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More Adventures!
  • Julie Bielenberg

More Adventures!

A log of our adventures from May to July 2024 as Russell and I get to experience a little more of this beautiful world. "Every Day Is An Adventure". Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 4, 2024
  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Overnight in Singapore.

    May 5, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Spending the night in a hotel (in one of the airport terminals) after our arrival in Singapore last night was a good idea. We are all refreshed and after breakfast heading off on the first of 2 flights today. The first to Frankfurt, Germany and then on to our destination - Ljubljana in Slovenia.

    On our way to the gate to board our plane we visited the Butterfly Garden 🦋    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    The day started well!

    May 5, 2024 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Day 2 proved to be quite a day. It started well in Singapore. We arrived in Frankfurt late after a very long flight - over 15 hours due to head winds. Our 2nd flight was delayed anyway so that wasn't a big issue. However we found out at the gate that our flight was cancelled due to the plane being stuck in Stuttgart with mechanical problems. They can't get us on another plane until 9pm tomorrow. The 2 earlier ones are already over-booked. What saddens me the most is that we will now be missing a day in Slovenia and we had big plans for Monday to visit Lake Bled as the following 2 days forecast thunder storms. Lufthansa has put us up in a nearby hotel. We have booked in not too long ago - at 9.15pm local time but 3.15am going by Singapore time which we woke up by. No access to our luggage of course which we checked in on Saturday morning in Melbourne!

    Today's photos were taken in the plane. The ones where the sea is visible were taken when leaving Singapore, then near Frankfurt as we were descending.

    Things will improve! We are safe and well and will have some unplanned time around Frankfurt tomorrow.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Our unplanned day in Frankfurt, Germany.

    May 6, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    It's 7pm Monday night and we are back at the Frankfurt airport expecting to finally fly to Ljubljana, Slovenia at 9pm. The day was a wet one but we still had fun. We caught the train into the city and enjoyed revisiting parts of Frankfurt we have seen before and saw some that were new to us. A good day for our unplanned visit to Frankfurt.Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Ljubljana is magical.

    May 7, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After more plane dramas we finally arrived in Ljubljana very late last night. Reached our apartment at 12:30am this morning (Tues.7/5)

    We had a wonderful day. It drizzled all day (again) but that didn't spoil the charm of Ljubljana. It's just gorgeous. Lovely old buildings, a large castle on the hill which you reach by a steep walk or take the funicular, a pretty river with many bridges such as the famous Dragon bridge. There are many beautiful horse chestnut trees in flower, as there were in Frankfurt yesterday. I didn't love my traditional lunch. The video was taken in Preseren Square. I took heaps of photos, here's some.Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A day in the Slovenian countryside.

    May 8, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    It was a full day of 11 hours of sightseeing. Russell and I, 2 women from the UK and a tour guide called Peter headed to the Bled and then Bohinj areas. We visited the Castle at Bled, walked through Vintgar Gorge, tried the famous Bled cake kremsnita (similar to a vanilla slice) and then we were rowed across Lake Bled on the pletna boat to the little island. We then headed further into the mountains for a very late 4pm lunch - local red trout on asparagus and pea risotto for me, delicious! We then looked about the lake there, the Alpine village and enjoyed a picturesque drive back through the mountains into Ljubljana. This Bohinj lake was a darker colour and the water was so still that the reflections were quite something.

    There simply are not enough adjectives to describe the beauty of the areas we visited. Lake Bled was just as gorgeous as I'd hoped for. The colour of the water, due to minerals in the ground, was spectacular. The nearby Vintgar Gorge was also stunning.

    We leave Ljubljana tomorrow as the rain stops. Not that the rain spoilt our stay. Slovenia is a beautiful country and like all Balkan countries has an incredible history.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Ljubljana to Zagreb.

    May 9, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The sun shone on our last day - not an umbrella in sight. We spent our last hours walking around the old town, touring in the tourist trolley bus, popping inside the Cathedral of St. Nicholas before grabbing a bite to eat at the market.

    The bus trip to Zagreb was certainly not boring. It's only about 140 km from Ljubljana to Zagreb so not a long trip. The coach was comfortable, the scenery lovely, the company great 😉 ... and then we pulled into a service centre very close to the border between Slovenia and Croatia. Police got on and started checking everyone's passport or other ID. They left with a young man handcuffed with his hands behind his back. We have no idea what that was all about.

    Zagreb is very close to the border where we crossed (about 32km I think) and we hadn't travelled far when the traffic became very congested. It's a much larger city than Ljubljana. We passed through suburbs which were obviously established during the communist era. There were some much newer buildings, but among the many old buildings there's a very modern looking sports arena. Once we arrived at the bus station we had a short taxi ride to our apartment. The location is perfect; only about 50m to the main town square. We haven't explored yet, that begins tomorrow, but I took a quick snap as we left the apartment and then passed through the square.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A slower paced day.

    May 10, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We decided we needed an easy day today. For us that means a sleep-in, no rushing, no set plans. We did our washing while in an apartment with a washer. We finally left the apartment around noon, did lots of walking in different directions, caught a tram, visited the Botanical Gardens and checked out the Sheraton Hotel location (as we need to move there tomorrow to start our 2 week Croatian Tour). We also did the Hop On Hop Off round tour to get a better feel for the city. That's our day!Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Upper and Lower Zagreb.

    May 11, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    There are 2 main areas in central Zagreb. The upper town is the older town, the lower is newer but still old by Australian standards. We caught the supposed shortest (but very steep) funicular in the world to the old town and had time to see some of the attractions we just drove past yesterday. We walked back down through the old city gate to the old town. The city was buzzing today, lots of people out and about and musicians in different places. We ate lunch in one of the lovely parks and then later made our way back to our hotel for the next 2 nights.

    Early this evening we met with our tour manager Marijo and the others in our group for an intro to the tour and Welcome Dinner. We have about 24 in our group.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    A picturesque Sunday drive.

    May 12, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We skipped the walking tour of Zagreb this morning as we'd already been everywhere they were going, plus a bit more, over the past 2 days. We were able to catch a tram for about 30 minutes into one of the suburbs and attend church. As the tram took us past the main square we noticed a large stage had been set up. On the return trip crowds were gathering. We later learnt there was a concert and the main attraction was 28 y.o. Croatian, Marko Purišić aka 'Baby Lasagne'. He was the runner-up in the 2024 Eurovision last night. Apparently Ban Josip Jelačić Square completely filled with thousands of people of all ages.

    This afternoon we were taken out of the city. Such a pretty countryside! We enjoyed lunch in a picturesque restaurant with magnificent views of the rolling, vine-clad hills and Veliki Tabor Castle! In the village of Kumrovec we visited the simple peasant house of the late Marshal Tito. The surrounding properties have been restored to represent the village life of 100 years ago.

    We were surprised to see a large Harvey Norman store in the suburbs as we drive out of town!    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Postojna Caves, then Opatija.

    May 13, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We left Zagreb this morning and popped over the border into Slovenia to visit the Postojna Caves. It's a massive subterranean world of stunning stalactites, stalagmites, columns and curtains. We've been to caves in Australia and Hungary which boast stalactites and stalagmites etc but they pale in comparison. We travelled deep into the caves for 3.7km in their cave train, then walked about an hour and caught the train back again. It was an amazing place, chilly at 8 degrees centigrade. At the deepest spot we were 120m below ground.

    We then drove back into Croatia to the lovely seaside town of Opatija, our home for the next 2 nights. It was a bit hazy but nevertheless our first views of the Adriatic Sea were still very pretty. Our day ended with a very fancy buffet dinner and a short stroll.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Pula and Rovinj.

    May 14, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Our day started with rain as we drove along the coast to Pula but cleared up. Pula is the biggest city in the Istrian Peninsula. There we visited the well-preserved first-century arena, scene of brutal gladiatorial battles in Roman times.

    My favourite part of the day was when we visited the really charming town of Rovinj. We wandered through the cobbled streets up to St Euphemia's Church. This really sweet town seems more Italian than Croatian with its pastel-colored buildings and Venetian styled buildings. We enjoyed a light lunch in a very pretty setting.

    We drove back to our hotel in the late afternoon. The countryside is a bit different from the previous couple of days. When we came back to the coast the view was much clearer than it had been in the rainy morning. Not perfect but clearer. We could see a few of Croatia's many islands - they number around 1200!

    Back in Opatija, 17 of our group booked takes at a local restaurant. The meals were delicious and we had a great time. We haven't laughed so hard in ages.

    (Photo#2. The lower photo showing Rovinj from the air is not my own - all else are. I loved this photo, seeing how the town is situated, so included it. )    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    The Plitvice Lakes.

    May 15, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The Plivice National Park is one of the 2 most visited places in Croatia. Dubrovnik is the other hotspot. The National Park has a series of lakes, waterfalls and caves and is incredibly beautiful. Our 3 hour walk around some of the lakes was the standout event of our day. A beautiful way to spend the afternoon. It really is an incredible place.

    The drive southwards this morning along the coast was very pretty. The little town we stopped at for morning tea was Sinj. The Bura winds can get incredibly fierce in this little town, but not today. Gusts sometimes reach over 200km/hr. Roads get closed. After Sinj we headed inland driving to the Plitvice Lakes. We drove through an area that had very fierce fighting in the early 90's when the Yugoslav army—largely composed of Serbs and controlled by Slobodan Milosevic—invaded Croatia. Bullet holes etc are visible in some houses that remain.

    Tonight we are staying in the fairly new and very modern Lyra Hotel which is located in the Plitvice National Park.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Zadar and Trogir.

    May 16, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Today we drove to the area of Croatia called Dalmatia. The countryside has changed. We visited 2 cities.

    Zadar. It is known for the Roman and Venetian ruins of its peninsular Old Town.
    It's also famous for its Sea Organ which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps. Check it out here.
    https://youtu.be/n86pF-wQKrw?si=CxtR0AihJVIGCDld

    Trogir was first founded by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC. We had a lovely couple of hours in this preserved old town, known for its mix of Renaissance, baroque and Romanesque buildings. It's on a small island incredibly close to the mainland and connected by bridges. It's very touristy, full of restaurants and shops amidst the very old buildings and little laneways, but very charming.

    Tonight we are staying in the Hotel President in Solin, a town and outer suburb of Split. It is lovely; very traditional as opposed to last night's very modern hotel. .... but how many jets does a bath/shower need?    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Split and a ferry to Hvar.

    May 17, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We have booked into our room in the town of Hvar (on the island of Hvar). We will be here for 2 nights and will explore tomorrow. Soon it will be dinner time. The view from the hotel (first photo and video) is incredibly gorgeous as we look across to other islands. I'm feeling very spoilt.

    I'll go back and describe the earlier part of our day.

    Before leaving our hotel in Soltin (Split area) this morning I walked to the park right next to the hotel. There were 2 beautiful churches, one very old, one very modern.

    We spent the morning in Split, the 2nd largest city in Croatia, population approx. 160,000. The Roman Emperor Diocletian built his palace here, and today it forms the heart of the Old Town of Split. We explored the 1,700 year-old palace cellars and learnt the story of the infamous emperor. Our guide then led us through the labyrinthine streets and arcaded squares to see St. Duje's- originally Diocletian's Mausoleum, and the Temple of Jupiter, which today is a baptistery, as well as the Golden Gate. After our walking tour we had almost 3 free hours. As we'll be coming back here after our tour ends we took it easy and decided to leave the further sightseeing until then. We strolled along the main walking promenade and checked out where our apartment will be next week. Another perfect location. Then we found a great restaurant and sat under cover enjoying the mild breeze. At 2:30pm we left Split on a ferry to the island of Hvar. It was a very pleasant 2 hour trip.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    The Island of Hvar.

    May 18, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We toured much of the island of Hvar this morning. In mid 20's sunshine we enjoyed a walking tour of the town of Stari Grad. We spent quite a bit of time there. The town has an incredible history and is one of the very oldest towns in Europe. A bonus for us is that this town is on flat ground!! We really enjoyed visiting and learning about the place. We then drove to a village called Vrboska for lunch at a winery. Apart from us and a couple of other non drinkers the rest of our group were able to try a few local wines, a dessert wine and then grappa. We were happy with our meal and water!! Dessert was particularly good.

    By the time 5pm came around for our short walk into town the blue skies were gone and a very light drizzle was falling but not really enough to need an umbrella. We had a great time walking around this charming town and exploring some of the alleys before settling on a restaurant for dinner. Hvar is apparently the sunniest island in Croatia and attracts the very rich and famous as well as ordinary tourists like us. Many movie stars, royalty, and mega rich have been here. When our local guide started rattling off their names we wondered when she was going to stop! It certainly is a lovely spot.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Next stop, Korčula.

    May 19, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot but quite hazy. We have left the island of Hvar but experienced a bit of a roundabout journey to get to the town and island of Korčula.

    First off we drove 77 km from the town of Hvar to Sućuraj. Sućuraj is the smallest town on the island of Hvar in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, only 5 km from the Dalmatian coast. After a break there we boarded a ferry for the short trip to the mainland. We then drove south for about an hour. We drove through a very fertile area which was once swamp land. A bit further south we crossed a fairly new bridge across to a peninsula - still on the mainland, continued to Orebić and boarded another ferry. This too was a short 15 minute ferry ride which took us to another island which is home for the next 2 nights. Korčula is one of the 48 inhabited islands. (There's 1244 Croatian islands.) We are staying in the town of Korčula, the largest town on the island of Korčula.

    After settling into our accommodation we had a walking tour of the old town. Like all of the other incredibly old towns we have visited, Korčula is quite charming. The history of these towns is amazing. Like many this too was a walled town. It is so close to the mainland, the views are quite lovely in every direction. Here are some photos from our walking tour, a couple of random photos plus a shot of our hotel. Croatia had proven to be a very beautiful country.
    -----------
    1. The couple in a photo with us are Merran and Arthur from Canberra.
    2. The last photos mix: Hydrangeas are obvious as are the interesting clocks. The unusual photo is showing a pile of black sea urchins visible through the very clear sea water.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Korčula continued.

    May 20, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Until 3:30 it had been a free day. As I have a ticklish throat and am feeling a little off colour today we had a restful morning then made the short walk into the old town. We enjoyed a pleasant lunch right at one of the many restaurants in the boulevard that runs along the wall. Then we had a quiet stroll through some of the alleys. I feel for the old and mobility limited residents who have to negotiate so many steep alleys and countless numbers of steps on a regular basis. I could see how tough it was for some. It's not easy for us either just quietly; we come from a very flat suburb in Melbourne!

    Late this afternoon we enjoyed a scenic coastal cruise. We passed the old port town of Korčula seeing it from the sea now. We continued past the island of Badija, known for its Franciscan monastery & stone quarries as well as several other islands. Eventually we landed in Lumbarda back on the island of Korčula and made our way to the heart of the oldest settlement on the island. We finished with a home-made dinner in a family-run venue. Back to the mainland tomorrow.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Ston and Dubrovnik

    May 21, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    We are in Dubrovnik. This city is why we decided to come to Croatia. Why? ... It's because I was captivated by a really huge painting of this walled city while attending the Croatian Hall in Geelong. I went there each week, for several weeks, a couple of years in a row. It was a long time ago, when my oldest girls were in their latter years of high school. I was organising debutante balls for North Geelong High and the practices and the ball itself were held there. For some reason I was really taken by the enormous painting on the wall. Dubrovnik was not a tourist hot spot at all back then. Many people had probably never heard of it. It was long before Game of Thrones - which incidentally I have never seen. I look forward to seeing more of this beautiful and captivating city. (By the way I didn't have to force Russell to come - he too was very happy for us to plan this trip!)

    We left Korčula this morning and headed back to the mainland. Our first stop was at Ston. We were amazed to see a wall in the hills that looked like the Great Wall of China!! On a much smaller scale of course. The Walls of Ston are a series of defensive stone walls, originally more than 7 kilometres long, that surrounded and protected the city of Ston, in Dalmatia, in southern Croatia. Their construction began in 1358. While in Ston we visited a local oyster farmer, to learn about the cultivation and harvest of oysters - and mussels too. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of prawn risotto and then a sea-to-table tasting of the fresh shellfish.

    After lunch we had a scenic drive as we continued on to Dubrovnik. This walled city is known as the Pearl of the Adriatic. George Bernard Shaw called it 'Paradise on Earth'. A local guide took us in behind the walls for a glimpse into local life. We explored the stone-paved streets inside the 16th century bastions of the Old Town. We had a little time to explore further but will have to go back to have a better look. We were lucky today that there were no cruise ships in town - so the old town wasn't wall to wall tourists. Dubrovnik didn't disappoint!    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Kotor, Montenegro.

    May 22, 2024 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    It rained last night and we woke to a clear sky, no haze and a beautiful blue Adriatic Sea. It has been a long day. We left early for Montenegro. It's not all that far away but as it is not in the EU nor part of the Schengen area we had to go through border controls which adds an unknown amount of time in both directions. The scenery was beautiful as we travelled along the coast. As you can tell by the photos, the sky turned grey and cloudy as we edged closer to Kotor and in fact we had a heavy rain shower while we were eating lunch. Kotor is not big but is wonderful. It's yet another beautiful old town. There are so many!Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    The Walls of Old Dubrovnik

    May 22, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We arrived back in Dubrovnik late afternoon. Russell and I decided to return to the old town and walk around the top of the walls. It's a 2km walk with 1080 steps. We didn't consider the distance to be a problem but that's a lot of steps. What's more there is a charge for the pleasure of going up and down all those stairs! (35 euros pp, approx. $57 AUD) Seriously though it was worth all the effort, the walled city of Dubrovnik is incredible. Here's a selection of photos plus a short video taken from one section of the wall. I'm so glad we decided to give it a go and even happier we did the whole walk. The night ended with a pretty sunset. We should sleep well tonight!Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Cavtat and the end of our tour.

    May 23, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We enjoyed some great picture postcard stops, or 'Kodak Moments', this morning as we drove to and from the lovely village of Cavtat. The views from up high overlooking the old city of Dubrovnik were especially brilliant. The other photos were taken this morning as we walked right around the peninsula at Cavtat. It is only about 30km from Dubrovnik but seemed very far away from the crowds. Wherever we have been in Croatia on this trip the Adriatic Sea has been crystal clear.

    Back in Dubrovnik, our tour group had a farewell dinner tonight to mark the end of our tour. The route we took these past 2 weeks is shown on the map. Tomorrow people head off in all different directions. We went on a boat ride to a restaurant beside the Dubrovnik River. We personally head back to Split in the morning and will be in Croatia until Sunday evening. Our tour was fantastic. Insight Vacations once again was really outstanding. We would not hesitate to recommend the company. Our day ends again with another pretty sunset.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Goodbye Dubrovnik, hello again Split.

    May 24, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    There's nothing too exciting to write about today. After a final look at the lovely sea view at breakfast, we left Dubrovnik early this morning and travelled by bus back to Split. Whilst a very nice coach, it did remind us how good the Insight Vacation coaches are. When they get fitted out they have 4 less rows of seats put in - so lots of leg room.

    The views of the coastline on the left hand side of the bus were just as gorgeous as we've come to expect. We were seated on the RHS so had the mountain views out of our own window. Bus shelters often have art work on them but I smiled to see one decorated with spots like a Dalmatian dog. When we were on our tour, Marijo said it is very rare to ever see a Dalmatian dog on the Dalmatian Coast. He said in his 17 years of being a guide he's only ever seen one and it belonged to a German tourist. He said if anyone saw one and had a photo to prove it he'd shout everyone a drink. Funnily enough a man walked one past our bus as we left the hotel at Hvar one morning!

    Our luxurious 5 star hotels are finished and we are in an apartment in the old town of Split. It's a very old building that has been made into several apartments for tourists. It certainly has charm. It is very clean, a great location and has all we need, importantly a washing machine which is going right now! It is hidden away behind a very unobtrusive green door. When we leave we enter a very cute alley with several restaurants at our door. One is a pizzeria which is nice as we have had so much seafood. We are able to organise a couple of our own meals while in this flat, so that will be good too.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Another day in Split.

    May 25, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Another day in the lovely city of Split. We found the cutest little supermarket hidden away in the palace section of the old city. It is UNESCO protected and has Roman columns in part of the store with see through flooring around the bottom of the column. What a cool supermarket!

    Due to the earlier timing of the Cats game back home I managed to listen to some of the footy game this morning but it didn't have the best ending - we lost 😥.

    Split is a lovely city and we will have time to explore a little more tomorrow.    Read more

  • Julie BielenbergMore Adventures!Traveler

    Marjan Park - the lungs of Split.

    May 26, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Sunday. We woke to rain and grey skies again. So far it has drizzled all day. We like to attend a local church when we are able. We planned to do so here in Split but there is a special conference in Zagreb this weekend so nothing here. We spent the morning walking admiring the beauty of Split. Rather than go back into the Diocletian's Palace area we instead walked for hours through and around Marjan Park. It’s located on the west side of the city, known as Marjan peninsula. It was so peaceful, hardly anyone there, whereas the city was busy. The views were beautiful. It's a large park about 3.5 km long and 1.5 km wide. After a very long walk we had a late lunch back in the old town.Read more

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