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  • Melissa Blondeau

Croatia/Slovenia

A 16-day adventure by Melissa Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 26, 2024
    Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    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 BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    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 BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    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 BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    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 BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    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 BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    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

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    Warming up with hot chocolate.2

    Tour of Plitvice National Park

    October 3, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    One word... RAIN! We donned our rain jackets, ponchos, and umbrellas and set off on a guided tour by Koraljka right from our hotel. 2 boat rides later we got to our starting point, but first some hot chocolate to help warm us up. This natural phenomenon consists of 16 interconnected lakes and over 90 waterfalls. We walked our way through on narrow paths up and down until we came to the Big Waterfall and WOW!
    With the rain coming down so hard, we got to see it in full force, which even surprised our guide... not a regular occurrence. Then, it was time to make our way out of the park. Normally we would have walked back to the hotel but because of the rain our bus came and picked us up. After 3 1/2 hrs in the rain, we had a relaxing afternoon of drying out and warming up!

    Supper was at the Plitvice Lakes Etho Garden Restaurant about 20 mins from our hotel. Once back, we learned a new card game called Chit Chat from the "Kentucky 6" ladies. You never know what might come out of their mouths! No filters and they sure made the bus rides interesting 😂    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    Monument to King Tomislav
    Monument to Ban JelacicZagreb CathedralThe Stone GateMother of God of the Stone GateChurch of St. MarkHotel Zonar

    Sightseeing of Zagreb

    October 4, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today, we kept going Northeast to the capital city of Croatia...Zegrab. Once we dropped our luggage off at Hotel Zonar, we took a guided walking tour of the city centre with Marko.
    Point of interests were..
    - Monuments to King Tomislav & Ben Jelacic
    - Zagreb Cathedral Church (currently being repaired from the 2020 earthquake) along with lots of other buildings... lots of scaffolding everywhere.
    - The Stone Gate, one of the best preserved monuments of Old Zagreb. In the passage of the gate, there is a chapel with a picture of the Mother of God of the Stone Gate, protector of the city, survived the great fire in 1731.
    - The Church of St. Mark

    We toured the Croation Museum of Naive Art. The pieces in here are done by self-taught artists who lacked formal art education, yet developed their own individual style, achieving artist merit nonetheless.

    Then we had free time to grab some lunch and to wander around on our own before heading back to the hotel.

    After a bit of downtime, we checked out the hotel and went for a short walk in the surrounding area. This hotel is unlike anything we have stayed in...very modern, and each room has some kind of fitness equipment in it... We have a 12kg kettlebell in ours. On their website, it shows a room with a set gymnast rings from the ceiling. Off to Slovenia in the morning!    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    France Preseren MonumentStanding on 1 section of the Triple BridgeFunicular up to Ljubljana CastleLjubljana CathedralLjubljana doorSlovene doorBaroque Robba FountainCity HallLjubljana CastleUniversity of LjubljanaDragon BridgeView from Ljubljana Castle2

    Sightseeing tour of Ljubljana

    October 5, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Today, we carried onto the country of Slovenia with our 1st stop in the city capital of Ljubljana (loo-bee-aa-nah)
    It's the largest city in the country and is known for its University population and green spaces. We will be spending 3 nights here at Hotel Le.

    We did a walking guided tour of the city center with Robert, who was named after Robert Kennedy. A 7 min walk from our hotel, and we were in the middle of Preseren Square, where we got to see the France Preseren Monument, a19th-centuryy Romantic Slovene Poet. We then crossed one section of the Triple Bridge, which connects the historical medieval town with Preseren Square. Then it was a trek over to the Dragon Bridge. Legend says Jason (Greek hero & leader of the Argonauts) was the founder as they killed a dragon here.
    Next was Ljubljana Cathedral, which has 2 magnificent bronze doors. One one side is the Ljubljana Door and the other the Slovene Door. Legend says if you rub the nose on the Slovene door, it will bring you luck.

    Other points of interest were...
    - City Hall
    - Baroque Robba Fountain, created by sculptor & architect Francesco Robba , is the city's most recognizable symbol.
    - University of Ljubljana

    Then we had free time where we walked through the open-air market and took the funiculor (type of cable railway system) up to the Ljubljana Castle. This is a more modern castle, and it was a little disappointing after seeing castles in Ireland & Scotland last summer, but it did give us an amazing view! While there, we toured the Museum of Puppetry, which was a little on the weird side, and hope you enjoy Burts show 😂    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    Erazem LuegerTorture ChamberPostonja Cave1

    Predjama Castle & Postojna Cave

    October 6, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    Today, we got to journey to 2 of Slovenians' most memorable sites. Our 1st stop was at the Predjama Castle, a Renaissance fort built into the mouth of a cave. A natural tunnel connects the castle to the top of the mountain, in the middle ages, this tunnel served as a secret supply line to the castle during times of seige. We got to learn about the legend of Erazem Lueger, a robber baron who called this castle home. It ranks amongst the top 10 most fascinating castles in the world. It was featured in the Jackie Chan movie Armor of God & Season 3 of The Witcher.

    Then we headed to the Postojna Caves, a 24km long cave system. Cave tours take about 1 1/2 hrs during which we got to see about 5kms of the caves. Part of the tour is done by train and just over 1 km by foot. The cave has a constant temperature of 10°C. It took nature millions of years to create and was hollowed out by the Pivka River. There is a vast array of stalactites from the top and stalagmites from the bottom, forming all kinds of shapes and colors. It takes 100 years to form 1 cm of these. The deepest part of the cave we went to was 120 meters, equivalent to a 36-story building.
    Olms or "baby dragons" are found in the caves. They live in the dark, have a constant temperature, are blind and can go 10 years without food, and have a life expectancy of 100 years. Due to their sensitivity to light, we were not allowed to take pictures, but we did get to see some.

    We then had a bit of free time and tried some traditional Slovenian desserts. Burt had Kremsnita...cooked vanilla cream, whipped sweet cream, and sweetened top sheets of puff pastry while I tried Gibanica.. layers of cottage cheese, eggs and preserves. Both were very good!

    Our group supper was at the restaurant Sokol. A mushroom truffle soup in a bread bowl followed by sausage, potatoes, and sauerkraut (🤮)
    followed by more Gibanica... but this was not as good as the afternoon.    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    Violinist & Composer Giuseppe TartiniItalian architecture500 year old root of an indigenous olive treeSt. Francis ChurchChurch of St. George (picture through the bars on the door)11

    Piran: Slovenia's Adriatic Gem

    October 7, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Today, we headed southeast to Piran, which is famous for its Venetian architecture and sits on the Mediterranean Coast of Slovenia.

    We took a guided walking tour with points of interest being...
    - Tartini Square, the main town square and was named after violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini, of whom a monument was made of in 1876
    - A house showing Italian architecture
    - Church of St. Francis of Assisi, construction of the building, reaches back to the 18th century and is known for a small Renaissance shrine by Vittore Carpaccio. Before entering the church, there is a chair made of a 500 year old root of an indigenous olive tree called the Piran Buga.
    - Church of St. George, located on the hill above Piran and the large lawn, used to be a graveyard. The view allows you to see both Italy & Croatia.

    We then had a light lunch at a local restaurant while having a view of the Adriatic Sea. Once back to Ljubljana, we had a bit of downtime before venturing out for the evening. A stop was made at the Holidays Pub for 1... that led into almost shutting the place down...Oops 🙈
    Drinks were had, hoodies were bought, and another glass was added to my collection...oh and I saved Burts life by grabbing a spider that was making its way up to his neck 😬😂

    A couple of fun facts about this place is that some members of Metallica partied there after their concert in 1999 and that they open at 6 am & close at 2 pm!    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    Bled CastleOldest vine in the worldLake Bled

    Lake Bohinj & Lake Bled

    October 8, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today, we continued to head Northwest to take in the beautiful scenery of Lake Bohinj & Lake Bled.

    We stopped at Lake Bohinj first. It lies in a glacially formed lake basin and is the largest lake in Slovenia. We went into a small church while there, Church of St. John Baptist.

    From there, we made our way to Lake Bled, where we toured Bled Castle. It is built on a steep cliff overlooking Lake Bled and is the oldest castle in Slovenia. First mentions of the castle dates back to 1011, and it is quite the trek up to it!

    Then it was time to check into the Rikli Hotel (nicest hotel of the trip), and we were fortunate enough to get a view of the lake! We did a 6km walk around the lake, which took about 1 hr 20 mins with lots of stops for pictures.
    We definitely earned our supper!

    We played some more Chit Chat with the Kentucky 6 in the evening.    Read more

  • Melissa BlondeauCroatia/SloveniaTraveler
    Lake JasnaHansel & Gretel houseSoca RiverThe Kentucky 6

    The Julian Alps: Triglav Nat. Park

    October 9, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ 🌫 15 °C

    Today, we traveled to the Julian Alps. On our way, we passed through the ski resort town of Kranjska Gora and made a stop at Lake Jasna, the name of 2 interconnected artificial lakes near Kranjska Grove and along the road to the Vrsic Pass.

    We then had to cross into Italy for a bit before re-entering Slovenia, where we continued on to Triglav National Park.
    As we drove through the Vrsic Pass, the highest pass in Slovenia & the Eastern Alps, there was lots of weaving and winding uphill with hair pin after hairpin turns. We were all very grateful for our experienced bus driver! We also had Robert again as our guide, and he told us we would reach 3800 ft altitude while the top of the Alps is just over 9300 ft.

    Our second stop was at the Soca River, which has a distinct emerald green color and is considered to be one of the most beautiful rivers in all of Europe. In 2007, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian filmed its final scenes here.

    We continued onto the town of Bovec, a small town in the Littoral Region, which was devastated during WW1. We had a delicious lunch at the Levtri VRT restaurant.

    A few Slovenian things we learned from Robert...
    - #8 is osem (sounds like awesome)
    - Say "let the mother hen kick you" instead of telling someone to go to hell
    - after a night of drinking, one might be "calling the reindeers" (throwing up)

    The day ended with a farewell drink with our group as everyone had different departure times the next day.    Read more

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