The ten days I spent in Croatia in the fall of 2012 feel like they are ages away… Every once in a while though – meaning every time I get too annoyed with cold feet and German winter – I go through my photos again, and dream myself back to pebble beaches, shimmering blue water, narrow cobblestone streets, and delicious seafood.

I know my previous Croatia posts have all the corny clichés covered, but I still wasn’t sure they captured this beautiful Balkan country adequately. Sure, I had never imagined that water could naturally be so very blue like the Adriatic Sea is. And Plitvice Lakes was one of the most stunning places I have seen in a long time. But what truly sums up Croatia for me shows today’s Picturesque Monday: Little, oldish houses with a Mediterranean atmosphere, colorful flowers, and this incomparably warm Croatian light. Just one photo that shows that Croatia’s true beauty lies in the adorable randomness of details and the balanced merging of architecture and nature.