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  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    Day 35

    Day 34 Pula

    October 3, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Trish is feeling much better and was out swimming at 7.30 while I had a much more relaxed morning. We went for a quick walk to see some of the local shops before retrieving our car and making our way to Pula.

    On our way into Pula we saw a decathlon sign, and had to have a visit. Trish bought a nice backpack at the start of our trip which I really liked, my pack has needed some repairs as it has made a number of overseas trips, and I found the same one as hers. I also bought some sox. I brought 3 short pairs and 3 pairs of longer woollen which have not been needed at all except for when the others have needed a wash. Right next door was a Harvey Norman store which I was pretty surprised to see.

    We couldn’t check in until 2pm so went for a bit of a drive around and found a dog beach. In fact it was a lot of lovely little beaches all together so we chose one and went for a swim. It wasn’t as calm as yesterday but the water was very warm so we went in a couple of times. There were little changing booths around which were quite handy.

    We don’t have a car parking spot where we are, but found a parking area not far away but up a hill so I dropped the bags and Trisha off, and tried to make my way back while going the wrong way, meeting up with a concrete mixer, realising how many one way streets there are, and finally getting there and realising I didn’t have any money or cards as my bag was with Trish, duh! So round the block I went again. The parking app was slightly confusing as I had to pay for parking on my phone but luckily a parking inspector walked past and I asked him to check it.

    We are up 2 flights of stairs here, but have a really lovely little room with access to a kitchen as well. Bit of a shame we are only here for one night. Also has a large tv, so we watched a bit more Netflix before going for a walk. Trish went to the amphitheatre which is a bit like the Rome Colosseum while I went for a walk on the waterfront. We then got burgers and chips for dinner and back to our room.

    10,998 steps and 27 degrees.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    Day 34

    Day 33 Krk Island

    October 2, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Trish is doing much better today, but wanted to be able to come back to the hotel if she needed to, so I took off in our Volkswagen car for an explore of Krk island. I didn’t know much about this island except that it had some beaches and a Krk town. So I headed for there after going over the massive bridge that was constructed in response to the tourism demand.

    Krk town was really pretty. I went to an info centre and got a map of the island and then realised that there were many little towns on the coast line and they were all a bit different from each other. I would love to spend a week on the island in a camper van sometime!

    Initially I paid for a park for 90 minutes, walked around the marina and through the town checking out the castle. Then I thought I needed to get back to the car, so did that and drive through the town and saw the perfect park. What was a girl to do? Yep, paid 2 euros and got 2 hours, so plenty of time to find a gelato and buy myself a cute wee momento. I also bought a towel which could be handy over the next few days.

    Then on the road to Baska which is the southernmost town of the island. I had to stop a couple of times to check out the view which was just stunning. There were many marinas along the way. I also found a Roadside fruit stall and bought some green mandarins which were ripe and the most massive pomegranates which were 5 for 8 euro, and I was not able to buy just one. When I opened it later, it was more than a cupful of seeds, to those 5 are going to go a long way.

    When I got to Baska town, there were more parking charges and a walk down to the town and it was really hot so I thought I’d try and find the nudist beach figuring that no one knows me here, and would save getting more clothes wet. Well I didn’t quite get to it and realised there was a long walk from any parking down a hill so I lost my enthusiasm. So then thought I would drive to the Baska beach lookout. The beach is 1.8km long and one of the best beaches in Croatia. I found myself driving past a spare park rather close to the beach so had to stop. Nek minit I am swimming out to a pontoon a fair way out because the water was pretty warm and just so calm. I swam for a while, then got out and just marvelled at the view. Then thought I need to do some sort of selfie - me in my black undies and a sports top was not going to make it on any public page, hence the feet pic.

    I then resumed my drive to the lookout and got a park even closer to the beach but only used it to walk down the path and found the dog swimming part. Croatia is very dog friendly. Earlier in the day I found a water fountain for me to fill up my bottle, and there was also a dog water bowl. All the restaurants provide water bowls for the dogs.

    Then it was one more town for me to stop at, and I chose Malinska as the beach was supposed to be great. In reality I drove down the hill, through the town and back up the hill again. It was getting later and I couldn’t see how it could have been better than what I had done.

    So headed for home, though stopping at a supermarket on the way to get another roast chicken. Yesterday was the first time we had found one at a supermarket and it was amazing tasty. Todays was rather nice as well.

    We have had a quiet evening as Trish had a big day here with lots of walking and a big swim as well.

    She did 18,404 steps. And we had an increase to 27 degrees today. I did a reasonable amount of walking too, all in my crocs which continue to be invaluable!    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    Day 33

    Day 32 Opatija

    October 1, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    We had a nice leisurely start to the day and were on the road by 9am. First stop was to be Senj which is a lovely little seaside town, but first we re- traced my steps when I was driving in the snow 6 years ago. At that time google maps was sending me off to the right and I declined the offer as it looked like I would be going off into the hills and thought I would have needed chains for that. Well today I found out that my instincts were correct and indeed I would have been going over a very high hill with few opportunities to turn around. Nice to have that confirmed some time later.

    It was an interesting drive, we chose not to take the highway and it was a bit like driving through nz though the buildings were a bit different. We stopped in Senj but not for very long. As it is Sunday there was not a lot of things open though we did find some sort of gaming lounge with a toilet. The rest of our drive was around the coast and very pretty though the visibility was not clear out miles to sea but was rather a bit misty.

    We got to our hotel at 1.30 and were too early to check in. So we drove off to the one supermarket that was open on a Sunday about 4 kms away. That again was a lovely drive around the coast and we found the most amazing thing there - a lovely roast chicken. This is the first supermarket that we have seen one at and it was a perfect option for lunch with bread and salad which we had once we could check in. We have paid for a parking spot for our car which is around 200m away from the hotel. Parking is at a premium here, and it is good to have a spot available.

    This must be a flash hotel as there is a clothesline above the bath. I have been expecting to see more of these, but this was the first one for this trip. Trish did her washing and then felt a bit knackered so chose to have a lie down while I went out for a walk.

    Opatija is such a beautiful wee town. There is a 12 km walkway which I knew about, but hadn’t expected it to go past lots of swimming spots, restaurants, beach mattresses etc. There were lots of people swimming and the water seemed to be very warm from my quick testing.

    I had my nz t shirt on, and a lady asked me if I was from NZ. Turned out that she was a kiwi but had lived in Dublin for a number of years. She then walked with me for quite a way and we had a nice yak about lots of things. She showed me where the dog beach was and that is simply amazing, it is a fenced off area in a prime location with excellent access to a beach. When we walked back there was an Irish water spaniel there who apparently loves to swim but only when his owners go in. They had just arrived so weren’t ready for a swim just yet.

    Then Trish messaged me and she was ready for a walk so I waited at a spot, my new friend departed and Trish arrived, we walked around this amazing bar and restaurant that had a great water front view and the front of it must have been about 100m in a slightly circular area.

    8,109 steps today for Trish, but I did a few more. And yes once again the temperature was 25. Meant to be a bit hotter tomorrow.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    11
    Day 33

    Day 31 Plitvice National Park

    October 1, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We had booked our tickets a few days ago for 9am, so that’s when we were at the entrance and ready to go. We had decided to take the shuttle to the top of the park and work our way down so it was a 1km walk to the first shuttle, and we were at the top at around 10am. People do recommend starting from the bottom, but then we would have needed to walk up hill a lot more, and Trisha is still not well so doesn’t have maximum energy levels and I am just a bit slack lol.

    I have been to the park before and had my first day in brilliant sunshine, and the 2nd day in the thickest falling snow I have ever been in, so it was a memorable experience. Today was a bit different with the autumn colours and was a lovely fine day though a bit cool in the morning. We had a great time taking pics and looking at the amazing views. The lakes were very still so the reflections were lovely and there were many many waterfalls. For the first few hours we didn’thave that many people around which was lovely. We did come across a tour guide at a popular point and he said during the summer he hated going to that part because sometimes had to wait for about a hour for 200 people to take many photos.

    We took a boat to P2 around midday and had a lovely burger and chips for lunch. Then took another boat to P3 which was a very serene experience across the quiet lake. We could see people walking the truck on either side. With these lakes you can walk down both sides, and there are a few boardwalks which cross the various lakes so you can change sides. There are a huge number of boardwalks which are about 1.2m wide and so 2 people can’t pass without taking care. When we were near the bottom and the number of people increased there were quite a few selfish people just walking in the middle, or couples that just needed to keep holding hands. I did very well to resist the urge for a sideways nudge, I wonder how many people fall into the lakes? There were some young children and older people which needed support and that was just fine. It was the ones aged around 20 that seemed to be inconsiderate, and that age would have recovered fine from a quick swim!

    So after our walk to the big waterfall, where I tested my confidence with my selfie stick held out horizontally to the cliff, we then had a big hill to climb up and reached the top around 4pm.

    We could have gone back into the park at any time that day, and sort of considered it, but after both lying down for a couple hours watching Netflix, the desire waned. We went back to the same restaurant and Trish had the pasta and I had a really nice grilled chicken dish with roasted veges. Then it was time for more lying down lol.

    We are off to Opatija tomorrow. This is the first night that even though we are moving tomorrow, we don’t have any time restrictions as all we have to do is pop our stuff into the car and drive off. That is sooo nice as opposed to planning to get to a bus or train stop and hour or so before we are due to leave. That certainly has become a bit wearying.

    So 22,305 steps and once again it was 25 degrees.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    1
    11
    Day 31

    Day 30 Croatia

    September 29, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today was the earliest that we have got up for a while, 5.30am! That was so we could get ready, drive for an hour, fill car up with petrol and catch a bus at 8.05. That all went well, dropped Trish and bags off at the bus station, went and dropped the car off and were all ready around 7.45. Shame the bus wasn’t! We had a great bus ride with flixbus the other day but today we became acquainted with the rude drivers that I had read reviews about. The bus was actually there, and the driver was on it. Lots of people tried to ask him about the bus but he wouldn’t answer. Then a new bus turned up and we all through we could get on that, but it was a no go. Finally about 40 mins later a bus turned up. Then when we crossed the border 3 guys got pulled aside and their bag checked so we all got off the bus again for a while and finally arrived in Zagreb way later than expected. Our car pick up went fine though, we bought a few things from the supermarket and then hit the road. Hmmmm then a few traffic jams, roads being fixed from the dreadful floods here a few weeks ago made for a rather slow trip. But the roads were quite a bit wider than in Slovenia and doing 130kph on the motorway helped.

    On our way we stopped in Rastoke which is a lovely little town with many waterfalls. I had stopped here 6 years ago, but they have built 2 more bridges since then and you couldn’t walk freely around the waterfalls quite the same, it was still beautiful though.

    Then to our final destination today - Hotel Marko right next to entrance one of Plitvice National Park. I have stayed in this place before, and it was so cheap that we booked a room each for 2 nights. Not such a bad thing for me as Trish seems to be developing a cold. Hopefully the early night will kick that for touch.

    After we had unpacked, we walked across the road to the entrance. So 6 years ago you could just walk in but be fined if you were there without a ticket. Now it seems that it is more restricted. We bought our tickets for tomorrow a few days ago as it would be unfortunate to have this brilliant accommodation but no reason to be here.

    We went to the local restaurant for dinner and had a lamb bundle which was pretty awesome. Lamb and veges cooked together in a pouch. It was very tender and the waiter was very helpful and quite funny.

    Back at our rooms I was rather surprised to find the tv has Netflix. So I have settled down for a bit more English tv while Trish is having her early night.

    11,730 steps and once again it has been 25 degrees.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    2
    Day 30

    Day 29 Vintgar Gorge

    September 28, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    We were up early this morning and at P1 parking spot at
    Vintgar Gorge and ready for our walk. Omg that was such a good decision. The gorge was just stunning. It was a little like Karangahake gorge but on steroids. There weren’t many people when we started at 8.30 but more turned up. It was never too busy though, and seeing all the different coloured jackets was cool.

    The waterfalls were spectacular and our photos can not do them justice. The walk down the gorge took around 45 minutes. But then we had to walk back up again which took us quite a while, Some of the hills were quite steep and I was very pleased to have found a sturdy walking stick along the way. I was rather sad to throw it away at the end of the walk. We walked up to a church which was rather cute, through paddocks with sheep, cows and horses and had a stunning view over the countryside. It took us about 3.5 hours to get back to the car and it was such a great thing to have done.

    Popped home to have some lunch, more yummy fresh bread and salad. Had a wee rest sitting out in the sun on the deck. Then we went back to Lake Bled and caught a rowboat out to the island in the middle of the lake with the original name of Bled Island. It was a very serene experience and we had 40 minutes or so on the island and then rowed back.

    Our next stop was Lake Bohinj which was a 40 minute drive late in the afternoon, but it was fun going for a longer drive through all of the pretty little villages with very similar names. The lake was gorgeous with a lot less tourists. We met a Dutch girl with a border collie who will be visiting nz in January so had a bit of a play with her dog and a chat to her before driving back again.

    Dinner was scrumptious. Who knew that Argentine steak was so tasty. With baked veges again it was a great end to the day.

    We have so enjoyed our stay here, but it is time to leave again. Have also enjoyed some Netflix in the evenings. Off to Croatia tomorrow.

    18,437 steps and 25 degrees… again! I have never been on a holiday overseas with such beautiful weather every single day. Though I did enjoy my beanie this morning as it was pretty cool in the gorge, and also we happy to find a hot water bottle in the cupboard here.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    11
    Day 29

    Day 28 Lake Bled

    September 27, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    We both had amazing sleeps in the very comfortable beds in separate rooms and actually needing to have some bed covers on was great.

    We drove to the next village and visited the bakery for some bread and a lovely cheese pastry thing. And then we were off to Lake Bled. We drove all the way around the lake and then found a parking spot at the main town. Not a free one of course, but good to find somewhere. Our next stop was to hire some bikes and then we were off biking around the lake. The island in the middle is just magnificent and it was the perfect day for lots of photos all the way around. We biked for a couple hours and then visited some very cute shops and may have made a couple of purchases.

    There are a lot of restrictions around the lake, no parking here, no swimming here, no picnics here etc etc, So we drove back to our house and had a great lunch with the yummy bread and salad.

    Our plan after that was for me to go paddle boarding in the lake and for
    Trish to walk up to the castle. So after finding a place to park and paying for it, we realised it was quite a long way from where I could hire a paddle board and it was getting a bit windy by then, so we sat on a jetty with our feet in the rather cool water for a while just enjoying the day and the view. Then we drove up to the castle carpark for a different view,

    We have decided to walk the Vintgar gorge in the morning, so then drove there to check it out early and just because it is pretty special just driving around through the tiny towns with very narrow streets, On the way back google had some fun with us and we found even more narrow streets and had to reverse quite a way at one stage. Also ended up on an unsealed road with very deep ruts. Car seemed to manage ok through.

    Our dinner was one of the best since we have been away with home cooked chicken thighs with a tomato pesto sauce, and baked eggplant, courgette, peppers and broccoli.

    9,452 steps, but a bit of biking, and 25 degrees. It was 6 degrees when we got up this morning and I am going to fill the hottie I have found in the cupboard tonight!    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    1
    1
    Day 28

    Day 27 Slovenia

    September 26, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Our trip reccy mission yesterday was helpful and we were at our bus stop nearly an hour early as per usual. We then had a 4 hour flixbus ride which was surprisingly good after some of the reviews we had read. There was wifi on board, seats were comfortable, toilet was clean and it was easy to find and on time. What more could we want?

    We have hired a car here which was a short walk from the bus station and have a nice wee Dacia SUV wagon which is very nice to drive. So after a stop at a LIDL supermarket (yes their chocolate is still nice lol) we were hooning down the motorway at 130kph. It took us around 50 mins to get to our accommodation which is near Lake Bled and is simply amazing.

    I had found the accommodation just through a Slovenian site on fb and got in contact with the owner - Neil, so have rented this privately. Wow was that a great decision. This is his holiday home here and has a lovely deck with a great view as well as 2 rooms with a double bed in each. After settling in we did 2 walks, one heading towards Lake Bled along a country path which got terminated when Trish noticed a small snake on our track. Though on our way there we found a patch of raspberries that haven’t been picked for a while. I got a few through the fence but will be back for more lol. Then we chatted to a Neighbour for a while and headed off in the other direction to where there is a big cave and people rock climbing. It was a bit of a climb to get up there, and we found a much easier track to get down from. The views were amazing, and this is such a lovely peaceful valley to be in.

    Dinner was a salad with all sorts, pomegranate, corn, radish, Gruyère cheese plus other things. Just so nice to have our own kitchen. We have bought some meat to cook for the next 2 nights so will enjoy having home cooked meals.

    And I have been excited to have a tv with Netflix and just watched 2 episodes of the new season of sex education.

    We could hardly have had a bigger change going from the very busy Venice to this calm tranquil location. It is about time though; we have been ready for a bit of serenity. The roads here are so narrow that they look like bike paths. Have included a pic with a car to show that it can be done.

    Steps 12, 557 and 26 degrees. Definitely cooler here tonight. I have long pants on and a blanket around me and Trish actually has a light jacket on.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    Day 27

    Day 26 Venice

    September 25, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    This morning we had thought that we would start off together, but that didn’t end up happening. I waved Trish good bye and she was off into the big wide world all on her own. She will have to add what she did herself.

    As for me…. I wanted to find a pharmacy to get some antihistamine pills. I managed that, got some clarityne which had an amazingly quick effect. The shop next door to the pharmacy had a wallet which I had been looking at in Florence but decided not to buy. Luckily it wasn’t open, but I thought deserved a visit later in the day. Then I started wandering in what I thought was the direction of the Rialto bridge. I kept following some signs and ended up at the Acadamia taxi station which was quite a way down the canal from the Rialto. Never mind, I had seen lots of cool little shops on the way and there weren’t that many people. The most unusual was a pet store which had kitty litter in the shop window, but also sold leather jackets - perfect combination lol. I found a university and figured there must be some free toilets in there and yes struck it lucky. Then walked a couple of blocks and there was a young girl playing music on her part filled water glasses. She was really good, so I found a seat at the base of the fountain so I could listen for a while. Then I noticed a patisserie shop on the left so got some plain focaccia. Sat down again then noticed a supermarket on the right, so went and got some cheese and tomato, sliced that up and had a really enjoyable lunch.

    My walk to Rialto included some more interesting shops, I may have purchased a couple more items… The foot traffic got increasingly busy and really annoying. So I managed to go back to get my wallet, and then decided it was time to go back to our hotel for a wee rest. Trish and I had been in contact during the day, and she was on her way back as well.

    Trisha’s day….
    I started off on my own looking for a bookshop I’d found online when researching this trip, Liberia Accqua Alta. Found it easily and spent sometime wandering around it. The shelves are filled to overflowing and are stacked in many unusual ways including a bathtub. There are resident cats but didn’t see any of those. The back door exits straight into a canal. The are stacks of old books outside that are a popular place for photos. A helpful guy took a couple of photos of me on the book stack.

    From the bookshop I made my way to the Rialto bridge, with many stops on the way to take photos of beautiful canals and interesting buildings . Not many people were about so it was easy walking.

    After the bridge I just wandered the streets, found a shop selling just rubber ducks, lots of shops selling ornate masks and some beautiful handmade stationery shops. Also saw some building work Venice style where the builders rappel down the outside of a building above a canal to make measurements.

    I managed to make my way unintentionally to the bus station and decided at that point to head back to our hotel. By this time the sun was out as were all the crowds and was quite tired by the time I got back having completed 15,000 steps.

    So after resting for a couple of hours in the heat of the day we then went out on a reccee mission for our bus ride in the morning so took a water bus to where we are catching the Flix Bus. That seemed pretty easy, so then we took a water taxi through the grand canal just for a bit of sight seeing. We got off at the Ferrovia station so we could buy the metre long licorice that we had not seen anywhere else, some fruit at a supermarket and then back on the water. We got to the end of the line, didn’t get off where we should have and the boat then went in the reverse direction so we went back a stop. That wasn’t so bad as the new taxi had seats at the front so we got a lovely view coming into St Mark’s stop.

    We had a great view of a beautiful sunset for the third night in a row.

    Steps 22,037, temperature 25 degrees.    Read more

  • Europe with Trisha 2023
    22
    Day 26

    Day 25 Murano and Burano islands Venice

    September 24, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We had an interesting morning with the shower today. Trisha was first and there was so much crashing and banging that I wondered if I needed to go in and rescue her. She was wondering the same thing when having difficulty opening the shower door for her to get out. After being forewarned I tried lifting it while opening which worked ok. It is a tiny shower with a shower head that sort of goes sideways. We will be looking forward to something better at our next place.

    We walked for a bit and then got on a water taxi that took us directly to Murano. I think Trish thought she had died and gone to heaven. We did a glass blowing demonstration to start with which was great. Then a visit to that shop, and then to another glass shop, and then to another glass shop, and then to another glass shop, you get the picture? At some stage we stopped for some food at a lovely place beside the water. Trisha bought a wrap which was 7 euros, but because we ate that sitting down there was a cover charge of 2 euros each. The toilet was good though lol. Then we visited around 20 to 30 more glass shops, and each of us bought a few pieces. As I have metal walls in my house I was targeting cute magnetic pieces, while Trish got some jewelry.

    Then we joined a rather long line for the water taxi to Burano. Trish held the place in line while talking to an extremely talkative Belgian guy who was practising his English while I had various seating places while the line moved. It was a pretty long taxi ride there and we were pleased we had seats as a lot of people had to stand.

    Burano is such a pretty little town with the lovely painted houses. We also really enjoyed the shops there. Still more glass, but also lace shops and lots of lovely linen clothing. We were probably there for around 2.5 hours just meandering around and taking pics. We then stopped for a snack and Trish had an Aperol spritz which has become her drink of choice.

    The queue to get back was even more crazy. We were all in an orderly lane before going through a turnstile. And then the corridor widened a bit, and lots of people jumped the queue. So there were about 8 people wide in this enclosed area, and then they opened the gate for people to advance towards the boat coming in. Everyone just pushed at the same time to get through the 2 people wide gate. Trisha was squashed up against the barrier and it was pretty unpleasant. But, we did manage to get a seat in the taxi so we were happy then.

    Earlier in the day there was a squish of people coming through a narrow street which was shaded. There was a shortish woman walking down in with her umbrella up saying come on everyone, just push through. I had to say “ it would be a lot easier if you put your bloody umbrella down!” There were some lovely quiet areas to go on Burano though with grass even.

    So supermarket on the way back after we were on the mainland, and we had a nice salad with cheese for dinner. It was dark by the time we reached our hotel so it was quite a big day.

    And the thing that is annoying me most is the bug bites. I did bring my special creme from Bali that soothes the itching, but I need more. Will be off to the pharmacy in the morning for some antihistamine. The first bites were on my legs and were like midge bites. But yesterday a definite mosquito bite appeared on my tummy and now I have 2 more on my lower back. I react to mozzie bites so they are bit obvious. I had heard of lots of people being bitten here so brought bug spray but obviously need to apply it to more places.

    14,872 steps and 25 degrees. Even had my light scarf over my shoulders briefly tonight!    Read more

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