Međimurska Županija
Croatia
The ride back to my campsite in Slovenia from Plitviče National Park was something of an eye-opener. It struck me just how poor Croatia seems to be compared with some of its northern neighbours. Up to this point, my experience of Croatia hasn't extended far beyond Dubrovnik, so it came as a bit of a surprise; the stark contrast between the immaculately manicured hillsides of Austria, and these characterful yet near-derelict timber-built farmsteads that seem to litter the Croatian countryside.
The road North is strewn with them. I don't know a great deal about Croatian history, but I presume they are the fall-out from the civil war in the early 1990's, where Croatian loyalists fought for independence against the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This is something I definitely need to learn more about.
Croatia is such a lovely country, filled with beautiful souls. Except perhaps for one particularly grumpy old farmer living near the Slovenia border. I was taking pictures of some ramshackle farm buildings when a crooked man with hands like old leather driving gloves started shouting at me, telling me (I guess) not to take photos of his property.
I was too mesmerised to respond; his tan was so deep and so ancient, he looked like a bronze-age corpse recently hauled out of a peat bog. When I laughed, he attempted to hit me with his stick and then (I assume) tried to convince his tiny (and very friendly) little dog to attack me.
These photographs were taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and the extraordinary Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 II.
Equipment used
- Camera
- Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
- Lens
- Canon 35 mm f/1.4 L II USM
- Motorcycle
- Triumph Bonneville Scrambler 865
All images © Alex Nichol 2018 - all rights reverved.
