Denmark and East Europe

June 2019 Read more

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Denmark and East Europe
Honey farm, island church
August 3, 2019 in Montenegro ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
In Cetinje, ex Capital of Montenegro, we visited King Nikola’s Palace. It is a very simple palace, built between 1863-67. King Nikola reigned between 1860 and 1918. The palace became a museum in 1926. After leaving the palace we had a refreshment break and looked around the attractive streets.
Leaving Cetinje we travelled through the hills to Martinovic Honey farm at Dubovik.

Then drove to Perast, on Kotor Bay to visit the “Lady of the Rock Island” and its church. We travelled out to the island by boat. The island is artificially created by rocks and old ships filled with rock, which are dumped in the water. The church has many
pictures of Madonna and is filled with gifts that people have left there. There are many bridal bouquets hanging up, as when there is a wedding, the bride leaves her bouquet in thanks.
After a short visit we boarded the boat and headed back through Kotor Bay to Kotor Old Town. This was a beautiful, fortified, old town, with many shops to visit. It has been listed by UNESCO on the world heritage list since 1979. We had a quick tour, including visiting the Maritime Museum, Square of Sailors and St Lucas Church. We then had some time to look around by ourselves before we drove back to Budva for a free evening.
Pizza for 2 for tea.Read more
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Dubrovnik, Croatia
August 4, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We travelled by bus and a short ferry crossing on our way back into Croatia. We had a 2 hour delay at the border, which made us very late arriving in Dubrovnik. Once again it was hot. We drove along the coast and the view of Dubrovnik was just beautiful. On our arrival in Dubrovnik, we took the cable car for a fabulous panoramic view of the Old City and Adriatic Sea.
Once down in the city, we wound our way through the streets to our restaurant for a late lunch, then guided tour of old town

This Old Town is the setting for Kings Landing in Game of Thrones series which all the family are into. Steve and I walk wall of Kings Landing. Very hot.

Flash Sheraton hotel. Swim in Adriatic Sea on doorstep of hotel. LovelyRead more
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Peljesac Peninsula, Croatia
August 5, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
In the morning, we arrived to find a different bus and bus driver. Samir had to stay with his bus for the day, while it was fixed.
We departed at 8.30 for a long drive beside the Adriatic Sea. Our refreshment stop was at a beautiful coffee shop, overlooking a small beach.
We observed many mussel and oyster farms as we travelled to the famous wine growing region of Dingac on the Pelijesac Peninsular of Croatia. Our destination was the Matusko Winery. As the vines face the sea, they get the benefit of triple reflection – sun, rocks and water. At times, grape pickers have ropes around them, as the slope the grapes are growing on, is so steep. Wine tasting... Again.

We left the winery and made our way to Stone, where we boarded a boat to ride out to a pontoon, where we were given an explanation on how to open oysters and how they are grown.
Get home and Maree decides to go to the gym because getting fat. Then both of us go for swim, have a light tea then another swim.Read more
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Bosnia and Hercegovina
August 6, 2019 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Over the border.
Arrive in Trebinje to visit Popovo Polje Farm - orchard of apples, pears, cherries and grapes for winery. More wine tasting!!
Lunch stop at pretty Jablanice. We're finding cafe/restaurants that have spits roasting meat outside.
To Sarajevo through very beautiful countryside to very flash hotel.
Eye opener - recent ruins from the 1990's wars, standing houses riddled with bullet holes. Vast packed cemeteries of white crosses. Very sad and confronting. Very realRead more
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What an eye opener
August 7, 2019 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Following breakfast in the revolving restaurant where we enjoyed overlooking Sarajevo, we to travelled to “The Tunnel of Hope” .
As we drove, we were given information about the tunnel and the terrible siege of Sarajevo. I
Sarajevo was under siege from 1992- 1995, after Bosnia tried to declare its independence. There was no way to get food, water or supplies of any kind, into Sarajevo and all services were cut off. Finally, in March 1993, the Bosnian army began building what became known as the “The Tunnel of Hope”.
This was top secret, and husbands couldn’t even tell their families. The tunnel linked the two areas of Dobrinja and Butmira, allowing food, war supplies and humanitarian aid into the city. It was 800m long.
When we arrived at “The Tunnel of Hope, we were given a guided tour, shown a video and some time to look around by ourselves. It was a very sobering experience.
After this we had a guided tour of Sarajevo with a very passionate and patriot guide.
We visited a Mosque, Synagogue, church, a few bridges.
There were bullet holes everywhere, also very modern buildings trying to rebuild.
We were told of the Sarajevo Rose - on the footpaths are painted red splotches - the sites of gunfire. They are still there as memorial and reminders.Read more
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Tunnel of Hope
August 7, 2019 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
This was a very moving museum/monument as it was so recent.

From July 1993 until the end of the Siege in late February 1996, the Sarajevo War Tunnel was the only connection besieged Sarajevo had with the outside world.
It took more than six months to dig the tunnel and was done using pickaxes and shovels. The only source of light the workers had was provided by “war candles”, containers filled with cooking oil and fitted with a wick made from string.

On the night of July 30, 1993, the tunnel was finally completed, giving Sarajevo an outlet to the world. The 800-meter-long corridor is a little over a meter wide and has an average height of 1.5 meters.

Thanks to the tunnel, the beleaguered city regained access to telephone lines, oil supplies, food and electric energy.

After the war, about 20 meters of the tunnel became part of a museum which contains many items from the time of the Siege of Sarajevo – the longest-running siege of any city in modern history.Read more
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Back to Croatia
August 8, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Depart Serejevo for town of Mostar.
Guided tour of Mostar, bombed nearly into oblivion by Croats in 1993.
See Old Bridge that was bombed and rebuilt. Popular with bridge jumpers, and visited Old Bazaar. Lunch
Drive to Metkovic to take a canal boat ride to see a citrus farm -mandarines.
Drive to Split, back in Croatia.Read more
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Cattle and prosciutto visits
August 9, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
A visit today to a Holstein cattle farm. It was largely managed by a vet who was keen to change to Simmentals, was having problems with drug resistance and owners from overseas who weren't interested in what he wanted to say. They also ran hens for eggs.

We then went to a Proscuitto and olive oil farm. We had a lovely lunch under grapevines, saw a video on how they make proscuitto then a walk through their vines to visit the pigs.

We travelled back to our hotel, had a guided walk around the old city of SplitRead more
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Say cheese
August 10, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Cheese factory visit. Very barren landscape to get to factory, very white, reminded us of a moonscape. There were pretty scenes also, lovely old stone fences, fish farms.
The cheese production is limited by sheep numbers. To produce their unique cheese, the milk needs to come from the sheep on the island, and there is a limit to how many sheep can be run, as it is very barren. There are 30,000 sheep on the island, who are small, strong and are free to run in the paddocks. The sheep are not suitable for shearing. The paddocks all have stone fences around them, and the land is privately owned. Land is never sold as it is a family tradition to run sheep. Sheep have been milked here for over 4000 years.
Good factory visit, cheese tastings with wine for lunch.

To Zadar and see monument of the sun and wave organ monument.
To hotel and swim in Adriatic Sea again. Steve was stunned by having to share a small beach with many other people, we did it anyway and was lovely.
Temperatures still mid 30's.Read more
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National Park walk, then to Opatija
August 11, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Early morning swim in the Adriatic Sea before breakfast, not so many people this morning!
Getting to our next destination we drive through the Sveti Tunnel, 5675 metres long. interesting that there is a 5 degree drop in temperature when we come out - apparently the tunnel links the Mediterranean and Continental climates.
Walk through 2 National Parks with ponds and waterfalls. Very beautiful, walking along wooden walkways over streams and ponds, also trails through the "bush".
Drive to Opatija for the night.
Steve and I do our talk about ourselves. Everyone's had a turn on the microphone on the bus.
Steve and I go on a night walk, enjoying the lights of Opatija.Read more
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Off on a bear hunt
August 11, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
At our morning tea stop there were a heap of stuffed animals, Steve's eyes did bulge! 😂
Even better, there were 2 live bears out the back.
There are bears around these areas with warning signs on the roadsRead more
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Mother and daughter day off
August 12, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
We woke up early for another 6.30 am swim. Water all to ourselves at that hour. Breakfast then Steve went on farm tour. They're doing pig farm with prosciutto and olive farm. Then a tour of old Pula.
Mum and I had day off.
Found a nearby post office and mum posted a box back home.
Went down to nearby water, can't call it a beach, and had a lovely swim. We had lunch there at their beach lounge bar, then another swim. 37 degrees today.
Came home for a cuppa and changed clothes.
I went for walk along shops to the more touristy area and back.

The Story of the Maiden and the Seagull statue.

On the promontory in front of the one-time cemetery a girl extends her arm to a gull. This, however, is a new sculpture, the work of a sculptor Car, and it was erected here in 1956 and turned into one of Opatija’s symbols. Before that, in its place, namely until demolished by a storm, stood the “Madonna del Mare”, the work of sculptor Rathausky from Graz (his also is the fountain “Helios and Selene” in the park between St. Jacob’s Church and hotel Imperial). The “Madonna” was erected to keep vigil over the soul of count Arthur Kesselstadt, who vanished, not far off from that promontory swallowed by the pre-Easter waves in 1891. During that excursion the contess Fries also lost her life, but her son Georg was saved.Read more
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Last country, Slovenia
August 13, 2019 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Big day today
As we drove Genti told us Slovenia was the first country to gain independence from Yugoslavia, setting the example for other countries. It has been part of the EU since 2004 and is one of the most developed countries in Europe. It feels much more "Western" and richer than some of the other countries.

We visited a Prancing horse stud, "Lipizzaner" horses. They had a riding school and also a museum. Beautiful horses and lovely old stables and barns. These horses are born black and turn white

After lunch we go so the incredible Postojina Caves. You ride into the cave system for 2 km on a wee train, then a walking tour of another 2.5 km through the most amazing caverns and formations. The cave is 2 million years old and 25 km long.

Lovely Ljubljana is our home tonightRead more
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Lovely Ljubljana
August 14, 2019 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Guided tour of castle and Ljubljana Old Town. Again very pretty.
Dragon bridge. Dragon emblem of Ljubljana, red carnation flower of Ljubljana region.
Free time there after guided tour. Steve found ourselves a lovely cafe where we had lunch on their steps, complete with cushions to sit on and small table.
Back to hotel area. Post boxes home. Steve has a massage.
Have a great burger for tea downstairs of hotel - sports bar and we watch Ash Barty win a match in Cincinnati open.Read more
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Cow farms and lovely Lake Bled
August 15, 2019 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
A very pretty mountainous drive to 2 cow farms, Simmental and Holsteins.
Lunch near Bled.
To Bled and boat ride to island. It's very pretty here, Steve felt he wanted to bring the boys here for a look.
At Bled we all had to find and eat famous local treat - the Bled Cake. It is basically a Vanilla Slice with lots of whipped cream and huge slices. Very yummy and very famous in Slovenia.
Home for traditional Slovenian dinner and danceRead more
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Slovenian dinner and dance
August 15, 2019 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
A great fun time. Not part of tour but 24 of us organised ourselves to go. A highlight.
Crowd participation.
Slovenian hat dance a hoot!!
Lovely meal, forgot to take photos of!
Looks like a great night
8/16/19Reply
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Back to Croatia, last stop
August 16, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Woke up to drizzly day, then rain but sunny again by afternoon.
Over the border back to Croatia.
Visited a bull beef farm. They only raise bulls for meat and have a biogas operation as well.
Lunch at a nearby restaurant to eat "baby beef" from their farm.
Then to a tobacco farm, very interesting.
Then to Zagreb, the last stop of this tour.Read more
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Last farm visit
August 17, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Our local tour guide today was the Leader of the Noble Community of the area we visited. After all of Croatia's occupations by other countries all the "nobility" have left is a small "castle" and a handful of native pigs. They no longer own their estates as they were taken off them by the Soviets in the 1990's.
Native Croatian Pigs. Were nearly extinct but now looked after by a volunteer group in a national park.
Traditional lunch at a restaurant.
Free time in Zagreb. Tea in city then a nice evening walk homeRead more
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Zagreb city tour
August 18, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Zagreb is the capital of Croatia and is divided into the upper and lower town. The lower town is centralised, well planned and has beautiful Austro-Hungarian architecture. Many people enjoy living here, and it is the main business area. The streets are wide. We visited the “The Church of the Assumption of Mary”, the old market and Ben Jelacic Square.
We walked up the hill to visit the Upper Town, which is the oldest area. Here the streets are narrower and we wound our way through them, enjoying the sights. We entered the town through the original entrance and saw St Mark’s Church, which is one of the original buildings, St Katherine’s Church, the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Lotrscak Tower. A cannon goes off everyday at noon from this tower. We heard the cannon, just as we made our way down the hill.Read more
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Farewell dinner
August 18, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Farewell dinner tonight as most people are flying home tomorrow.
Official end of tour
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By ourselves again
August 19, 2019 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We waved most of the tour off today at 6.30 am.
After a leisurely breakfast we walked up to town centre and found the tourist bus for a 1 hour sight see of the city.
Most we saw yesterday but there was some new streets and information also.
After a light lunch we found the tunnel I walked yesterday so Steve could see it.
When we both felt we'd "done" Zagreb, we walked back to hotel via Botanical Gardens, which was closed 😕Read more
Looks like a fantastic trip, loved all the photos Maree and Steve
8/21/19Reply
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On our way home via Dubai
August 20, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 40 °C
Flew to Dubai, got in at 11 pm and hit with the heat!!
High 30's close to midnight!
Got the hotel shuttle to pick us up and checked into a very lovely hotel (air conditioned!) with exceptionally attentive staffRead more
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Explore Dubai
August 21, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
Hot!!
We survive the day by exploring the Dubai Mall and then doing the air conditioned hop on, hop off bus.
Dubai is amazing, the ornate, gold etc in the middle of a desert. We went up 125 floors in the tallest building in the world, you could see this. A lot of heat haze.
The Mall is amazing in places too, The Souk area is splendid.
Home around 5pm so hit the pool before tea over at the Mall for some very nice Lebanese.
After tea we see the Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in the Mall. Very well done.Read more
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Dubai Mall
August 21, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
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Aquarium and Underwater Zoo
August 21, 2019 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
In the middle of Dubai Mall
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