Touring Ljubliana Slovenia

We were off after breakfast for the city of Ljubliana . We crossed the border into Slovenia a small country with a population of about 3 million. It is a EU country so no border control. Our destination was the capital city. As we travelled along the modern 4 lane expressway we could see flat areas that reminded us of Essex County. There were low hills covered with forests as well. It reminded us of what you might see in some of the areas of the maritime provinces. The 2 hour drive got us to the city by mid morning.

The overall impression of the city is that it is very friendly. Everyone can speak English which is taught in the schools starting in the first grade. Our guide met the bus and we were off on foot for a full tour of the downtown area. It was busy but there were not as crowded as some of the other stops on this trip. We crossed a small bridge and found ourselves in the market square which was quite lively for a weekday. Our guide was well spoken and as were walked among the open stalls you could tell that she was quite proud of the city and the country. That part of the tour was spent talking about the differences between the garden farm products and the grocery stores.

She pointed out the restaurants and places to get the best strudel which is an Austria dessert since Austria is very close. She did carry a map that showed where the city was located in relation to the surrounding countries. It shares a border with Italy, Croatia as well as Hungary and has many similar things with those countries. As we walked around she had samples of some of the chocolates that are the local favourite. The big attraction for us after the market square and central core was the castle on the hill. We took the funicular ride to the Ljublijana Castle. That provided some very nice panoramic views of the old city with the red roof buildings. The tour ended at the castle. We had plenty of time to explore since we were to make our own way down. The city has done a wonderful job in restoring the castle blending the old with the new. For example there are restaurants for light snacks. They also have a jazz club and a venue for music. The old jail cells were opened and reminded us of what we saw in the old Dublin jail.

There was also a clock tower with a climb of 200 plus steps which we had to do. The views were very nice. We decided not to use the funicular down to the city. We opted for the path down the hill. Although we took a wrong turn we ended up in the market area close to where the “right path” came out. No harm done. We found a a place that served strudel and sat and had “dessert” for lunch before heading to the meeting place. Our hotel was within walking distance. The leaders of 12 countries were meeting at the same hotel that we are staying at. Although the meetings were over we still had to go through airport type security. The rooms were not ready as we arrived so we had a short wait while they were cleaned. We were the last to get our key but still had plenty of time to relax before dinner at a local restaurant. We headed out walking for dinner at a local restaurant. The meal was quite tasty. There was a prosciutto appetizer, salad and then polenta and meat. Dessert was cake with fruit in it. We did have a glass of nice tasting red wine. Walking back to the hotel we needed to go through security again.

Touring Zagreb

After a full breakfast at the Sheraton, we headed out for a tour of the city. Our local guide (Elena?) was wonderful. She spoke in very clear English and did not over explain what we were viewing. The entire tour was on foot and took over 2 hours. It was interesting that we were only a few blocks from the central square. Many buildings in the city show damage from the most recent (5.2?) earthquake. That followed another major one about 170 years ago. It seems that they are constantly rebuilding. Some buildings only showed minor damage with the facades having been damaged. Others are under complete renovations with tarps and scaffolding covering entire structures.

The city has 2 large u shaped street street structures with public buildings anchoring sections of it. It is called the green way as large trees can be found along the streets. As we walked through a park, there was a small meteorological station built years ago. It showed the temperature, barometer, wind etc. Despite the age it is still active and once a week the data recorded on paper is changed. The central square was a busy place which is part of the new town. A flower market was located at one end. Throughout the morning we encountered many tour groups. We saw not only groups with “whispers” (individual hearing devices) but large groups of children as well. From the activity, the number of souvenir shops, etc you begin to appreciate how important tourism is to a city.

From the central square we took the funicular to the Upper Town which is the “old City”, the original part. It contains many churches, palaces, museums, galleries and government buildings. The ride up (66 seconds) provided nice views. It has retained that old world charm that we see in older parts of cities. Nicola Tesla was from the area and at the turn of the century tried to convince the population to change from gas to electric street lights. It did not happen and today the gas lights remain in operation.

Making our way down the hill back to the main square we passed the Cathedral which is one of the tallest building in the city. It is under complete renovation for the 3rd or 4th time in history. It is only open for services so we did not visit. We found ourselves back in the main square where we started. The afternoon was free to rest explore etc before our trip to an restaurant for dinner. We took the opportunity to have a drink in a local outdoor bar where we met others from Senior Discovery. We headed out by bus for dinner at a local restaurant. The place was interesting in that it had lots of books on cooking. The small establishment had been around for about 200 years. We had some traditional fare to eat along with a local wine. Headed to Slovenia tomorrow about 150 kilometers.

Touring Plitvicka Lakes National Park

We headed east today leaving the coast with its history of Roman and Venetian rule for Plitvicka Lakes National Park. It was about a 2 hour drive and before we got to the park we stopped at a small town. It reminded me of Canmore just outside of Banff. It is the same type of town with places to stay and eat. Plitvicka is the best of the national parks with over a million visitors per year. It is so busy that you need to book a time to enter. It reminded me of the situation in Lake Louise. Being later in the tourist season it was not as busy although there were lots of people on the trails. Plitvicka is a lush valley with 16 terraced lakes strung together by countless cascading waterfalls.

You can hike different trails from easy to difficult. We were on a pleasant trail with not much elevation gain. The section we walked on was a well groomed path (few rocks )and over wooden bridges. As we climbed the terraced lakes we were on wooden walkways. They were elevated for the water that fills the area in spring. It is very dry this time of year and there was only a few muddy spots. As we went from lake to lake we saw many waterfalls. You could imagine what it must be like in the spring. The hike itself took about 2 hours at a slow pace to cover the 4 kilometres.

A few in our group chose to meet us at the end of the trail. A short stop for “lunch” and we were on the tram that took us back to the starting point . At the end of our park visit, we continued to Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, for a 2-night stay.

Day 8 To Sibenik And Zadar

We left Spit this morning for our 2 tours of the day as we headed to Zadar where we will be spending the night. Sibenik is another one of those little settlements with a long history. We did stop in a square to view one of those old churches that has some amazing features. This church was completely built of stone without the use of any wood to hold it together. One feature on the outside were “heads” of people the sculpture/designer knew. Every one had a different expression which reflected something of their personality. It was an impressive place. St James Cathedral showed incredible craftsmanship.

The interior was impressive enough but the baptistery was something to see. We descended a small staircase. The baptismal fount was not overly large in the small space. The carvings of the angels and the way the natural light filtered in showed that the builder had taken great pains in the design. After a short time to walk around we headed to Zadar. Zadar is a large city and port. Our destination was the old city within the walls. As was expected there were many shops. We were given some time to explore.

A large bell tower of the cathedral was built in the 15th century and has been added to over the centuries . It is about 160 feet high and quite impressive. For a few euros we could walk to the top. The views of the city were quite impressive! The area near the shoreline had been settled by the Romans and we toured the remains of the Roman settlement. The foundations of the “market shops” could easily be seen. A walk along the waterfront brought us to the “sea pipe organ”. A series of openings were made at the low tide level.

Small openings were left to the walkway above. As the waves roll in air if forced upward to the small openings making a rushing whistling sound. Hence the organ sound. After a long day of sightseeing we were glad to head to the hotel and dinner.

Day 7 Touring Diocletien Palace And Tozeur

Today we had 2 separate tours. Our morning tour took us back the the centre of the city to visit the Diocletien Palace. He was the Roman emperor in the 2nd century. We have seen many Roman ruins over the years but this was quite different because it was a whole palace and defensive position all in one. The surface portion of the palace was destroyed and has been completely built with “modern” buildings built on the ruins of the palace. A few things do remain of the original structure. The surrounding wall and 4 main gates are still intact. We walked the entire fortification which not only was a palace but a town with housing for the Roman guards, workers, etc.

The part that was most impressive was the underground or foundation of the palace. All the rubble from over the years had been dumped into that area which has now been excavated. The foundations were enormous. The photo gives you a limited idea of the scope of these rooms. It was used in roman times to store the goods that were brought in by sea. Originally one side of the fortification was along the sea wall. Today that original area had been filled in. It now a very wide promenade. You do get an idea of how large the upper rooms were as the “basement” walls supported the walls of the upper buildings. The workmanship and building techniques are really on display.

The surface area of the palace although it has been rebuilt over the centuries still has a certian ancient feel to it. About 3000 people still live inside this palace but it is filled with all types of shops, hotel rooms, restaurants etc. However parts of the original temples can be seen. You do get a good impression of the entire complex. All 4 main gates are still intact so the entire palace can be entered from one of the 4 gates. The east west gates lead to a road that intersects the north south road. We did have some free time to walk around so we wandered a bit, found a gelato shop and then just sat and watch the boats in the harbour until we left.

After returning to the hotel for a short break we were off to Tozeur. It is a small outlying settlement from Spit. As everything along this coast, it has a long history of Roman, Venetian and Ottoman settlement. It guards the entrance to Spit. It reminded us of a medina that we saw in Tunisia. There were small shops, churches, narrow streets and plenty of restaurants of all kinds. It was filled with tourist from the smaller tour boats. There were were at least 3 alongside. The town is close to the airport and it is a perfect jumping off point for cruise ships that are going to visit the small ports along the coast. Dinner tonight was in one of the many restaurants in the area. It had good food and service. We are on the move north tomorrow.

From Mostar to Spit

Today was moving day! We had to drive about 200 km so we had a leisurely morning leaving around 10 am. When we left the hotel we passed a building that I assumed had not been repaired after the war. The roof was blown off and the walls had lots of marks that must have been bullet holes. I wondered if this had been the location of a “sniper” with the holes represented people firing back?

We had to go through the entering the EU again with the requisite immigration proceedings. However somehow the bus driver found a friendly agent (I think he told them something about old people not being able to walk). So they came aboard with a hand held passport scanned and camera and did the checking right at out seat. It was very convenient but we did have to wait a bit. Once we cleared that we headed to a local “winery” for a tasting and snacks. At the Konoba Jokan we had welcoming drink. Once seated there was fresh bread, cheese, prosciutto (Croatia style) cut thicker than we usually get it and a tasting of white and red wine. They also had deep fried dough balls that reminded me of apple fritters from our family.

We drove to Spit which is the second largest city in Croatia. We managed a glimpse of a castle where some filming for Game Of Thrones was done. We finally stopped at the Amphora hotel which is located right on the ocean. Very Nice!

Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant where we had choices of what to eat from the platters set on the table. The Chop and Grill (?) is a popular eatery in the core area. They served everything on a platter. We had 5 (?) appetizers enough for the 4 at the table. The main plate had chicken, lamb and 4 beef tenderloin. There was more that enough to eat then came the dessert platter. Enough said. The rain kept coming but hopefully it will be done by tomorrow when we are back to walking tours.

Travel to Mostar, Bosnia

Today was a travel day to Mostar. Out by 8 for a 2 hour drive. We are travelling

north for the rest of the trip. The drive along the coast provided good views of the many islands that are along the Dalmatian coast. We did see the prime oyster grown area. There were many buoyed beds in the bays.

Since we were crossing into Bosnia Herzegovina a non EU country, we needed to go through the leaving the EU area procedure. The Bosnia Herzegovina border check point was basically in the same building. Scanned passports, photo and then scan passport stamp the old fashion way and off we went. We crossed through the mountains and the karst topography area to our lunch spot. The “complex” had a very large outdoor restaurant. There we 5 or 6 (?) tour busses already there. The specialty is trout which they farm right where the large spring discharges into the river. The flow was pretty strong. We saw buildings with “slate” roofs something we had never seen before. We crossed the picturesque bridge, had a nice salad, local wine and 2 10”(?) trout with the heads still attached. Very tasty. The meal also had potatoes and spinach. That is the second time that spinach was the vegetable.

After lunch we made the short drive to Mostar which was our stopping place for the night. A local guide met us and walked us through the old quarter. She detailed the war which split the city. She indicated that during the conflict snipers would fire on the population. We crossed the old bridge (destroyed and rebuilt) into the Turkish section which is the oldest part of the city. Streets were cobblestone with many souvenir shops. The tour including a visit of an original Turkish home and the Mosque. We arrived at the hotel where we had a bit of a rest.

One of the things mentioned was that the unemployment rate in the city is 50% and people are in need. It was depressing to see young girls (10 years old ?) begging with signs asking for money. Women with young babies asking for milk money. In fact one women was nursing a baby!