In February we traded our condo share for a resort on the island of Brac in Croatia. Little did we know how COVID would decimate the tourist industry in that part of the world. Rather than fly, we decided to drive down, and enjoy the scenery along the way. Our trip took us through Slovenia and Croatia. On the way down we paused in Bled, Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Plitvicka, and in Zadar and Opatija on the way back. On other post I have photos of Brac, Split, and Plitvicka. This one is dedicated to the trip down and back.
With the split of Yugoslavia, after the war, Croatia received almost the entire Dalmatian coastline. This strip of rocky coast is sparsely inhabited.
On the way down we took our time. Spent a couple of days in Slovenia. Lake Bled, just over the border from Austria is a must see (for Werner), if you have time- a great side trip.
Tucked in between the Julian Alps, there's a quaint church on an island in the middle of the lake.
We made it to Ljubljana, the capitol of Slovenia, spent the night, and did some exploring the next day.
This bridge has dragons! Across the river, on top of the hill they have a castle, of course.
From the castle at the top of the hill you can see the entire surrounding town. What a fitting flower arrangement for our 37th anniversary.
After Ljubljana we were off to Zagreb, capitol of Croatia, Spent the night and explored some more.
Of course, you have to spend a little time in the morning farmer's market.
And of course, the local cathedral deserves a visit. Stone parts of this magnificent building have been wearing off, and they are replacing them, piece by piece.
Upon the recommendation of some friends, on the return trip, back from Brac, we stopped for a couple of hours to see the port city of Zadar. History is an interesting thing. In the US we think of 200 year old buildings as old. In Europe 200 years is newer, and 1,200 years is old. Down here, things are not historical/old until they are a couple thousand years old. Zadar has "old" Roman ruins,
This little pathway to the ocean is lined with pieces of Roman columns that once were walls of a Roman temple.
The market square in the center of the old town is lined with old Roman buildings.
The breakwater along the dock is honeycombed with passageways so that the incoming waves play music through the air passages.
Randomly placed old Roman columns appear as you wander through the old town. Modern art is also found randomly placed about the old town.
To wrap up the trip we drove the coastline back to Opatija for our final night stay. Wow, when they say windy road, they really mean it.
The pictures almost speak for themselves. Not a lot of economic vitality here, just a very quite lifestyle.
We drove for hours in search of an open public toilet, and finally gave up (bushes...)
There you are just driving along minding your own business and, suddenly come across a reminder of the recent war here.
In Opatija we discovered our accommodations were totally unacceptable, and had to scramble to find decent lodging for the night. Fortunately we came upon this great place.
This private residence has apartments for rent through booking.com. Wow, talk about immaculate gardens, a pool, outdoor bar and patio. etc. Breakfast was also fabulous.
Perfect way to finish of a two week trip down south, with a "sundog" sunset over the Adriatic.
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