There is a long, narrow bay that looks like a river. Yesterday I drove about 60 kilometers to get there.
The narrow valley was actually made by a river. At some point, the river changed its direction. Currently continues its flow underground, where it disappears in the deep caves near the center of the old town called Pazin, about 40 kilometers inland from the bay.
The sea flooded the dry riverbed ...
... and the Lim bay was created and ready to use. Ready for the tourists and scenic tours. But it was a bit too early, tourists weren't ready. Didn't exist back then.
The flooding happened at the end of the last ice age. The restaurant shown in this photograph was built much later. In the early 60s. It's called Viking. That's because of the old movie about Vikings, called "The Long Ships." That Anglo–Yugoslav production was filmed in 1964. The restaurant was already there. Although as a much smaller, old tavern. It was called Alfio and Marcela.
The movie had some pretty big stars of the era in it. Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier. I found a nice excerpt on Youtube, where the Lim bay is clearly recognizable. You can see it here. Have a nice viewing.🙂
The bay was also some kind of actor here.
It was pretending to be a Scandinavian fjord.
I saw the movie long ago, as a kid, on the TV. Can't remember the details, but I remember that was an entertaining adventure for a kid. Now I see that it's a colorful movie, but I saw it on the black&white TV back then.
Today, the Mediterranean "fjord" definitely wasn't very colorful.
But I like this winter atmosphere.
The shallow, always calm water of the bay and its muddy seabed makes it an ideal place for shellfish farming.
Furthermore, many small freshwater springs flow from the underground into the bay, and that mix of the two types of water is great for some mollusks ...
... like mussels and oysters...
... that are grown here.
To try them, a tourist doesn't have to go far ...
... because the fresh, high-quality shellfish is served in the nearby restaurant by the sea. But that is true only for springtime and summer.
Now, in the pretty cold February ...
... everything is closed.
This outdoor info board was photographed at the end of the bay.
There is a cave not far from there, about 100 - 150 meters uphill. It's called Romuald’s Cave. It was named after hermit St. Romuald, that according to some legends, spent several years in the cave around the year 1000. Remains of many interesting prehistoric animals were found in the 100 meters long cave. Cave bear, lion, leopard, and even hyena. The place is currently closed because of rare bats that live there and need to be protected.
So I didn't walk uphill ...
... into the forest that covers the slopes of the canyon.
Here, I almost reached the muddy end of the bay.
The tide was low.
The stones were covered with algae.
The whole bay has that muddy - greenish look on a day like this.
Two Little egrets (Egretta garzetta) were resting on the shore. They hunt small fish in the shallows.
Their elegant, immaculately white plumage creates a nice contrast with the muddy environment.
These fishing boats ...
... parked on the pretty long, zig-zag dock made of various materials ...
... hunt in the deeper water ...
... near the opposite end of the bay.
Unfortunately, I didn't have high rubber boots with me, so I couldn't explore the muddy shore.
I took only a couple of shots from a safe distance. But I'm very curious, so I'll visit this place again, probably in springtime. When the insects are active. The focus will be more on macro stuff in this interesting environment.
The bay is 12,8 kilometers long ...
... and the entire narrow valley ...
... that continues further inland ...
... is 35 kilometers long.
The surrounding vegetation is a mix of evergreen and deciduous species ...
... so there is always plenty of green ...
... in the winter landscape.
On my way back to the car ...
... I noticed a muddy puddle near the road. The water there ...
... has turned into ice.
After taking this last shot, I was driving home.
AND THAT'S IT. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE OUT-OF-SEASON TOUR. AS ALWAYS IN THESE POSTS ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK. THE VIDEO ISN'T MINE. I JUST FOUND IT ON THE YOUTUBE AND LINKED IT HERE. THE END.