Blogs from Dalmatia, Croatia, Europe - page 76

We arrived in Split and went to our new hostel on the other side of Diocletian’s Palace. We had decided to stay in a new hostel to get a change of scenery, but decided to meet up with people from the other hostel later. We had a delicious and cheap 3 course fish dinner at a local restaurant and met up with the guys from the other hostel just as they were heading off to a pool hall. Luckily, most of them were people we had already met on Split and Brac, so we had a great time hanging out at the pool hall with a large group of friends. The next day, Alex, Emma and went in search of a rental car to drive to Plitvice (pronounced “Plit-vitz-ah”) Lakes National Park, about 2 hours away ... read more

After our idyllic sojourn in Budapest we were now heading to the countries of the former Yugoslavia - starting with Serbia. Visiting the former Yugoslav countries had special significance for Leah because her parents, some thirty plus years earlier, had visited the same region when it was all one country and now we were to travel the same route but through some six different countries!!! This entire region of Europe has been at the cross roads of so many significant historical events and it is fascinating to see the locations for ourselves. One of the most interesting aspects of our journey so far has been trying to tease out the "truth" of regional history because each country tries to present their past in the rosiest way they can. When we visit the museums of the region ... read more

Editor's note Ok, better late than never! It is now September, and I am just finishing my blog from my May trip to Europe. Out of sight, out of mind. Follow along, as I depart for my 2 month fall trip to India, departing Oct 12, 2010. ... Enjoy, Mike May 18, 2010 - Dubrovnik to Lubljana We left Dubrovnik at 8:30. On the way out of town we stopped for a photo opp at the top of the hill. Dubrovnik really is a stunning place. Its hard to believe that just 15 short years ago it was attacked and was under shell attack by the Serbs. Who would want to destroy such a beautiful place, and why? Its hard for us to imagine, living in Canada where everything is so civilized. In my generation's lifetime, ... read more

Croatia - be prepared - this one is massive. So, a flight from a chilly Denmark brought me to scenic sunshine of Split via the capital Zagreb, passing hundreds of islands which I was trying to enjoy viewing in between having my right ear drum feel like it wanted to burst inside the small plane. Anyway, I may have landed with less hearing for a day or so but got on with the job of knowing my new digs. My hostel was run by Auzzies and is the only one that is situated inside the Palace Walls of which Split is founded on, mind you finding it was a little interesting (of course it was behind the kiosk which blocks the laneway where there is a dead end!). Split is amazing in that is a small ... read more

And getting caught in the rain... After Dubrovnik we thought it was time to head to one of the sunniest places on earth. Hvar Island. It reportedly receives over 2700 hours of sunshine each year. We were not dissapointed. Hvar is beautiful, and if you ever go to Croatia it cannot be missed. After a rainy and long bus ride the ferry dropped us soggy travellers off on the Island. Having not arranged accomodations in advance we decided to see what we could get right from the ferry. In Croatia there are always people meeting the buses and ferries offering apartment style accomodations (it is very common and often quite economical). We ended up at a place called Villa Marija. It was wonderful. A great alternative to a hostel. We met a lot of great people ... read more