In 1978 and 1980, Rainer, his siblings Thomas and Claudia, and our friends visited the Adriatic island of Rab, which still belonged to Yugoslavia at that time.
The small island of Rab is located in northern Croatia's Kvarner Bay, is only about 20 km long, and is one of the sunniest regions in Europe thanks to its Mediterranean climate. The island's capital, also called Rab, is located on the west coast. It is famous for its historic old town with its narrow streets, princely palace and striking bell towers.
However, our destination was Lopar in the north of the island. Here you will find the beautiful, gently sloping Paradise Beach. We travelled there in two old, unreliable cars and spent 14 days at the Lopar campsite in small tents on air mattresses. Two days of continuous rain and soaked tents did nothing to dampen our spirits, though. We cooked and barbecued for ourselves and enjoyed plenty of Croatian beer and slivovitz. We spent days sunbathing on Paradise Beach, but also explored Rab's mountains on hikes. At that time, a simple holiday on Rab represented 'great freedom' for us — a concept that seems unimaginable today, yet enviable.
