Winging it thru Slovenia and Croatia

Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 01:39 PM
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Winging it thru Slovenia and Croatia

My wife and I had scheduled a 17 day trip to Slovenia and Croatia for last May but had to cancel a week before leaving due to a medical problem. Lufthansa hit us for a $150. per ticket fee for the change. No problem canceling the car thru Auto Europe. When we travel in Europe we use a rental car and wing it for the most part so there were no hotels to cancel. Our trips to Europe are either in May or September. This year I offically became a senior citizen and my wife makes the team next year.

So, now it is September and we are finally on our way. We arrived at Boston's Logan Airport two and half hours before flight time. At check in I find that we do not have the seats that were assigned to us. We booked the flight thru a friend who is a travel agent and she made it very clear to Lufthansa that we needed an aisle seat. We discover that we are in the middle section of four seats across with no aisle seat and in different rows.....what a bummer! The Lufthansa gentleman at check-in made a comment about travel agents not knowing how to assign seats and then making Lufthansa look bad. He also said we shouldn't use a travel agent.....maybe he is right. My wife and I both like to get up a lot during the flight but hate to keep bothering the person next to us....so that made for a long ride. We flew from Boston to Munich and then on to Zagreb.

After arriving in Zagreb we picked up our rental car and as we were driving out of the airport we decided to make a reservation at the Hotel Garny for our final night in Croatia. We had an early morning flight and wanted to be close to the airport. This hotel worked out great but like most airport hotels was a pricey. (double room 762 kunas).

As I do on all our trips, I had worked out a rough itinerary. I say "I" because my wife tells me to make the plans and she will pack the bags. She is easy and I couldn't have a better traveling partner. We usually stick pretty close to the itinerary but sometimes find that I planned on more time in a place than we really need. If that's the case we are able to move on and save the time for a place we like. Our rough itinerary for this trip starts with two nights in Ljubljana, one in Lake Bled, two in the Udine or Trieste, Italy area after a ride thru the Julian Alps, one night in Piran, two nights in Rovinj, one night in Trogir, two nights in Dubrovnik, one in Korcula, two in Hvar, one at Plitvice, one in Zagreb and then the final night at the airport hotel. We ended up sticking pretty close to this schedule but came up a day short and missed Plitvice.

After a two hour drive from the airport we arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We didn't bother to get any of their money as Euros were accepted everywhere and we had some left from a previous trip. I'm sure we didn't get the best exchange rate but figured for the short time we were going to be in Slovenia this was the way to go. We looked around the city for a bit and ended up getting a room at the Hotel Slon for 135 euros. I told the receptionist I would take the room for one night and would let her know about a second night in the am. The hotel was nothing special but it was convenient to the old town and had parking right in front. We were tired and didn't want to shop around for a better price. The hotel Emorec, mentioned in the Forum as an inexpensive place to stay, was fully booked.

After we had moved in and taken a hot shower we were ready to do some exploring. There was a shuttle train in the town square so we decided to hop on and ride to the castle overlooking the city. We spent a hour there and then rode the shuttle back to the town center. We found Ljubljana's old town to be very pleasant but also very small. We ate at a place called the Sokol and this was an excellent choice. In fact, as it turned out our first meal and restaurant of the trip was to be the best by far. The waiters were all very friendly and made it a fun place to eat. I had mushroom soup served in a bread bowl, along with tender roast pork, potatoes and a bottle of their homemade beer. My wife had risotto with mushrooms and their homemade wine. The whole meal was great but the mushroom soup was out of sight. I tried it a couple of other times at other restaurants but none could come close to matching it. Oh yes, the bread, it was the best.

Since we had been up all night traveling we were dragging, so it was back to the hotel and we were tucked in by 9 PM. The next morning we had a real good breakfast at the hotel (included) and then left to walk around the lively farmers market and the old town. We decided that we had pretty much seen what we came to see and chose not to spend another night. We left for Lake Bled at noon.

We stopped after about one hour at the pretty town of Skoja Loka and spent some time walking around and taking pictures. After leaving Skoja we got caught up in a traffic jam caused by construction and the weekend travelers heading to the lake and mountains. We arrived at beautiful Lake Bled and found a room at the hotel Jadran (93 euros). Nice room with a great view of the lake. Lake Bled's peacefullness and beauty have been described so much in the Forum that I won't even get into it except to say that it is all true. That evening we ate at Pri Planenca, a restaurant that had been recommended in the Forum. I asked the gal at the reception desk about it and she said it was all right but she didn't consider it anything special. She was right.....or maybe we just caught them on a bad night. The waiter was very impatient and the food was only so so. I had the mixed meat. It was an enormous portion but most of it was too tough to eat. The prices were very reasonable.

I was up and out at 6am and jogged up to the cathedral and around the Lake. Nothing like it, especially in the early morning. We left Lake Bled at 9:30am and headed for the Julian Alps. It was a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky. When planning this trip, I was praying for a clear sunny day for this ride.
It must be the clean living. Had it been rainy or cloudy with poor visibility, we probably would have headed for Istria. The drive thru the Alps with it's fifty hair pin turns is spectacular and is described as Slovenia's most scenic drive. The road is good and actually is pretty tame compared to some of our drives in the Italian and Swiss Alps. My wife finished the ride wearing the same underwear. We made many stops along the way. I don't recall how long the ride took but I would say it was an easy half day trip. We drove into Italy making brief stops in Cividale and Udine. We thought we might spend the night in Udine but then decided to go on to the Trieste area. We arrived in Trieste in the early evening. Thankfully, it was Sunday night so the traffic wasn't too bad. We continued thru Trieste and ended up in the quaint fishing village of Muggia, just across th bay from Trieste. Found a hotel on the side of the hill with a five minute walk to the center of town. After getting settled in our room we walked to town and ate at a seafood restaurant on the dock. We shared a mixed fish platter and mussels. The mussels were great, the mixed fish were very bony. It would be the last time we ordered mixed fish.

Being in Italy reminded me of our first visit several years ago. We were in Siena and my wife asked me what her reply would be in Italian when someone says thank you or grazie. I told her to say prego. She said, "Oh that's easy to remember, just like the spaghetti sauce". The next morning she was in a shop buying a pastry. When the transaction was complete the man behind the counter said grazie. She looked at him and proudly said ragoo. She heard my muffled laugh in the background and asked what was so funny. I told her she did pretty good....she remembered the spaghetti sauce but she had the wrong brand. Fortunately, the salesperson either didn't hear it or thought she said thank you.

After a nice breakfast, we checked out of the hotel but left our car there and took the 10:15 ferry across the bay to Trieste. (3 euros each, 20 minutes). The ferry lands in the old section. After spending a couple of hours walking around the city we were ready to move on and took the ferry back to Muggia, hopped in the car and headed or Piran. (1 hour)

My fingers are getting tired, so if anyone is interested I will continue later....this is getting kind of long and I may be rambling too much.....
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 02:11 PM
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Interesting and a fun report to read kettamic. And your wifes' "Ragu" answer, priceless, lol!! You obviously like to travel as my dear husband did, winging it and not having the trip all planned out in advance. A fun way to travel. I look forward to your next installment.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 03:32 PM
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Thanks LoveItaly, yes it is a fun way to travel. It makes the trip more of an adventure and gives you some flexability....and thanks for the correct spelling of Ragu. I think there is some kind of sauce called Ragoo as well.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 04:56 PM
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We arrived in Piran mid-afternoon and encountered our first ever village where you had to take a parking ticket to lift a gate to drive into the town. You could also park at the entrance to town and walk in. Not knowing how much walking this would involve we decided to drive in to get our bearings. We luckily found a parking place right in front of the Hotel Piran. We took a short walk to the town square to check out the Hotel Tartini. It was fully booked so I returned to the Hotel Piran.
The receptionist said he had one room left. He called it a "tourist room" and said it was on the top floor. I didn't know what he meant by tourist room and I still don't know. I didn't dare ask because he was very grumpy. Anyway, I went up and checked it out. The room was fine and decent size with a bathroom. The only thing different, instead of having a regular window, it had a round porthole arrangement at floor level. You had to get down on your knees to look out. I told my wife to pretend she was on the Queen Mary. There also was a skylight window. The hotel was very nice and in a great location with parking across the street so we took the room. (68 euros with breakfast). The hotel stamps your parking ticket so parking in the town is free if you stay at a hotel. As usual I got up early and walked around town. I enjoyed going down to the marina and watching the fishermen come in from a night of hauling their nets. They spend hours going thru the nets pulling out the fish, cleaning them and selling them to the locals that come by. We enjoyed our stay in this small Slovenian village.

After breakfast and a final walk around town, we left Piran and made short stops in Umag, Novigrad and a little longer stop in the hilltown of Buje. We ended our day in the beautiful seaport town of Rovinj.

Like Piran, Rovinj is a gated community.
This time we left the car at the parking lot and walked in. We couldn't have driven in anyway. You need an entry card from your hotel to get in. With the card you can then drive to your hotel, drop off your luggage and return your car to a hotel parking lot outside the gate. I left my wife at the farmers market and went to search for a hotel. The first hotel that I checked was the Hotel Adriatic where I met Evelinda who gets my vote as the most friendly and helpful receptionist in Croatia. There was a room available with a sea view for 55 euros per night. I took a look at the room and it was spectacular. It was very large with a patio overlooking the harbor and the town. Wait until my wife sees this....and for only 55 euros. I may get lucky tonight! I returned to the market and found my wife. As we walked to the hotel, I described the room and told her about the price. Being a Yankee of Scottish descent she loves a bargain.......and then the light came on.....I said to her, "Oh, wait a minute, we are in Croatia now, I think the hotels quote prices per person." Sure enough, when we got to the hotel I asked Evelinda for the price again and she said it was 55 euros per person or 110 euros per night. She said, "always in Croatia the price is per person." Several days later, to my pleasant surprise, I found that is not always the case. We both loved the room, the location and I could tell we were going to like the town so we took it. The only problem, the room was available for one night and I could tell right off this was going to be more than a one night town. There was a smaller room available with no view for the next night so I told her we would let her know in the morning. We had some pizza and fried calamari at a restaurant along the shore with a great view of the sunset.

In the morning we had a nice breakfast at the hotel (included) and decided we would stay at this hotel in the smaller room for the next night or two. And when I say small, I'm talking no room for the suitcases small. We had left our suitcases in the car and brought the things we needed in a carry-on so the lack of suitcare room was not a problem.
I don't remember the price of this room but it was way less than the first room.

After walking around town for awhile we decided to take the one hour drive to the hilltown of Motovun. It was a nice side trip and a pretty town. We have been to many spectacular hilltowns in Italy so this was a bit of a let down. If you do go, beware, there is a parking lot at the bottom of the hill and the attendant tries to get you to park there. Some people do but it is a very long walk to the top. There is parking at the top along the side of the street leading to town. You have to pay but it isn't much.

Back to Rovinj and I went for a swim off the rocky coastline. The water was warm compared to what I am used to in Maine but a little difficult getting in and out due to the sharp rocks. There are ladders at some places but not where I happened to be. In getting out of the water, I ended up with a cut foot and a pretty good gash on my wrist. Fortunately, a fellow swimmer from Bosnia had some bandages.

The next morning we decided to spend a third night in Rovinj and take a day trip to Porec and maybe Pula. After talking to someone who had been to Pula the day before and, except for the amphitheatre, wasn't that impressed.
We ended up going just to Porec and enjoyed it but were glad we had chosen Rovinj as our base. We had dinner back in Rovinj at Veil Joze. It was excellent.....fried squid for me and noddles with mushrooms, shrimp and cream sauce for my wife. We shared a table with a couple from Austria and enjoyed our conversation with them.

Coming soon, lost in tiny Trogir, surprise in Dubrovnick, free ride to Korcula, etc.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 06:18 PM
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kettamic, a question since you have obviously been in Italy. Did you find hotel rooms while travelling around Italy as you did in Slovenia and Crotia. My late husband and I always did and yes maybe we had to stop at a couple of hotels before we found a room but it was always fun.

Once in awhile a Fodorite will ask about doing this in Italy now and most people say it is not a good idea. The last years I have travelled differently in Italy since I have been on my own as I stay with friends in their homes, or in the vacation homes etc. or a friend in Italy who is head of a Tourism Office makes hotel reservations for me (at a nice discount) after I get to Italy and we all figure out who is going where etc.

So curious, assuming you have been in Italy say these last three or four years what your experiences have been. Thanks.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 08:49 PM
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kettamic.. thanks for sharing your trip with us.. i'm really enjoying it and looking forward to hearing about your journeys in Trogir and Dubrovnik. i think that since i have been there, i want to hear others' opinions of these places. i love 'going back' via trip reports. thanks again!
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Old Oct 2nd, 2006, 09:10 PM
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A fun report. Didn't know staterooms ran so cheap!
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Old Oct 3rd, 2006, 01:35 AM
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LoveItaly,

We have been to Italy several times and have never had a problem finding a hotel, even in Venice and Florence....but as I mentioned, we always travel in either May or September....a little off the high season.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2006, 06:33 PM
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Hi Kettamic - I am enjoying your report too - instead of writing mine! I adore the Ragu comment and I think I might start using it on purpose! I will need to go back to Croatia someday and visit the northern areas.
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Old Oct 4th, 2006, 09:08 AM
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LOL about the Ragu comment! I have enjoyed reading your trip log! Brings back fond memories of our family's 3-week trip to Croatia, Slovenia, and Venice in June/July 2005--from Dubrovnik to Split to Plitvice and on to Ljubljana and Lake Bled, ending with 4 nights in Venice. We loved both Croatia and Slovenia and hope to return again someday.


 
Old Oct 7th, 2006, 06:27 AM
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Winging it: Part 2

We left Rovinj in the am for a five hour drive to Trogir. If there was any beautiful scenery along the way we missed it as it was raining and visibility was poor. We arrived in Trogir just as the workers from the shipyard were heading home and there was a major traffic jam, along with a downpour. As we worked our way thru the traffic we crossed a bridge and turned right. I found a parking place about a quarter of a mile up the road in front of a sobe. I checked out the sobe and one next door but neither were very appealing. It was still raining a little so my wife decided to wait in the car while I went to find a place to stay. I carried on down the road (as they say in England) and crossed back over the bridge. There was a nice hotel along the promenade but it was fully booked. The receptionist knew of an apartment that might be available. He made a call and a beautiful young lady showed up within a few minutes and took me to it. As we were walking thru the narrow alleys and making many, many turns I am thinking that even if I like the apartment, I never would be able to find it again. The apartment was very nice but there was no parking nearby and I knew I wouldn't be able to find it on my own. I made my way out to a main street and found a hotel with a room available and parking close by. I told the receptionist to hold the room.....I would be back in a few minutes. I headed out and crossed a bridge but as I crossed the bridge something didn't look quite right......I took a right turn and headed up the road where I supposedly left my car and wife...but I'm thinking the whole time, this isn't right....nothing looks familiar. By now my wife has been waiting in the car for over an hour. I walked back over the bridge but didn't see any familiar landmarks. I finally asked someone if there are two bridges in town or one......he told me there was one....he must know what he is talking about so I went back over the bridge but I know this isn't right and I know my wife is thinking I must have been hit by a car and I'm on the way to the hospital. Finally I decide to go back to the hotel and see if they can help. I walked in and announced that I am lost.....I can't find my car and my wife. The receptionist said she would go and help me find them. As we are walking she asks, did you park near the marina.......Aha, the marina, yes...we drove across a bridge near the marina. I asked again.....how many bridges are there in town.....she replied there are TWO bridges.......I told her if she can get me to the bridge near the marina, I can find the car from there. (Trogir is located on an islet, with a bridge on each side of town). She said no, I will go with you and ride back so you will be able to find the hotel. Smart girl. As we are walking and chatting she tripped on the uneven pavement and fell flat. She scraped her hands and knees. As I helped her up,
I ask if she is alright. She says the only thing that hurts is her pride. Now I am feeling like a real idiot.....I get lost in this tiny town, a nice girl helps me out and she ends up getting hurt. As we approach the car my wife is standing outside and I wonder what she is thinking. Here I come, after an hour and a half, with a good looking gal at my side. She was too relieved to be angry.

Now, if you have been to Trogir, I know what you are thinking.....how the heck could he get lost in that small town. I can't explain it....except to say it must have had something to do with the five hour drive, the rain and the traffic jam.

After we settled in at the hotel, the rain had stopped so we decided to do a little exploring. We walked thru the fascinating alleys of medieval houses and buildings. I stopped to admire the stairway to a private home when a pigeon promptly unloaded on me. Got me square on the bald spot on the back of my head!
My wife said it is supposed to bring good luck. We returned to the hotel as I felt the need for a shower. My receptionist friend got a chuckle out of it.

As we left the hotel for dinner I asked my injured friend about a good place to eat. She suggested a place called the Tragos and started to give me directions. She then thought better of it and said no, I will take you there. Hmmmmm, I know she must think I don't have a full seabag. Our meal at the Tragos was very good and Trogir is definitely with an overnight stay. We shopped for a gift for the receptionist.

We left at 10:30 am for a scenic four and a half hour drive to Dubrovnik. It showered on and off but stopped during our visits to the seaside villages of Omis and Makarska.

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Old Oct 7th, 2006, 08:12 AM
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Wing it: Part 3

We arrived in Dubrovnik and I found a parking place on Kresimira, a short distance from the Ploce entrance to the old town. This was also a great area to find a place to stay. The first sobe I looked at seem great to me. The room was big and you had your own private patio with a great view of the city. The lady said 40 euros per night. I'm thinking OK, that means 80 euros, because Evelinda in Rovinj had told me prices are always quoted per person in Croatia. As I looked out at the awesome view from the room, I asked the lady again what the price would be. She said, "40 euros per night, 20 euros for one person, 40 euros for two people." I promptly tod her I would take it. I rushed out to get my wife and as I am telling her about my great find she asks, "it does have a private bathroom doesn't it." Bathroom???.......I don't remember seeing a bathroom, I was too wrapped up looking at the spectacular view from the room to notice a bathroom. My wife doesn't ask for much but she does insist on the bathroom being in the room. Sure enough, we return and the bathroom is in the hall and is shared with one other person....but the good news is that person is away for a couple of days. We decide we will take the room for the night and find something else the next day.

We took the short walk down the hill, across the draw bridge and through the Ploce Gate, and into the old town. The architecture of Dubrovnik is an incredible sight to see. We had a nice meal at Konoba Moskar. It is located on Prijeko, "restaurant alley", where the waiters stand outside and try to lure you in. I swore I wouldn't eat in one of those places for that very reason. The young waiter outside the Moskar had a nice smile and personality. He asked where I was from and I told him north of Boston. When he heard Boston, his face lit up and he said, "Boston Celtics, I love the Boston Celtics.....ask me anything about them and I can tell you".
Well, I know a little bit about the Celtics so I fired a few questions at him. Some easy and then a few harder ones.......he got everything right. Amazing. He even knew about players and games that occurred before he was born. So anyway, we ate there and it was very good. (When I got home I sent him a Celtics sweatshirt in care of the Moskar, I hope he gets it).

The next morning I found an apartment just a few houses up from where we had spent the night. It had a private bathroom as well as a balcony with an even better view of the old town. Also, a small stove and fridge. The cost was 45 euros per night for two people. I took it for two nights. The owner let me park in front of his garage so that was a bonus. You have to pay to park along the street from 8 am to 10 pm. You can buy a card at the tobacco shops and it is good for all day. I think it cost around 5 kunas per hour.

We spent one and a half hours walking the walls of the old city. Well worth doing for great views of the city and closeups of the rooftops and interesting
chimneys. On our way back to the apartment we met a couple from Ireland. They were trudging up the stairs to their apartment and the lady was obviously very upset. We talked to them for a while and learned they had rented an apartment for five days and it was waaaay up the hill. The apartment was very small with a stove and fridge but no pots or pans to cook breakfast as they had planned. She hated the place and all she wanted to do was go back to Ireland........and it was still their first day. They were 50ish and she was a little on the heavy side and was very
fatigued after only completing a quarter of their climb. I never did see them again and wonder how the week went for them.

The next morning it was raining hard. I talked with Luko, our host, and he told me of his life and that of his family during the war. He was a guard at one of the gates and told of how 15 thousand Serbs and the Yugoslav army had the city surrounded. He was one of 120 militiamen in the old town. They had no water for 3 months and no electricity for 6 months.

The rain stopped and we took a ride to Cavtat, a pretty seaside town south of Dubrovnik. We had lunch there during a downpour but it soon cleared and we were able to see the sights. We returned to Dubrovnik and a beautiful final night in the old town.

In the morning we left to drive out the Peljesac peninsula on our way to Korcula and eventually Hvar. We stopped in Ston, climbed on the wall for awhile and ate some mussels. We continued on with stops in Zuljena and Trsenik. As we drove into Orebic, the ferry was at the dock and the cars were beginning to load. We got in the line and slowly proceeded towards the ferry and the man selling tickets. When we got to him we found he wasn't selling tickets, he was taking tickets! I offered him some kunas for a ticket but he waved it off and said go ahead, this time it is for free.

We arrived in Korcula town and looked around a bit and began our search for a place to stay. I checked a small hotel near the marina. They had no room but suggested I try the ACI Club next door. There was no one there so the fellow from the hotel made a call and man came over to show me around. He said he had an apartment for 420 kunas per night. ($75.) We took a look and I couldn't believe it.........this place had two large bedrooms, a dining room, ,kitchen and 1 1/2 bathrooms. It had a large patio that overlooked the marina and the old town......what a fantastic find! I took it for two nights.

We were up and out a 6:15 am and walked to the promenade in the old town. We saw the most sensational sunrise ever!

We enjoyed our time in Korcula and left on the 1:30 pm car ferry for a three hour ride to the Isand of Hvar. We landed in Stari Grad and drove the 15 kilometers to Hvar Town and parked in the lot near the entrance to town. As I walked into the town I have this slight feeling of disappointment. I am thinking, is this it? (Now Hvar lovers, don't get upset.) I had read so many glowing reports of Hvar over the past year in the Forum that I probably was expecting too much. It IS a beautiful town but my feeling was that Rovinj had it beat. I left my wife at the small park in the center of town and went to find a place to stay. The hotel Palace was standing right in front of me so I went in to check on price and availability. They had a great room with a balcony and fantastic view. I debated over whether to pay the price or look for a less expensive sobe. My wife and I are at an age now where we are more apt to say the heck with it, if we don't spend it the kids will. Also, convenience and comfort are now more important factors than in the past. I took the room for two nights. We had dinner at Gariful and it was very good.
Hvar is starting to grow on me.

We had a real good breakfast at the hotel (included) and then took a ride to the small towns of Stari Grad, Jelsa and Vrbosa. The only antique shop that I saw on the whole trip to Slovenia and Croatia was in Jelsa. I like to buy a little antique item from each country that I visit but Slovenia and Croatia are the only countries where I have left empty handed. I'm sure the shops are there somewhere but I missed them. In the evening we had dinner at Palaca Paladini. The food was very good and the waiters were all very happy and friendly. The people sitting at the table next to us ordered a fish for two that was priced by the weight. When the fish came it was enormous. When their bill came it too was enormous. They were not happy campers.

The following day we took the 11 am ferry from Stari Grad to Split. (2 hrs.) We were undecided if we would spend the night in Split or maybe somewhere a little closer to Zagreb. It was Saturday and we were running out of time....we had to be at our airport hotel Sunday night. After walking around Split for awhile we decided to drive an hour up the road to Sibinek. This turned out to be a brilliant move. We found a room at the hotel Jarden with parking at the door and located in the old town by the sea. The exciting part.....a festifval was in progress. People were dressed in the old medieval costumes and there were many displays on how things were done and made in medieval times. There were food and craft booths etc. At night there was a concert and fashion show in the town square. The models were not locals, they appeard to be world class fashion models.

The next morning we left Sibinek for Zargreb. The drive was beautiful and took about 3 hours. We checked in to our airport hotel at 1 pm and then drove into Zagreb to have a look. Unfortunately, we missed the big oudoor market as it closed at two.....and when they say two, they mean it. We were there at five past two and the place was empty....except for the trash. We walked around Zagreb for awhile and decided to take a ride to the nearby town of Samabor for dinner andone of their famous pastries.

That ended our trip. We really enjoyed both Slovenia and Croatia. The people we met we very friendly and both countries are beautiful. I would rate Dubrovnik and Rovinj as my favorite places. Hvar, Korcula, Piran and Trogir
are all tied for a close second place.
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Old Oct 7th, 2006, 11:37 AM
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kettamic, your trip report is beautiful, informative and fun!!

Your poor wife waiting for over an hour with the car, my husband did that to me a few times (once because some locals dragged him into a cafe and bought him wine and he didn't want to be rude) and yes indeed, I had visions of him being transported to a hospital, lol, but I wasn't at the time.

You had so many fantastic experiences, well except for your lovely helpful new friend falling down and the pigeon with the good aim!!

Thanks for the answer about last minute lodging in Italy.

Wishing you two many more fun and beautiful trips!
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Old Oct 8th, 2006, 06:58 PM
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What a joyful trip report. Thank you for sharing! Especially interesting to hear about your experiences traveling without reservations. We're May travelers ourselves and soon plan to be September travelers as well. Your report is a nice reminder that trips don't have to be planned to the nth degree.
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Old Oct 10th, 2006, 06:05 AM
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LoveItaly,
Thank you very much. You might get a kick out of one of our "adventures" in Italy several years ago. We were spending a couple of days in Assisi and decided to explore some of the smaller hilltowns in the area. We drove to a nearby hilltown called Montefalco. At a lot of the hilltowns you can drive up the hill and into the piazza. On this day the road was blocked off and you had to walk up. As we neared the top, I could see a lot of activity and hear some music. I mentioned to my wife that it looked like there might be a festival
going on. I love to arrive at a town that is having a festival!

When we got to the small Piazza del Comune it was filled with people having a great time. Decorated floats had been pulled in by farmers tractors....they encircled the piazza. On each float was a person passing out goodies to eat. One float had cheese, another dried meat, one had small cups of wine and another had bread. People would walk up to one of the floats and were handed whatever was offered. Young girls, dressed in their Sunday best walked around the piazza with baskets passing out other little snacks.

We joined right in and we were having a great time......I wondered what they were celebrating. I think we were the only non-Italians in town.

As I was enjoying some cheese and a little wine, my wife told me I had better come take a look at something. I followed her to the center of the piazza where there was a large decorated table.
At the center of the table sat a bride and groom and their wedding cake.....we had crashed their wedding reception.

Needless to say, we didn't stick around for some of the wedding cake.
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Old Oct 10th, 2006, 06:10 AM
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Jan57

Thank you. It sounds like you had a great trip as well. We also hope to return to Croatia and Slovenia someday. The trouble is there are so many places and so little time!
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Old Oct 10th, 2006, 06:13 AM
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5Alive, Callabilli and Aprillilacs.....

Thanks very much, I am glad you liked it.
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Old Oct 10th, 2006, 10:12 PM
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OMG.. that is the funniest story - crashing a wedding in Italy!! i love it! These are the memories that vacations are made of.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 06:26 AM
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Thanks, they are great memories....fortunately I took some pictures while at the Italian wedding and have those as reminders.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2006, 07:42 AM
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Kettamic,

First, let me say this was a great trip report. My wife and I were in Croatia and Slovenia a little less than 2yrs ago and it was good to read this as it brought back memories.

Second, and more important, let me compliment you on your travel attitude. It seems like a lot of bad things happened on your trip - little things to be sure (airline seats, getting lost, etc.), but still...

Many travellers would let that ruin their trip. I'm glad that it didn't seem to affect yours.

My wife and I are in our early 40's, but we hope to still be travelling when we reach your age. And we hope to be travelling the way that you do.

Hopefully, you have many more happy trips ahead!

Kevin
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