Blogs from Istria, Slovenia, Europe - page 2

We stayed just across the border from Croatia, right next to the salt-marshes where we started our tour of Slovenia. Initially disappointed by the 1km walk but ended up spending all morning there. The 1km walk was not very interesting as there were too few birds and those mainly gulls with a few egrets. The museum at the end was interesting, especially seeing locals still working the salt pans in traditional methods with their wooden sandals, wooden ‘rakes’ for gathering the salt and carts on tracks that run up the mud banks. We drove back over the border and turned off in no-man’s land to visit the other half of the park. This was wilder and we saw quite a lot of water birds and looked around another museum, including a renovated old salt workers cottage. ... read more

I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and sky, I left my shoes and socks there, I wonder if they are dry. A great day riding down 500 m to the Adriatic, but all the way Spike Milligan's adaption of this poem kept repeating in my mind. Dropped into Italy for cappuccino at Muggia the back into Slovenia for dinner at our hotel. Fresh turbot. Excellent.... read more

So we’re back talking about Piran this time, a home of sorts for two weeks, but first let’s talk about why Slovenia has the little smidge of hemmed in coastline in the first place. I have another blog that does history, you can find it here. Mostly I'm going to try and keep that out of this one, but the coastal bit's irresistible. The reason Slovenia has such a constrained chunk of coast has plenty to do with the strange breakdown of Empire in the 20th Century. As a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Slovenia was committed into the First World War as a part of the Central Powers. Austria's imperial authority, stretching back to the Thirty Years War, was resting on some extremely creaky foundations by the time WWI rolled around to kick them out ... read more

I am still in Slovenia - for one more night. I have really enjoyed my time here. For such a small country, there is a lot of geographic variety. Yesterday I drove from the centrally-located capital, Ljubljana, north into the mountains to see Lake Bled. It is an almost impossibly quaint mountain lake with a small island complete with a little church. I must have taken twenty pictures, but I will show you just two: the first is from the viewpoint of the castle that overlooks the lake and the second is from the viewpoint of my terrace table at the Hotel Vila Bled where I took a break for cappuccino and a bit of the local cream cake. (Before you ask, the waiter told me that two pieces of cake are the standard portion!) I ... read more

Izola - Slovenia Sat 15th of June 2013 Left Lignana at around 11 am. Glad to leave that place because of the determined attack from the local mosquitoes. That camp must be mosquito heaven. Everyday there is a fresh supply of blood. Avoided the motorways and just drove on the small roads to Slovenia. The countryside was flat, agricultural but pretty. I was tired by the time I reached the Adriatic coast not far from the campsite. I stopped and had a siesta. By the time I woke up it was about 1.30pm. Continued my journey to the camp site. My first impression of Slovenia was that it was a quiet and laid back place. there were less cars and even less people on the road. The pace was slower and suited to a traveler like ... read more