Roadtrippin'

Our last day in Bled and we opted to take a four hour detour loop on our way back to Ljubljana. We had read about the Vršič Pass in Lonely Planet as one of the highlights of Eastern Europe. We are suckers for beautiful drives so we definitely wanted to check it out.

We were not disappointed. We were actually blown away. The "Russian Road" was built by Russian prisoners of war during WWI and named in their honor as many were killed in avalanches. This area gets so much snow the road is closed 4 months out of the year.

The weather could not have been more perfect for our trip. The roadside fields were covered in wildflowers and little herds of grazing sheep. The fairytale continues.

The winding road was comprised of about 50 hairpin turns over about 30 km.

After crossing the pass we started winding our way down through the Trenta Valley. Beautiful little farm houses and rope bridges spanning the river.

Our only major regret is that we didn't have more time to stop and enjoy some of the outdoor activities. We passed groups of kayakers, rafters and tons of hikers and bikers. We will definitely be back. This area is amazing. So glad we made the detour.

Once upon a time...

We rented a car in Ljubljana and drove about an hour to the Lake Bled region of the Julian Alps. From the moment we arrived I felt like I was in a fairytale.

Due to its proximity to the capital, Bled has always been a favorite summer and winter vacation spot for Slovenians. Old villas line the lakefront.

Alex and I walked the 6 km route around the lake the first day we were there. The views of Bled, the castle on the hill, and the church on the island were phenomenal and just kept getting prettier and prettier the further we walked.

The glacial lake is home to the World Rowing Championships and it was cool to get to watch some crews practicing. Its early spring, so we also got to enjoy watching the hatchling white swans and ducks paddle alongside their mothers on the lake's edge. I mean baby swans....adorable.

Morning two and we drove about 5 km to the Vintgar Gorge to take a famous hike along the river. This was cool.

We wound up in a tiny little Slovenian town and Alex and I poked around watching the locals stack firewood, cute hay, work in their vegetable plots, tend to their cows and horses. Again, I feel like I am in a fairytale. I had to get a picture next to one of these hay stacking thingies. We saw them everywhere. Basically summer here is all about preparing for winter. Every single plot of grass was either being cut, being raked, or allowing the grass to dry. The hay is then stacked on these wooden slats and is able to be stored for winter. We were seeing more and more regular round bales wrapped in plastic, the modern-non-fairytale way of doing it, but some people still opt for the authentic Slovenian way. 

Cute house-barn combo structures with the mountains in the distance.

We climbed up to the castle to get another astounding view of the lake and island. I love this picture. I feel like I am sitting in front of a fake backdrop its so pretty.

The castle. Enough said. Bled is gorgeous, pristine and totally picturesque. Wow.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

We took a train from Zagreb to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Highly recommended by my sister and father, Slovenia is a beautiful country.

A view of the city from on top of Ljubljana Castle on a hill in town.

The Baroque Robba Fountain in the old town square. St Nicholas Cathedral in the background. These cobblestone streets were lined with cool shopping and great outdoor cafes.

Thankfully the weather turned our second day and we were able to explore the beautiful Tivoli Park and the National Museum of Contemporary History.

I don't know if it is the fact that I have recently started drinking coffee for the first time in my life and I had just had a cup, but this was a very interesting and easy to follow museum. I hate when museums are overwhelming and you get lost and constantly feel like you are missing rooms because they are maze-like. This museum was awesome. Completely thorough without being overwhelming. Amazing cultural and historical artifacts and again, I feel like slowly but surely I am kinda sorta starting to understand all of this.

The Tromostovje or Triple Bridge. A very unique three span bridge over the Ljubljanica River in the heart of the old town. 

Cafes lining the Ljubljanica River.

A view of the river and old town. There was a great vibe in this area. We loved it...World Cup matches playing at every bar on outdoor tv's, a Mariachi band (random), jewelry sales, bikes and tons of people enjoying the perfect summer day. Awesome spot.

Zagreb, Croatia

I've gotten a little behind on the blogging front and we are moving so fast that we've hit three new countries since my last post. Time to catch up...

We took the train from Split, home of Emperor Diocletian's palace on the coast of Croatia, to Zagreb, the capital. I have been reading the most tedious book about the history of the Balkans called "Balkan Ghosts". It is DENSE. I feel like I am back in college. But totally interesting and is really helping me get a grasp on the, ummmmmm, lets just say, totally entangled web of tribal and religious feuding that has been going on in this region since before the Roman invasions. The chapter on Zagreb was fascinating. I highly recommend it to anyone traveling in this part of the world.

So now that I sorta kinda understand the religious conflict between the Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish and other inhabitants of Croatia, seeing this cathedral means a lot more to me. This building has seen a lot of conflict and it was overwhelming to walk through its interior and lay eyes on the somewhat controversial Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac's tomb.

Graffiti on an alley wall.

We happened to be in Zagreb on a Sunday and we had read that the largest flea market in Croatia happens just outside of the city. Obviously we had to go check it out. Hrelić Flea Market started over 40 years ago as a hug used car and auto parts market. Over time it has attracted vendors of ever other type. And I mean every other type. Name it. They got it. Unfortunately it was chilly and rainy while we were there so I don't think we saw it in its fully glory, but it was still fascinating. The entry is marked with this awesome horse head sitting on top of brightly colored tires next to the highway.

There were cars. There were knockoff Nikes. And then there were the Roma vendors selling....well junk. But as Alex always says when we flea market together, "One man's trash is another man's trash." I guess its great this stuff gets sorted through and possibly finds new purpose. 

But some of it was pretty funny.

Like broken light bulbs. Old batteries. Deflated balls. Rusty potato peelers.

Rows and rows of this stuff. Deals were to be found I'm sure but it was raining so we heading back into town to hit up our second market of the day.

This one was a little more refined than its neighbor. The Britanski Trg market happens every Sunday at a small square right in town. It was filled with more fabulous junk. We scored here...picking up our first records for our burgeoning collection and one of the better Christmas gifts I have ever found (lucky Bart and Hamp!).

We only had about 48 hours in Zagreb so we covered the city in one day. Strolling Ilica Street and Tomislav Square. Admiring the gorgeous architecture in the administrative area. Exploring the alleys of the old town. Walking around Strossmayer Park. It was awesome. We were exhausted.

Korcula

As you may have noticed, I pretty much monopolize the camera on a day to day basis. I've been mentioning to Alex that its not fair because he has all of these cool shots standing next to art walls and doing cool stuff. Unfortunately I don't think he quite got the message.

This is me, ummm, eating a sandwich on the ferry from Dubrovnik to Korcula. Awesome Alex, thanks, now give me back the camera.

(Photo Credit: Alexander M. Protzman...he does take awesome pictures when given the opportunity)

Well the ferry was 3 hours directly up the coast. Alex and picked Korcula because it is less touristy and less built up then some of its more glamourous neighbors.

Lumbarda on the island of Korcula was perfect. Our sort of 1960s Miami style style hotel was about 100 meters from this beach. You pay about $3 for an umbrella and two chairs and you're good to go. The beaches are small, white, smooth rocks and the water is cool, crystal clear and like a big lake. Alex stepped on a sea urchin and I got sun burned but at least there wasn't any oil.

Just up the hill from the beach and you are in a cute little town surrounded by grape vines and private family farms. As they say in their ad slogan, "Croatia...the Mediterranean as it once was."

We ate at an Italian restaurant right around the bend from our beach and hotel. The large hill in the distance is mainland Croatia and the dark hill is one of hundreds of tiny islands spanning the coast.

The three hour tour...

Alex and I rented a little boat and went out, picnic and snorkling gear in hand, to explore some of the tiny islands around Korcula.

(Photo Credit: AMP)

We found our private island and settled down for a few hours of sunbathing and, after a debate as to what constituted 1 full jump, a rock skipping competition. Paradise.

A quick stay but we are eager to start heading inland. Vacation is over. Back to traveling.

Dubrovnik

Beautiful Dubrovnik!

Alex and I arrived from Montenegro to our awesome hostel right outside of the western Pile Gate. Cheap and centrally located with an amazing host, Marko, to give us some tips on the best spots in town. After staying in around 100 different hotels, we have become experts in hospitality. I can't tell you how many we have walked into and the people behind the counter hardly even make eye contact. Then you run across the Markos of the world and they make sure you are comfortable and get out the maps and highlight the best pizza joints and swimming areas. Not bad for $50 a night.

View of the characteristic terra cotta rooftops, white limestone buildings and while marble pedestrian alleys along Stradun, Dubrovnik's main street. It is really hard to imagine that about 20 years, after declaring its independence from Yugoslavia, Croatia was attacked by Serbian-Montenegrin members of the JNA (Yugoslav People's Army) declaring that Dubrovnik was actually part of Montenegro. The seige lasted 6 months and about 120 civilians were killed. Most of the damage has been repaired but there are a few spots in the city wheer artillary damage can still be seen. Bright, new terracotta roofs are also a clear sign of buildings that were damaged during the encounter.

Things are pretty mellow now.

Women selling lavender sachets and crocheted textiles on a quite back street.

The pedestrian alleys were filled with touristy shopping and cafes. This is definitely the most crowded place we have been in a while and its easy to see why, the town is walkable and beautiful. We couldn't walk one block without hearing the buzzing horns of the World Cup being played at cafes on outdoor tv's. An awesome place to have a coffee or glass of wine and catch up on the latest match. 

The medieval town walls are perfectly preserved and are open to tourists to walk the 2km perimeter. It was great. One side you have beautiful views of the Mediterranean and the other you have sweeping views out over the town.

An old keystone in an archway on the wall.

A few random pics from our walk...

A beautiful town. A bit hot (note Alex's shirt) and crowded but lovely to explore and a great start to our trip up the Dalmation Coast.

We Heart Montenegro

Long post...bear with me...

So, we are in our rental car. Heading inland. Best part of traveling and the thing I will miss the most from this experience...having no plans and no idea where you are going that day. We start our drive and oh my gosh. This is the most amazing drive we have ever been on. The roads are narrow and precarious at points but they are gorgeous and we follow the Tara River Gorge and we are ohhhh-ing and ahhh-ing every chance we get.

The Tara River. CRYSTAL clear. Makes you realize how much sediment we have in our rivers. I mean this water was perfect.

We stopped along the way at a national park and went on a hike through some virgin forest around a mountain lake. Alex and I have started a daily wiki-lookup as we find ourselves asking random questions of each other everyday that neighter of us knows the answer to. Yesterday's lookup: Why do some countries drive on the right and some on the left? (originally horses were on left so that right-handed riders could weild their swords at any advancing threat.). Today's lookup: What is the difference between "virgin" and "old growth" forests?  Answer: nothing. They just like to say "virgin" in Europe. Boring but intersting. This is what you do when you don't have jobs.

At the time it was built this was the largest concrete bridge in the world. It was blown up (by its engineer) during WWII to slow the Italian invasion. It was then later re-constructed. The original engineer was executed on the bridge by the Italians.

Nerd alert.

One of the most popular things to do in Montenegro is to raft the Tara River. We opted for the half day trip. A full day in the deep canyon probably would have been better but it was still fun.

The water was FREEZING (like my feet were numb) but crystal clear. I'm really impressed we both jumped in...especially Alex...he's kinda a wimp with cold water.

I'm sorry...I love this picture. You know how there are those great feelings in life?....jumping in a freezing cold river and then drying off in the hot sun and drinking a cold beer is definitely on that list. Laying in the sun all day and then showering and drinking a cold glass of wine is as well.

More of our amazing drive...

One minute we are on this tiny two lane golf cart path of a road and then we go over a hill and this is what we see....the Bay of Kotor. I mean amazing.

The road wound down the hill in about 25 hairpin turns. Gorgeous sunset. Amazing views. And only minor husband-wife quarreling over how far we needed to stay from the edge.

Kotor.

We stayed on the opposite side of the bay from the walled city of Kotor. This was the road to our hotel. Umm...awesome.

The old town of Kotor. P-I-C-T-U-R-E-S-Q-U-E

A mussel farm on the bay. Yes I ate them and yes they were delicious.

Our hot red coche. The drivers here a only mildly crazy. Alex has done an awesome job. Best advice wegot, put on your right turning signal and let the freaky techno-listening Audis and BMWs pass.

We left Kotor for Herceg Novi...not that far away as the crow flies but about and hour's drive around the curves of the bay. We spent about 30 minutes there and realized we had seen much cooler towns along the way. After 7 nights in 7 different cities (and 4 different countries) Alex and I agreed we were ready for two nights in one place. We chose Perast. From the above picture you can see why. Right on the water. Lovely old Venetian-style architecture. Cafes. And tons of "zimmer rhode" (apartment rental) signs.

The view from our window. No, I'm not kidding. We must have the prettiest view in the whole town. The clock tower in that first picture is right in front of our other window. Both nights we have been here there are about 30 kids playing in the square below. And it has free wi-fi at the cafe downstairs.

The best and worst bar ever. Location, view and water...fabulous. I'll spare our readers the drama but basically we were in heaven here until some Russian mafia looking guys and their jerk friend decided to spray us with their Seadoo and get us totally soaked. Drama ensued and we're over it now but just goes to prove my previously stated point...there are jerks everywhere.

Despite horrible experience at the Pirate Bar, we love Perast and Montenegro and Eastern Europe.