a lounge in a retirement home – although with the added bonus of complimentary drinks. The crossing was a good seven hours, so for the return journey we decided to book a cabin (see below) – with a 9am departure, it seemed like a good opportunity to catch up on some much needed shut-eye, and before arriving back in Holland at 5pm. We hit very, very lucky with the weather on the return leg – brilliant blue skies and a very calm North Sea…
Now, here’s a bit of a top tip if you ever do this crossing. It does take a whole day – and a whole day sitting in a communal area can go quite slowly. So, once onboard, get yourself along to the Guests’ Services desk and enquire about booking a cabin, because if they’re not all booked, they sell them off. Cheaply. So, we bagged a triple berth cabin which had a double bed, with a single bunk above, sea view, desk area and large(ish) bathroom with good shower, for just over 35 euros. Worth every cent to be able to have some privacy, catch up on sleep and freshen up. We’d also pre-booked lunch in the main restaurant – at 16 euros for two courses it seemed good value. And, we weren’t disappointed. The food was good restaurant standard and the portions very filling. Although it did all feel a bit “Triangle” when the Prawn Cocktail & Marie Rose Starter arrived. No Kate O’Mara though…
We’d never been to Harwich before, and needed somewhere to stay when arrived as we didn’t dock until 7.30pm, but to be honest we struggled a bit finding somewhere that looked appealing. However – and here’s another top tip – Walton-on-the-Naze is only 20 minutes away and I remembered our last stay here, at the beautiful Georgian Townhouse. There was availability on both nights we needed (arrival & departure) so we booked again. It was like a home from home and everything we remembered. Beautiful room, bathroom with a roll-top bath, super comfy bed, excellent breakfast, uninterrupted sea views and wonderful hosting from Chris & Geoff. Do yourself a favour if you’re ever Essex way and make a booking. You won’t regret it.
On the way back, we decided to take more of a tour through Switzerland. A word of warning coming up here – if you are going drive on a Swiss motorway, and you’re only passing through, get on Google Maps or which ever app you use, and find a route that AVOIDS motorways. You have to have a vignette to drive on the motorways – if, like us, you hadn’t realised, as you approach the motorway, the police will syphon you off into a lane where you then have to buy a vignette. At a cost of 40 euros! Once we’d got over the shock of this unexpected expenditure, we realised that actually this wasn’t too bad for us, because we can get to Switzerland quite easily and now having paid to drive on the motorways, we’ll probably explore it more over the next year. But, as I say, if you are literally just passing through, it’s quite a hefty fee to pay – especially if you’re unfortunate enough to join at one junction and exit at the next…
Having said that, and we didn’t even get high up into the mountains, Switzerland is beautiful and it was probably worth the 40 euros to see the little that we saw. I’ve since read this excellent article from The Culture Trip and will be definitely using this as a guide next time we visit, because we were a little bit captivated by Heidi Land.
We sailed a return trip with Stena Line for less than £250 for two of us, plus a car. If you book seats in the Stena Lounge, drinks (wine, soft drinks, water, tea & coffee) are complimentary – and although you could get well and truly sloshed, as there was no limit applied to how many times you could refill your glass, it didn’t seem quite the right thing to do on this occasion. As well as the restaurant where we pre-booked lunch (we didn’t realise the ferry would be quite as quiet as it was, so a booking, post summer, is probably not necessary), there is also another restaurant which serves hot food and when I looked, had a really extensive selection, including veggie options and salads, sandwiches etc.
So, will we be doing a road trip again? Yes, most definitely. It gives us freedom. We can decide how long we are going to be away, plan the route to suit ourselves, and have the bonus of having an empty car we can fill up with goodies when back in England, and en-route. Those French hyper-markets are just too good to not factor in a few wine stock-up stops!
by Helen | Sep 12, 2018 | Lifestyle
Initially, it seems that *everything* in Croatia is complicated and fraught with much dramarama. Getting utility bills put into your name, buying a car, finding where to buy paint and white goods and furniture, getting car & house insurance, knowing how to hop across borders, opening a bank account, arranging a mobile phone, getting residency status, understanding Croatian instructions when putting together flatpack furniture. But, once you’ve done something once, maybe twice, you get the hang of it and all of a sudden we’re coasting along, thinking we’re very almost Croatian. But then our nemesis raises its head and we realise that one thing has alluded us. One thing we just cannot crack…
That’s right. Broadband. In May of last year (2017!) the broadband cable was finally fitted and for about 12 hours we had super speedy broadband. Oh, how wonderful those 12 hours were! But it didn’t last as, after much harassing of our provider, we found out that the “box” which housed the cables to all of the other houses in the village was FULL and our skinny wire couldn’t possibly have fitted into it. Hence, a huge pole had to be erected, the villagers consulted re the wire crossing across different people’s land, and eventually the wire drilled into the house – only for a “fault” to rear its head. And no, no more work could be done because apparently the Internet Gods in Zagreb had allocated a budget to our project, which had now been spent, and nothing more could be done. Even blatant attempts at bribery proved fruitless. Showing at least, that our telecoms engineers are nothing, if not honest.
So, for a year and a bit, the solution has been a satellite dish for TV and a 4G router for internet access. We’ve managed – although designing websites has been a bit frustrating at times. TV is something we are still getting our heads around – and no matter what you think of the state of TV in the UK, be grateful. Very grateful. Croatian TV (apart from some UK imports – thank goodness for Midsomer Murders & Death in Paradise) is nuts. It’s on a par with Italian TV – which is our only respite when the Croatian programmes become too insane. We can stream & download, but the 4G internet is limited on a monthly basis – we’ve so far never reached the limit, but after being used to just having broadband in Didsbury, it is, well, a bit limiting.
Our problem is that broadband apparently cannot reach our house at the moment – although conversations with T-Com (the state provider), suggest that technological advancements are being made and we will eventually have it. But no-one knows when this will be. And, although there are new companies in Croatia who are offering the installation of broadband, like with BT, everything ultimately goes through T-Com, so we just keep hitting the same stumbling blocks.
However, after much investigation, I have found a UK company who can provide us with satellite broadband. It seems a completely bonkers way of getting fast internet to the house, but once we have this we can then investigate the TV set-up. God knows if it will work, but we have to give it a try.
And given that we’ve successfully cracked most things we’ve encountered, we think that very soon we’ll crack this too and that like the rest of you, we’ll soon be lapping up Strictly Come Dancing.
by Helen | Sep 10, 2018 | Renovation
We’re at the stage in our house renovation, where we can now be quite a bit bolder in terms of decor. We’ve taken on an Istrian stone house, which in parts, is over 200 years old – and possibly more – so there is a wealth of history and tradition attached to it. Houses in our part of Istria, fall into three categories – the traditional stone dwellings like ours with tiny, shuttered windows, modern hacienda style houses with multiple balconies and often painted in deep pinks, oranges and reds, and ultra modern cube style buildings, usually white or grey on the exterior and with floor to ceiling glass walls. We definitely don’t want to adversely change the exterior of the house – although next year, Project Garden will be a different story – and so when you approach it, it does look like many other houses in the area. Although, we were so lucky that the previous owners had done all of the structural work, including a new roof, repaired stonework and new aluminium guttering, so it is in excellent condition and looks rather smart from the outside.
Inside, it’s taken nearly a year, but all rooms are now white washed. We knew we didn’t want a traditional Istrian stone house internally, and so early on the decision was taken to paint the exposed stone walls. We have seen interiors where the stone walls have obviously been sand-blasted and cleaned up and these do look lovely, but our walls were not in this state and so the house seemed dark. With the exposed wooden beams, it was a bit country-cottagey and definitely not what we wanted. Although it’s been a labour of love – those Istrian stones don’t half soak up the paint – we’ve finally got a house which is much lighter and feels so much more spacious. So, you’d think we’d be happy and stop there and sit back and enjoy our new lighter, brighter rooms…
wrong!
All white is all fine and good – but we realised that we were going to have work a bit harder to get that contemporary look we were after indoors. If *everything* was white – flooring, furnishings etc – we could probably have achieved that Scandi minimalism, but we’re living in a home, not a styled shoot, and the amount of cleaning that we’d need to do to keep our Scandi dream going, plus the additional expense of new furnishings, meant this was a non-starter. So, we’ve gone for the less expensive option – pops of colour. I’ve been scouring Pinterest for inspiration and pinning like mad, and I kept coming back to these images, in particular…
Our living room, although it has a low ceiling and the two windows are quite small, is large and I felt sufficiently big enough to take a very, very dark wall. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do too much arm-twisting and the only decision was what colour to go for. Having found the equivalent of B&Q out here, it’s easy to get paint mixed and we are becoming quite well known on the mixing counter. Although you can get familiar brands like Dulux, the range of colours doesn’t seem as extensive as we’re used to and so we always now opt for the mix option. This paint, in coverage and texture, is very similar to Farrow & Ball – and at a fraction of the price, we’re being won over. One coat was all it took to cover a large expanse of wall, and now that it is finished, we couldn’t be more delighted with our feature wall!
As well as the ceiling beams, the windows have big, thick beams above, to support. The wood used isn’t the best – it looks in places, as if it has been used previously to cut other pieces of wood on, as there are deep gouges. So, we’ve decided to also deal with these and in the process, make the windows seem larger. As with the beams, the wood around the top of the windows has been treated for woodworm – you can never be too careful with these critters – and undercoated and top coated in the beautiful calming matt grey used on the beams upstairs. Eventually all of the beams throughout the house will be done in the same way, but we’re having to be realistic about the amount of time it takes and so have set a target of two beams a day…
So, the living room is *almost* there – the floor still needs to be painted and then we need to deal with the issue of the open plan staircase, as well as finishing the ceiling, but we feel massive progress has been made over the last week. It’s also very gratifying to stand back & see our own handiwork, rather than that of a builder. And, DIY, without the accompaniment of a hammer drill is blissful…
by Helen | Aug 15, 2018 | Renovation
For the first year of living in the house, we made do with the bathroom we inherited. OK, we tarted it up a bit – everything painted white, essentially – but it was still quite poorly laid out, with a tiny shower cubicle and not really conducive to a relaxing experience.
So, the decision was taken that we couldn’t have another summer of guests, trying to squash themselves into a tiny shower. If we were going to have people staying with us, we had to provide them – and us! – with something a little bit more luxurious. The first job was to ensure that it actually happened and that we didn’t procrastinate or change our minds, so the shower cubicle was smashed out. A very satisfying job…
Luckily, we do have another bathroom upstairs so we could actually wash, but this one too, suffers from the same malaise as the downstairs one – small, quite poorly laid out, and ready for a big renovation. But maybe not quite yet! Once the downstairs bathroom had effectively been dismantled, we could assess the space and work out the plan of action – and to our builder’s delight, that meant moving the shower, the sink and the toilet. We decided that the shower would be much better positioned by the window – we’re not overlooked, apart from a beautiful wall of ivy – and so felt we could get away with this. Where the toilet had been, we decided to create a recess – a shelf for shower accessories, which would also double as a seat, within the shower, and the toilet would sit where the old shower had been, behind the door, so not visible from outside the room. We also decided to continue the concrete theme into this room, following the flow from the new kitchen and the table we had had made in The Well Room. The tiles we chose were big – about 70cms x 70cms – so this made the job all the more tricky, because much precise cutting was needed for such a small space.
After having such an un-luxurious bathing experience for so long, we decided that we’d push the boat out a little bit further than we originally anticipated with this bathroom. To save space further, we opted for a wall mounted toilet, with the flush built into the wall, and the same for the sink. We bought a cabinet for the sink to sit on, but decided against it, when we realised that a floating sink would look so much better. The project seemed to take a lot longer than we anticipated, but to be fair, it was also a lot trickier than we anticipated – but finally, a bathroom did start to emerge…
So, how does it all look now? Well, we loved our bathroom in West Didsbury, but somehow this one just feels a little bit more spa-ish. I think it’s because there’s no bath, and so essentially it’s become a wet room. Although, and thanks to our builder for persuading us on this one, the addition of underfloor heating, means that the water will dry up quickly in colder temperatures. (No problems currently, because it’s so hot, it dries up almost immediately). There are still certain things still to be done. Where the shower curtain is now – again, a very inexpensive IKEA option with a telescopic pole – we’ll have a hinged shower screen, which will fold back across, and under, the shower, creating more sense of space. The piping structure will be created under the sink, giving us space for towels etc. And, again due to time constraints, we had have the original door rehung (although turned around so that it now opens the other way), but the plan is to have a sliding door installed, again creating more sense of space.
We could not love our new shower anymore! It is the quietest shower, ever – but powerful. There is also something very beautiful and liberating about showering in front of an open window, looking out on lush green foliage and knowing that you cannot be overseen. Our builder did think I was quite mad when I said I wanted a “seat” creating within the shower, but he gets it now. I think! It’s lovely being able to apply moisturising cream, after a shower, but still in the shower. And, believe you me, after months of dust and dirt and heat, moisturising is very important!
I really hate plug holes in showers – they make me shudder, so we decided on a linear trap. And found one to perfectly match the white and chrome shower, which then followed through to the sink tap and the toilet flush…
The previous sink was the kind of sink you might find in a toilet room – it was tiny and really only for handwashing, so we went for a chunky, rectangular sink, with sufficient room for face washing. And with a very funky push down plug. It’s the little things…
by Helen | Jul 31, 2018 | Italy, Travel
When we visited Brescia, not too long ago, we decided to visit the town of Salò, located on the western banks of Lake Garda. I’d seen Salò on Francesco da Mosto’s “Italy : Top to Toe” and was fascinated by it. As we were so close, it seemed a wasted opportunity not to visit the town that Mussolini made the capital of his puppet republic from 1943-1945.
Because the day was very overcast, and actually quite cold, we didn’t get to explore quite as much as we’d intended, but what we did see, was something of a real surprise. I think I had expected it to be almost museum-like, and with a real nod to its recent history. I’m sure that if you desperately wanted to seek out references to the Mussolini era, you could – but we found it to be a very beautiful lakeside town, which is definitely worthy of a revisit.
We were there in late September, so the tourist season was coming to a close, but you could still get an appreciation of what it might be like in the summer. Restaurants and bars and very swish boutiques line the shore, with pastel coloured houses and apartments, behind the front, up and along the cobbled streets. Every now and again, a glimpse of an amazing gated villa or residence – there’s definitely no shortage of money in this part of Salò! Fishing boats bobbed along the perimeter of the lake, as well as larger vessels moored up – again, no shortage of pennies here.
We even managed to catch the Exhibition of Madness, an off-shoot from the Museo di Salo, on the lake promenade. In an industrial container – “L’Intonapensieri” – there was a preview of the exhibition that hosted nine interactive installations with poems written by important figures such as Antonio Ligabue, Franco Basaglia and Alda Merini. Pretty bizarre it was, too – and maybe not for those with a slightly nervous disposition.
Salò, despite its fairly recent association with Mussolini and Facism, is now a genteel kind of town, with grand buildings tree lined promenades. And, perhaps in an effort to get away from recent history, the last hide-out of Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, is now the the very boutique, Villa Fiordaliso…
(Image : https://www.relaischateaux.com)
by Helen | Jul 9, 2018 | Croatia, Travel
We thought we knew Rovinj, in Istria pretty well as it’s now one of our go-to places when we need some sea air and a bit of comfort away from an on-going house renovation. We decided to stay somewhere different this time, and chanced upon the very stylish and boutiquey Casa Amando, run by two German designers, Marijana and Lucas. More about this find in a later blog, but suffice to say, we *got* it when Marijana explained that “the house found them…”.And, through staying here, we discovered a whole area of old town Rovinj, we have so far not investigated.
Breakfast currently does not come as an option with these apartments (five in total in a renovated house), but there is an amazingly well equipped communal kitchen. However, we were advised that a new cafe/restaurant had recently opened, literally next door, and that the owner used to be head chef at The Adriatic Hotel. This piqued our interest, because The Adriatic is our favourite get-away-from-it-all place.
So, Korta. What a beautiful place! The decor is exquisite – lots of vintage style wrought iron tables and chairs, lanterns, candelabras, bird cages, rose patterned cushions, mis-matched crockery and the biggest bouganvillea I have ever seen. So big, that just about everyone who went past, stopped to take a snap of it.
Breakfast was a delicious affair, beautifully presented on a three tier cake stand. The top tier was the “savoury”. Cold cuts of meats were available, but we opted for just the cheeses – Istrian truffle cheese, a hard but creamy cheese, ricotta and mozzarella, sprinkled with dates and small fruits. The middle layer was the “sweet” – two big slices of homemade apple cake, two big croissants, one filled with chocolate and one with marmalade and two glass pots, one filled with chocolate spread, the other with an orange marmalade. The bottom layer was the “healthy” one – grapes, orange slices, apricots, bananas, blueberries and redcurrants. We had two large coffees each and fresh juice – all for 150 kunas, which is less than £20. Fantastic value in a stunning setting. Hugely recommended.
Korta only opened at the beginning of July, but from what we experienced, it should be a success. It is open from breakfast through to evening – and the menu changes to more of a tapas style, with Istrian meats, cheeses and fish. It can be found right next to Casa Amando, which is located at Bregovita ulica 9.
by Helen | Jul 6, 2018 | Renovation
It seems like no time since we were in the depths of winter, with no kitchen, a gaping hole in the wall where the new window was being fitted and heavy falling snow. It’s now mid-summer and although, as I type it’s hammering down with rain, thunder is rumbling all around and lightning is cracking across the sky, largely the weather is baking hot. So, this all makes DIY and renovation a bit more difficult, as we’d definitely rather be lying on a sun-lounger in the garden, than up a ladder with a paintbrush. Our builders are still here, working on what they need to do – the downstairs bathroom still being the big priority at the moment – but, we’re also doing what we can, and we’re currently focusing on the outside of the house, to the front.
There is a piece of land, tucked under our living room window, which actually belongs to the tumble down house we’re attached to. It’s been left as a bit of a dumping ground, but we decided that, although it doesn’t belong to us, we would give it a bit of a tidy up – especially given that it does look & feel like part of our garden. Days were spent moving stones & rocks, refilling with rubble to level it, covering with plastic and then finally laying bags and bags of beautiful rusty coloured bark. From what it was, it’s come up a treat – next job is to have uplighting installed, to light up the gorgeous ivy-clad ruin to which we are adjoined…
A lot of paint spraying has been going on in the garden – we bought a white wrought iron vintage table and chairs set, which needed a bit of TLC. This was achieved with a deep charcoal grey paint, which has given this set a whole new lease of life. And now the same thing is happening with the wooden sun loungers – from a walnut colour to the lovely deep grey. A colour which really complements the duck egg blue of the outdoor lights and the external paintwork. A work in progress, because as ever, the amount of spray paint needed, was under-estimated, necessitating yet another trip to the DIY store…
