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Published: February 17th 2011
Trees in Italy
As we drove through Italy we passed rows of trees all lined up. I love this photo as it looks like a painting, not a photo to me.Excited anticipation for my upcoming trip. In 2008 my sister and I took our Mom on a cruise in the Mediterranean taking off from Venice, Italy and going down the coast visiting Greece and Croatia. One day during our cruise we had over four hours visiting the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia. I fell in love with the town and with the well kept buildings that had their red tiled roofs repaired after their recent war in 1991. The people I met were all so happy that we had come to visit them and went out of their way to make us feel at home. My sister and I walked around the old wall which encompassed the entire Old Town of Dubrovnik and is approximately 2kms in distance. The day was sunny and warm with the soft Mediterranean breeze and I was deep in love. Since that day, I have vowed to return to Croatia and visit it's depths and to fall deeper in love. Today, or should I say Sunday, is that day.
Once I land in Venice, Italy, I will meet up with a tour group and we will work our way down the Croatian coast. My hotels
Italian countryside
Another view as we drove through Italy are in the best locations and most are sitting within a stones throw of the Med and are at least rated 4 star with some being even higher. All hotels have a Spa within their hotel as Croatia and especially the Dalmatian coast has been a favorite European vacation destination for it's warm waters, palm tree lined streets and a focus on relaxing in your Spa of choice.
I will be visiting Bled Castle in Slovenia, partaking in a traditional farm style dinner in Montenegro and as always, walking, walking, walking with my camera in tow.
Prior to my trip to Croatia I will be staying in New York City for four nights. As a photographer, I am so excited to be able to take off in a direction, planning my days walk to visit the sights on my list and take my time unhurried as I snap photos away. Another dream come true for me. I am so blessed, to be sure.
To top all of that off, since my airfare was purchased through a travel company, for my very first time I will enjoy sitting in the business class section on my flight from NYC
Abandoned jugs laying underground in Pula
Underneath the Pula Arena, these jugs were stacked. to Europe. I believe this is going to be the best trip I have taken in many, many years. Meeting new people, visiting new places and having overcome some major hurdles to get to this place. I am in Heaven.
random thoughts = Thursday/Friday Feb. 24/25, 2011
Leaving New York City
I left my hotel room at 2 pm on Thursday, Feb. 24
th and finally found the correct bus stop after walking a long ways with my daypack and pulling my big suitcase. I rode the bus through Queens over roads and alongside many places I’d seen on my trip with Peter a very long time ago. I got to JFK at 4pm and was told I could not check my bag until 6pm. I found a bar and had a glass of wine and a sandwich. Finally, at 6pm I went to check in and was told that despite my itinerary saying I was seated in business class, they put me in economy. I was told no one was seated next to me in economy and yet the plane filled up and two people sat next to me. I would not be able to sit
like this all the way to Rome and so I decided to walk to the back of the plane and see if there were any empty seats there. I found it quite empty back there and went back to retrieve my daypack and then got myself a whole row all for myself. I took a sleeping pill and slept quite well throughout the whole flight as I was able to lie down as much as I wanted. We arrived in Rome at 1:00 pm and after quite a long walk I found my next gate to go to Venice. I had a good seat this time but we had to be bussed to and from the plane making me a little late landing in Venice and I was worried I was going to be too late for my 3:00 meeting with Gate 1. I was the last person to arrive and fortunately everyone had waited for me.
Friday, February 25, 2011 Venice to Opatija, Croatia
Nine of us loaded onto a large passenger van and we began the 4 hour drive to get to Croatia. On the beginning of the drive we first went through Italy. It looked
Wine remnants
At Festigia Vinyard on the Istrian Peninsula like Italy with the beautifully manicured lawns and stone houses, etc. Most of the three hour drive was in Italy. Once we got away from Venice, the lands became wilder with worked farms in between the wild lands. Trees were grown in large patches and were lined up all in a row. The closer you got to Croatia, the houses became smaller and their colors were different. Occasionally a house would be bright orange or bright yellow but usually just natural stone color. The houses were smaller than the ones in Italy and not as carefully manicured but yet so beautiful with their lived in presence. Eventually, we came to the Italy/Croatia border. In Italy an armed guard came to our van and quickly waved us on. Within 20 feet we came upon the Croatian border. Our van was ignored for quite some time until our driver exited and brought another armed guard who boarded our van. He asked to see our passports but never picked them up at all. I believe he was just making sure we all had one and they were all from the US as had been stated to him earlier. Never fun crossing borders.
In another 20 minutes we arrived at our destination, Opatija, Croatia. You arrive from high up a mountain with a grand view of the small town below sitting alongside the harbor. It was all lit up as it was early evening but not yet dark. We arrived at our hotel, Hotel Bristol. Very large and ornate hotel painted a mustard yellow.
We got to our hotel by 6:30 pm and were told to meet down in the lobby at 7 pm to have a meeting with everyone and learn all the details, etc. I quickly found my room which was freezing, and turned up the heat and took a quick shower to get the stink off. Very nice hotel with marble bathrooms and old armoire and desk. High ceilings with ceiling to floor curtains. I managed to have a nice shower and a few minutes to spare. I made my way down to the meeting place. There was already a huge crowd of people in the room which was rather disappointing as I liked our much smaller group on the van ride in. It was only a few older couples. A number of women travelling with their friends, some
Croatian coastline
View from the bus as we drove south younger couples and one guy my age who was on his own. After the meeting we went into the beautiful dining room with crystal chandeliers, nice linens and crystal settings and enjoyed a traditional Croatian buffet with things such as fish stew, pasta with a white truffle sauce, a cheese strudel that was savory and then wonderful fresh fruits and pastries for dessert. Since it was so late, I ate lightly. I enjoyed a crisp, dry glass of white wine that was really good and only cost 17.00 Kuna, about $5.00 US.
As we emerged from the dining room, there was loud and beautiful music coming from the lobby area below us. I went downstairs and found out there was the International Tango Festival being held in our hotel with two famous dancers, Carolina Bonaventura and Francisco Forquera, teaching Tango to a large group of men and women in our hotel. I stayed and watched the roomful of dancers all dressed in beautiful dresses, stiletto heels and the men in their tuxedos. It is so beautiful to watch and yet I am also quite exhausted. Of course, I have forgotten my camera and am too tired to run upstairs
and retrieve it. Alas.
I came back to my room and washed out my travelling clothes since we will be here two nights. My room is still very cold though. I was watching the t.v. show Castle with Rick speaking in Croatian which was rather surreal. I had no clue what they were saying. On the t.v. now is the movie Tuxedo with Jackie Chan and they are speaking in English with Croatian subtitles. Too funny.
Saturday, Feb. 26th
I set my alarm for 6 am to allow me enough time to shower and eat breakfast before our 8:00 bus excursion for today. There is a delicious breakfast laid out with any possible thing your heart could desire. Excellent food. I eat a decent breakfast but do not linger to allow me enough time to take some photos of this beautiful hotel. Outside the air is quite cool and brisk and I wander a few blocks happily snapping away. Our Guide Roc is outside and we come up with a solution to keep my room warm while we are out. I leave my key in the slot that allows the heat to stay on while I am
out of the room and when I come back tonight I will ask for another key card. Perfect!
Not everyone has signed up for today’s excursion and 10 have stayed behind leaving only 21 of us going. We have a huge tour bus for all of us to spread out leisurely. I sit in the 2
nd seat behind the front so I can best see where we are going. It is 1.5 hours to our first destination, Pula on the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia. Roc talks the entire drive telling about the history and where we are as well as where we are going today. It is all very interesting and he is a great speaker and he speaks excellent English making it all quite enjoyable. At Pula we arrive at their amphitheater which resembles the Coliseum in Rome although this one is about one-half the size of Rome’s. It is very well preserved and unlike the one in Rome, we are freely allowed to wander in most places. As we are wearing “whispers” which are radio controlled mics, I am able to wander away from the group taking photos and still being allowed to hear our Guide
speak in my ear and learn all she has to say despite her being on the other side of the arena. It is sooooo cool to hear it all but not be stuck standing in one place. After a bit, she takes us underground where there are many preserved urns and marble pieces as well as some old olive presses that we are able to view. We then leave the amphitheater and she takes us through town past some old arches built in the days of the Romans. We arrive at a big square and our Guide leaves us to wander town on our own. I finally get to an ATM and get 1,000 Kuna which equals approximately $189.00 USA. I then walk to the farmers market and enjoy the warm sunshine and bustle of the market place. People are sitting at all of the outside cafes, all of them facing the warm sunshine. I stop to take a photo as it looks cool how they are all in a line. I turn around and go back in the opposite direction and walk through the narrow, old streets and work my way to the southern, sunny side of the old
town. People are sitting outdoors enjoying coffee in the warm sunshine and I am feeling very hungry. I walk inside one café with loads of people outdoors hoping I can find food as well as coffee. It doesn’t appear so. I eventually find a place selling hot pizza slices that taste good. The room is very warm and it feels so good. Soon, another couple joins me from our group, Jo and Roger. They are from Amish Country in Pennsylvania and we have a nice repast together learning a bit about each other. They mention they are going to the café near the bus stop to get one of the beers our Guide suggests, Favorit, and we work our way there. I order a bottle of Favorit beer which is made locally and join the others sitting outside in the sunshine. The beer is really good. Since we are in a café we are allowed to use their restrooms for free instead of paying the price of a cup of coffee to only use the bathrooms. We return to the bus and load up for our next town to visit on the Istrian Peninsula. Our next stop is Rovinj. We
get out of the bus and I notice a beautiful scene unfolding before me and Roc is walking and talking about other stuff and I’m thinking I need to get out of these bushes to take this photo and why is no one else noticing this extraordinary landscape unfolding before my eyes? As we get around the bushes we step out of all that is in the way and there is a clear view of the most outstanding sight. The old town used to be two islands and the houses are sitting on the water the same way they do in Venice. The houses curve around the island with all of them having one of their doors located at water level. Each of the houses are all different colors, brightly painted in blues, magenta, bright yellow, etc. The houses step up the hillside and on top of the hill is the highest tower in Croatia perfectly situated in the center of these houses. It is the Church of St. Eufemia sitting all alone on the top of the hill. So extraordinary. The statue at the top is of Eufemia who was caught and tortured by Diocletian’s soldiers and when she
refused to give up Christianity, she was tortured on a wheel. The statue shows her surrounded with a wheel. It is heart droppingly beautiful from up this high above the northern Adriatic Sea. I am so happy to be here. We arrive at a large piazza which sits alongside the Adriatic Sea with many boats and ships moored close by. There is a fountain nearby and Roc gives us ideas of places to discover on our own. Most of us take off to climb the hill to the Church of St. Eufemia for the magnificent views he has promised us. We walk up quite a steep old road way laid with old Roman cobblestones that are all polished so highly we all believe that coming down them in the rain would most certainly be perilous. Lucky for us, it is a bluebird sunshine day and hardly a breeze. So delicious.
The views on top are indeed magnificent and I can now see the statute of Euphemia who is situated on the top of the church steeple. The roads or should I say Lanes go down along the old buildings all with little nooks and crannies for discovery. I work
Nice light in Zagreb
Overlooking the city my way back down the hill on a less steep roadway, or so it seems, and arrive back at the fountain and meet up with some other ladies. We find only one shop open selling souvenirs but they are lame and I do not purchase anything. We all walk back towards the bus and get on board to go to our next stop along the way. Porec, pronounce Poritch.
We are dropped off and Roc leads us to the Euphrasian Basilica which has high ceilings and beautiful mosaics all still very much intact. The most striking feature of the basilica are its mosaics, dating from the 6th century, and which are considered amongst the finest examples of Byzantine art in the world. Roc leaves us to enjoy the mosaics and work our way to another town square where we all meet before we board the bus again. Excitement is mounting as now it’s time to visit the largest winery in Istria and second largest winery in Croatia. This winery is far larger than any I have seen in Italy and it is very impressive with huge stainless steel cylinders that are row upon row and standing about 20 feet
high. We first walk through the back of the winery and go through the process of how the wine is made before working our way to the front for a wine tasting. Those Teasers! As we round a corner of a building music explodes and a handsome lad is playing lively accordion music just for us. It was so lively and robust that people began dancing right there on the street. We are taken inside of the tasting room where they have set tables all together in a long row and each person’s place is already set with four wine glasses, a shot glass of their olive oil, a plate with pieces of bread and a slice of cheese with truffles and a slice of their cow’s milk cheese. We have all been walking so much today that it feels so good to sit down in a warm place and relax. All of the wine and goodies are a bonus on top of that.
We first taste a Malvasia, a white wine which is light and dry and quite delicious. I really like this wine. Then we are given a Merlot and then a Muscat, red which is sweet.
The olive oil is also really good and the newly met group takes on a whole new perspective having consumed four glasses of wine. The fella playing the accordion has also come inside and he is playing lively music as we enjoy our wines. After I finish drinking the wines poured in front of me, I venture up to the bar and ask them if they make a Cabernet Sauvignon as that is my favorite wine. The young lady behind the bar tells me that they do indeed have a Cab and she pours me a full glass, not just a taste. It really is delicious and my favorite, so far. We are talking and she asks if I liked the Muscat and I tell her that I thought it was a bit too sweet for me and then she asks if I’d like to try their white Muscat. Of course, I state. She pours me a large glass of their white Muscat and it really is very good as well. Let’s see, four glasses of “tastes” and another two full glasses. I am getting wobbly now. I have had quite a bit to drink and actually leave some at
the table as it’s getting tough to walk. I stumbled out of the tasting room across the parking lot to their selling room and I end up purchasing a bottle of Cab and two bottles of olive oil to take home. All three cost 153.00 Kuna, approx. $30.00. Deal!! Most everyone bought some wine to enjoy. Everyone is now quite chatty on the bus and we begin our 1.5 hour drive back to our hotel, the Hotel Bristol in Opatia. This was definitely the ice breaking point for our group and everyone is talking loudly across the rows on the bus and having a great time. The sun begins to set and I can’t really see out the window anymore and I find myself snoring at one point. Ahhh, that felt really good.
We return to our hotel at 7:00 pm and I decide to join Anita and May for dinner at a restaurant they had already picked out the night before. I enjoy the tango dancers in the lobby area as I wait for them to meet me. I do have my camera with me this time around but the dancers are still only dressed in their work
out clothes and not the beautiful dresses as they were the night before. Darnnit! We walk to dinner down the hill and only a couple of blocks away. We are the second table in the restaurant and the rest of it is completely empty. We definitely have a language barrier with our waitress. It takes us about 20 minutes to order a fish soup with mussels, some octopus salad, and a fresh fish to share. Beforehand though, she brings by a cart with various fresh fish and mussels and clams for us to make our choice for our dinner. We pick out one fish for the three of us to share. Two other ladies, Sue and Betsy, join us and they are quick to place their orders, unlike us. The soup was very good, hot and salty on the throat, the octopus salad was okay but the fresh fish was so delicious. We told her we didn’t want dessert as we were quite stuffed but soon she brought us a plate of dried figs compliments of the restaurant. They were quite yummy.
I returned to my warm room and packed my bags for we are leaving in the morning
for Split.
Sunday – February 27, 2011 ~ drive Opatija to Split.
I am up at 6 am again and I deliver my suitcase outside my door by 7 am. Down to breakfast at 7 am and enjoy a full buffet as much as I can. I am down to the bus by 8:55 am for take-off. We leave Opatija and we begin our drive down the coast of Croatia. The first stop is at one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic Sea, Zadar. But first our bus must climb up and over the coastal mountains. As we climb, we encounter more and more snow and there is a distinctive line of clouds sitting on the mountain tops pushing against the clear blue sky of the sea. By the time we get to the top of the mountain, the ground is completely covered in snow with about an inch or two, not too deep, but stupid snow nonetheless. Along the way up, there is hardly any signs of life and then there would occasionally be a small house or two and once even a small, well preserved mausoleum. The air was thick with the scent of burning
firewood, most likely the oak trees all over the place. At the top of the mountain the temperature reading inside the bus was -3 Celsius, approximately 26 degrees. We worked our way down the other side of mountain and drove through some very long tunnels and when we popped out of one of the tunnels; the temperature zoomed up to 13 Celsius, about 58 degrees. Such a big difference!
We soon got to Zadar and Roc took us to the Adriatic side of the town where the sun was shining and it was so warm that I had to remove my wool coat. He showed us a sea organ where the sea would ebb and surge into holes below where we were standing and create lovely sounds. The Sea Organ (morske orgulje) is the world’s first musical pipe organs that is played by the sea. It is a natural musical instrument, seventy meters long with thirty-five organ pipes built under the concrete. The musical pipes are located so that the sea water and wind movements produce musical sounds that are heard by passersby so that it achieves a communication with nature and promotes a unity of architecture and environment.
As sea forces and energies are unpredictable in terms of tides and winds, this organ offers never-ending concert of numerous musical variations in which the performer is nature itself. You can listen to a recording of this sea organ at:
http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om24550.html After our little concert Roc took us to visit the Byzantine-style St. Donat Church a round pre-Romanesque church built in the 9
th century. The small town is contained within the 16
th century walls that were built by the Venetians after they finally subjugated the rebellious city. Another beautiful church in another beautiful small town surrounded by more beautiful stone walls. Poor me! After orientation, we were given time to wander around the town of Zadar on our own. I started to follow May and Anita but they were going in an opposite direction than I wanted to go. I ventured off on my own and then realized I was in dire need of a bathroom. I finally found a bar that was open and asked the owner if I could use his bathroom. He was very kind and let me. After I left the bar I went around the corner and found May, Anita and Marie all sitting outside
a café enjoying a hot chocolate which they were raving about. Hmmm, I’ll have to keep this in mind for myself another day, I thought to myself. We returned to the bus to continue on our way to Split. Along the way we stopped at a rest area where many tour busses were stopped. There was a bar and a cafeteria and I picked up some food at the cafeteria, a mushroom soup that was too thick and not very good and a pudding that had a dry skin all on its top. Ick! I did however have a beer that was very good and the saving grace of lunch.
Since we were making such good time, Roc said he would take us to another old town, Trogir. This town is a historic town and harbor on the Adriatic coast with church steeples and beautiful polished marble pavers. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and protected. The town is very small and can be walked in 20 minutes and makes for a nice break along the way. The Cathedral of St. Lawrence had beautiful gargoyle like heads that were different than I have seen ever before.
Button Box player
Country Inn dinner in Bled, Slovenia When we got back onto the bus the sun was setting and it was another half hour to arrive at Split. I made arrangements to meet up with Susan, Betsy and Marie for dinner. I had a tough time getting into my room with a fancy key card that you are supposed to just wave in front of a digital reader to get in. Another person in the hall who knew how to operate it tried as well but it wouldn’t work for either of us. I went back downstairs and got a new card and got into my room. It was a very nice, new and modern room with two double beds. Luxury! About a minute after getting into my room, the t.v. came on across the room from me. It spooked me but I guess that the last person left the room and took their key card while leaving the t.v. on. I met the gals downstairs in our hotel for dinner. We all got the traditional roasted leg which we thought would be veal but instead was beef roasted in a brown gravy with some gnocchi. We also had a great red wine from the nearby island
Slovenia Country Inn
Lively music in the wine cellar of Hvar that was only 190 Kuna/bottle, approximately $38.00 for the four of us. It was very good.
After dinner I was thinking about taking a shower to freshen up when I remembered there was a spa - wellness center in our hotel. I put on my swimming suit and my robe from the hotel and went downstairs and enjoyed my first Turkish Bath with 3 young 20-something Croatian lads. It was a very nice steam room as we call it in the States but Turkish Bath is a better sounding term I think. I also enjoyed (sort of) a Kneipp foot massage. There are two cement tubs on the floor, each about 5 inches deep with smooth, flat stones. When you press the on button, each separate tub fills with water. One tub is filled with warm water and the other is filled with ice cold water which is ankle deep. The idea is that you walk between the two tubs in your bare feet getting them massaged by walking on the stones and going between the two temps. Frankly, I could not walk on the stones without cringing and hanging onto the wall and just forget
Building in Zagreb
A lot of homes were painted like this in Zagreb about stepping out of one tub into the other. I do say though that when I finished walking in the cold tub, by feet felt very good after all of the walking we have been doing. I returned to my room and slept very good with my freshly spa’d body and crisp, clean sheets.
Monday – February 28
th ~ leaving Split and going to Dubrovnik
We stayed at the Atrium Hotel in Split. At 6 am the phone rang for my wake-up call, I was in such deep sleep and the room was totally dark that I just could not find the light switch to turn on the light to even find the phone which was across the room from me. I finally found it but the phone quit ringing. Mega disorientation.
I am getting adept now at packing my suitcase the night before and getting down to breakfast with plenty of time to eat and make sure I have all that I need as well for the day.
We left our hotel in Split at 8 am and drove down to the harbor and alighted to meet with our Guide who took us through Diocletian’s
Palace. A small, ahem, palace that was built as a retirement home a very long time ago. Our guide was knowledgeable, etc., but he just talked too much and he lost me quickly. He even made the big mistake with me for berating me for sitting down and said to the whole group “why do you need to sit down when you’ve been on the bus for so long”. Big mistake Buster! Thank goodness for the whispers though so I could walk away from him and hear all he was saying but also able be away from him and take my photos on my terms. We visited Diocletian’s mausoleum now Cathedral of St. Dominus that had a gorgeous domed roof and the alter was surrounded with gold tiles and frescoes and marble stones and was quite beautiful. Mr. Grumpy Pants would not let us take any photos inside. Then he took us to the Temple of Jupiter which outside of it had a black onyx Sphinx that was borrowed from Egypt a long time ago but never returned. After finishing his tour, Susan, Betsy and I went shopping to find a coral cross for Susan’s mom. She found one that
was so intricate and exceptionally beautiful. We then walked to the open air market which had everything a person could ever want to buy, all in one place and outdoors. Many locals out doing their daily shopping. Fresh hunks of meat, wheels of fresh cheese, flowers, veggies and fruits, honey, winter coats and scarves. You name it, it was there.
Since it didn’t appear there was anything we really needed we went in search of an outdoor café to have a sit and use the restrooms. I ordered a hot chocolate. My “hot” chocolate was only warm but the chocolate was as if someone took a jar of Nutella and warmed it up enough to drink. It was so delicious!!!!
Our bus arrived and we drove down the coast and headed south again. The road follows closely to the sea’s edge all of the way down and the road twists and turns and goes up and down the side of the mountains. Our bus driver, Loren, drives so smoothly and manages our bus as if it was a small sports car passing other vehicles as needed and keeping a lively pace throughout the day. Maybe it’s because our
bus is a Mercedes-Benz, perhaps?
After about two hours, we arrived at the town of Makarska which has very high mountains to the west protecting the town from the cold winds and had a wide and long walkway next to the sea. The city is noted for its palm-fringed promenade, where fashionable cafés, bars and boutiques overlook the pretty harbor where many pleasure craft are moored. There were very large yachts moored all along the harbor front. The sun was out and it was intensely beautiful. We were hungry and went in search of a quick bite to eat. We found a café and sat down and ordered beer and very good, freshly made pizza. Unfortunately, we only had 1.5 hours at this stop and it took over an hour for us to even receive our food order. We were the first people to sit down and the last to get our food. I was ticked! I immediately asked our waiter to box up my pizza as I simply did not have any time to eat it. They were soooooooo slow, it was truly painful. Fortunate for us, about 15 of us were in the same boat and we
Grand Toplice Hotel, Lake Bled
My room is on the second floor, the first one on the right painted blue figured the bus wouldn’t leave ALL of us behind. At least we hoped so. It was the prettiest town we’d been to with the prettiest potential photos to be taken and I did not get to leisurely discover the town for photos. I hurriedly took some photos on my brisk walk back to the bus with a pizza box in hand. Not a very happy camper. Roc laughed and said this town was infamous for being slow and they always allow a little extra time for people to get back to the bus. Sure wish I’d known that beforehand!
We continued south and after another couple of hours we came to the Bosnia-Herzogovina border. On the Croatia side, we stopped and then proceeded on rather quickly. On the Bosnia side, they just waved and we were off. No stopping at all required. Pretty funny. A lot of hype and no big deal. If we were to truly go into Bosnia, there is only one road leading from the coast and you would have to go through a formal customs routine. We stopped within the country of Bosnia and used some restrooms and I bought some chocolate to bring home.
So, I really was “there” in Bosnia.
Only one more hour and we arrived in Dubrovnik. Loren drove us past the old town and everyone was excited from what they’d seen of the walls. We got our room assignments and once I got my suitcase I went downstairs to join the others. We had all purchased bottles of wine at the winery on the Istrian Peninsula and everyone brought out their wine and wine glasses and we pulled up chairs and made a big mess of the lobby. The Front Desk staff kept walking by and glaring at us, but we were a large group and they figured they’d probably lose if they confronted us. It was dang fun!!!!
March 1
st - day in Dubrovnik
We loaded the bus at 9:00 and Loren drove us up above the old town to get an aerial view looking down past the walls that surrounded the old city. Everyone got out of the bus and took lots of photos. Pretty cool. Then he drove us back down the mountain and we all got dropped off at the bus stop at the Pile Gate and met up with our local Guide
to visit the Old Town of Dubrovnik. She took us around the old town and into one of the churches. She told us some info about the war in 1990 - that the residents vacated the old town and the defenders were the only ones who stayed inside the walls. A major part of the town was devastated but since it was a UNESCO protected sight, funds and restoration were very fast. There are now about 700 residents living in Dubrovnik’s old town. The war occurred up on the ridgeline of the string of mountains above the old town which is all very steep and rocky with hardly any vegetation.
I found a woman selling her hand made table cloths, etc. and after looking through her pile of beautiful linens, chose one that I believe will look good on my table and will go very well with the rug already in the room. It only cost 120 Kuna, about $24.oo. I wanted to walk around more and see what others had to sell.
At the end of our tour, we received tickets to walk the city walls that go around the Old Town for approximately 2 kms. Susan
was not dressed warm enough and she chose to stay in town and visit museums. Betsy and I walked the wall for the whole length that it was open. They had a small section closed for repairs. It was a little breezy at the beginning and on the ocean side but soon we had worked up warmth from all the walking and it was a very comfortable temp. When we turned one of the corners we found a local woman who had set up a cart selling her wares and there were about 8 other people from our group making purchases from her. I bought some candied lemon rind from her as I had purchased some in 2008 when I was here with my mom and sister and remembered how good it was. After we had finished walking the wall, we met Susan at a café and I had another great hot chocolate that was piping hot this time and oh so delicious. Just as we got to the café it began to rain a little bit. Soon it started to rain harder and it did not appear it was going to let up any time soon. We decided to
go and get some lunch and sit out the rain for a while. We had seen a fish restaurant located on the old harbor earlier on our tour and the three of us went upstairs and found a table. It was not long before Carole and Kevin came in and sat next to our table. We enjoyed mussels, olives, bread and plenty of wine. We stayed for over 3 hours while it rained outside. Kevin had ordered bacala (fried little fishes) and he didn’t really like it so they gave it to us. They were very tasty. Crunchy, salty crisps bits of little fishes. The rain began to go away and there was a hint of sunshine emerging and so we decided to venture back out again. We strolled slowly through town stopping off at a few stores but for the most part, most places were closed or of no interest to us.
After leaving the Old Town we caught the #4 bus for 8 Kuna and went to our hotel. I took an hour long nap that felt so great.
A couple of hours later we met again in the lobby and walked to Belvedere restaurant which
others had given a good review from the night before. I ordered a stuffed veal steak that I imagined would be so tender but it was fairly thick and rather tough. At least the flavors were good. We left the restaurant and we began to walk back to the hotel. It was very dark, so dark that we could not really see where we were walking. There were no street lamps lit and the only light was coming from the oncoming cars which just blinded us. When we got back to the hotel, the elevator was not working and we had to walk up the stairs. When I got to my room, none of the lights would work in the bathroom. I tried calling the front desk but no one answered. It was not until the next day that we discovered there had been a city wide blackout and our hotel was running minimally on a generator. Ooops.
March 2
nd - Dubrovnik ~ Day trip to Montenegro
Today was another early wake-up call at 6 am. Same ‘ol breakfast and on the bus by 8 am. It was an easy 45 minute drive to the Croatian border where
the guard came on board and took away all of our passports. Rok collected them when the guard was finished and then handed them over to the guards at the Montenegro border. It took a while to process all of the passports, as they were running them through the scanner and then stamping each individual passport. I got me a passport stamp from Montenegro though! Finally we were on our way.
Our first stop was in Kotor in the Bay of Kotor, the southern-most Fjord in Europe. It is another UNESCO site with another wall surrounding the small town. Just before we walked inside, Rok discovered that the mountain we were supposed to drive up a little later in the day had received 10 inches of new snow just this morning. Gate 1 cancelled our drive up the mountain and instead we extended our time in Kotor and Rok said he would buy us a drink later instead of the road trip. He knew he was talking to the right people, to be sure. We walked around the small town. It was pretty cold out this day but the walls blocked the cold winds. There were two gypsy women
“working” inside the walls. One of them was brightly dressed and carrying a baby, the other was more of a nuisance and kept tapping my arm while I was trying to take a photo. Apparently the one with the child bared her breast to Roger, one of the guys on our tour and asked for one euro. He told her if she were 50 years younger, perhaps he’d have gone for it. What a funny guy that Roger is. He and his wife Jo are both so nice and fun and funny. I have enjoyed getting to know them both.
After we walked the whole town, we went in search of a café to get a warm drink and relax until time to leave. No hot chocolate here so I sadly ordered a cappuccino that was really quite good. There are very funny photographs on the walls with brightly painted frames around them. I love the one in front of us. It is a woman’s photograph in black and white and the face she is making is not the usual kind you would find someone putting up on their wall, which is why it makes me laugh. The frame
is painted a deep, dark red and looks kind of lacquered. There is also one of a man with a funny look and orange is the color of his frame. By now, it has begun to rain heavily and it’s nice to be inside. Soon the café fills up with others from our tour, all with the same thing in mind. The rain did not last too long and when it was time to leave the sun came out and shone on the mountain lighting up the stairs that lead some 4.5 kms directly above the city on almost vertical cliffs. You can climb up the 1350 steps and be rewarded with an excellent view of Kotor and the bay from St. John’ fortress, should you so desire. I did not feel like climbing those steps. It was a long way. We returned to the bus with very cold, gusting winds and it was nice to get back in my warm seat and get ready for a little nap.
Next we drove to another UNESCO small town with another wall surrounding it called Budva. This town had many more narrow streets and it looked like they had more shops
with better quality stuff and they were open. We met up with our guide and he took us around the town but it really was so pretty I just did my photography thing instead. The sea was crashing against the rocks and creating huge waves that sent out very high spray. It was so beautiful and dramatic. We ended our tour at a café and Rok bought each of us a wine or coffee or beer for having missed the excursion to the museum up on top of the mountain that had been cancelled. Susan, Betsy and I got some very delicious sandwiches plus a very good and creamy layered dessert. It was all very inexpensive and since we were using Euros and I only had a $100.00 bill, Betsy paid for my sandwich and we split the dessert. I decided to walk back into town and they decided to stay and drink wine. I got all the way back into the town when I realized I really needed to use the bathroom and so I worked my way back to the café and used the bathroom and then just hung out with them at the same café until time
to leave.
Our bus back tracked back around the fjord where the Bay of Kotor is located and then drove the bus onto a huge ferry with others cars, vans and trucks. It was a very long 5 minute ferry ride across the fjord but it was fun for a change of pace. We were all allowed to disembark the bus and walk around the ferry, but since the ride over was a mere 15 minutes, it was a short time. After that we had to go back through the Montenegro and Croatian borders and they each stamped my passport again. We arrived back in Dubrovnik about 5:30 pm and all of the ladies decided to meet again in the lobby at 7:00 to go and get dinner.
At 7:00 we walked down to the “Best Kebab Place” in Dubrovnik. I ordered their lamb kebab and asked for everything on it which turned out to be a mistake but I couldn’t read the menu to really know what I was ordering. It was too hot and spicy for me. We walked back to the hotel and we asked the Bartender if it was alright for us to eat
it in the bar. He reluctantly gave us permission and we ordered wine to go with it. Mine was spicier than I like and I was only able to eat half of it. We sat and enjoyed our wine before returning to our rooms. I got my suitcase packed for our early departure at 7:30 tomorrow to drive 9 long hours to Zagreb.
Thursday - March 3
rd - Dubrovnik to Zagreb
Another early rise today. Up at 6 am and on the bus by 7:30. Time to leave this hotel and move to the next I am thinking and hoping the next hotel is better. A long drive to Zagreb which begins by backtracking and stopping again in Bosnia at the same rest room/store we had visited on the way down. We continue north but not for very long when we head west just before arriving back in Makarska. Once we turn west on a different road, at first the roads are the old ones that twist and turn and are bumpy and I wonder if the whole 9 hours is going to be like this. If so, I shall be car sick for sure. We are in
an underdeveloped country afterall, Right? After a bit though we hit a new toll road that you can drive 100 km and the driving is smooth but far less interesting. I sleep off and on and the bus is fairly quiet except when Rok talks about the history of the region through World War II and then later about the war in 1991 to 1995. Very interesting. He is a great speaker as I’ve already stated before.
Lunch is at a big gas station where you can buy a roasted chicken or ribs and potatoes and such but we choose a ham and cheese sandwich purchased from the bar which had very good bread, just too much of it. The place is really bustling with a lot of people speaking all foreign languages and hurrying to eat so they can get back on the road again.
Back on the bus and I am sitting in the back of the bus. Out of boredom, people decide they want wine and someone goes in search of a wine screw to open one of their bottles but instead of a wine screw he comes back with an open bottle of wine.
Huh?? Only in this group could this happen. Anyway, the bottle gets passed around and the conversation becomes livelier. I work on organizing my photos on my netbook until that becomes boring. At the next rest stop the back of the bus goes in search of wine replenishment and they find a couple of bottles of wine with screw tops to make it easier and some paper cups. I purchase a small bottle of red wine for myself and work on my journal.
As I type this, we are currently surrounded by deep snow, about six inches deep. There is no sign of melting snow or Spring in the area. It is very pretty with the small houses scattered here and there but there is rarely many houses set together. The temperature has gone down to 1 degree Celsius and it is cold once again.
We arrive in Zagreb and as Rok is telling us where landmarks are in relation to our hotel I am unable to hear him due to the loud raucous talking directly behind me after all “those” people drank too much wine ;-). I am feeling very tired and am so glad to have
arrived at our hotel. As we drive alongside the sign of our hotel named Hotel Laguna, Kaitlin in the back of the bus notices that the sign which originally had four stars prominently emblazoned under the hotel’s name now has one of the stars whited out, making it now only a three star hotel. Too funny! We walk into the lobby which is quite impressive. It is large with a long black marble front desk, beautiful carpets and the walls are surrounded in a chocolate brown marble tile. Rok hands out our room keys and Betsy says it’s now 4:30, let’s meet down here at 7:00 to go to dinner. I am so tired and frankly a bit cranky and I try to persuade her to change the time earlier as I just want to eat and go to bed. She holds true and I head up to my room. I have a double bed in my room but the room itself is so small it is difficult for even one person to walk around in it, and two people would just be horrible. I lay down for a nap but I feel if I go to sleep I won’t
wake until morning and I am really hungry. After a bit, I decide I will get dressed and go in search of food for myself. I have to dress warmly as it is very cold outside. I walk towards where I believe the Brew Pub is located and walk a couple of blocks but all I see are very tall buildings and there are no stores or cafes and it all seems cold and desolate. I decide to go back to my room and wait for the others.
At 7:00 I meet the others in the lobby and we walk over to the Brew Pub. It is not that far away and when we walk inside it is brightly lit and is busting at the seams with people having a good time. I still feel tired but try to rally. Betsy, Sue and Marie are at my table. Betsy and Marie go for the beef dishes, traditional goulash, etc., and Susan goes for the stuffed squid. I order a chicken dish which is quite tasty and a large draft of their local beer. It is a medium lager in between their light and dark beer. Really good. After I finish eating I settle up my bill with the gals and tell them I will see them later as I just need to go to bed. A large table from our group is also leaving at the same time and I walk back to the hotel with them. When I get back to the room I fill up the bath tub to take a hot bath. I feel so cold and tired; it’s just what I need. Unfortunately, the tub is really short with a long slant and it is difficult to immerse myself. The weirdest bath tub I have ever encountered. It is only about five feet long but with the slant at the back of the tub it only allows about two feet of any depth in the tub. I do feel somewhat warmer though and hop into bed. Tonight’s t.v. only has Croatian shows and I give up and go to sleep.
Friday, March 4
th ~ Zagreb to Bled, Slovenia
We are allowed to sleep in a little later this morning, and don’t need to be on the bus until 9am. I go to use my wonderful shower but despite the bath tub being totally wrong to take a bath in, it is even worse to take a shower in it. There is only a small area to stand in the tub. I get situated and then try to adjust the shower hose high enough to wash my hair. The hose will not stay in place so I can actually stand under it and instead sprays at the back of the tub where no man or woman can stand and threatens to instead wash the floor of my bathroom. I manage to get it to spray towards the front of the tub but will still have to maneuver somewhat to be actually underneath the water spray. This is tough as there is not much floor space to stand in. To make matters worse, the stupid cloth shower curtain hangs closely in the shower and it strangles me as I try to stand in my small area while trying to be under the running water and I just get wound up tighter in the shower curtain. The WORST shower I have ever taken. I find out later that others cannot even hang their hose as the connection is broken and so I was “lucky”? The only shelf space to put my personal belongings on is located directly above the open toilet. The shelf is so thin that one tiny bump and all things will go flying and most likely not where I want them to be. I try to keep the toilet closed to avoid any disasters and do succeed. What a nightmare!
I make it down to breakfast and at first it looks promising as there are about five different buffet tables. Unfortunately though, we are not given any type of egg and/or usual breakfast items. It reminds me of a German breakfast with a lot of meats, cheeses, and dry cereal. It takes me three tries to find yogurt. My first one is a jam. My second one is a delicious cream cheese with herbs but definitely not yogurt. I finally get it right. I am tired of sausages which are prevalent and I really do not want spicy salmon or other fishes. I guess I’m still tired and cranky, eh? I eat with Jim and his wife who are from Ontario, Canada.
Today’s bus ride is so beautiful as we leave the coldness of Croatia and drive into the lush valleys of Slovenia. We arrive at the Croatian border and the border guards require that we all disembark our bus and file into the customs office and each present our passport to the single customs officer. He stamps my passport and once everyone has been processed, the bus pulls up and we load onto the bus. We move the bus about 100 yards and arrive at the Slovenia border. Slovenia requires that we repeat the last procedure and we all disembark and get a Slovenia passport stamp. Not one of us is detained and we load up and begin our drive into Slovenia. The country seems less populated and the grass becomes greener and more lush. We drive through rolling hills that are either covered with forested trees or green grasses. I quickly notice that in between the open lands small hilltop villages pop up with a beautiful church at its apex. These small villages pop up frequently and are on both sides of the road. Off in the very far distance the cold fog is lifting and gigantic mountains are showing themselves. There is snow on all of the mountains about one-third of the way down. Who knew these gorgeous mountains existed? Rok did.
We arrive in Bled, Slovenia for our last lodging of our tour. Since I am always the first one on the list, I get the first room which is an end room with its own balcony. The hotel is named Grand Toplice and is a 5-star hotel. We were scheduled to stay at the Golf Hotel which is a 4-star hotel but they were overbooked and so they moved us to the 5-star hotel. Wah!! I receive my room key which is an original door knob with a key attached. The room key is a replica of the original from the early years when the hotel was built – 1850 – 1854. My room is very opulent with a marble tiled bathroom and polished brass and glass making it all sparkly. My balcony overlooking Lake Bled, has two chairs and a table on it. The view is astoundingly beautiful. Since the sun is setting quickly, I hurriedly grab my camera and go outside on the balcony and take many pictures. This place is so gorgeous. I do not have much time though as we are scheduled to go to a Country Inn for a traditional dinner, Slovenian style. Those of us who have signed up for the extra excursion load up on the bus and we drive about 20 minutes away. We arrive at the Inn and I am one of the first to get off the bus. Rok is greeted by a tall man in traditional garb with long curly hair. They fondly greet each other and we all go inside. Rok leads us down into the basement a/k/a dungeon, a/k/a wine cellar. There are large wine barrels set as tables each with a couple of bottles of wine and many glasses on top. We are invited to pour a glass of wine for ourselves. Soon plates of bread, sausages and cheese are placed on top of the wine barrels and we enjoy that as well. The fellow who met Rok at our bus appears with an accordion and begins to play loudly in the cellar. Wine, food and lively music ~ Most Excellent!! The next song a young man joins the first and now there are two playing the “button boxes”. The young boy is really good and the older man plays the bass lines. It is such a good time and everyone is smiling.
Soon we are invited to go back up the stairs and we arrive at a room with tables set and are asked to sit down. I sit with Sue, Betsy and May at a table for four. (Apparently May and Anita are not speaking to each other now). More wine is poured, bread is brought and a plate of very delicious food appears. We have a veal roast, potatoes, sauer kraut, and a cheese type strudel. It really is delicious. The room is lively and soon the music re-appears making it even more so. Travis gets up to dance Russian style to one of the songs and I begin to take a video. Soon, Roger emerges from the door and he does a dance for us too. It is so funny. Eventually, they tell us the evening is over and we all moan and don’t want to leave. We were having so much fun. Back to my beautiful hotel room for a very restful night’s sleep, my last one here unfortunately.
Saturday, March 5
th a visit to the Capital – Ljubljana
Up on the bus by 8 am and an hour’s drive to the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. It was still foggy and cold once we got there. We followed Rok as he was our guide today. We only walked a few blocks and then we were in the pedestrian only zone. There were quite a few people milling all over the place. We were wearing our whispers and so we could hear him perfectly and yet not be clustered with him shouting at us. So nice. It was becoming quite evident that there was something about to happen. There were vendors all over the place and most of them were dressed up in costumes. Three women were wearing cow costumes with big eyelashes, huge bosoms and big butts. They were having fun bumping into each other and dancing as they sold their doughnut like pastries that we found all over the place. A man in drag was next to them selling some kind of juice drink. Most of the children were also dressed up as buzzy bees, frogs, cowboys, Indians, pirates, etc. It was surprising to see that a majority of the adults were all dressed up as well. As we approached one of the bridges to cross, there was a yellow tape keeping people out of part of the bridge. We could see that a parade was about to begin. We kept moving on though and eventually came to a big square with a fountain. There was someone on the loudspeaker and music was playing. It was so loud and festive. Rok told us that their carnival was about to begin and if anyone wanted to drop out of his tour they were quite welcome to do so and we’d meet later at the bus as originally planned. I continued on with him a bit and saw two huge brass doors that over the years had been created for a church. Rok explained its design throughout the years with Pope John Paul at the top. After this, Sue and Betsy said they were dropping out and if I wanted to, I could join them. We decided to visit the farmers market that was happening where we were standing. I looked at some handmade jewelry to take home to Sarah. I passed on it though as I thought I could find something better. After looking around for a bit, we opted to go back to one of the restaurants Rok had suggested wherein they serve traditional food. I wasn’t up for something too heavy and so got stuffed squid that was stuffed with ham and cheese. It was one of the best dishes I had throughout my whole trip. The others got veal stew and goulash, along with a barley mash, all of which looked too heavy for me. After eating hot food and drinking hot tea I was ready to get back outside and enjoy my last hour in Ljubljana. I settled my bill with the others and told them which direction I was headed. When I got outside, the sun was shining and it was a lot warmer. The parade was still going on and I watched as about ten men wearing heavy long haired costumes with cow bells hanging off their belts as they danced about. Walking further on, I came across a young man twirling a bull whip (I think). He was cracking it’s full length of approximately 20 feet and making it crack so loud it sounded like a gunshot. Pretty impressive. Men and women were dressed in traditional costumes and with most everyone all dressed up, it was a lot of fun. I went down some other streets still in search of something to bring home for Sarah. Only expensive shops were open and I didn’t find anything worth going in to. I decided to work my way back to all the activities and then decided to get the jewelry I had seen earlier at the farmers market. The lady remembered me and gave me a good deal for a ring and earrings. Mission accomplished! I walked towards the bus slowly enjoying all the people and festivities and ran into Sue, Betsy and May again. We went inside a chocolate shop and I bought some hot cocoa mix hoping it would be as good as the stuff I had throughout my trip that was thick, warm and sweet.
We got back to the bus and enjoyed a beautiful ride back home with the fog having lifted and the mountains making a big show. Just before we got back to the hotel, Rok said that since it was such a nice day that if anyone was interested they were going to drive the bus to the base of the mountains and get a closer look. I opted to go back to the hotel as I was excited to take photos of Lake Bled with all the sunshine. After lightening my load, I went back outside in search of the famous cream cakes made only in Bled. There was a pastry shop next to our hotel that sold them and I sat down for a cream cake and hot chocolate next to the picture window with the castle across the lake from me. It was all pretty filling and it was definitely time to get out for a walk. I walked first towards the town and there was a parade going on there. I stopped and took a few photos and then worked my way down to the path that follows the lake. I walked back towards our hotel and then continued on further. It was such a pretty day and there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and warmth. I stopped and sat on a bench for a bit and just enjoyed the sound of the melting snow, rowboats on the lake, people walking with their friends or favorite animal and just breathing in the clean, fresh air and being overall quite happy. Happy to be in this place at this moment. One of those moments when you know that all is right in the world. After a bit, I worked my way back to my hotel and went into my room. The sun was still shining brightly and I went outside on my personal deck and enjoyed the air and sunshine from there. So peaceful and wonderful.
Tonight was our farewell dinner at the hotel as this was our last night together as a group. I took a shower and put on some nicer clothes and went downstairs to meet everyone for dinner. Jo and Roger were there and I took a nice photo of them. Dinner was ready for us and so I went and sat at a table. Marie joined me and then eventually Sue and Betsy showed up too. The food wasn’t that great, a lot of the same stuff we’d already had along the way. Not very impressive at all. Wine was not provided and we each ordered a glass and charged it to our rooms. When we wanted more wine later, the waiter never showed up. For being our last night together and our farewell dinner and all, it was all so quiet and separate. Rok got up and said he’d meet those of us having to leave at 1:30 a.m. in the lobby before we left. People got up and some exchanged hugs and addresses but it was all quiet reserved. Since most people weren’t leaving this night they all just ventured back to their own rooms and that was that. I went back to my room to pack but since I only had five hours before I had to leave for good, I did not go to bed. 1:15 a.m. arrived and I took my suitcase down to the lobby where most of the nine of us who were to go to Venice, Italy for our early morning flights were already there. We got into a small van which was not that comfortable and to our best abilities fell asleep for the three hour drive in the darkness. We got to the Venice airport about 4:00 am and were left to our own devices, for the first time in a long time. Everyone split off with nary a word to each other and that was that. My flight did not leave until 8 a.m. and I could not check in until 6 am. By that time, the line to check in with Alitalia was really long and it took me an hour to get to the clerk to check me in and then had to go through security after that. My bag was checked all the way to JFK thank goodness. When I got to Rome, the sun was just beginning to rise. I did not like being up so early. I didn’t have to wait too long to board my flight from Rome to JFK.
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Elisabeth
non-member comment
Woohoo!
I am so excited for you!!!!!!!