CULTURAL IMMERSION: Tour to Croatia 2012: SIGN UP NOW!

 CULTURAL IMMERSION TOUR

 

Croatia: June 14-28, 2012 
14-Day Tour: $2,875: PAYABLE IN 3 INSTALLMENTS!  

"The Soul of a People Can Be Found in its Songs"
The Heart of a People Can Be Heard in its Music"

"This tour is a nice balance of experiences in the city, country, seashore and mountains. The sights, music, meals, and company were outstanding. Melissa and Pam arranged local tour guides who made me feel so welcome, it felt like visiting family. They showed me the soul of Croatia." (2011 tour participant) 

 

If you would like to experience the true flavors of CROATIA with the rich addition of dance, music and song at many times and in many locations,
 then consider traveling with Pam Kelley and Melissa Obenauf, Co-Directors and Co-Founders of ZIVILI Dance Company. 
The tour will begin in Zagreb and its surroundings, where we will hear the sounds of tamburitza players while dining; 
there will also be opportunities to attend dance classes offered by Croatia's leading dance ethnologists, 
and private receptions at "LADO," Croatia's premier state folk dance company! 
While in the capital city of Zagreb, we will explore the Old Town on foot, led by the city's stellar and most experienced tour guide.



 

Come with us  to see the beautiful forests and mountains of Gorski Kotar, and then its onward to the picturesque 
walled town of Krk, on the Adriatic's largest island, KRK. 
Plant yourself at this lovely hotel with incredible views, and then travel in beautiful air-conditioned busses to take day-trips 
to see the world's newest "Tuscany," ISTRIA, to Rovinj, to Pula and throughout the interior and coastal areas. 
How about a relaxing boat trip for swimming and exploring unoccupied islands in the Adriatic? 
Does a fish dinner in a restaurant/konobo in the ancient fortressed-town of RAB sound like a good idea? 
And, we invite you to hear the most romantic music that the coastal areas offer "KLAPA singing" while sitting alongside the more (sea) 
with thousands of stars twinkling overhead! Let's do some wine-tasting in the village of VRBNIK where the famous ZLATINA grape is cultivated and grown! 
We simply cannot miss Plitvice Lakes, either, which is listed on the World Heritage Sites as one of the Natural Wonders of the World. 
A visit to the stunning Kvarner Island of CRES is planned, where we will visit ancient towns and eat the most sumptuous lamb dinner ever!

 

 

 

One of the most special attributes of this trip is that our travelers only unpack twice, once in Zagreb, and again in Krk. 
Although we offer many excursions, we will always bring you back "home" to the gracious hotels we have chosen for you. 
Yet another special attribute of our tours is that after the $400 deposit is made, the remainder of the cost is divided into 3 equal installment payments,
 paid approximately one month apart.   (Please note that if you ask us to arrange your airfare for you, 
it must be paid in one lump sum and will include a $25 per ticket booking charge.) 
Another unique attribute of our tours is that except for 3 "free days," we include 2 sumptuous meals per day!                         
(And, even on free days, breakfast is always included.) 

 

 

Probably the most compelling special characteristic of our tours is that we take you to places that are as yet "undiscovered," 
but by the same token, are among the most beautiful locations in all of Croatia. 
If you would like to experience what we feel are the most special "flavors" of Croatia, then this trip is for YOU! 
And, because of our knowledge of, and love for folklore, everywhere we go we arrange for music, song, and
 dance as both entertainment and for optional participation.

Traveler Feedback

I was humbled to find this country – it’s people, through all they have experienced,have found  a better way to live and am thankful to Pam and Melissa for their efforts allowing us the experiences that put us in contact with the places and people of Croatia in such a way that not only is it a life changing- education, but will now and forever be a part of our hearts.

 

You packed a lot of activity into 14 days, yet I never felt rushed.  At the end of each day I felt exhausted, but in a good way and I couldn’t wait till the next day’s activities. Our trip was the perfect balance.

 

I truly believe that the meals (and wine) we shared together, along with all the singing and dancing, really bonded us as a group.  People laugh when I tell them we had our own accordionist travelling with us so we were always ready to dance and sing wherever we went. 

 

What made the trip priceless were the things that we could not have done on our own.  All the “in the know” and connections you and Pam have.  Having the Tambura bands (Orchestra Trenk was my favorite) and a Klapa group perform just for us was amazing.  Having our own special performance by Lado, thrilling.....

 

You both knew all the best places and I loved walking into a shop and saying, “I’m with Pam and Melissa’s tour,” and seeing the shopkeepers’ faces light up, get even better service. It was so apparent that everywhere we went, people not only thought highly of you but with genuine warmth and respect.
 

This tour is a nice balance of experiences in the city, country, seashore and mountains. The sights, music, meals, and company were outstanding. Melissa and Pam arranged local tour guides who made me feel so welcome, it felt like visiting family. They showed me the soul of Croatia.

If you want to: 1) be serenaded by several tambura bands, 2) learn to sing Croatian songs (even if you can’t sing very well and don’t understand the words), 3) eat at fabulous restaurants handpicked by Melissa and Pam, 4) do a lot of sightseeing in beautiful Croatian cities, towns, and villages, 5) ride on a boat to islands in the Adriatic sea, and 6) only have to unpack two times…., this is the tour for you!  I joined the 2011 tour and when people ask me how I enjoyed it, I always say that it was magical, very well planned, and was my “trip of a lifetime”--every day was better than the day before (if that’s possible)!  You couldn’t ask for better tour directors than Melissa and Pam, and I know that if you decide to go in 2012, you too will have memories to cherish the rest of your life as I do.

 

...what will remain with me for a lifetime is the blend of the beauty of the culture with the beauty of Melissa’ and Pam’s joy in sharing it.

...the most perfect trip I can possibly imagine. Never before have I had a two-week experience that was so rewarding and so flawless. I truly would not change a minute of it...

 

…I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my "dream-come-true" vacation such a wonderful highlight of my life!

 

 

…I WILL be back to do another trip with either my granddaughter or my brother ... or both ... in two years.  I would recommend it to anyone…

 

…It will all be a memory of a lifetime for me!  You were all so kind, helpful, and patient with us Senior Citizens who had more difficulty than the rest in walking ancient pathways.  Croatia is so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined and the people so kind…

 

....Croatia, a country I knew virtually nothing about until the trip, is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful and diverse places I've ever been to...and the Croats are such delightful, proud people.  What a wonderful experience...I had an amazing time.  Many of the trips we took with you were ones we would not have done/known about on our own....very special.

 

 

 

 For more information, or to sign up for this very special tour, 

please contact Melissa at 

 mobenauf@windstream.net  or @ 740.587.7715.