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April - December 2017
A 254-day adventure by Our Year Off Read more
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  • Our Year OffEurope
    111
    Day 60

    Split

    June 6, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Stuart had been bitten by a mosquito on leaving Dubrovnik. It wasn't until we arrived in Kastel Luksic that we realised his foot was hugely swollen and he was struggling to walk. He could've done with rubbing the foot of your man Bishop Grgur Ninski instead of posing with him - it is said to bring you good luck - but we forgot about that.

    The bite was a few days ago and therefore I thought he could easily manage the 303 stairs to view Split from the Marjan Peninsula once we had seen it from the ground! He did but we didn't do too much walking around once we were up there as he was in quite a bit of discomfort. I am a very thoughtful wife!

    Split is an Old Town - like a mini Dubrovnik - with the modern town growing up around it. It was a half hour bus ride from where we are staying. I preferred it to Dubrovnik as whilst it had the same marble roads and stone buildings, it definitely has a more chilled out vibe. Our guide describes it as a 'hectic' place but maybe we were there on a quiet day but I didn't get that impression at all.

    Through the Bronze Gate of the Old Town you get to the port from where you can travel to the various Islands. Many people advised us to visit the Islands - in particular Havr - but on our budget it'll have to wait for another time.

    Whilst Stuart was nursing his elephant foot, I have been suffering from the heat.. arms are all bumpy 😳. This gave us a perfect excuse to head to the air conditioned cinema in one of the shopping malls. As you will know we love going to the cinema and this one did not disappoint. We already knew that Croatians watched films in English with Croatian subtitles, one of the many reasons they speak such good English! Relaxing in the big seats of a near empty cinema to watch Wonder Woman for about £3 each, can't complain!

    The day was topped off at Sexy Cow, a fast food place we had found on good ole Tripadvisor. Great filled wraps with lots of flavour and I just loved the name :)    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    1
    1
    Day 64

    Trogir

    June 10, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    So on our last day in Kastela, we visited Trogir, another UNESCO World Heritage site a bus ride in the other direction.

    Whilst I run the risk of sounding spoilt with lovely places - I am - the main attraction is the Old Town. To my uncultured eye, this is a lot like both Dubrovnik and Split. White marble roads, attractive stone buildings, by the sea and maze-like small streets.

    Both the highlight and the lowlight was climbing the Cathedral Tower. It gives you a "sweeping view" of the town, but I couldn't experience these as I developed some kind of height fright half way up the bell tower so let Stuart continue whilst I held the handrail in a vicelike grip.. If you look at the photo he took you will see me in the corner holding on for dear life!

    Also the Cathedral has a ornate door featuring Adam and Eve, who I am copying. Also in the Chapel - dedicated to St John of Trogir - there is a man popping his head out upside down and for all the googling I cannot work out who he is or what he is doing.. too cheap to buy a guidebook :)

    So possibly good timing to be moving on tomorrow to see some different sights altogether!    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    122
    Day 65

    Plitvička Jezera

    June 11, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    So definitely saw some different sights today.

    The Plitvice Lakes take your breath away. Waterfall after waterfall leading to crystal clear lakes. It really feels almost like a fairytale. You follow wooden walkways and take boats and a train/van/type/vehicle to get around. I don't think I can do it justice with an explanation so I have tried to pick the best 6 photos to give you an idea of what it is like. Though I am not sure that they show you how amazing it really is either. You will have just have to visit for yourselves!

    By the time we had arrived at the Lakes it was about 3pm and whilst it was quite busy I think a lot of people had come and gone. There is a lot to explore, hence we walked about 9 miles in the 4 hours we were there.

    On the drive into Plitvice we had noticed various red triangular road signs with pictures of bears... So Stuart was desperate to see a bear. He said that this would be even better than having seen the Pope or Nairo Quintana. If any of you however, have seen the documentary about bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell, as I have (thanks Amy) you would have shared my desperation NOT to see a bear. Also we worked out on our walk back to the B&B through the woods at dusk that all we had to defend ourselves was GoPro on a stick.

    Safely back at the B&B we had a meal of potatoes, salad with traditional Croatian meats and a paprika salsa, neither of which names I could repeat, cooked by the owner. It was absolutely delicious. I swear the sausage had some kind of melted cheese in it which for me was heaven.

    Now we are exhausted but looking forward to seeing the Capital tomorrow.    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    5
    Day 69

    Zagreb

    June 15, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had a couple of nights in the capital before leaving Croatia.

    Zagreb is not a big city and was the first place that didn't seem to be swarming with Tourists. Lots of great things to see when wondering around and a really chilled out atmosphere. We arrived in the afternoon on the first day so we took a slow meander around - it was like 35 degrees - and took in some of the main sights. First observation that it was really green and really clean. there are also lots of statues, but Nikola Tesla is the only name I recognised, albeit I had to google what he is famous for :)

    We rented a room in the flat of a Croatian chap about our age. So the first night we spent with him and his friend. We drank beer together and they told us about Croatia:

    the corrupt politics;
    the mass migration to Germany;
    the lack of recycling;
    that it is legal to ride a scooter without a helmet;
    that there are many places we really should visit next time;
    that their "popstars" are just regular people who like to sing, earn a normal wage and live in the local neighbourhoods; and
    the women...

    Croatian women appear to all be beautiful and slim... in a country where they make croissants filled with chocolate, I don't know how that is possible!

    On the second day we walked around the Dolac Market. We bought some Burek (traditional Croatian stuffed pastry) for lunch. We then visited the Cathedral, which I thought we had been told was the tallest building in Croatia - despite the various high rises that have sprung up - but I have since read that apparently it is the tallest in the Country. No wonder I couldn't fit it in my photo! It had an impressive interior and the ceiling looks like it is covered in stars. It is also rumoured that its three chandeliers were in fact made for a casino in Las Vegas but ended up here instead.

    Next up we headed to the 'Museum of Broken Relationships', whose exhibits are items contributed to by people who have been broken hearted alongside the stories that accompany them. Our host was not keen when I suggested we were going to go but we went anyway. Whilst the items were some regular and some random - many household and many weird - the stories made it for me. Varying from funny to strange to tearjerking.

    By this point we were both a little weary so we headed to Tkalciceva Street to people watch. Its basically a cool street full of bars and restaurants where you can sit and watch the Croatian world go by.

    To finish the night we went to a Croatian restaurant for traditional BBQ food recommended by our host. As you will see from the picture.. it was a real meat feast. We had already tried some of this in Plitvice from our host there so had an idea of what to expect but it was really immense. Meat stuffed with cheese.. dreamy...    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    1
    Day 76

    Ljubljana

    June 22, 2017 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Sorry for the little delay in posting this but whilst we are now in Austria, we arrived here from a stay in Lovely Ljubljana.

    The Slovenian capital is wonderful and there was so much going on.

    We had an idea of a couple of things that we wanted to see but had no idea that there would be so much else on offer else we would likely have stayed for more time. Also we only really saw two other places in Slovenia other than Ljubljana but I get the impression that there is so much more to experience. Our host and his friends told us of so much more.. definitely one to add to the future holiday list!

    We arrived on the Thursday and spent most of the day chatting to our new Slovenian friends. Later in the evening we did pop into town to try some Slovenian food - more of that in a separate post as I must elaborate on the food we had whilst here as it was so fantastic!

    Friday we knew that the Tour of Slovenia was taking place so we headed to the HUGE Tivoli Park to watch the start. Got up close to Mark Cavendish was definitely a highlight. Not such a grand scale as the Giro in Italy but great atmosphere. Once the race started we toured the park on the bikes that were included with the place we rented. Things were going well until Stuart snapped the pedal and the pedal arm clear off his bike with his brute strength.. so we were walking after that..! heading back in to the centre of the city we found the weekly Friday food market, and aren't we glad we did, amazing food.. again. After lunch the heavens opened and we waited - luckily undercover - for the end of the race. There was a nasty crash just before the finish but an exciting finish nonetheless.

    Taking the broken bike back to the flat our host was very understanding as I suspect the bike was not brand new. We then wandered back into the city for a bit of sightseeing on foot and another lovely meal.

    Saturday Stuart had discovered a board games cafe so we headed there. Great place, lots of games and good coffee. After this we had read of a burger and beer festival - right up our street :) in the centre. We then visited Ljubljana Castle where we finally got to ride in a Funicular. Having missed out on a couple of previous chances to go in one. We then had an amazing tour where they get actors to reenact stories detailing the Castles past as a penitentiary in different parts of the castle. The attached picture is taken from the viewing tower for which we had to climb the spiral stairs.. my height fright returned but it was worth battling through it for the incredible view. Apparently you can see a third of Slovenia from up there.

    From the castle we headed to an area called Metelkova. It is covered with Graffiti and is like the 'alternate' area in Ljubljana, It was a "former barracks complex of the Yugoslav Army" according to our guide. We were here specifically as it was the start of Ljubljana Pride. As proud allies to the LGBTQ community we enjoyed the parade through the city streets to loud music and surrounded by lots of colour as you will see! Incredibly that was not all as we stumbled upon an open air concert set up. Turns out we had arrived in time to get seats to a free concert by the Slovenian Philarmonic Orchestra. Accompanied by a mezzo-soprano they covered various famous opera and show tunes.. amazing music and luck for us!

    To say that we had to choose to miss a wine festival shows you how much there was to do! Definitely top of my "will come again" list so far..

    But the food, oh the food, it really does deserve a separate post...    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    2211
    Day 76

    Ljubljana

    June 22, 2017 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    And the food...

    Not necessarily Slovenian but amazing appetite crunchers..

    The first evening we visited a Slovenian 'fast food' joint called Klobarsarna. Traditional Slovenia sausage, bread accompanied by horseradish/mustard type sides..

    The Friday Food market offered food from everywhere and there was plenty of seating and the area was buzzing with people and noise. We chose some Egyptian chicken wrap thing which was out of this world. The smell as we passed by meant that we could not fail to choose it from the hundreds of stalls, lucky as I don't know how we would have picked otherwise.

    Saturday was no question, BURGER. Same market place and size as Friday but this time only burgers and beer.. heaven. Choice was harder but very pleased with what we had.

    The Thai is just for our now "traditional post Pride Thai" as we have eaten this after the previous two Pride parades too.

    The final photo is the famous Bled Cake.. taken on our visit to Lake Bled this week, we had read all about it and it didn't disappoint. Vanilla cream filled delight perfect after a walk around the lake!

    one thing is certain, definitely not going to waste away on this trip..!    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    4
    Day 77

    Wien

    June 23, 2017 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    "This means nothing to me.. Oh Vienna" (Ultravox.. some time in the 80's)

    Can't see that the eighties anthem has anything to do with the Austrian capital, but it keep looping through my mind the whole visit :)

    Headed to Wien - the pronunciation of which I love.. sounds like 'ween' - mainly to visit a friend Kinga, who I lived with in Paris many years ago. We were incredibly grateful that she invited us to stay in her apartment which was very central. Especially as this meant she had to decamp to her boyfriend Gerhardt's place for the weekend.

    Friday night we went to Museumplatz, an area where there are various museums and galleries and where people come to relax and meet. We had dinner and then finally - much to Stuart's delight - went for an 'Upsucker' (sp.?). Kinga had told Stuart about the 'Upsucker' in London a couple of years ago and he had talked about it ever since. It is basically when someone suggests one more drink - an 'Upsucker' - you cannot refuse. So as you can imagine, a real hardship for us ;D

    Saturday morning Stuart and I headed to a Viennese Kaffeehaus for breakfast (really all we are doing is eating our way around Europe!) which had been recommended to us. The typical Kaffeehaus was described to me as a bit dated and a bit sticky and it didn't disappoint! Quite atmospheric and the breakfast was good. Kinga was also very kind to invite us to a picnic on the Saturday with her friends so we got to spend the afternoon and evening meeting Austrians and other Europeans who live and work in Austria. I had my first taste of Wiener schnitzel in Wien though it was cooked by an Irish man! Delicious nonetheless! It was also when I finally realise Wiener means Viennese and therefore Wiener Schnitzel means "Viennese Schnitzel".. we also had some Topfenstrudel which when I googled it came up with 'CHEESE STRUDEL', but it is a dessert a little like cheese cake type stuff in pastry. Also very good.

    Sunday we had a personal tour from Kinga and Gerhardt around some of Vienna's sights. We saw Stephansdom, the "Hoary and Gothic" cathedral, as it is described in our guide.

    I had to look this word Hoary up and this is what the dictionary says:

    hoary
    [hawr-ee, hohr-ee]

    adjective, hoarier, hoariest.
    1.gray or white with age:
    an old dog with a hoary muzzle.
    2.ancient or venerable:
    hoary myths.
    3.tedious from familiarity; stale:
    Please don't tell that hoary joke at dinner again tonight.

    I am not sure which of the three meanings the guide intended but I suppose it could fall in all three categories.. It is grey with age, looking quite dramatic with the grey rain clouds gathering overhead. It could be classed as ancient as it was initially completed in 1160 and perhaps being there so long makes it stale to the locals..

    We also saw the statute commemorating the lives lost to the Black Plague, wandered around the Hofburg palace which used to be used by Austria's sovereigns I think until the early 20th century. Kinga told us the story of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand which led to the start of WWI - which I did not know. Interesting story of a failed attempt and then an accidental detour leading to the actual assassination which is quite fascinating. In the evening had some drinks next to the Donaukanal (Danube channel), where interestingly people are allowed to graffiti on the riverside.

    Ended the night with a "Hotdog mit Kasekrainer" .. basically a hotdog with cheese in it in a roll.. mmmm!    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    121
    Day 80

    Attersee am Attersee

    June 26, 2017 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Brief post to show you some pictures of the beautiful Attersee where we stopped for lunch en route from Vienna to Salzburg.

    It was a recommendation which did not disappoint. A clear blue lake framed by mountains. I think the pictures speak for themselves.Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    2
    1322
    Day 80

    Salzburg

    June 26, 2017 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We discovered in Vienna that a lot of Austrians have not heard of, or do not particularly care for, the Sound of Music. I on the other hand, do.

    The coach tour was our main reason for visiting Salzburg. Stuart was delighted that for about 3 weeks preceding this visit I had insisted on listening to the CD in the car on loop so I could be fully prepared for the singalong!

    We found out on the tour that the film was actually a flop in Austria and Germany. The Sound of Music is based loosely on the life of the real Von Trapp family who fled Austria in not so dramatic a fashion before the Second World War. There had been a previous German language film made based on the story and therefore people there were not flocking to see the Hollywood remake. So much so that it was pulled from cinemas due to lack of sales.

    This was our first coach tour and the lack of the enthusiasm from the other tour passengers (except the Canadian mother daughter duo next to us) meant it was a little underwhelming. You do however learn a lot about the film on the tour and visit the church in a lakeside town called Mondsee where Maria and the Captain were married in the Hollywood film - which was beautiful - so it was worth doing.

    Apart from the tour, and in between my recreating scenes Julie Andrews style, we did have time to visit some other things in Salzburg. We walked half way up to the fortress overlooking the city. Only half way as that was as far as my knees and the humidity would allow. We also visited the Cathedral and heard a choir sing in one of the churches.

    We also met a chap called Mick from Milton Keynes in a bar who is a trucker travelling on his own and showed us his tattoos of the flags of the countries he has visited. He also used to frequent the pubs where Stuart grew up in Buckinghamshire, so we had a lot to talk about.

    Most importantly we ate a doughnut pretzel about the size of my head... sweet sugary goodness it was great.    Read more

  • Our Year OffEurope
    25
    Day 86

    Tábor

    July 2, 2017 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We did not intend to be in the Czech Republic right now but the weather and a subsequent cancellation by our alternate host in Germany thwarted our original plans.

    We had some German campsites planned and then we found out about weather warnings for severe thunderstorms. Didn't quite fancy putting the tent up in the pouring rain and not being able to cook for ourselves for the next few days. We have a gas cooker which is fab but not really user friendly in bad weather, something that we found out in Austria! So we found somewhere on Airbnb in Germany but the host cancelled the day before we were due to leave..

    As places in Germany are really not that cheap we decided to head the other way and ended up here in the Czech Republic. Tabor in particular as we found a nice looking place with a decent price tag.

    Tabor does not feature in any of our guides but we have enjoyed our stopover here. The best thing to do here according to Tripadvisor was the Hussite museum. It was actually quite interesting and we got to try on 12kg of chainmail and also had a tour in some underground passages with a guided tour in Czech...

    Yesterday we went into the town again - to visit the botanical gardens - as we were running out of things to do and trying to help our budget. It was a Saturday afternoon and it was completely deserted. Appears that everything closes at 12pm and everyone actually disappears. We first thought we had entered the zombie apocalypse and felt safe when we saw a hunting shop where we could steal guns if the zombies appeared. But we eventually saw one human gardener mowing the lawn.

    The apartment is great and Stuart has been able to do some actual cooking :) so I am pleased.    Read more

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