Blogs from Croatia, Europe - page 21

We woke to a sunny day full of promise for a spectacular trip to the top of Mount Ucka. The highway was winding, and the asphalt road up through the parkland was even more winding, with potholes. About half way up the mountain, to our initial delight, the trees were decked in crystallized snow. To our dismay, eventually there was enough slushy ice on the road that the two buses had to stop. Our drivers worried that the tires would not be able to negotiate the downwards return journey if there were more ice higher up. Full of vigour we donned our warm clothes and jaunted along on foot, enjoying the beautiful photo ops … until the ice became too slippery for walking safely, especially for our two sub-tropical companions from California and Hawaii. The men ... read more

Our trip’s stated objective was to participate in a “strenuous” hike in Paklenica National Park. By the end of last night, there were only three people who wanted to risk the first half hour of rocky assent, because of all the rain. By this morning, when there was again light rain, Manka cancelled the hike because it is very slippery in the rain. Breakfast was delightful because the hotel restaurant cooked our eggs to order; the ability of Adriatic restaurants to produce excellent sunny-side-up eggs is astonishing. Otherwise, the selections were the usual cold cuts, cereals and lovely breads. Our revised day was a return to Zadar, this time to visit the url=https://www.zadar.travel/en/city-guide/attractions/26-05-2009/museum-of-ancient-glass-zadar#.Xsc50GhKhPYAncient Glass Museum. (Rain fell during the drive and upon our ar... read more

I am sitting in the café at Skradinski Buk, an indescribable torrent of waterfalls. The others have gone for a boat trip, and I am skipping the experience and avoiding feeling ill. Louder than any of the many visitors is the cascading roar of the water. We were almost alone for the first hour of strolling amongst a lace of waterfalls. By the end of the second hour, we rejoiced that we had finished before the big bus tours arrived. Part of the Krka National Park (pronounced as spelled), a vast quantity of water tumbled from the surrounding mountainous hills through a long downhill stretch of rocks. Over long ledges it rolled into the raging Krka River. Down craggy cliffs it crashed into thick foam. Rivulets traced tiny lace patterns among the plants. Gr... read more

Our full day tour of Dubrovnik was fascinating. For two hours, Jakica led us through the old city centre, combining facts with stories and personal memories. Most of the buildings that survived conquest, war and earthquakes are from about the sixth century, the fourteenth century, and the eighteenth century, plus twenty-first century new builds. Many of the historic buildings were damaged, some severely, in the early battles of the war with Serbia and Montenegro 1991-1994. Almost everything has been restored, which makes the buildings look fresh and well-maintained. Jakica pointed out that the whiter limestone blocks are newer, because they come from a different quarry than the traditional blocks, and that the redder clay roof tiles are new, in contrast to the yellower old ones. Two rival theories explain the origins of Dubro... read more

After more than ten hours of sleep, it was the alarm clock that woke me. I had set it to get up in time for breakfast, and to adapt to the nine hours of change. Breakfast was buffet style in the restaurant. I chose muesli, apple juice, deep-orange fried egg, an unknown sausage, bacon and light rye bread. Although the bacon was terribly salty and apple juice was made from a concentrate in a machine, I enjoyed the meal. The manager came by part-way through, greeting all the patrons with bonhomie and urging us to come to the sea-side restaurant for lunch. He told me that the season was just starting – they had only a hundred rooms occupied today, but by tomorrow that would be up to four hundred! Indeed, on my walk, most shops ... read more