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Published: September 14th 2009
The day has dawned overcast but the prospect for the day is improving weather as we cross the border into Slovenia.
Gretchens wasp sting on her elbow from last night has made her arm swell up considerably and from hereon she will be nicknamed "Arnie" after the Governor of California as she could match him for the circumference of her arm at the moment.
We had some concerns that we might not have hot water this morning as last night there didn't appear to be any coming through the tap no matter how long we left it running for and neither of us wanted a cold shower.However something magical happened in the night and there was plenty of hot water for showering.
To get onto the island of Krk we had driven across a 1.4km bridge similar to the one but longer than the one near Zadar the day before.As we drove up to it we looked for an area to park and take photos.Unfortunately we just couldn't get any angle other than looking straight out over the water or along the road over the bridge.Neither of which gave us the scene we wanted to take in the majesty of the
bridge structure.The people of this area responsible for road building certainly know their stuff when it comes to bridges and tunnels as they are in profusion and many in dramatic situations.Regretably there are not enough vantage spots to park and take photos of the structures.
Rijeka looks to be only a few kilometres away as the crow flies but the map shows a distance of 24km by road which twists and turns around a large bay.
To keep with tradition we spent our last 32koruna before we leave Croatia although this time it will be on diesel,all 4.7 litres !!!that the money brought.!!
As we journeyed around the large bay towards Rijeka the newly completed motorway came into sight high above us hugging to the hillside.
The the most fantastic sight we have ever seen in road construction also came into our vision.It was a piece of the highway out in space over the bay far below supported by columns driven into the almost perpendicular hillside.Again unfortunately there wasn't anywhere to pull off to admire this structure so we snapped a couple of photos from the car window as Gretchen slowed down in heavy traffic.The pictures we took don't do
full justice to its grand appearance but they are better than nothing to remind us of the sight.
We wanted to avoid the highway as we have done in as many instances as have been able so far but we didn't realise that the route we were taking to the border would take us through the centre of Rijeka,a city that was once in Italian territory.Luckily the route was well sign posted and we made it to the other side of the city built mainly on hillsides without too much difficulty.
For the first time in crossing a border we had to queue at first the Croatian border and then a hundred metres on at the Slovenian border.Here we got one of the few stamps we have had for crossing a border where there has been officials to check our passports.If you were wanting to trace where we have been on this adventure there would be no point in looking through the passports as they are devoid of stamps.
We have been used to over the past 7 days looking out as coastal and rather barren landscapes but now suddenley after climbing up from sea level into hills and mountains
we are amongst green fields with crops and animals again.We loved seeing the sea again but having the green hills around is very nice too.No wonder we feel so lucky in New Zealand with both the sea and the green fields and hills so close at hand all the time.
The road from the border was narrow and winding but at least we had left those crazy Croatian drivers behind and we were amongst locals and cars from Germany,Austria and Poland all presumably heading home from holiday and not in such as rush.
Another contrast in such a short distance aws how the villages we passed through were so well organised and tidy with footpaths compared to Croatia.And there were no incomplete houses that seemed to be everywhere in Croatia.
Slovenia was the first state within the Yugoslavia federation to go solo and although there was a short war the Serbs left them alone and today they look to be far in advance of Croatia and B-H.They were quick to be accepted into the EU and are now part of the Euro currency zone which has probably made the cost of things a little higher but so also is their
standard of living.
Slovenia is a small country of 2 million people and there are two main motorways that run through the middle crossing each other through the capital Ljubljana.However we avoided that too and drove the route #409 that runs adjacent to it which was almost deserted of traffic.
On the road were a number of sealed parking areas with picnic table to stop and have lunch which we did north of Postojna.Just another contrast to Croatia and B-H where any pull off area we used was unsealed with rubbish scattered around.Each of the picnic areas had a portaloo or two as in a couple of instances.Slovenia was impressing us and more was to come!!
We skirted the capital although we did have to join the highway as the road we were on merged onto it and we had no alternative other than going towards the city even further and hope to find a road towards Bled,our destination.
Even the motorway driving wasn't too bad as we were still able to view the countryside as went and we cut out the 50km from the capital to Bled quite quickly.
The small lakeside town of Bled is about 5km off
the highway and the first sign of it that we saw was the castle that sits atop a rock cliff high above the lake.
Our apartment was easy to find with the Google map instructions being quite simple to follow.We haven't got what we thought we were going to have here,an apartment with cooking facilities.We must have got the last apartment in the small complex so it will have to suffice and the microwave will be brought back into service.We do have a fridge so that is a bit of a bonus and at €35 per night in what is usually an expensive place to stay we are well off really.
The lake is only 5 minutes walk away and so we headed down there to take in the scenery.AND what scenery it is!!!
The lake which is fairly small,perhaps 2km long and 1.5 km wide is fed by a small stream and the water is absolutely clear so that you can see the bottom well out from the sides until it drops off to the deepest part which is 50 metres.
At the far end of the lake is a tiny island on which a church has been built with surrounding trees and of course up to the right hand side of the lakeside nearer the town is the grand castle towering above the lake.On the lakeside is a pretty white church with spire and most of the other buildings near the lakeside are partly hidden from view by masses of trees except in one small area which is easy to keep out of the camera lens.
We stayed on waiting for sunset to see what the light changes on the features of the lake would be like and although the sunset was a good one it didn't produce the light on the clouds that we had hoped for.
In the couple of hours we spent walking around part of the lake and sitting waiting for the sunset we agreed that the place was so photogenic that it had to be added to our favourite places on the BBA to date.
The wasp sting isn't any better and the swelling hasn't gone down so we shall what tomorrow brings as it may be Bled Hospital for some advice and treatment in need!!
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JacquieL
non-member comment
SLOVENIA/CROATIA
We are leaving on 10/3 for Zagreb and will spend 20 days driving from Zagreb to Zagreb. Hope to see Slovenia, Croatia, Italian Dolomites, and parts of Bosnia. Who did you rent a car from? Did you stay in any pensions that you can recommend. Not sure if it is worth it to travel to any of the islands in Croatia - there's so much to see. Any advice would be great...