An Istrian Interlude

Camping holidays remind me of my girl scout days from a long time ago. What a fun time! Sleeping out under the stars, having cook-outs, making do with less, living close to nature. And what could be closer to nature than a campsite where everybody else romps around in their birthday suits?

I'm talking about the FKK facility called Koversada in Vrsar on the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. FKK is German for Frei Körper Kultur. Unfortunately, the English "nudist" doesn't quite capture the essence of the German term. Puritanical minds may associate being nudist with prurient activities, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, this camp is absolutely family-friendly.

Whether you want to stay in a tent, a caravan, a mobile home or a bungalow, Koversada can accommodate your needs. And even if you're not a regular camper with your own caravan or trailer, you can rent one for the duration of your stay. The Gebetsroither company in Liezen, Austria always sets up a number of caravans on the site each year, and you can make reservations with them. That's what we did last year, and we enjoyed our stay so much that we booked with them again this summer.

Each caravan has enough room for two adults and two kids (in the bunk beds) to sleep in. The tiny kitchen is equipped with pots and pans and dishes so you don't have to bring your own, and the dining area converts into an extra bed in case an unexpected visitor drops by. In front of the caravan is a tent with a full-sized refrigerator as well as garden furniture.

Within the campsite are restaurants, shops where you can buy provisions, newspapers and beach paraphernalia, tennis courts, an area for beach volleyball, a special shower area for dogs, and a hall where special programs for guests and their children are held. Of course, at a nudist camp the general rule is that you do without clothes throughout the day, except when you eat out, participate in common activities or go shopping. Coming from a tropical country as I do, I used to not comprehend the seemingly European propensity for going swimming topless or even naked on our beaches in the Philippines. However, having lived through many winters in an Alpine country, where you insulate yourself from head to toe for more than half a year every year, I was glad to just sit out in the open air every day, soaking up the sunshine and getting a healthy dose of Vitamin D.

The campsite's beaches are typical of Istria in that they are rocky or riddled with pebbles and rather uncomfortable if you like to go barefoot. However, the area fronting the adjoining island of Koversada - from which the camp gets its name, and which is connected by a bridge to the mainland - is specially filled up with sand, and is a favourite of kids and sunbathers.

When we were there last year, our camp area was located near the building that insiders call the "Gräfin", or countess. There used to be a pub there where a band played every night and guests could go dancing. This year however, they moved the pub's premises to the guest services area near the sandy beach, and the restaurant specializing in Istrian cuisine moved to the Gräfin's facilities. Last year, we got to know the band's repertoire so well that we could predict that "Tequila" would play at around 9:30 p.m. Guessing the next song to be played was our evening recreation then, and we had a lot of laughs about it. Too bad we couldn't do that this year.