John & Zelma

ItchyFeet BC

John & Zelma

Travelling to Eastern Europe


Total Distance: 0 miles / 0 kmMouse: 0,0

Eastern Europe Trip




Europe » Germany October 2nd 2008

Last day. We started out early headed for Munich. The GPS unit in our trusty little Opel was useful today because we were closer to Germany. The weather was variable but the Austrian countryside was very beautiful. Along the way we stopped in Wasserburg - another old gated town. After a while they all seem similar and it is impressive to see how they refurbish buildings which are sometimes 400 years old. The interiors are very pleasant and modern. We continued on to Friesing where we returned the car after it has reliably transported us 4345K. The rental company dropped us off at our hotel near the airport. We then explored the town of Friesing, had dinner and will be up early to catch the 6 am shuttle to the airport for our flight to London ... read more
Friesing 3
Friesing 4
Friesing 5

Europe » Slovenia » Istria October 1st 2008

The weather today is cloudy and cool. We decided to travel to locations close-by. First we went to Lake Bohinj - a recreational area about 45 minutes from the pension. The lake is both a summer and winter resort with skiing in the winter and sailing, para-sailing, and hiking i the summer. At the ewst end of the lake is a cable car which takes people to the summit of Mt. Vogel - an 8 minute ride. Unfortunately the top was in clouds so we settled for a coffee at the top before heading back down. Next stop was the Vintgar Gorge which offered a very nice walk through the gorge. On the way back we stopped in a local supermarket and it was much like a Save-On store - even with similar brands. Their bread ... read more
Lake Bohinj - Church
Mt. Vogel - Cable Car
Mt. Vogel - Journey 1

Europe » Slovenia » Slovenian Littoral » Goriska September 30th 2008

The day began with another road race on the local autoroutes. They are toll roads (you have to buy a sticker every 6 months). There is something to be said for this system because the roads are very good and the tunnels are very costly to construct. The driving time is reduced compared to the local roads which are narrow and lots of curves. Lake Bled was a treat. The weather was wonderful and we walked around the lake (about 90 minutes). We also rented a boat and rowed out to the island where the church is located. This is a very picturesque location and there were not as many tour buses which was nice. Our pension is located in Radovljica about 5K from Bled since Bled caters to tourists with bottomless pockets ($200 plus/night). We ... read more
Bled - Castle 1
Bled - Castle 2
Bled - Island Church 1

Europe » Slovenia » Istria September 29th 2008

Today was a much more restful day. Our travel time was much shorter. We stopped at a National Park (Skocjanske jame) whih is a UNESCO site. It is home to the largest underground cave in Europe. We walked through the interior of eleven caves (both dry and with a flowing river). The stalagmites & stalagtites were really amazing. Unfortunately interior photos were not allowed. At the lowest point we were 170 meters underground. At the end of the trip we took a vehicular trip back to the top. The car stalled abruptly on the way up causing a minor amount of panic on the part of the passengers. Fortunately nobody was seriously injured. We then went to Lipica to view the stables of the Libizzan horses. They have been breeding the horses here since 1580 and ... read more
Caves 1
Lipica 1
Caves 2

Europe » Croatia » Istria September 28th 2008

Left Cavtat this morning - destination unknown. We took the main motorway through central Croatia. It is a beautiful superhighway. The average speed is about 140-150 kph with others travelling much faster. The route is not very exciting except for many tunnels one of which was 6K long thrugh a mountain. Near the upper part of Croatia we turned left away from Zagreb and headed for the coast and around Rijeka out to a small coastal town called Rovinj. Very picturesque but we did not arrive until later (after about 9 hours of driving) so we settled for dinner on a terrace overlooking the harbour. We are staying at a small Pansion - our first stab at not having a booking ahead of time. Tomorrow we hope to explore some caves just across the border in ... read more
Rovinj - Pansion
Rovinj - Old City

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Dubrovnik September 27th 2008

Our boat to Dubrovnick left at 9 am and the journey from Cavtat took about an hour with a stop at another resort area. The old city of Dubrovnik was packed with tourists. Every major center seems to have tour buses and tour guides escorting groups. Dubrovnik probably had more tourists packed into a small area than anywhere we have been. This is a very old city which has been bombed on many occasions and a lot of money has been spent to restore the area. It seems most buildings on the main level are either restaurants or shops. Lots of vendors everywhere - many just bring a table and set up wherever there is space. The upper levels are rental apartments and regular residents. It is amazing to think that people actually live here. Our ... read more
Dubrovnik - Church
Dubrovnik - Fortress
Dubrovnik - Market

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Dubrovnik September 26th 2008

Today we travelled down the Croation coast and skirted the perimeter of Dubrovnick to reach our destination - Cavtat - another small seaside town. Less tourists here. Along the way we drove through a delta area and stopped to pick up some local mandarin oranges and a bottle of the local wine ($5). We have a small apartment looking over part of the town. Like many of these towns there are stairs everywhere and you see very few overweight people. It is not unusual to find sets of stiars numbering 150 or more. This is a very old town with Roman walls dating back to the 1st Century. The seaside contained fewer very large boats and was the sight of about 15 restaurants and a small tourist market. Tomorrow we plan to take a boat to ... read more
Cavtat - Harbour
Cavtat - Mausoleum
Cavtat - Bar at the Beach

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Trogir September 25th 2008

The old city of Trogir is a small island with historical buildings, restaurants, a market and many tourist shops. The city dates back to the 7th Century. Streets are very narrow and basically there is only a road that connects the mainland to the island and then continues on to the island where our hotel is located. Everywhere you turn there are apartments for rent. This is the close of the tourist season and several places have already closed. The temperature today was about 24 degrees and people were sunbathing and a few swimming. This is definitely a seaside town with shipbuiding, fishing and many luxury yachts. Definitely looks like a page out of "Lifestyles for the Rich & Famous". The climate is more Mediterranean. Tomorrow we head for a small town south of Dubrovnick which ... read more
Trogir - Beach 2
Trogir - Fort
Trogir - Hotel

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Sibenik September 24th 2008

Today we took a break from visiting cities and travelled to Krka National Park. On entering the park you transfer to a bus which takes you to the major falls which are very picturesque. Many small streams spread out over a large area which come together at an impressive waterfall. The trip down the mountainside is interesting when two buses meet on a switchback road barely wide enough for 2 cars and no guardrails. We also joined a 4 hour boat tour which took us to an island which was home to a very well maintained active monastery complete with brown robed monks. The skipper was a real character who welcomed us on board with a glass of the local moonshine. They sell this stuff at the side of the road as you drive around Croatia. ... read more
Gorge
Large Waterfall
Monastery 1

Europe » Croatia » Dalmatia » Zadar September 23rd 2008

Today we travelled from Punat to Zadar. The first part of the journey was along the coast followed by a trip up into the mountains where it was overcast and cool. We then got on the autoroute (toll roads) which has several tunnels one of which was about 3 km long. After the tunells we seemed to enter another climactic zone and the temperature was 19 - 20 degrees and sunny. Zadar is another old walled town and again another tourist destination. Lots of cruise liners and ferries to the islands and Italy & Venice. Many of the streets are paved with travertine. Still very busy in the cities but not as bad as what we have previously experienced. Our hotel was located on the seashore in Privlaka. John had a swim in the Adriatic. The ... read more
Hotel Laguna 1
Hotel Laguna 2
Privlaka Harbour 1




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