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Croatia/Slovenia

September – October 2024
  • Melissa Blondeau
A 16-day adventure by Melissa Read more
  • Melissa Blondeau

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  • Slovenia Slovenia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina
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  • Melissa BlondeauTravelerCroatia/Slovenia
    Here we go!
    Toronto AirportRacing through the Paris Airport!Flying into DubrovnikHotel Lapad

    Estevan to Dubrovnik

    September 27, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After leaving at 8:30 am. from Estevan on Sept 26th, we reached Dubrovnik on the 27th at 2:30 pm. local time. With a flight delay of 1 1/2 hrs in Toronto we had to be personally escorted through the Paris Airport in order to make our final leg of the journey! That made for a quick 30 mins soo everyone and their luggage made it but mine 🙃
    After checking into Hotel Lapad and a quick refresh, it was time for our EF Go Ahead Tours meet & greet supper and a much deserved drink! Then for a night walk to Sunset Beach and a stop at The Sports Bar. Very long day with tomorrow just being the start of many things to see and do!    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauTravelerCroatia/Slovenia
    Lokrum Island1Franciscan Monastery1Toes in the Adriatic SeaOctopus Salad

    Sightseeing of Dubrovnik

    September 28, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today, we did a guided tour by Natasha of Old Town Dubrovnik. Along the way, we stopped to take some pictures and to see the nearby Lokrum Island. Old Town is enclosed by medieval walls and was also a film location for Game Of Thrones. In 1667, the city was severely damaged by an earthquake, but they managed to preserve the churches, monasteries, palaces, and fountains. You can even get drinking water from the fountains. We visited a 13th century Franciscan Monastery, which has the most extensive library in the region. There were lots of narrow side streets with a lot of steps that would take you to all kinds of restaurants and shops. It was a warm and humid day, so a stop for a gelato was a must! Then we dipped our toes in the Adriatic Sea. For supper, we set off on a scenic coast cruise to a local restaurant that can only be accessed by boat. I DID NOT eat the octopus salad 😜
    We managed to dodge the rain that was in the forecast for the evening as well....    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauTravelerCroatia/Slovenia
    Bride's boquetsOur Lady of The RocksKotor (zigzag walls)Cat Sanctuary

    Day trip to Montenegro 🇲🇪

    September 29, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Our bus left at 7:30 am and headed south along the coastline where we crossed the border into the country of Montenegro. We began in Perast, a Venetian town on the bay of Kotor where we took a 5 min boat ride to the Our Lady of the Rocks which is a man made island created by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks. This took roughly 150 years just to build the island. The Catholic Church was then built and is still used today. Many locals get married there, and it is tradition for the bride to present a bouquet to the church after the wedding. These are displayed above the doors on either side of the altar.

    We then headed to the town of Kotor, famous for its medieval old town, being surrounded by limestone cliffs and zigzag walls for protection against invaders. We had lunch and free time to explore. There is a cat sanctuary here where you can get food for them in exchange for recycling 2 bottles or cans. There have been stray cats everywhere we have been, but we have been told they are very well looked after because they keep the rodents away.

    Back to the hotel around 6:30 pm.
    Burt & I took a 45 min walk to the Hard Rock Cafe for a late supper and a Burt guided scenic tour on the way back...those are always an adventure 🫣🙃

    Off to Bosnia in the morning before heading to our next stop back in Croatia!

    Side note...my luggage arrived while we were gone today! 👏👏    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauTravelerCroatia/Slovenia
    Super busy at the market.Biscevic House (Turkish house)Stari Most (Old Bridge)

    The Split Region via Mostar

    September 30, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Today we left Dubrovnik and headed north along the coastline, which was very scenic before heading east to the city of Mostar, which is in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. About a 3hr drive. Another country stamped in our passports!

    The city straddles the Nereteva River. It's known for the iconic Stari Most (old bridge), a reconstructed arched bridge that is very tricky to walk on and can be very slippery! The nearby alleys are full of shops and market stalls. Some make their own wares, and you can see them working away.

    We went into a 16th-century Ottoman (Turkish) Mosque as well as the Biscevic House (Turkish) that dates back to the 17th century. When visitors would come by, you were either served hot or cold coffee...hot meant you were welcome to stay, and cold was a polite way of saying drink up and get out! If young single women were interested in the single men, they would be served coffee with salt in it unknown to him and anyone else in the room. This meant they were interested in marriage. She would then leave the room, and if the cup was empty when she returned, she knew his answer, and he would then have to ask her father for his permission.

    You could see lots of damage to many buildings from the Bosnian War from the early 90s.

    Burt had a traditional Bosniam Cevapi dish (grilled minced meat sauage) for lunch while I stuck with Spaghetti Bolgonese. We then did some shopping through the market and back on the bus to make our back to Croatia and to get checked into the Hotel Atrium in Split. Another 3hrs.
    And every new place we have gone to Burt gets told he has a Scottish accent 😂    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauTravelerCroatia/Slovenia
    Mestrovic GalleryOlive treePomegranate tree

    Sightseeing tour of Split

    October 1, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    The first stop was the Mestrovic Gallery, a temple of art dedicated to the work of the famous Croation sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. Sculptures were made of bronze, marble, and wood and there was ALOT of nudity 🙈
    He also did a monument to Gregory of Nin as a gift to Split & its citizens, which is the most recognizable symbol of Split. It also hides a history unknown to visitors.

    We then did a guided tour with Melanka of the Diocletian Palace
    It was built at the end of the third century AD as a residence for the Roman Emperor Diocletian. This place is huge!! It resembles more of a fortress. Another location for the filming of Games of Thrones (season 5 - something to do with the Queen of dragons 🤷‍♀️... never watched it)

    Then we had a few hours of free time, so we had some delicious pizza and then did a lot of walking uphill with many stairs... may have been my turn for a scenic adventure 😉

    Our group supper was at Epetium Restaurant, where we enjoyed a very good meal of veal and endless supply of wine for a few... some may have needed help to the bus 😬

    The Canuck crew found a pub for a night cap and then Burt & I made a pit stop at the casino beside our hotel to end the night! Another great day!    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauTravelerCroatia/Slovenia
    1Trogir Cathedral1Tour Guide MarinaOriginal ruins...Church of St. DonatusPillar of Shame...anyone chained to this would be spit on and rocks thrown at.Cathedral of St. AnastasiaCathedral Bell TowerPeople's Square1

    Plitvice via Trogir & Zadar

    October 2, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌫 14 °C

    Today, we traveled to Plitvice. On our way, we stopped at 2 Dalmatian Coastal towns. The first stop was Trigor, where we wondered on our own. We saw Radovon's portal of Trogir Catherdral.

    Then we headed to the town of Zadar, where we took a guided tour with Marina. We got to listen to the one-of-a-kind sea organ. Air holes along the top row of steps let's the sea organ breathe in air by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath the steps transforming into musical sounds as the next waves play their songs. It was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, who once declared that Zadar's sunset was the most beautiful in the world. It was built by Nikola Basic.

    We got to see Church of St. Donatus & Bishops Palace on the Ancient Roman Forum, where there are original Roman ruins and pillars. The Cathedral of St. Anastasia, Cathedral Bell Tower, People's Square, and so much more!

    We then hit the road to get to our next hotel...Jezero
    It is located in the middle of Plitvice National Parks. At one point, we went through a 6km tunnel, and not only does the landscape change from entering to exiting, but so can the weather! We stopped at Vila Velebitz for supper that was recommended by our bus driver Perro, and the food was excellent!

    We have lucked out with the weather so far, but now that we are more north, it's about to change...75-100mm of rain is forecast for our tour of the park tomorrow...stay tuned!    Read more

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