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Vienna, Boylesque and beyondVienna, Boylesque and beyond
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Vienna, Boylesque and beyond

May 2018 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Bev Read more
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  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 11

    Postojna Caves

    June 6, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Car hire pick-up day. Here we go, been awhile since I have driven a manual car on the right hand side of road. We picked the car from Avant, very quick and efficient. They are close to the outer ring road which makes it easy to get out of town and head south west to Postojna.

    The Postojna Caves are very touristy but well worth the visit. The caves have been open to the public for 200 years this year - incredible. There are over 24k’s of passages within the cave system, visitors get to see approx 5k’s.

    Entering the caves is on a schedule, we were lucky we did not have to wait to get onto the train. (I’m sure in high season this could be a problem, so it may be advisable to book ahead online). It is quite expensive, we paid €37 for the caves and Predjama Castle. The tour group is split up into language groups first, then you board a small open air train to travel 4k’s into the cave. This trip is quite spectacular and quite chilly. The temperature is approx 10C. On completion of the train ride you disembark for a guided tour of the cave system. It is spectacular, I have never been is such a huge huge cave system previously. The walking tour is approx 1 hour, all up it takes 1.5hours. The group is quite large so it can be hard to hear the guide at times. There is no flash photography or touching allowed. Unfortunately photos do not show the enormity of the actual caves.

    We headed to the Predjama Castle 9k down the road next. This castle is build on the side of a cliff, using both the inside cave and outside. An audio guide is provided for use as you make your way through the structure. It was quite busy, not the most impressive castle I’ve seen, but still worth a short detour.

    We head back to town only to find a park is not that easy. Our streets are closed with bollards, every spot we find is full. Eventually we ring Viktor, our host, who meets us and helps to find a legal park about 5 mins away from the house.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 12

    Tolmin

    June 7, 2018 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌫 18 °C

    Another trip in the car. This time to Tolmin Gorge in the North West. Once again we start on the highway but soon move to the smaller roads. The road is narrow with many twists and turns. My driving has certainly improved since yesterday. It takes about 2 hours to get to the town of Tolmin. Time for a break for lunch, a lovely fresh trout and salad - yay something healthy at last.

    We head onto Tolmin Gorge. The roads just keep getting smaller, until we are down to one lane. Then there are roadworks, where half the road is cut out, I need to navigate this, if only the guys who were directing me had any idea about my lack of driving skills :)

    We finally make it to the gorge, but when you see Ben or Suzie ask about the naked guy operating the bob cat.

    As it is in the National Park the entry fee Is €5. It has started to rain but only a light so we should be good. Onward we go, following the map to see all the highlights. We follow the trail, the colour of the river is an emerald blue. The rain adds a mystic foggy atmosphere to the scenery. The walk all up takes about an hour. There are stairs, it nothing too strenuous and in the harder spots there is a hand rail. There are not many people around at all. Well worth a visit.

     It wanting to follow the same road home we head east towards Skofja Loka. It sure if this was a good idea, it’s very very windy, mountainous not enough for 2 cars, luckily there is not much traffic but certainly had to be very focused.

    Finally back to town to find a park for the car and time to have a couple of calming vodkas.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 13

    Heading to Croatia

    June 8, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    Today we say farewell to Ben as he is heading home. I drop Ben and Suzie at the bus station while I return the car. The walk back is a lazy 30 minutes to Suzie. Ben has already left when I return.

    There are not many people waiting for the bus to Zagreb so we reckon we will get a seat to ourselves on the upper deck of the bus. How wrong we were, the bus had come from Germany and most were staying on the bus, the bus was full. We headed towards Croatia and much to our joy we had to go through immigration. A stamp leaving Slovenia and 1 to enter Croatia, yay I was like a kid in the chocolate factory.

    Kreso, our air bnb host, had given us instructions on how to get to his place from the bus stop. Catch the no. 6 tram . heading toward the mountains and disembark at town square, then ring him. Catching the tram was easy, great directions, we even got off at the right stop. But ringing was a different thing, I tried several options all said the phone number did not exist. Using good old google maps we worked out how to get to the air bnb -3 minutes walk and we reach Kreso. Wow is all I can say, what a lovely host, a great space and such an awesome location.

    Kreso quickly realised he missed a number when he told me his phone number, lol, no biggie we made it. He is just lovely - we enjoyed a home made liquor shot which his dad produces.Oh it’s a bit strong, cannot describe the taste. Kreso then shows us where to eat, drink etc. We head to a little delicatessen for a Croatian red and some cold meats, cheese and olives. What lovely afternoon with Kreso, so much so we are now coming back for 2 nights at the end of our trip.

    Kreso is a graffiti artist, the air bnb is decked out with a lot of his art, I’m really looking forward to doing his tour when we return. Kreso and Suzie are kindred souls, talking music, actually we are booked into a concert (rap I think) when we return. He finally has to say good bye and leave us to explore the city before retiring for the night.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 14

    Travel to Rovinj

    June 9, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Leaving Zagreb we once again catch the no 6 tram back to the bus stop to pick up the airport bus. We picked up the car with no hassles but to our surprise the tank was only quarter full. We head south east towards Rovinj. The roads are well maintained in fact better condition than Australia. The speed limit is 130 on most sections, there are cars flying past us doing at least 170ks, it’s ridiculous. So scary when they fly past you. It was not surprising when we heard an ambulance and traffic backed up a few kms down the road. A car had rolled, it was eerie seeing a car upside down, bikes still on the back doors flung open. But even this did not slow down many of the drivers.

    We stopped at the town of Karlovac for lunch. Suzie had shishkebab on flat bread and I had dumplings on flat bread. Not really what we expected, both meats were identical, just a different shape. It was like a sausage salami, quite tough and a flat bread roll. It also came with half a raw onion cut up in large chunks. Nothing else, no lettuce, tomato, nothing. Very heavy, not nice.

    Onward to Rovinj, cars are restricted from entering the old city, so we are met outside by Ivetta ( the air bnb host). She takes us to a church close y where she has a permit to park. From here we walk over rough uneven paths built by the Romans to our apartment right in the heart of the old city.

    Our Airbnb is a 2 level renovated apartment with everything you could want once again. What a beautiful part of the world, we wander around the old stones paths, dropping in on spots for a drink and an amazing view. Dinner is a seafood platter and grilled vegies. A little expensive but so good to have some vegetables at last. The night end with watching our first sunset over the Adriatic Sea.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 15

    Bike trip around Rovinj

    June 10, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    A relatively early start to the fresh markets for some fruit for brekkie. Everything is 30kuna ($7), I buy peaches, cranberries and raspberries. I’ve never had fresh cranberries before, always dehydrated. Brekkie is delicious yoghurt and fresh fruit, what more could you want. The craisins are a little tart but delicious . These will go well in the vodka later.

    Next stop we hire some bikes for the day, 70kuna each (approx $16). We head off through the old city before turning around and heading south west. Before we know it we are at little rocky beaches overlooking Ronivj. Our first stop is at a local beach overlooking Rovinj, it’s time for a quick drink before continuing on around the coast line. This is not as straight forward as it first seems, but eventually we end at a very rocky beach. Time for our first swim in the Adriatic Sea. The rocks are horrid , slippery and sharp but the water is awesome, a little crispness is just what we need.

    Lunch is an amazing array of 10 fried sardines and salad, a meal I will not forget in a long time - it was delicious. Back on the bikes we head further around the coast line until we hit the local caravan park. There are heaps of small secluded beaches along the way, but all are very rocky, no sandy beaches here. My overall impression here is women and men love their bodies, it doesn’t matter if you small or large a bikini or biggie smugglers will do. Well done, I wish we loved our bodies as much back home, embrace life,

    Time to head back to the town center, in fact the ride is probably under 30 minutes, time to have another swim from the rocks on the outer perimeter of the old city.

    The day ends with pizza and red wine, what more luck one need really.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 16

    Island Adventure

    June 11, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Today’s aim was to catch a boat to Red Island. We asked around the taxi was 80kuna return but the ferry was only 40kuna return. The ferry took about 15 minutes leaving on the half hour. We wandered around the island, there were lots of spots to swim, if you enjoyed rocks. We came to the main beach area which has been cleared of rocks for the elderly and children. I have to say it was great to enter the water without trying to dodge slippery sharp rocks.

    The water is crystal clear, many different shades of blue and turquoise. Everything is so clean. We have a quick swim before continuing our walk around the island. We find a small restaurant with the most amazing view and equally good food. A plate of calamari and Greek salad does the trick for lunch, red wines of course included.

    Time to jump back on the ferry for a quiet afternoon (2 bottles of red oops). Dinner is a pizza overlooking the harbour. The pizza are very different to home:
    1. They are not sliced
    2. The filling is very sparse - we got 4 whole olives on the pizza
    3. Chilli are whole, we have to slice them ourselves

    But they are delicious.

    Watching the sun go down we head back to the apartment.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 17

    Road trip to Primiston

    June 12, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Early start, well for us at least, we manage to leave the apartment by 9am. I’ve sorted out the alley ways so we do not need to take the bags too far on the Roman built cobble stones. Suzie gets the car from the church parking spot and we are off. The plan is pretty simple, travel down the coast road to Primosten, this will take about 5 hours. Google maps does the job, we stop at a small town for morning tea. It amazes me that the parking spots charge you to park, yet cars park wherever they like in the Main Street.

    Onwards towards Primosten, the road hugs the coast line its quite a slow trip , but a stunning coast line. We arrive without incident at around 5pm, our host Jure helps us to our next Air bnb. We are right on the coast listening to the waves and the wind. This town is much smaller that Rovinj and Is a mixture of old and new. I will enjoy the differences.

    Dinner is at the steak house, a great meal, but unfortunate that the assume the change is a tip.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 18

    Plitvicka National Park

    June 13, 2018 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    It was. 2.5 hour drive to the park from Primosten but Suzie enjoyed the 130k speed limit. On arrival we entered via the Entrance 2. The car park was so full It was surprising to see so many visitors, it took us quite some time to find a park. I was very worried about congestion on the tracks.

    These worries were soon put to rest, the paths from this entry point are very wide and there are many options so the tourists are moved into multiple directions. We have chosen route H, this starts with a bus ride to the beginning of the 5k trail back down. As soon as we jump off the bus the thunderstorm rolls in, the noise is very loud but only a few drops of rain so we plough on down the track. The thunder continues for about 30minutes, and the temperature has also dropped by about 10c so it’s a little chilly. The paths are relatively flat, with only a few stairs, the canopy dense so we don’t get too wet. There are many small waterfalls along the way, quite beautiful , picturesque, certainly worth a pic or 2. The track is not crowded, we can walk at our own pace and take picture whenever we choose.

    We finish the first trail, the next leg is to jump on a boat across the river to the next walking track. Once off the boat we follow the path to the “big waterfall”, what can this be compared to so many other “waterfalls” I’ve seen ( Niagara, Victoria). In fact it is a series of small waterfalls along the river culminating in a couple long drop waterfalls. Very beautiful mix of colours.

    The walk from the boat stop to the bus stop was very congested, the path was narrow, people not wanting to get their feet feet. So different from entrance 2. There were so many people coming from the opposite direction, I would hate to be here is high season. I am sure people would be pushed in to the water on the narrow wooden walkways. We struggle past the many walkers, everyone wanting to stop for photos regardless of where they are. We eventually move away from the crowds heading up to the bus. The views from above are spectacular . This place is certainly worth a visit, I expect after rain would be amazing. Start from entrance 2 and enjoy the space at least for a short time.

    The drive home is also with the normal dramas, car travelling in excess 150k, passing when they should know better. It is certainly time for a beer or calming wine once we make it home.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 20

    Bosnia here we come

    June 15, 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    We leave Primosten around 93” heading towards Mostar. The plan is to stop at Kravice Waterfall and a walled , heritage city, on the way. It approximately 2.5 hours to Kravice in Bosnia according to google.

    We head out , it’s all good until we get close to Bosnia we are traversing a mountain range , high up above the valley. Google said hard left in 250 meters, oh f@#k not sure where we are going. There was a road at exact spot so off we go, Down down we go, goggle says go left, go right seems lost. We end in a small village, it is eerie there are no people, small windy roads no idea where we are going. We turn around and head back up the to the main road, giggles galore. Top of the hill, we are going around in circles what road to take there are 5 choices. Eventually we chat to a local man. He has no English and no teeth, but waves us in the direction of the border. He seems chuffed that he could actually help 2 stupid tourists.

    The border is only a few k away, Croatia gives us a stamp,the Bosnian seems unimpressed that we have passports, or stamps here , sigh.

    We head to Kravice, lots of sign posts, very easy to find. The entry guys tells us it’s €4 to enter, screw that we go to the WC and just keep walking. Quite a few tourists, but lovely water falls and great view from restaurant for lunch.

    Heading onto Mostar we pass the walled city of Pocitelj. Google struggled to get us to our accomodation, telling us to go left when we could not find a street ( actually we think they we there, we just didn’t think it was a street). After taking a couple of detours we find our air bnb and our lovely host Nina shows us to the apartment, the apartment overlooks the city, it’s about 5 minutes from the old town.

    The afternoon is spent wandering the streets of the old town enjoying a red or 2. The river through Mostar is beautiful a deep emerald green. There are any restaurants along the river to enjoy the view.

    Another great day.    Read more

  • TravelerVienna, Boylesque and beyond
    Day 21

    Mostar

    June 16, 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Today was spent wandering around Mostar. Suzie went for a mountain bike ride so I was on my own. First up it was time to find some breakfast. That may sound easy but believe me it is not. Most cafes here only serve drinks and no food. Places that do serve food don’t do anything remotely that looks or feels like breakfast. I wander for about 30minutes looking at menus until I finally find a place that does omelette. As a bonus it also has a terrace overlooking the Stari Most (old bridge).

    I had organised a free walking tour which starts at 10am. There were 9 people, 2 Aussies, 2 Poms, 3 Turkish and 2 Italians. Ivan our tour guide was born during the war. His mum fled to Split for him to be born, this was the norm then as it was to dangerous to be in Mostar.

    He started the tour at the Spanish Garden then headed into the old city. He had many photos of buildings prior to the war. It’s amazing to see the amount of destruction this tiny city endured during the war from 1992 - 1995. Many of the buildings have been left just as they were at the end of the war. The government has decreed if you are restoring a building it must be returned to the same architecture it once was. The Russian architecture is very boring and easy to recreate but the Ottoman and Austrian style building cost a lot to be returned to their former glory.

    We wander around the old city stopping to chat about buildings and culture. The tour ends after approx 1.5hours. Emma, the other Aussie, and I decide to head under the bridge to watch if anyone is going to jump today. The boys pass around a hat to collect tips to jump from the bridge (23 meters above the river). It takes about €25 in summer and €50 in winter to entice a jumper. They tease on top of the bridge until the tips reach the desired amount before jumping into the river below. The jumpers must be registered as competent to jump before doing this act. It looks bloody scary to me. We watch a couple of jumpers before it is time for a drink.

    Suzie has finished her ride so we now all hook up for a few drinks, some souvenir shopping before retiring for the night.    Read more

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