Surely Slovenia, Doubtful Dubrovnik

   

Bled Castle
Bled, Slovenia

     Talk about a breath of fresh air.  That was Slovenia.  We had spent the initial part of our trip in big cities.  Charming and alive yes, but busy as cities will be.  We left Budapest sitting in the front seat of the big bus.  The windshield went on forever though at the beginning there wasn’t much to see.  As we thought we were entering Slovenia (within the European union it is hard to tell when one is crossing a border) the topography began to change.  Hills and green forests.  
     

Ljubljana, Slovenia

     As we approached the Slovenian capitol of Ljubljana I immediately had a good feeling about the city.  Few cars, no high rises, a general feeling of calmness.  We had been given directions on how to walk to our apartment from the bus station, so we did.  We soon discovered that the entire “old city” is pedestrian only.  Though the capitol of the country, the city has the feel of a small town.  We spent two days browsing the streets, checking out the mandatory castle, and doing some pleasant window shopping.  

Ljubljanica River
Ljubljana, Slovenia

     As we checked in to our Airbnb I told the host we hoped to rent a car but that my license had been stolen.  I said I had an international license and my passport but wasn’t sure if that was enough.  She immediately said “let me call the agency”.  She did and they indicated no problem with renting the car.  One worry removed.   Slovenia is a small country.  In fact they say on a clear day, from the top of the castle tower, one can see 1/3 of the country!  In the ensuing days we saw a lot of it.  Slovenia is such a treasure.  The Eastern part of the Alps, named the Julian Alps after the man himself, touch the Western border of the country.  If one likes site seeing, lakes, hiking, biking, skiing, motorcycle riding, or just chilling Slovenia has it.  We experienced friendly people who, for the most part, spoke English (lucky us).  

Slovenia Countryside

  One day we just drove.  No particular destination.  Small one lane roads dominated.  We came upon farms hidden away in secluded valleys, a cemetery like we had never seen before (so orderly, flowers at every grave, tucked into the shadow of the small church), and farm animals roaming the roads.  Smiles on our faces the entire time.  We found our way to a well known Slovenian lake, Lake Bohinj. The books say one of the most beautiful lakes in the world (heard that before?).  We thought it was.  On the edge of the lake is a winter ski resort that has a gondola that had been recommended to us.  Up we went.  Fantastic is all I can say.  The view of the lake and the Alps beyond was just incredible.  Again, Cynthia’s photo will have to tell the tale.

Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

  When leaving the Alps we drove drove over a pass where every hairpin turn is numbered.  50 of them.  Reminded us so much of our experience negotiating those corners on motor cycle when we did the Western Alps.  Not for the faint of heart.  At the top of the pass one sees the image of a  “maiden” carved in the rock and a hole in the mountain letting light shine through in such an unlikely place.  Very cool.  

Julian Alps
Slovenia

     The road brought us to the Adriatic Sea, a body of water neither of us had ever seen.  We started our Adriatic adventure in Piran, Slovenia and then moved on to Rovinj, Croatia and then to Dubrovnik, Croatia.  Beautiful?  No doubt.  

Piran, Slovenia

Piran Night Scene, Slovenia

     We started small (Piran) and moved to larger, capped by Dubrovnik.  Our first experience with Croatia was Rovinj.  The scene was lively but certainly not overwhelming.  We explored the charming back streets and discovered our favorite beer (Tomislav) at a seaside bar.  

Back Street
Rohinj, Croatia

     On our final evening we got really lucky.  As we rounded a corner entering the main square we came upon a large group of people all in costume.  What's this we wondered.  It soon became apparent that we had stumbled upon an international folk dancing exhibition featuring dancers from all over Eastern Europe.  We loved it.  From the oldsters to the raucous youngsters.  We stood, clapped with the crowd, and finally just had to sit on the pavement.  

Folk Dancers
Rohinj, Croatia

Folk Dancers
Rohinj, Croatia

     As mentioned earlier we have been rolling with the reality that we are in tourist destinations.  In Dubrovnik I think we hit the wall.  Literally.  It is the walled city and is indeed fascinating (Unesco World Heritage Site). For centuries it kept out the invading forces from the East.  No such luck with the tourists. Oh my God.  Tourist cruise ships with thousands on board make this a destination.  I haven’t seen hordes of people like this since the glory days of the Ann Arbor Art Fair.  In fairness one can escape it by taking the totally obscure back lanes but that only goes so far.  I guess they filmed scenes for Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik and one can even do a tour of those locations.  Excuse me if I take a pass.  

Old City
Dubrovnik, Croatia

     I am a bit negative here only because I was really looking forward to Dubrovnik and we found the seemingly unending crowds make it almost untenable.  On the upside we loved our little apartment.  We came from a one night stand in Pula, Croatia where there is an airport, and stayed in a true dive.  Christ i wish I could still do the hostel scene, but I just can’t.  To me it is truly hostile.  So glad it was only one night.  We didn’t even meet any fun young hippies.  The place was a ghost town.  So when we arrived in Dubrovnik we were thrilled with our digs.   Cynthia claims we are maintaining our “buns of steel” that we have developed in our Paxanax home as our trek home from the Old City was up, up and a bit more up.  Luckily, no problem.  As is usually the case once one gets a bit more familiar with a place everything seems more comfortable.  True with Dubrovnik.  We walked the wall which gave us a great perspective of both the terra-cotta colored town and the sea beyond.  

Terra Cotta Roofs
Old City, Dubrovnik, Croatia

     Found a hide-a-way little bar that has the Adriatic’s pounding waves providing the sound.  The crowds didn’t disappear but we found more secluded spots that weren’t so overrun.  
     One interesting footnote on Dubrovnik.  During Croatia's war of independence in 1991 Dubrovnik's Old City was bombed.  The ensuing outrage from the international community caused a public relations disaster for Serbia and Montenegro who were the perpetrators.  Diplomatic and economic isolation were the result.  

Graffiti on Bombed Out Building
Dubrovnik, Croatia

  Croatia has some 10,000 islands off its coast of which only about 80 are inhabited.  We took a day cruise on a smallish replica merchant ship that took us to 3 of the islands near Dubrovnik.  Maybe 75 people so it was manageable.  We did a lot of walking on the islands, the crew served a very satisfying lunch, the two musicians knew songs from every country imaginable (Take Me Home, Country Roads) and when we returned we were done for the day.  Wouldn’t have missed Dubrovnik but frankly we were ready to move on.  

"Karnaka," our ship for the day
Dubrovnik, Croatia

     Our next adventures will be in Montenegro and Romania.  2/3 done with our trip.  We’ve learned a lot about the history of Eastern Europe, enjoyed their people, been a bit surprised at the prices, liked their cities and loved their varied nature.  One, maybe two more blogs to come.  As always thanks for reading! 

All photographs copyright by Cynthia Davis, 2018.  All rights reserved.