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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Zadar

    30 de mayo de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Brief visit to an old Liburnian settlement called Jadera and now Zadar whose boast is that having been settled in 9 BCE it is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Croatia. Unfortunately, the Allies bombed 75% of it flat during WWI but it has now been pieced back together and makes for a pleasant place to walk around.
    Unlike most of the places around here, the town managed to avoid being sacked during the Avar and Slavic invasions of Dalmatia (5–6 CE) and later Turkish attempts to incorporate it. It could not resist commercialisation though, being sold to the Venetians in 1409. The French breifly got their hands on it (1808 - 1813); otherwise from 1797 to 1920 it was Austrian followed by Italian and Yugoslavian.
    Brochures explain that there are 34 churches to see. I didn't.
    Instead I was captivated by the locals strolling about in traditional Croatian clothing. Actually, it seemed to be a competition between various folk clubs who danced, sang and chanted field songs on a stage in one of the squares. Mostly adolescents following an elderly leader.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Senj

    31 de mayo de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I spent a night parked on a quiet, tree lined street by the Senj city gate. Greek and Roman geographers and historians mention a port named Senia where Senj stands today at the foot of the Velebit mountain.
    On top of the hill the mediaevil fortress has been turned into a restaurant so I enjoyed the gunners view of sunset.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Senj

    31 de mayo de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I spent a night parked on a quiet, tree lined street by the Senj city gate. Greek and Roman geographers and historians mention a port named Senia where Senj stands today at the foot of the Velebit mountain.
    On top of the hill the mediaevil fortress has been turned into a restaurant so I enjoyed the gunners view of sunset.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Bakar oil & torpedoes

    1 de junio de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The roads around the seaside towns go round and round and up and down. This one is above the town of Bakar, now an oil and gas terminus - surprisingly not unsightly thanks to the vertical hills surrounding the inlet.
    A German Army unit equipped with large mobile dormitories, one in 3 vehicles, was on the move South accompanied by motorcycle outriders travelling in packs with their heads over the white dividing lines of the narrow roads and, naturally, at speed. Flocking Germans.

    My main port of call was Rijeka; to see the first torpedo launching station dating from the late 18thC, upgraded for the World Wars and, alas, abandoned ever since. In fact nobody really knew it even existed let alone where it could be found.
    But I did and here it is.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Good effort

    2 de junio de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Travelling around Istria one sees plenty of old towns on hills, like these. I was particularly taken by the efforts in one shattered place, where the inhabitants were making a determined effort to make it attractive for them and for visitors. The first sight to great you as you pass through the gates is this painted house with a few 'objets trouves' ranged on the walls. There were 2 shops selling art facing it. Thats all.Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Sea Rovinj

    3 de junio de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Eschewing hyperbole, let us just agree that writer's claiming Rovinj to be the prettiest town in Istria / Croatia / Europe / the world may have a point.
    Rovinj (as Ruvignium, Ruvigno, Ruignio) was first mentioned early in the 8th C although it had probably been in settled for several centuries already.
    Until residents filled the channel in 1763 it was an island with a small hill at its centre and still has water on 3 sides.
    The submarine I was distraught to learn, is just a boat with a glass bottom.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    2 things about Rovinj

    3 de junio de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    History you can guess: Byzantine - Frankish - Aquilean - Venetian - Austrian - Italian - Yugoslavian. Nuff said?
    Round tower had me fooled- thought I was in Albania again.
    Here are a couple of unusual facts:
    The bell tower of St Euphemia cathedral, named for the girl martyred on the wheel whose remains are kept in a box, was built in 1677 and modeled after that of St Mark in Venice. The copper statue is 3.9m high and 61.35m above the ground. This would pose a problem in the high winds of the Bora had it not been mounted on ball bearings. "La donna e mobile" as Pavarotti would have said / sung.
    It used to be a pre-condition of obtaining civil rights in the town that one had to build a chimney on ones house. In mediaevil times the island was already crammed with buildings, so new arrivals had to construct dream homes over the heads of existing ones, leading to an interesting thicket of chimneys.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    2 things about Rovinj

    3 de junio de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    History you can guess: Byzantine - Frankish - Aquilean - Venetian - Austrian - Italian - Yugoslavian. Nuff said?
    Round tower had me fooled- thought I was in Albania again.
    Here are a couple of unusual facts:
    The bell tower of St Euphemia cathedral, named for the girl martyred on the wheel whose remains are kept in a box, was built in 1677 and modeled after that of St Mark in Venice. The copper statue is 3.9m high and 61.35m above the ground. This would pose a problem in the high winds of the Bora had it not been mounted on ball bearings. "La donna e mobile" as Pavarotti would have said / sung.
    It used to be a pre-condition of obtaining civil rights in the town that one had to build a chimney on ones house. In mediaevil times the island was already crammed with buildings, so new arrivals had to construct dream homes over the heads of existing ones, leading to an interesting thicket of chimneys.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Formula 1 fort

    4 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Went to pay my respects to the birthplace of the famous Mario (and Aldo,) Andretti; being Motovun / Montona or Montona d'Istria), a village plonked on a hill 227m ASL in central Istria.
    Now preserved as a tourist theme park, I hadn't realised that I needed to climb 1052 steps to get into it. (No I didn't count them, I'm a trained statistician so I guessed the book was right.)
    Celts and Illyrians built their fortresses on the location and the name is derived from the Celtic word for 'a town in the hills'. Since the word is 'thet' I am not sure how it morphs into Motovun but thats what I'm told.
    The place is a well-preserved example of Venetian colonial architecture and has a nice view of the Mirna river and its numerous mosquitos below. Couldn't find anything different to draw your attention to, so I left after a quick perambulation.

    That night I spent in a peaceful valley in Slovenia, beside the fortified Holy Trinity Church in Hrastovlje. In the 16th C the residents built the wall around their small church to shelter from those beastly Ottomans.
    The church stands behind a wall that the local population built to protect itself from Turkish attacks in the 16th century. Slovenians called them 'tabor' and made lots of them.
    Nobody is quite sure of its origin and dates but it does have some interesting frescoes (better photos online.)    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Formula 1 fort

    4 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Went to pay my respects to the birthplace of the famous Mario (and Aldo,) Andretti; being Motovun / Montona or Montona d'Istria), a village plonked on a hill 227m ASL in central Istria.
    Now preserved as a tourist theme park, I hadn't realised that I needed to climb 1052 steps to get into it. (No I didn't count them, I'm a trained statistician so I guessed the book was right.)
    Celts and Illyrians built their fortresses on the location and the name is derived from the Celtic word for 'a town in the hills'. Since the word is 'thet' I am not sure how it morphs into Motovun but thats what I'm told.
    The place is a well-preserved example of Venetian colonial architecture and has a nice view of the Mirna river and its numerous mosquitos below. Couldn't find anything different to draw your attention to, so I left after a quick perambulation.

    That night I spent in a peaceful valley in Slovenia, beside the fortified Holy Trinity Church in Hrastovlje. In the 16th C the residents built the wall around their small church to shelter from those beastly Ottomans.
    The church stands behind a wall that the local population built to protect itself from Turkish attacks in the 16th century. Slovenians called them 'tabor' and made lots of them.
    Nobody is quite sure of its origin and dates but it does have some interesting frescoes (better photos online.)    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    crndgfy je

    5 de junio de 2019, Croacia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Just inland from this untouched Istrian fjord I came across another ruin.
    This is all that remains of the fortified 11th C tower built by the Istrian Margave Ulrich I of Weimar above the village of Crni Kal to protect his trade routes between the Rizana Valley and the plateau. In 1370 it fell to the Bishop of Trieste as a result of the Venetian conquest but in 1615 it was destroyed during the Uskok wars.
    The building is the size of a living room with only 2 levels, with no room for supplies, horses etc etc. The only access is via a bridge across a 200m ravine and the place is 1000m above the valley floor. So I am at a loss to see how it might have offered any protection to anybody except the few souls incarcerated on guard duty.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Gorizia

    6 de junio de 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Finally a pronouncable name: Gorizia / Gorica in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Never thought I would miss vowels so much. 'Gorica' is the Slovene word for "little hill".
    Only a brief stop at the foot of the Julian Alps as I have to be at my next workaway tomorrow.
    Something unusual if not unique is that the 3 towns of Gorizia, Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba, straddling the borders of Italy and Slovenia, are run by a joint administration board established in 2011. Now thats a change for the better after centuries of fighting about who owns it.
    Had time to take a photo of the pretty dull inside Cathedral, which was demolished during WWII and rebuilt on 1682 guiudelines.
    Piazza della Vittoria
    and the castle.
    Another unusual ceremony took place at 2 a.m. on the carpark where i was stealth camping, not far from the university. Half a dozen cars full of 20 year olds raced in and deposited white sacks in a pile. Then they hung around the pile gossipping quietly for a while before walking off with their booty. Make of it what you will. I just went back to bed, puzzled.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    On top of the hill

    6 de junio de 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Couldn't resist forking out 3 Euros to see inside the castle as it has much contemporary furniture from the old days as well as an exhibition of musical instruments re-created from old documents.
    When Gorizia was first mentioned in 1001, (a document by which Emperor Otto III granted half the village of Gorizia to the Patriarch of Aquileia,) a tower in stone / wood /earth was present on the hill of Salcano. This became the castle and seat of the Mainardis who ruled over much of central Europe until the 15thC as Counts of Gorizia and Tyrol. The present structure attempts rather well to re-create their environment as much was revealed when the place was shelled during WWI.
    Here's a flavour, starting with the kitchen and dining room. The 'Hall of the Provincial States' contains many of the musical instruments which on rare occasions actually get played. That would be quite something in this room which must have been used for town council meetings as it is ringed by stalls beautifully made from inlaid walnut and burl by Bottega Veneta in 18th C.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    On top of the hill

    6 de junio de 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Couldn't resist forking out 3 Euros to see inside the castle as it has much contemporary furniture from the old days as well as an exhibition of musical instruments re-created from old documents.
    When Gorizia was first mentioned in 1001, (a document by which Emperor Otto III granted half the village of Gorizia to the Patriarch of Aquileia,) a tower in stone / wood /earth was present on the hill of Salcano. This became the castle and seat of the Mainardis who ruled over much of central Europe until the 15thC as Counts of Gorizia and Tyrol. The present structure attempts rather well to re-create their environment as much was revealed when the place was shelled during WWI.
    Here's a flavour, starting with the kitchen and dining room. The 'Hall of the Provincial States' contains many of the musical instruments which on rare occasions actually get played. That would be quite something in this room which must have been used for town council meetings as it is ringed by stalls beautifully made from inlaid walnut and burl by Bottega Veneta in 18th C.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Silent Sentry

    6 de junio de 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Which is more frightening; the bishop on the staircase or the devils by the window?
    Legend of the White Lady:
    The wife of one Count, Henry IV, had rather a nasty streak in her. Countess Catherine had seven Great Danes she had trained to savage people on command. One dark and stormy night a messenger carrying gold to a nearby castle got caught out in the storm and sought safety in Gorizia castle. The Countess welcomed him and offered hospitality: and the next day set the dogs on him. Whilst the curs slavered, she took the loot to the subterranean cellar to add to her considerable hoard. A servant saw this happening and wanted in on the action. So he crept downstairs after her and suddenly slayed her with a sword.
    Unfortunately, the moment the vassel wacked her, all the treasure vanished.
    Now every 7 years the ghost of the White Lady, Catherine, appears with long, flowing hair and a light white robe - and 7 howling hounds - to float through the rooms and along the castle walls making sure her treasures are safe.
    Now the good news is that if you see her and ask where the cash is cached, not only will you be given the entire amount but you will also free her spirit so she can rest in peace.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    No kanal

    7 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Here in Slovenia, at a small mountain village called Kanalski Lom just over the border with Italy, my hosts Andre and Larissa are renovating a small cottage and garden.
    Andre qualified as a civil engineer but his life has been redirected by an encounter with Leukaemia from which he is supposed to be convalescing. He says he feels more invigorated getting up to start work at 6 and constantly on the go between his 5 ongoing projects. He is acting as project manager in the reconstruction of various buildings in the area, made more difficult perhaps by knowing everybody having been born and bred about 6 km away.
    Larissa is a nurse who has been working with disabled children and is now going on to geriatric care for a while. She has no desire to work in a hospital, preferring like many of her generation to remain local, growing much of the food and hanging out with old friends even if that means doing with less money. Turns out she is the same age as Nandalie.
    Slovenians have been charming and welcoming to me: we have not been able to visit any town without someone - often related to Andre - saying hello and stopping for a chat. All the roads are narrow, so locals do complain about the 60 seater buses that clog the roads and provoke German motorcycle posses.In high Summer there is an over supply of motorhomes and cars that result in a quick trip to the shops taking up to 3 times longer than in Winter.
    We are at about 600m altitude and the nearest town with a cafe is Mosti na Soci, 400m lower and about 4km away. Village life is not centred on the church, although people have turned out for the Saint's day and are having a bit of a picnic. I took this shot because there is a man standing in the bell tower with a hammer: real man, real hammer and he bangs out quite a tune!

    It must be a Slavic thing as, like Russians, everybody sinks shots of (frequently home made) schnaps at the slightest opportunity; Na zdravje!    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Town with the most

    7 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It could be a delightful weekend escape for romantically inclined couples if the hotel by the bridge had not closed. Instead Most na Soči, occupying a rocky crest above the confluence of Soča and Idrijca rivers, is just delightful.
    7,000 grave sites date settlement back to between the late Bronze Age and the Roman period but not much seems to have happened since then. The earliest name seems to have been "In Ponte Sancti Mauri", (at Saint Maurus' bridge.) Then it became "Sveta Lucija na Mostu", (Saint Lucy on the bridge) after the local church; followed by 'Santa Lucia di Tolmino' and "Sveta Lucija ob Soči", (Saint Lucy on the Soča River) before ending up as 'Most na Soči' as a result of the communist government 1948 Law on Names of Settlements and Designations of Squares,
    One suspects a sense of humour regarding the chrome bannister leading down to the water. Is it a lure or a test for those with walking difficulties? Larissa assures me that it is in fact a work of art, though she finds it inapproriate and incomprehensible - as do I.
    Construction of the dam for the Doblar hydro plant downstream has backed the river up to form a torquiose lake which reflects the mountains and adds colour to an evening glass of schnaps.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Alps

    7 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    A strange symbol on top of the mountain opposite the house.
    The head of the Soci valley where much fighting between Italians and Austro-Hungarians took place during WWI. The hobbit house was built long before the kiwis had them: this one housed artillery and machine guns though.
    The weather is very variable as the warmer air from the Adriatic meets the cooler air from the Hungarian Steppes over these mountains. This storm cloud over Krnsko Jezero formed and disappeared within 20 minutes.
    One fortunate by-product of the weather systems is that hang-gliding and parasailing enthusiasts have one of the best environments for flying in Europe. Many push their luck too far though: although fatalities are rare the helicopter gets to practice quite often. Some of the valleys have particular systems that act as traps. Get caught in the cooler air in the valley and there is no way out.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Hills alive with the Sound of Music

    9 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    My timing has been perfect for experiencing the local festival, which they tell me is shrinking year by year. Some relics of the communist past are hard to break, and the mayors of the local towns who should be facilitating the event for the benefit of the population do not want to stick their heads above the parapet. So they do nothing.
    This tiny stage is all that remains of a once glorious tradition. The party goers were all standing around chatting to each other, drinking and generally behaving well.
    There are 3 big, back-to-back festivals in the valley later in the year: Heavy Metal, pop and reggae. The biggest by far, attracting 30,000 people, is the metal one. Surprisingly, this is also the best behaved group even though movement is well nigh impossible. The worst is reggae which seems to be frequented by impoverished drug users and brings little to the economy.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Arch triumph

    11 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Its the day of the wedding in Tolminski Lom, the next village, and the village lads have turned out to prepare the "parton". This is an arch of spruce boughs under which the bridal couple must pass and which holds a sign wishing them luck. They must keep the sign safe until the next wedding when they hand it over to the newlyweds.
    Now each village has its own variation on the theme, and there is great rivalry between them. Andr, who comes from Tolmin on the other side of Most na Soci, is quite scathing about their preparation for he tells me in his village all the unmarried souls turn out to make an elaborate parton covered with flowers and baubles, and he is ashamed that he shows me this paltry excuse for one.    Leer más

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  • Roland RoutierRenault RoamingViajero

    Javorka

    16 de junio de 2019, Eslovenia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Javorca
    In the southern part of the Triglav Park you can find the Alpine pasture of Polog, above the valley of the Tolmika river, where the rear echelon of the Austro-Hungarian army could recuperate in a relatively safe haven from artillery fire during WWI, and where members of the Austro-Hungarian 3rd Mountain Brigade created this church between March 1 and Nov 1 1916
    The Soca (Isonzo) Front from 1915 to 1917 was an area to be avoided if possible. Sadly, many Italians and many Austro-Hungarians were not allowed the choice. The names of 2564 Austro-Hungarians who died fruitlessly are recorded on oak shingles on the walls of this church.
    Remigius Geyling, a Vienna painter and stage set designer, was a 1st Lieutenant who took part in the battles. He drew up the plans for the "Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca". The soldiers, most of whom were tradesmen, constructed the monument under another one of their officers, Hungarian Lieutenant Geza Jablonszky.
    The Coats-of-Arms of the 20 provinces that comprised A-Hungary are remembered in panels on the exterior walls. This one is 'Trieste / Trst'.
    Just up the valley during WWII the German Army obliterated the Simon Gregorcic Partisan Brigade in the pastures of Sleme and Mali Stador. So it is fitting that the modern Sentiero della Pace dalle Alpi all' Adriatico, (that from the town of Log to Trst,) passes through this place, where on St Vitus\ day an Orthodox mass is held and at Whitsun, a Catholic one.
    It is a very pretty chapel in a very tranquil setting, and not a Coca-Cola vendor in sight.

    Inscribed above the door by Italians renovating the building in 1934 is the phrase:
    "Ultra cineres hostium ira non superest".
    [Anger / violence does not survive the ashes of the enemy.]    Leer más

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