Opatija, Croatia Bled, Slovenia

Opatija - Bled
Sunny day with afternoon shower.

Today we left Opatija and the Adriatic Sea to head to Slovenia. Once again we stopped at the border but it was much easier crossing. 

As we were early for our visit to the world famous Postojana Caves we headed to the 800 year old Predjana Castle via some beautiful countryside for some photography. The medieval castle was virtually impregnable and was connected to the outside world by secret tunnels. The castle is the world’s largest cave castle. 

Wonderful forests of fir trees were either side of the bus as we made our way to the castle.

Twenty minutes away we were lining up for the 11am viewing of the 3 million year old 24 kilometre cave system which has been carved out by the Pivka River. 

The tour commenced with a ten minute mini train ride to the meet the guide. Already we had passed a lot of stalactites and stalagmites which we snapped away at.

The speedy little train was very efficient. 

The English group was large and what I can only explain as spaghetti tourism. There was little time for photos if you wanted to keep up with the guide to hear the information. Having said that, it’s hard not to be captivated with the subtly lit features and the absolute vastness of the cave system. The slip proof concrete path extends for the entire hour and a half walk. It’s a very cool 10 degrees underground so we were pleased to be wearing our jackets.

It was very easy to snap away photos at every turn.

A very weird eyeless little creature, the olm, lives deep in the cave system without light. It has an amazingly slow system and has been known to survive ten years without food. 

Typical Slovenian food on a sign near the castle.

A pleasant drive followed by another stop at the Volčji Potok Arboretum ended our sightseeing for the day. 

We followed our guide discussing plants and trees whilst admiring the French style garden and exotic trees. It was the rosearium that captured our hearts with over one thousand varieties of roses. 

The rose garden was grouped according to colours.

The houses are very like Swiss chalets with their steeped roofs and flower boxes.  Our guide told us that women are ‘judged’ on their displays.

Our room with a view.  Very pretty to wake up to....

We arrived mid afternoon to our hotel on Lake Bled and we all had lakeside views. After a wander of the local shops we showered for dinner at a local restaurant and reflected on a lovely introduction to Slovenia. 

Opatija - Istrian Peninsular - Opatija

Opatija
Very hot


A wonderful day exploring the Istrian Peninsular included visiting the three towns of Pula and the Roman arena; Rovinj, the area known as Little Venice and Porec for its magnificent basilica. 
We followed the stunning coastline for some way before crossing inland for our first stop at Pula.
Croatia has 1,185 islands and 48 are inhabited. We could view Cres, the largest Croatian island as we wound our way on the eastern side of the peninsular. The western side of the peninsula has many more towns and is very popular with tourists. 
The earlier starts initiated by our guide are paying off as we are generally amongst the first visitors to the sites. 
It was already getting hot as we listened to our guide explain the first century Roman arena of Vespasian. The twenty thousand seated arena abuts the sea and was used for gladiator events for several centuries. Today, it is used for concerts during the summer months and is very popular. 
After it had ceased to be used locals took some of the stone to build the local bell tower among other local architecture. 

A beautiful day to explore the ancient arena but we had to stand in the shade.

Delightful Rovinj is called the Croatian Little Venice as it features homes built into the sea. A large market was in full swing with fruit, oils and dried fruits.

Little Venice

We wandered up to the church of St Eufemija to view the sarcophagus holding the relics of the revered saint.
It was now very hot so we stood beside a building in a shaded spot near the sea and enjoyed a cool breeze while we ate an ice cream. 

I never tire of these alleyways.

Our third stop for the day was Porec known for its sixth century basilica. The church has very plain walls offset with a very intricate Byzantine mosaic nave at the rear of the altar area.
It was now so hot that we decided to head to a cafe for a drink. I enjoyed an elder flower lemonade which really hit the spot.

The basilica of Porec.

After returning to Opatija we dressed for dinner at the recommended restaurant of our guide. We enjoyed a delicious meal of mussels followed by a panna cotta. It was a great way to wind down after a very interesting day.

Plitvice Lakes to Opatija

Opatija
                                                                                                                                                             Hotel Reminsens
Sunny and hot

We left the quiet and stunning scenery of the national park to make our way one episode again to the Adriatic Coast.  We passed Swiss like chalets with their steeped roofs to accommodate the snow in the extreme cold of minus twenty five degrees.

 The homes and restaurants are very reminiscent of Swiss chalets including baskets of geraniums.

Our accommodation....very quaint with wooden panelled interiors.

We wended our way down the mountain on a very narrow road.  The bus and cars played manoeuvring games reversing and pulling aside with a very steep drop over the side.  Once again we had to alight the bus and walk across the wooden bridge that had a weight limit.

     

Sitting with the delightful village of Rastoke in the background.

Every little turn is a photo opportunity.

Plenty of wood for winter!

We had our first stop at Rastoke in the Slunji area which is known for its water-powered mechanical mills and its very picturesque setting.  Tickets had to be purchased to enter the village and we wandered passed houses bridging many rushing streams.  A quick visit to miller’s house showed the corn being ground using the water technology. The first mill dates back to the 17th century.

We then continued to the seaside resort of Opatija which became well known during thee 19th century as part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.  Much of the architecture in the town’s street reflects the timeframe of the popularity of this area.

Many buildings reflect the 18th century architecture. 

The view from our room.

Walking the promenade in the late afternoon sunshine.

An afternoon stroll along the lower street and promenade brought us by many restaurants, beaches and stall holders.  Buying ice dream was popular on this hot day.

After finding the recommended restaurant booked out for the evening we settled on a few drinks with our guide and then wandered over to a waterfront restaurant and enjoyed an Asian meal of prawns and noodles.  

Tomorrow is going to be a big day as the tour takes us exploring the Istrian Peninsula.  

Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes
Hot to a cooler evening
Ethno Houses Plitvice

This morning was spent exploring Plitvice Lakes on a five kilometre walk around the beautifully green hued lakes.  This is Croatia’s biggest national park and attracts up to 18 thousand visitors a day.  Last year alone there were 2 million visitors in the warmest months.  There is now a planned approach to managing the tourists with strict access being directed by internal rangers and guides to manage the situation.

David standing with our accommodation in the background.  It gets to minus twenty-five in the winter with lots of snow.  The pen is housing goats.

The large waterfall just near the entrance.

The real story of taking a photo of the waterfalls.....tourists, tourists everywhere!

Pristine water cascading over grass.

Can you see the tourists on the path opposite?

Paths are laid our beautifully..

The ferry boat, one of many, takes 100 passengers at a time to the other side of the lake at a very slow pace to minimise wash damage to the side of the lake.

Looking down and through the trees to the wonderful green blue colour of the lakes. 

There are 16 terraced lakes in the area with up to 90 other lakes.  The national park covers an area of 300 square kilometres and the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres.

We followed the paved paths and wooden bridges to view the waterfalls and follow the lake to a station to catch a slow moving ferry to the other side of one of the lakes.  We then walked back to where we caught the boat and then made our way back to the hotel.
An afternoon of rest beckoned after a hot day.

Split -Trogir - Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes
Hot morning and a cooler evening
Ethno Houses Plitvice Selo

We travelled along the Dalmatia coastline for the last time with a morning stop over at the quaint island of Trogir which is accessed by a bridge.
Trogir is a very pretty village and attracts a lot of tourists. The day was hot so we appreciated the narrow alleyways in the shade.
Our first stop was at the Cathedral of St Lawrence and to admire its Romanesque Gothic architecture.  The local sculptor and architect created the magnificent finely carved portal which was finished and signed in 1240.

 Lovely alleyways wind in and out of Trogir with many shops and restaurants.  Ice cream shops are very popular in this heat.

The Kairos......seize the day!

The door way leading to the marina with another island in the background accessed by a bridge.

The finely carved portal showing the majority of the seasons of the year.

After our tour we were able to wander and explore the town further.  An ice cream was in order for this hot day.  We then found a supermarket to purchase wine on the advice of our tour leader as the mountain lodges we were going to had a lovely garden area to sit back and enjoy the cooler air and sunsets.

We said goodbye to the harsh Mediterranean mountains which have abutted the Dalmatian coast and travelled through the St Rock Tunnel which is 5kms long.  Once we emerged we could see that the terrain had changed and there were many more trees and greenery.

 We had and early dinner of chicken soup, roasted pork and potatoes which is very traditional and a ricotta crepe dessert before we headed up to to our final stop over for two nights.

We had to get out of the bus due to weight restrictions on the wooden  bridge.

Our home away from home for the next two nights

Tomorrow we are exploring the UNESCO listed Plitvice Lakes. 

Split

Split

Hotel Diocletian

Very hot

It was already a hot day when we started our morning tour of Diocletian’s Palace at 9.30.  Our local guide gave us a comprehensive history of the last pagan Roman emperor who lived in the palace from 305 until his death in 316AD.  The palace covers an extensive 35 thousand square meters.  Although the top rooms barely exist the extensive and renovated lower chamber which mirrored the first floor palace are intact.  The first excavation of the site began in 1956 and the palace is now world famous as its lower floor was used for the widely popular series of Game of Thrones.  

The tall thick walls of the palace. The gate lead into a vestibule.

A tunnel and famous doorway in GoT.

The vast interior of the lower level.

Homes sit above the lower floor.  The tower upper right is one of five protecting the palace.

The world renowned A Capello performers of Croatia are protected as an intangible asset by UNESCO. We were treated to a magnificent performance in the palace. 

 A bridge across the alleyway built in 1394 for a local nobleman.

Lots of lovely squares surrounded by restaurants beckoned after the tour.  It was time for a cold drink. 

The beautiful promenade at the waterfront where boats are moored.

We wandered back into the palace for the midday performance of Diocletian and Roman soldiers entering the stage area.  It was short and amusing.  

The statue of Gregory of Nin by Ivan Medtronic  sits outside the palace.  It stands at 8.5 metres tall and is famous as rubbing his toe will bring good luck. 

The heat had become too much by 1.30 so we caught the bus back to our hotel and rested for the rest of the afternoon.  We then headed out for dinner at 6.30pm to a much cooler Split and had a lovely dinner in on the alleyways. I had my second meal of squid risotto and cuttlefish which is delicious.   Split under lights is very pretty.