Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Slovenia/Croatia Trip Report

I want to say thanks to all the Fodorites who answered my questions as I prepared for my spring trip. After much waiting, the day finally arrived for me to head to Europe. The countries on my itinerary were Slovenija, Croatia, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This report is long and rather journal-like, you've been warned!

March 27, 2006
Flight plan was Houston-IAH to Paris-CDG to Ljubljana-LJU. The flight on Air France to Paris was a long one. The guy behind me kicked my seat practically the whole time (I never reclined my seat!!). He was scarey looking, so I didn’t mess with him. Two guys two rows back talked really loudly the whole time. Usually on transatlantic flights, people settle down after the dinner and sleep/read/watch tv. Not these two guys. It was obnoxious!

Landed in Paris on time and waited for my gate to LJU to be posted. At one point, the police cleared out a wing that had shops and a café and then proceeded to blow something up. I had never experienced such a scene. No explanation offered.

The flight to LJU was delayed because of the strike, but not too bad. Made it to Ljubljana in the late afternoon on the 28th and took a cab to my hotel, Hotel Park, for 2000 SIT. Hotel Park was a good value (about 56 Euro a night) and I would stay there again. I did have flashbacks to my dorm room in college though! From Hotel Park, it was less than a 10 minute walk to Presern Square. After settling in for a few minutes, I was off. I wandered around, walking alongside the river, just rambling and taking it all in. Ljubljana is a very charming city.

I was up bright and early the next day and headed up to the castle after a breakfast of bread and butter and hotdog quarters! There was no juice like in the US, but some watery “nectar” drink.

Ljubljana Castle is up on this “hill” and it was a steep climb, though you can drive by road if you have a car. I huffed and puffed to the top and was rewarded with beautiful views. I explored the castle buildings that were open to the public and climbed to the top of the tower for more superb views. The snow covered mountains were spectacular! It was not very crowded at the castle, other than a small school field trip group.

I went into a couple of churches including St. Nicholas and the Franciscan Church in the main square. For internet access, I utilized the visitor’s center for 250 SIT for 30 minutes. I thought that was a great price and the center was a helpful place. You can even buy postage for your postcards there. Exploring Ljubljana is best done casually and leisurely. I checked out the market, wandered the streets. I even took the public bus out to the shopping mall on the outskirts of town. It made me feel like a local. In total, I spent 5 nights in Ljub, so I really did feel at home there.

March 30, took the 9am bus to Bled. What a wonderful place! It was only an hour’s drive from Ljubljana and this village proved to be one of my favorites of my trip. I first climbed up to the Bled Castle. Couldn’t find the hiking path and went by road. I did find the path when it was time to head down. I just loved the views from the castle. There’s a wonderful patio with comfortable chairs in which to sit and relax and enjoy the view. When I was heading down, they were just setting out table cloths, I guess the café opens around noonish. There weren’t too many people in Bled during my visit, so it was really like I had the place to myself.

The climb down from the castle was one in which you needed to be careful as the footing was very uneven and laced with loose rocks and twig debris. It was fun though. By the time I got down, I had worked up quite an appetite so I set out to find something to eat. There was a very nice place on the waterfront, but I decided I wanted something a little more casual. I found the Gallus Pizzeria place and proceeded to have a delicious pizza lunch sitting out on the patio overlooking the snow covered mountains. It was almost surreal to be there after fantasizing about it for so long. Had a nice little chat with the waitress. My tab for the pizza (which ended up feeding me a snack and dinner later too), coke and tip came to about $7 US. Great deal, the pizza was yummy.

It was now time to take the “pletna” boat out to the island ($12). Had to wait for a few more people to come by. We set out with myself, a German couple, and two Australian women. It was the most beautiful boat ride I’ve ever had. The view of the castle, the mountains, the island, heaven! When you arrive at the island, you get about 30 minutes to explore. Went into the church and rang the bell for good luck. Went up and down the big stairway to burn off some more pizza calories. After the boat ride back, I just wandered around a bit and then decided I should head to the bus station. It was really just a bus stop and I had to confirm with locals since there wasn’t good information posted. Had a nice chat with a young British couple while waiting and also was pounced upon by an older Slovene guy whose breath was indicating some alcohol consumption. He even showed me that he had a couple of beers in his bag. He seemed to enjoy practicing his English with me and was no threat.

March 31. Train ride to Zagreb, Croatia!! I was very excited to be going to the capital city of Croatia. I started out in a compartment by myself. At one point, an old woman all in black (think grandmother in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) stopped in the doorway, said something and when I responded that I spoke English, she shrugged her shoulders and moved on. In Dobova, another elderly woman came to the door and she sat across from me. She tried to speak in Croatian to me, and I told her I didn’t speak Croatian. She spent the rest of the train ride speaking to me in Croatian, patting my knee and smiling. I kind of think she thought I might start understanding her if she kept on. About the only thing we understood of each other were our names and nationalities. She showed me her identity card and I showed her my passport.

Arrived at the main station in Zagreb to rainy weather. I was thinking it might be a long day. Luckily, things cleared up within an hour. I really enjoyed the architecture of this attractive city. It sort of reminded me of Paris. One of my first stops was the big cathedral. It is beautiful! There was much activity in the church. Workers were polishing the pews, people in line for confession, busy, busy.

I enjoyed walking up and down the streets. Went to St. Mark’s but was perplexed that while the doors were open, no lights were on. I couldn’t find the light switch. I jumped up and down in case the lights came on by motion detector. Nothing. Alas, I moved on, as it was rather creepy to just be standing in a very dark building.

St. Catherine’s was very pretty on the inside. I was eager to find Stone Gate/Kamenita Vrta, and was impressed with the devotion I found in the little chapel. I was impressed with church attendance everywhere I went on my Central European journey. Near the big cathedral are many religious shops and I picked up a rosary set for my mom.

My train trip back to Ljubljana was nice as I was joined in my compartment by two Croats about my age. They were meeting up with friends for the weekend. As they spoke excellent English, we chatted nearly the whole way back.

April 1: Took a three hour bus ride to Piran on the coast. The bus ride was pleasant. Piran is a charming coastal town, although it’s not geared for tourists. There was no open visitor’s center and there were no public restrooms. I wandered around, taking in the scenic views and meandered through some of the narrow alleyways, sort of feeling like I was in Italy. As there isn’t a whole lot to see in Piran, I hopped on a bus to go check out Portoroz. This town has some really charming older houses and I started to hear a lot of Italian. I had a pleasant pizza lunch at a patio restaurant. Izola looked like a pretty little town too, but I wasn’t sure about the bus schedules from there and didn’t want to get stuck.

As there was limited bus service back to LJU, I wanted to be sure to be back at the bus stop in time. I actually got there 30 minutes early and relaxed with some people watching. I saw some “gypsies” or “roma” in action. The same woman with children who had asked me for money in Piran had turned up in Portoroz. Right by the bus stop was a large receptacle for charitable donations (think Salvation Army/Goodwill). I had watched some ladies deposit bags of clothes and baby items, like packages of pampers. Well, the “roma” woman was now with another woman and the kids and she proceeded to climb into the donation bin! She then started passing out all the items to her accomplice. I couldn’t believe it!! I was amazed first that she would venture into the dark bin with who knows what could be in there and that she had the nerve to rob the charity bin! After she emptied it out and climbed out, she and her buddy inspected the goods, took what they liked best (the baby goods, and several bags of clothes) and then proceeded to get on the next bus that came along. I really wish I had taken her picture as she emerged from the bin. She was very slim and agile!

In contrast to this sad element, I had a charming encounter with an older Italian gentleman who was hanging out while his wife shopped. We struck up a conversation and by the time my bus had arrived, we had exchanged addresses and I had received an offer to stay with him and his wife if I ever found myself in Northern Italy. He was so sweet, telling me that he will remember me always for my smile. He told me he collects stamps, so upon my return home, I mailed him a postcard with some colorful USA stamps. I plan to send him a Christmas card in December.

My bus finally arrived and I bid arrivederci to Mr. Cantoni and his wife and headed back to LJU. After I rested a bit in my hotel, I headed out for Presern Square area for supper. It was a busy Saturday night, so I was quite surprised to witness a guy being kicked in the head by a couple of guys on the stairs of the pink Franciscan church. I don’t know what happened to precipitate the attack, but it was very disturbing to have seen it and see no reaction from anyone around. The guys moved on quickly and the victim got up and walked away, clutching his head. It was a strange thing, something I’ve never seen before. I know attacks like this happen everyday just about everywhere, but it altered somewhat the safe image I had of the city and made me realize that just because there are a lot of people around, it doesn’t mean you might not avoid being the victim of a physical assault.
Well, even with this incident, I did love LJU very much and would recommend it to anyone.

April 2, time to head to Salzburg. Story to be continued....

Here's part 2. I'm also going to post this under Austria and Slovakia too since my header just reflects Slovenia and Croatia.

Sunday, April 2: It was time to head north to Salzburg. I was sad to leave Ljubljana behind, having felt very well settled in there after 5 nights. I took a morning train to Villach, where I changed trains to continue on to Salzburg. This was my first experience changing trains, so I had been nervous, but it was easy as pie. For the first leg of the trip, the train was nearly empty. One guy came and sat across from me in my compartment. He was from Macedonia and spoke several languages, but no English, nor Spanish, the only other language in which I can really converse. It was cool to have met him even though we couldn’t understand each other. You don’t run into Macedonians every day! Anyways, he got off before crossing into Austria. The ride from LJU to Salzburg was beautiful, going over mountains, through them and around them. I loved seeing snow on the ground, quite refreshing for me as I live in Houston. The first time the train went through a mountain, the lights didn’t come on so I sat in absolute darkness. It was the strangest feeling, not a hint of light for a couple of minutes. The rest of the journey the lights did come on. At Villach and the rest of the stops, the train picked up lots more passengers, although the train was still not crowded. I had been concerned about my suitcase, but was able to keep it with me in my seat row.

I think I arrived in Salzburg around 1 pm. After getting euros at the ATM, I headed to my guesthouse which was about 10-15 minutes walk from the rail station. It wasn’t fun lugging my suitcase up and down huge flights of stairs to get across the tracks to the street, but I made it! I missed my turn and inadvertently walked a few blocks past my desired street. My guesthouse, Haus Lechner, was a great bargain. I paid 25 euro a night for my room that had a balcony and private bath. I had actually requested a single room, but they didn’t have any so they put me in a two bedroom suite that even had a couch. It certainly was a budget place, but it was clean and in a safe location. There’s a bus stop right across the street and a Spar grocery store one block next door. I only took the bus once, not minding the 15 minute walk into the historic center. I enjoyed having the Spar next door so I could easily get my Coca Cola and snacks.

I arrived to Haus Lechner to find a note addressed to me on the door with my key in the mailbox. After unloading my stuff, I was off. It was immediately apparent that I was now in the heart of tourist land after being in the more off the beaten path locales of Slovenia and Croatia. Tourists were everywhere, can’t imagine it in the high season.

It was the most beautiful of days that first day. The weather could not have been more perfect. The skies were blue and the temps were very mild. I didn’t need my jacket for the first time on my trip. I trekked around the town, first stop being a candy store to try my first and last “Mozart Ball.” I am afraid I just don’t like marzipan, but I couldn’t not have one in Austria, could I?! I visited the various churches, I’m not confused about which one was which now. I found a painting I love in one of them, it’s of the Blessed Mother wearing a vivid blue gown with golden things of wheat on it. Does anyone know which church this is in? I really need to take better notes!!! I thought I’d remember, but alas I did not. In one of the plazas, there was a market featuring tourist goods, so I enjoyed looking at everything, but didn’t buy anything. Prices in Austria were very steep, whether it be a t-shirt, Christmas ornament, etc. I picked up tshirts in Slovenia for $10, shirts in Austria were over $30 and not even interesting like the Slovene ones.

I visited St. Sebastian Cemetery as well as St. Peter’s and the catacombs. It was very interesting. I then decided it was time to try Sacher Torte. Now I had read bad reviews of sacher torte on this website, but had to try for myself. I must agree with the negative reviews, I didn’t like it at all. I had gotten mine packaged up and took it to the Mirabell Gardens to eat on a park bench. Couldn’t have been a lovelier place to relax, so it was ok to toss that torte in the trash and just enjoy the ambiance of the gardens. The gardens were quite busy with both tourists and locals alike. I asked a nice Austrian lady to take my picture with the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the background. She happily complied and we had a nice chat, with her asking my impressions of Salzburg and me telling her how impressed I was with the architecture, gardens, etc.

I had hoped to take in a concert at the Mirabell that first night, but there was nothing on anywhere but the fortress and I was too tired to head up there at 8pm. Just as well because a storm came out of nowhere and it poured that night! I had an early night, tired after the long train ride and all the walking in the afternoon. I knew I’d get an early start the next day.

April 3, Monday: After my obligatory stop to get my morning coke (my version of coffee), I was off. I first went to the train station to pick up my tickets for my next destination, Vienna. I then headed into town and got off track somehow. I ended up in some residential section, but stumbled upon a nice bakery where I bought a yummy pastry and got some orange juice. Luckily, I found the river and followed it back to the historic center. I really had gotten quite off!

I went to the big fortress, Hohensalzburg. I had purchased my “Salzburg Card” and so all of my sites were covered, very convenient. I really enjoyed the palace and the tremendous views. The funicular was fun for me too. After spending a good chunk of time at the fortress, I wanted to head to the Nonnberg convent and enjoyed the stroll. After the convent, I meandered over to the lift to the Monchberg lookout. I wanted to wander off some trails, but it was drizzling and there wasn’t a soul in sight, so I didn’t feel comfortable going off by myself as a lone woman.

It was time for a well earned lunch! There was a bistro type place near the lift and I had a pleasant lunch there, probably about $10 or maybe even a little less.

I couldn’t resist the idea of going out to the Hellbrun Palace, so I hopped on the bus. I didn’t know where the stop was, but luckily someone was kind enough to tell me. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the palace, but did really like the gardens and fountains. The fountains tour guide was evil though! It was a chilly day and they normally don’t turn on the fountains in the cold months (so I had read and heard), yet this diabolical guy turned them on a couple of times and my jeans got quite wet. I was not amused!! I could tell he was though, a gleam in his pale, ice blue eyes and a wicked smirk! I finally told him to knock it off, that nobody appreciated getting soaked on a cold day. The last thing any of us wanted was to catch a cold! I was glad to be rid of him and tour the house, let me tell you!!

The palace has a nice gift shop and I picked up a Mozart ornament for my dad and a book for myself on the Empress Elizabeth. More on her later.

So I hop on the bus back into town and silly me gets off too early (so many church steeples, didn’t notice the right landmark). As soon as I started walking, it starts pouring!!! The rain was icy cold and the wind was blowing. I was wearing my rain coat, but had left my umbrella at the house. As soon as I got into the historic area, I ducked into a cyber café to escape the rain and took the opportunity to write home. I emailed nearly everyday since cyber cafes are pretty easy to find and usually very affordable. The price at this place was 2 euro per hour.

The rain eventually stopped and I took off again, just wandering around, going up and down streets, stopping at anything interesting. Picked up a tasty apple at a small grocer for about 90 cents euro. Good fruit had been in short supply until I got to Salzburg!!

Salzburg is a lovely town and one of the most photogenic places around. I’d love to go back and explore some of the hiking trails.

Tuesday, April 4, time to go to Vienna. I believe I was on the 9 am train to Vienna. Arrived at the Westbahnhof and changed to the underground to get to my hotel, “Hotel Pension City”. This hotel is just around the corner from St. Stephan’s Cathedral and that is the Ubahn stop. It’s quite something to emerge from the underground to see the cathedral right there!! It was impressive.

Upon arrival at my hotel, I was informed there was a problem with my room. Pipes had burst, soaked the floor and the wall was open with the pipes exposed. They were going to put me in a double room for that first night, but for my other two nights the hotel was booked and I would have to stay in the damaged room, but at half price. I agreed, not wanting to have to trek around to find another place. I liked my double room that first night, the first time I had slept in a double bed on the trip. The second day, I had to move to the damaged room. It was tiny and smelled very moldy. Ugh!!! At least I wasn’t going to be in the room much and I was saving a lot of money, since Vienna proved to be the most expensive lodging-wise. Heck, everything in Vienna was expensive!! My tiny single room was going to be 60 euro a night, but I got it for 30 euro. More money to spend elsewhere I say!!

Back to my touring activities... After leaving my bags, I ventured off for lunch. It started raining, and once again, I had left my umbrella at the hotel. I dashed into a McDonald’s thinking that it would be an easy option for a quick and cheap lunch. Wrong!! It was jammed packed, I mean jammed!! Couldn’t believe it!! Actually, everywhere I went McD’s was very popular, whether Ljubljana, Vienna or Prague. It looked like it would take an eternity, so I found somewhere else to eat.

My favorite site in Vienna was St. Stephan’s. I really enjoyed climbing to the top of one of the towers (stairs, stairs, stairs) and I thought the tour of the crypt was great. The guide was very informative and it was fascinating down there, especially the big pit of plague victims skeletons. Made me wonder about those unfortunate souls from so long ago, who they were and their unfortunate end.

Favorite churches besides St. Stephan’s were the Votive Church, Annakirche, Peterskirche (spelling?).

I enjoyed the tour of the Hofburg Palace. It was amusing to see Empress Elizabeth’s workout equipment and hear about her dieting. She was a woman ahead of her time. No doubt if she were around today, she’d have a full membership at 24Hour Fitness and drink Slimfast. Her image has become the darling of the Vienna tourist trade, candies featuring her likeness, coffee mugs, books, etc. Beautiful lady, rather tragic life.

I was amazed by all the fast food stands all over Vienna. Left and right were pizza and kebab stands!! I was set on having one meal be from a frankfurter stand, so I made that happen. Can’t say it was good, but, mission accomplished!!

I wanted to tour the opera house, but found it wasn’t open for tours the days I was to be in town. Therefore, I bought a standing room only ticket for the Tosca opera and arrived early to do my own tour. It’s a beautiful place. I met a couple who had bought tickets expressly to tour the opera house just I as did, but boy were they dismayed when they learned that I bought my ticket for 2 euro and they spent a good chunk of dinero on theirs.

I only stayed for about ten minutes of the opera. I couldn’t see very well and it was terribly hot. I had gotten down to only 2 euro in my pockets and a bottle of water, for which I was dying, was 3 euro. They don’t take credit cards for purchases under 30 euro and I couldn’t find a water fountain anywhere. I was so thirsty, I just had to move on. I accomplished what I wanted, so I was fine leaving.

On my second day in Vienna, I headed to Schonbrunn Palace. It made me think of France’s Versailles, although not quite as grand. I enjoyed it, but my feet were quite tired at this point, so I passed on walking up to the Gloriette.

I decided for day 3 in Vienna that I actually wanted to escape the crowds (Vienna was so crowded) and head for Bratislava for a day trip. The ride is about an hour and cost 14 euro round trip. I could see quite a bit of flooding in the landscape en route. When the train pulled into the station, I was thinking maybe I made a big mistake. What a grim and gloomy place!!! I tried to find an information booth or some signs pointing to town center, but no luck. I tried to speak to an attendant, but she didn’t speak English and I only had a couple of words in Slovak. Someone overheard me speaking English and volunteered to walk me in the direction of town en route to her apartment. She was a very nice young woman, had studied in England for 3 years and therefore had fabulous English. She was shocked to meet me, as if I were an alien dropped down into her town. She couldn’t believe I could have picked Bratislava of all places to visit and was impressed that I would do so, especially by myself. I had been met with some surprise in Slovenia and Croatia, but even more so in Bratislava. This woman kept going on about how amazing for me to turn up there. She walked me as far as her home and then pointed me in the direction of the Presidential Palace and the historical center. I was most grateful for her assistance, had I not met her I might have been inclined to turn back around to Vienna.

When I had been in Slovenija, the population seemed young. In Slovakia, in my short time there, it seemed like a higher population of seniors and it seemed very poor. I had only seen one beggar in Slovenia, none in Croatia, none in Salzburg, but many in Vienna, Bratislava and later on Prague. Bratislava seemed like a very depressed place. There are some pretty buildings and of course the big castle, but I just felt a strange vibe there and didn’t want to stay long. I think I might have felt better in a warmer time of year and if I were traveling with a companion. I think Bratislava has potential, but it really needs to make a bit of an investment, most especially at the train station. At the top of my list would be a map that shows where you are in relation to the downtown area. After a couple of hours, I headed back to Vienna for my final night in Austria. I spent my last hours in Vienna riding around “the ring” in the trams, hopping on and off. Oh, please note that the Kunsthistorishes Museum doesn’t take credit cards for admission!! It’s ten euro, so make sure you haven’t run out of your cash stash like I had. I was quite surprised, who knows, maybe there was just a problem that day??

April 7, off to Prague...to be contined....