Tag Archives: Croatia

Mysterious Lake Bled of Slovenia

Wednesday, September 2. We put the lakes behind us as we headed once more to drive along the Croatia seacoast.

We paused at a restaurant on the Adriatic for a coffee break. The restaurant had a terrace looking out over the ocean with a stairway leading to the sea. The water was clear and an azure blue, looking inviting and already drawing bathers from the nearby B&B. We continued on.

Our stop in Opatija on the Istrian Peninsula would be our last stop in Croatia. It is a lovely coastal town with a distinct Austrian flavor. In the late 19th century a southern railroad connected it with Vienna, making it a vacation spot for Austrian nobility and the Imperial family. The town lost its prestige after World War II and was only revived in the 1960’s. We walked along the shore in our first drizzly day of the trip trying to get a sense of the city. We were able to stop in an abbey church dedicated to St. James (the abbey after which the town is named – Opatija means abbey) and walked through a seaside park with a statue of a maiden with a seagull. Originally a Madonna was where the maiden now stands, taken down during the communist regime.

Replica of the Madonna that occupied the place where the statue of the maiden with a seagull now stands.

Replica of the Madonna that occupied the place where the statue of the maiden with a seagull (above) now stands.

Flag of Slovenia

Shortly after leaving Opatija we crossed into not only Slovenia but the European Union. We proceeded to our last stop of the day, the Postojna Caves. It is a 24,000 meter long cave system, luckily we only toured a 4 kilometer stretch, including two train rides. The temperature is constantly at 50 degrees, meaning coats were recommended. The caves were dramatically lit and interesting to look at, but the tour went on a bit long (1.5 hours). Several photos are in this post but it was difficult to do them justice. Here is a video of the cave railway.

After the caves we came to Bled and to our hotel on Lake Bled. Lake Bled is a glacial lake. We were excited that our rooms overlooks the lake, the castle and the Julian Alps.

From the Adriatic Coast to the Alpine Regions

Tuesday, September 1. Started toward Plitvice Lakes National Park, stopping first at Trogir, Croatia. Trogir’s origins date to the 3rd century BC, a major port until the Roman period. The city was demolished in 12th century by Muslims, but recovered quickly and became an economic center protected by Venice. We enjoyed walking through the historical sites and the harbor.

Main gate. Trogir, Croatia.

Beautiful Venetian courtyard.

Saint Lawrence cathedral. Trogir, Croatia.

Gazing heavenward.

Portal of the Cathedral.

Main door. Saint Lawrence cathedral.

Saint Lawrence

Venetian fortification. Trogir, Croatia.

We ate lunch at a cafeteria “leftover from the socialist era” according to our guide. The main courses were “comfort food,” starches and heavy sauces… so we split a sandwich. The were several animals in pens around the restaurant including live deer, a wild boar and a bear… with taxidermied versions of the same animals inside. The most important attraction was the clean bathrooms.

After checking into our hotel we started on foot on our walk exploring the lower lakes of Plitvice Lakes National Park, a 5.5 mile trek in high heat. It started with two boat rides, then we walked along a path that lead to the falls. All the water in the substantial, connected lakes are from several mountain rivers coming together. The water was so clear it reflected a sapphire color, and fish could be clearly seen from the shore. The walkways could be treacherous and the climb at the end proved a challenge to some in the group. It was a beautiful but exhausting trip.

Plivice Lakes National Park. Croatia.

Dinner tonight boasted local food and local music. The food was trout or veal, with the mandatory overkill on the potatoes. The local music was two accordions and a beat up guitar and bass. There were some lively Croatian songs but also standards such as “Proud Mary,” “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

Dinner at a local restaurant with “local” music. Croatia.

Tomorrow we drive to Slovenia.

Split’s Living Museum

Monday, August 31. We left early to make our way to Split, Croatia. We took the coastal road to experience the coastline and the many beautiful coastal villages. It was the long drive but it was a sunny day and the Adriatic Sea was beautiful.

Within the first half hour we entered Bosnia-Herzegovina. We made a quick rest stop, not that we needed it as much as to take photos and add another country to our list.

Bosnia-Herzegovina.

There was also a bus of Spaniards at the stop making a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Bosnia-Herzegovina has only a small portion of the coastline and we were driving out of it about as quickly as we drove in, although it added two more border stops to the day. The reason why Bosnia-Herzegovina has this portion of coast is that in the 14th century the Republic of Dubrovnik gifted it to the Muslims to be a buffer state between them and the Venetians. When Yugoslavia was broken up they were required to respect historical borders.

Back in Croatia we paused for another stop with a view before stopping in Makarska for lunch. Makarska has a beautiful harbor.

We enjoyed a light lunch of calamari before taking a walk in the old town. It was hot and we were happy to get to the air conditioning on the bus. We continued along the coastline enjoying its beauty.

The main reason we are in Split is to see Diocletian’s Palace. Diocletian was the last pagan emperor of the Roman Empire (succeeding emperors were Christians). He built the palace in 305 AD as his retirement palace on the Adriatic. The complex covered 323,000 square feet. We were able to view the foundation substructure which supports the town these 1700 years later, a witness to Roman engineering. After the collapse of the Empire the area was transformed into a medieval village and the palace was divided into dwellings and public spaces. Diocletian was the last great persecutor of the Church, even putting to death his wife and daughter when they converted to Christianity, but his mausoleum is now a cathedral and his temple to the god Jupiter is now a baptistery. Today the palace is the “old town” and part of its architecture is integrated into the medieval and modern structures. UNESCO had named this a “living museum” as life continues within the historic palace walls. Tomorrow we will see Plivice Park.

An original tower from the palace.

The columns are original.

The substructure upon which the palace was built.

Rendering of Diocletian’s palace.

The Diocletian mausoleum that was turned into the cathedral.

Mosaics from the palace

View of cathedral.

The portal of the vestibule.

The vestibule.

The oculus of the vestibule.

Short video of a group performing in the vestibule.

The peristil (peristyle).

The entry into the emperor’s living quarters.

The golden gate. The main entrance into the palace.

A medieval residence.

The clock tower.

The cathedral bell tower.

The silver gate.

A side crucifix.

The pulpit.

Main altar of the cathedral.

Baptistery in former temple to Jupiter.

Baptistery.

The portal to the temple of Jupiter.

A sphinx that Diocletian brought back from Egypt.

The Golden Hues of Dubrovnik

Part of the Dominican Monastery, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Dubrovnik: the Pearl of the Adriatic

Sunday, August 30. We spent the whole day today in Dubrovnik. We began at a place where we could get a panoramic view, then proceeded to the pile (or main) gate to enter the old city. A guide took us to the Franciscan monastery with their treasury of relics, manuscripts, and paintings, then proceeded to a narrow street that boasted the oldest structures. An earthquake and fire in 1667 demolished much of the town. The bombings from Bosnia in 1991 also ruined many of the roofs but fortunately the town was able to rebuild. We also went to the old port.

We had to break away from the end of the tour having found out Mass was to begin at a nearby church. The Mass was to be in English but the priest was not proficient in English and stumbled through it. We were grateful for it anyway. The Mass was at a baroque Jesuit church, Saint Ignatius. It took some climbing to get to the church. We were able to take photos afterwards.

Separated from our group we decided to spend the rest of the day in the old city. It was an extremely hot day and we planned our day accordingly, to escape the heat. We spent some time at the old port. It is mainly used for pleasure boats; larger and cruise ships must use a deeper new port. Still, the old port was bustling and we enjoyed sitting in shade and people-watching.

Not in chronological order, we also visited the Dominican monastery, the cathedral, walked through various quarters of the city, took a boat along the seawalls and out into the Adriatic Sea, and walked the circumference of the city atop the city walls. This walk atop the city walls was about 2 miles and 1.5 hours but treated us to an incredible perspective of the city and port. We were exhausted when we finally sat down to an excellent dinner of sea bass and the local white wine.

After dinner were able to see the city lit up at night. Tomorrow we travel to Split.