OAT Tour, Crossroads of the Adriatic, Part II

Our Overseas Adventure Travel Tour “Crossroads of the Adriatic” continued into the countries of Montenegro, Bosnia-Hertzegovina and Slovenia.

Montenegro

Montenegro is a small, picturesque country that continues to attract the world. Religious affiliations are diverse; including Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Roman Catholic. Serbs and Croats are both of Slavic origin.

Montenegro uses the Cyrillic alphabet, and has been influenced by Turkish invasions and migration of Jews from Spain. Languages include Montenegrin, Serbian and Serbo-Croat. In spite of difference in dialects and accents of their spoken languages, they can understand one another. English is widely spoken among the younger generation and in the tourist industry.

At Perast, on the shore of the Bay of Kotor, we met our local guide, Janya, and boarded a launch to the Church of Our Lady of the Rock. 

It is on an artificial islet constructed by expanding beyond the original single rock by sinking ballast-filled captured ships. The legend of how the local believers became motivated to construct this islet and the church is mind-boggling. They believe that a religious painting came miraculously to be in an opening in the first rock at this site. This painting was “discovered” by a local fisherman. To honor this “miracle”, it was decided to expand beyond the original rock, construct an islet and a church. We were shown the painting and the supposed original rock, now behind the altar. The “rock” appears to be poured concrete. 

 “To see with the eye of faith, one must close the eye of reason” (Thomas Jefferson).

The Bay of Kotor was optimally viewed from the launch.  Click on the video below for a delightful panoramic.

David and Lou settled near the transom of the launch, from where they had a great view!

Peter took a turn at the helm, steering the launch towards Kotor Harbour.

Risky business!

We noticed a lovely teal ketch, "Stephen S”, in Kotor Harbour reminiscent of our own “Charlotte D”.

There is good taste everywhere!

Kotor has ancient city walls that reach 20 m in height and up to 16 m thick. These walls and the enclosed old town of Kotor are part of why UNESCO put this city on the list of world cultural heritage sites. A walk to the top is for the very fit!

Click on this short video for an appreciation of the magnificent walls of St. Ivan's fortress.

The soundtrack of the video exaggerates our climb.  

However, Edo and Tom did climb to the first viewpoint.

We learned about the Clock tower, begun in 1602 and not yet finished at the time of a 1667 earthquake. The tower had begun to lean, but since a 1979 earthquake it has returned to it's original position. During the Napoleonic siege, a clock maker was hired to service the clock. His descendants inhabit the clock tower to this day.

Adjacent to the clock tower is a Romanesque church built in 1166 on the foundations of a church from the 9th century. The tops of it's two bell towers were destroyed by the earthquake of 1667. There were only sufficient funds to fully restore one of the bell towers. The other was replaced with a simpler structure, apparent in the photo.

At the base of the clock tower is the “punishment pyramid”, where law breakers were chained to be chastised by neighbours. Apparently, the threat of this public embarrassment was sufficient deterrent in most cases.

Tiny St. Luke's Church, across from the Greek orthodox St. Nicholas Church, was built in 1195 and is the only building not to suffer major damage from earthquakes.

The story goes that Saint Tryphon preserved a fleet of ships by foreseeing a major storm and keeping the ships in port. . A cathedral now honors him as the patron saint of Kotor.

Of course, we had to replenish ourselves after so much sightseeing.

While seated at this sidewalk cafe we were struck by the numerous same sex couples strolling to their lunches. Edo explained that persons of the opposite sex do not go to lunch together unless married to one another. We don't understand all the demographics. This is the first city where we observed young gypsy children begging.

For more on Montenegro visit: http://www.visit-montenegro.com

Bosnia- Hertzegovina

Bosnia, established in 950, was conquered by The Ottoman Empire in 1461. Four centuries of Ottoman rule influenced many Bosnians to become Muslims, and the Slavic Muslim community emerged as the largest ethno-religious group (51%). Other religions include Orthodox Christian, Roman Catholic and Jewish. After WW I, Bosnia became part of the Kingdom of Serbia, and, after 1929, Yugoslavia. Later, Tito ruled as head of The Socialist Party.

Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. After four years of war among Croats, Muslims and Serbs, the Dayton Peace Agreement created a multi-ethnic, democratic government. The economy was severely affected and reconstruction has been slower than in Croatia. We noticed many buildings war-damaged or destroyed.

Causes of the war can be roughly grouped as economic, territorial (e.g., access to the sea for Bosnia-Herzegovina), and religious intolerance. The transition from Socialist to a more Capitalistic economy would have been difficult under the best of circumstances. Many industries were developed during Tito's reign but too much of this infrastructure was damaged during the 1990s war.  Every time history repeats itself the price goes up!

Edo was particularly knowledgeable, having lived in Croatia and Bosnia before leaving for France as an eleven year old. He returned to Croatia some years later. He worked hard to explain the complex historical and current situation in the region, but our understanding remains superficial. Many of the problems are common worldwide, e.g., corrupt politicians, egotistical leaders, and voting fraud. There is still a low standard of living and high unemployment. There has been an exodus of young people, concerned that their future in Bosnia-Herzegovina was not promising. Imagine the effects of this exodus combined with the young lives lost during the war.

At the small village of Pocitelj we went to our first mosque. Turkish influences are evident (e.g., signs in Cyrillic alphabet). We bought some souvenirs, and sampled the best pomegranate ever.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is well known for it's cuisine, wines, spices and Turkish baths, as well as gold and filigree work. We enjoyed the variety of local dress (burkas, fez, belly-dancing tassels, and unisex long robes).

Our next stop was Mostar, where we enjoyed a Turkish-influenced lunch of “Hadzijski cevap” (veal, rice, vegetables), “Peksimet” (salad, bread, cheeses, prosciutto) and “Hurmasice” (desert of honey-nut pastry similar to baklava). 

We learned how to drink the strong Turkish coffee: sugar added or cube dipped in coffee (not stirred). After drinking the nearly solid coffee, turn the cup over and your fortune is shown in the drained grinds.

The Neretva River separates Muslim and Croat sections of the city. Consequently, the river demarcated one of the fronts of the 1990s war. 

The famous Mostar Bridge over the Neretva River, built 16^th century, was destroyed during that war and has now been reconstructed.  

There is a local custom of jumping from the bridge, especially on the anniversary of the bridge destruction.

Click on the video below to witness a 20 m leap from the Mostar Bridge.

Of course, the Neretva River was a battle line in earlier wars. We saw the place where the movie “Battle for Neretva”, starring Yul Brenner, was filmed. There is a plaque honouring Tito with his words, "We will not leave the wounded". The railway bridge was destroyed after Tito had transported his wounded to safety. For the movie, the bridge was reconstructed and filmed collapsing into the river by explosives, where it remains today. There is a museum honoring Tito's role in that war.

The next large city toured was Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, founded by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century, and flourished as a multicultural haven for Muslims, Serbs, Croats, Turks and Jews, co-existing peacefully for hundreds of years.

Our local guide, Denny, lead us to old and new sections of the city. We were much impressed with the diversity of cultures in Sarajevo. We viewed churches, synagogues and mosques.

One mosque was particularly impressive, and it's somber interior was an appropriate venue for our guide to enlighten us on many aspects of the Muslim faith. 

We must say that much of what he described was not logical to us. 

 But what religion is logical?

In the central market there is a wide variety of European, middle East and Asian goods for sale. Restaurants offer a range of “ethnic foods”, however, the truly Muslim ones do not serve alcoholic beverages. 

We did not miss the local favorite for lunch “on-our-own” at sidewalk cafe.

It is “chezapi” (veal sausages on pita with shredded cheese).  

Delicious with beer and wine.

The architecture ranges from centuries-old, to 19^th century, to ugly socialist-era “housing projects”, to modern buildings constructed in the past ten years.

Parts of the long-suffering city are quite attractive. 

Street scenes are varied and often unique.

Our local guide survived childhood during the 1990's war, and he told us of many first-hand experiences during the siege of Sarajevo. He described how, without electricity or gas, they cooked and heated their homes by burning their furniture in home-made stoves after all the city's trees were gone. We learned that alkaline batteries can be “rejuvenated” by heating on a stove (if they didn't explode first)! Water was carried in jugs from the few remaining sources, while dodging sniper fire. He has many unpleasant childhood memories of hours spent in dark basements during bombardments.

In an attempt to make Bosnia-Herzegovina part of a “Greater Serbia”, an “ethnic cleansing” policy was pursued by the Serbs. The UN embargo on weapons left Sarajevo without effective armed forces. The city was surrounded by Serbian snipers and artillery fired from the hills above. Supplies of food, weapons, ammunition and other supplies were becoming critically short. There was anxiety that the city might become occupied by Serbian forces, with the continuation of the “ethnic cleansing” already taking place in the countryside.

In desperation, a plan was conceived for a tunnel to pass under the airport runway and the Serbian lines to friendly territory beyond. Initial progress was slow and complicated by underground water, which twice flooded the tunnel. The excavated soil and water were removed with buckets and wheelbarrows. Eventually, construction brigades and miners accelerated the project. The tunnel was completed on July 30, 1993, and was 800 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and not 2 metres high. It began and ended in basements of homes on either side. Groups of up to 1000 persons, going one way at a time, carried sacks of food and weapons, on the underground trek. Eventually, a tram line was installed. The tunnel made possible the transport of fuel and power to the besieged city, and allowed the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina to continue to function during the siege.

We learned all this at the Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum, which preserves many items used during construction of the tunnel. We passed through a 20 meter section of tunnel. Films were shown of the siege. We were moved!

In August, 1995, NATO finally intervened after the deaths of an estimated 200,000 people, including 11,000 Sarajevans. Peace returned to Sarajevo, but signs of the recent war remain obvious today in buildings destroyed or pockmarked from shell fire. The culture will be scarred for a longer time.

“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”.

Leon Trotsky (Marxist Revolutionary, 1879-1940)

Later that evening, we enjoyed a home-hosted dinner with the extended family of Sida in their apartment built by the government during the socialist era. We are greeted warmly by the family as we took off our shoes. The daughter-in-law spoke English, and we learned of their working lifestyles and the lives of children today. In spite of their austere lifestyles, their attitudes were positive and hopeful. They will persevere. We received gifts of artwork from the young son. They shared their dinner with us in their compact apartment which Sida was able to purchase after Tito's death. Sida's son and his wife and two children cannot afford to buy their own apartment. Jest was made of the generous “Wicked Mother-in-Law”, a kind of universal joke.

For more information on Bosnia-Herzegovina: http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/

Slovenia

Slovenia was part of The Austro-Hungarian Empire until its dissolution at the end of WW I. In 1918, they joined the Croats and Serbs to form the new Yugoslavia. Slovenia secured it's independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 after only tens days of warfare.

Slovenia has historical ties with western Europe (English is commonly spoken), a strong free market economy and a stable democracy. They have made a successful transformation to a modern state, acceding to NATO, and part of the EU since 2013.

There is a diverse economy, including the wood industry, Elan Skis, Gorinji appliances, Renault autos, and nuclear power. They enjoy a high standard of living. There is a volunteer, professional military.

Eighty-three percent are native Slovenes, and the remainder Serbs, Croat, Bosniak. Religious affiliations include Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Protestant Christians, and Muslim.

Our first stop in Slovenia was the Postojna Cave, for 140 years the only cave in the world which featured a double track railway passing 5 km into the cave, under spectacular underground arches, which are embellished with chandelier-looking stalactites, through a beautiful subterranean world of natural limestone formations. One of the most magnificent sights is the mighty River Pivka flowing into the depths of the cave. Postojna is regarded as the cradle of the scientific discipline of speleobiology.

Check out www.postojnska-jama.eu/en/

A short bus ride brought us to Ljubljana and our lodging at the impressive Grand Hotel Union. The hotel is modern, clean, and well-maintained.  

The rooms are spacious, luxurious and "well-appointed". The staff are courteous and available. 

The included buffet breakfast was sumptuous, with many and varied delicacies.

Every breakfast was different, but all equally delicious!

Our local guide, Kriri, introduced us to the city centre. At the statue of France Prešeren (national poet, 1800-1849) in the old town square, Kriri recited his famous poem for us.

“God's blessing on all nations,

Who long and work for that bright day,

When o'er earth's habitations

No war, no strife shall hold its sway;

Who long to see

That all men free

No more shall foes, but neighbours be”

Ljubljana appears to be a very livable city, is a University town, and boasts of being the most ecologically green capitol city. We could believe it after exploring the pedestrian centre. 

There are free tourist assist "golf carts" to help you home with your newly purchased luxury goods,  and bicycles to rent. 

We saw our first wooden bicycle!

We enjoyed walking the lovely cobbled streets to view Tivoli park and castle, bridges, statues, churches and cathedrals. Many shops offer luxury goods. Ljubljana is a University town. 

The pedestrian centre has a terrific outdoor market with crafts, fish, meat, pastry, flowers, sauerkraut, and most unusual cauliflower among the produce offerings. 

There are countless eateries and numerous street entertainers. 

We sampled sausages made from bear, horse, deer, and wild boar.

Notice the uncovered slabs of smoked meats and sausages at this outside food stall.

We marveled at a unique machine dispensing fresh, raw milk.

Unfortunately, these “street foods”, including the raw milk dispenser, are now threatened by the gradual implementation of EU rules on food hygiene. The Slovenian culture will be altered by EU membership.

There are numerous opportunities for wine tasting scattered around the pedestrian centre.

So much wine!  So little time!

On the periphery of the pedestrian zone there is underground car parking and pedestals for charging your electric car, along with well-developed bicycle lanes.

We were impressed with the availability of bins for recycling.

Neat and unobtrusive.

We visited the National Museum of Slovenia, the Natural Science Museum and the City

Museum. We learned about the influence of The Roman Empire in Slovenia, and some of the archaeological finds dating from 5000 BC. We heard of “Emona”, the ancient Roman Empire city, which developed from a prehistoric lake-dwelling settlement to the modern urban Ljubljana of today. There is also the National Gallery of Art, another for Modern Art, and one of the oldest philharmonic orchestras in the world.

We enjoyed an extraordinary lunch, “on-our-own”, at Gujzina. Their white Riesling wine and Bevog draft beer are fantastic. We had Prekmurski Bagrec (goulash with pork, veal, venison, and potatoes), Bujta repa (pork with sour turnips and millet), prekajena gosja prsaz grajon (smoked goose breasts with rampion), and desert of prekmurska gibanica (strudel with walnut, apple, poppy seeds, cottage cheese filling). Coffee was followed by jurka (Slovenian red wine liquor). Here food is close to a religion! And we were happy to subscribe!

The next day we visited Lake Bled, a glacial formation. Definitely one of the scenic highlights of our visit to Slovenia! Wonderful skiing in the area. http://www.bled.si/en/

We boarded a pletna launch to cross Lake Bled, passing Tito's summer place, to reach Bled Island, the only island in Slovenia.

St. Mary Magdalene Church dates from the 9th century, renovated many times but still with original foundations. 

The wishing bell and climb to the clock tower were fun. 

In the gift shop/bakery we learned how to make walnut potica, drizzled with rum. This is a traditional pastry, a must for every holiday in Slovenia. The filling for this exquisite pastry is entirely up to the baker's creativity – with as many delicious potica fillings as there are cooks.

We explored Bled Castle, one of the oldest in Slovenia, first mentioned about 1000. It is perched atop a cliff above Lake Bled. On the upper level there is a chapel from the 16th Century. Inside the castle there is a museum of local history from The Bronze Age to more recent times, when steam-engine trains brought tourists for mud packs and hot spring baths.

Check out Bled Castle www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/cultural-sights/the-bled-castle

At Radovijika we stopped at the Lectar Restaurant and Gingerbread Museum, to learn the process of producing and decorating gingerbread. Catherine bought some “special” souvenirs. 

 After lunch the owner and his son treated us to some Slovenia music about a beekeeper.

On the way back to the hotel, Edo favoured us with cherry brandy. 

We said farewell to Tony, our driver, who guided us safely over many miles of often narrow roads. Thank you, Tony.

Our group shared farewell drinks at the hotel before walking out to dinner. We were greeted by Slovenian dancers and accordion player and, of course, an aperitif outside on the pedestrian mall. 

After dinner, we had lessons in Slovenian dancing, which we enjoyed immensely, as you can see from the video.

The next morning we said our farewells to Edo and all our new OAT friends, who soon departed for diverse destinations.

After goodbyes, we hiked to the bus station for our ride to Venice to continue our adventure near the shores of the Adriatic Sea. 





 
Our visit to Venice will be the subject of our next posting.

Catherine and Peter,

now aboard S/V “Charlotte D” in the Southern Caribbean.

http://svcharlotted.blogspot.com/

OAT Tour, Crossroads of the Adriatic, Part 1

The Overseas Adventure Travel Tour, Crossroads of the Adriatic, was a 15-day guided tour of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Montenegro. The bus tour commenced in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and terminated in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We shared the tour with 12 companions. You will meet them all as you read through this blog. 

Our trip leader, Edo Poljarevic, and our driver, Tony, were with us for the duration. 

In addition, there were local guides at major stops.

Most of our lodgings were in first-class hotels, with uniformly spacious rooms, clean and well maintained. Breakfast buffets were elaborate, with many foods new to us. Besides the standard items muesli, yogurt, and fruit, there were the choices of eggs in several preparations, boccacini with basil and anchovies, caviar, banana frappe, numerous cheeses, breads and pastries, smoked and pickled fish, prosciutto, sausages, bacon, sauteed vegetables, and champagne mimosa!  Always a great start for a busy day of touring!  

One lodging was unique: The Skelpic Living History House. This is a family-run guest house to be described in the section on Karanac, Croatia. It is a delight.

Crossroads of the Adriatic

Part 1: Croatia

We toured for nine days in Croatia to visit Dubrovnik and Zagreb where we attended concerts and ballets. The itinerary also included numerous smaller towns; Karanac, Zagorje, Kumrovec, Samobar, Motovun, Hum, and Lovran. There was a delightful day in Plitvicka Jezera National Park with it's incredible collection of waterfalls.

At the Beginning, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Our Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) Group assembled in Dubrovnik for our “Meet-and-Greet” drinks, a short walk and dinner together. The next morning our group used the local bus to access Old Town Dubrovnik, founded in 7th century and incorporated in 1272.  The old city was heavily bombarded during the 1990s war, but fortunately has now been restored to it's former glory. 

For some shocking photos of the war situation in Dubrovnik click on the Link.  https://www.google.ca/search?q=dubrovnik+during+bosnian+war&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:%7Breferrer:source?%7D&rlz=1I7ADBR_en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=MCXVVODSHoXkapWagvAD&ved=0CEUQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=514

Our Local Guide, Lydia, took us to the Old Pharmacy (operational since 1317), the Franciscan Monastery (14^th century) and the Rector's Palace (15^th century). Dubrovnik has had public Medical Services since 1301, Old Peoples' Home from 1347, and Quarantine Hospital from 1377. Lydia oriented us to the locations of historical sites, museums, shops and restaurants.

We enjoyed a City Wall Tour with Edo.  Click on the video below to appreciate the fantastic view from the top of the city walls.

Then we were “on-our-own” to visit the numerous museums with our Dubrovnik day pass. Highlights were the Ethnographic Museum, the Maritime Museum, and the old synagog (from 1652).

We enjoyed an evening concert with Anne, Dave, Lou, and Edo. It was the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra Tvdava Revelin, classical jazz improvisation, with guest Canadian performers.

Into the Countryside of Croatia

The next region of Croatia to explore was Slavonia, the eastern-most province of Croatia, bounded by the Drava, Sava and Danube Rivers. The fertile farmlands, rich hunting grounds and robust wine industry make Slavonia the “breadbasket” of Croatia. This region was heavily contested during the 1990s war. It was part of Hungary during the 1700s. Road signs are a combination of Latin and Cyrillic, reflecting the ethnic diversity of the region (Croats, Hungarians, Serbs and gypsies).

Marilyn, one of our traveling companions was always happy to find a friendly cuddly dog!











Our primary destination in Slavonia was Karanac village near Osijek, close to Hungary. The rural village of Karanac is characterized by traditional Pannonian houses, usually L-shaped with entrance on the sides.

Our lodging was at the Skelpic Guest Home “Living History House” where we received a warm welcome from our hosts with an aperitif.  

Our rooms were charming country-style. 


Chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys wandered the courtyard.










It was a pleasant stroll down the village road to the Kuca for dinner of beet soup, salad and cheesecake, after our welcome aperitif of local brandy.






 





We enjoyed the local folk musicians, singing with accordion and guitars.

Check out the video below to see our enthusiastic dancing!

And still more dancing!

The next morning there was a hearty breakfast at the Skelpic Guest Home, of beignets with homemade jams, juborach, smoked meats, spicy cheese, homemade bread, coffee, alder flower and apple juices.

We stopped at Vina Belje, one of the largest (and oldest) local wine producers and stretched our legs through their vineyards, now dormant for the winter. 

 After visiting the cellars of Vina Belje we enjoyed wine sampling and, of course, bought bottles of Grasevina and Cabernet Savignon.

On our return to Karanac we traveled through rolling hills and farms of apple, pear, and chestnut trees. There were swans, storks, and herons. We visited an ethnographic collection, part of a Centre for Developmentally Challenged Adults, learning to make jams, crafts and juices. We helped support the centre by purchasing some of their hand-prepared items.

Then there was a cooking class for beef peka, fish/roe and paprika soup prepared outside and accompanied, of course, with brandy aperitif and estate wines. It was a sunny fall afternoon, perfect for the outdoor event.

The Next Large City, Zagreb, Croatia

A long bus ride to Zagreb was the perfect time for Edo's history lessons, interspersed with jokes, stories and other silliness on the bus PA system.

Serious discussions included the issue of unexploded ordnance left behind from the 1990s war. Substantial progress has been made in locating, signing and removing the old land mines, but many remain. Unfortunately, some farmers use signs stolen from mine fields to protect their wild asparagus fields, leaving some of the real minefields unsigned.

Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, intermittently, since 1557, is a city of museums, culture and commerce.  

We puzzled over some local customs.

We met our local guide, Ivana, near the statue of King Tomaslav Jelavitch, a nationalist, (taken down to storage during Tito's regime). Our City Tour included the funicular (cable car) to the Upper Town to see Zagreb's medieval landmarks.

The city tour ended at the open-air market in the Dolac section of Zagreb.

The market at Zagreb is massive, including produce, fish and meat, plus the usual souvenirs. 

We enjoyed the "fruits" of our shopping at the Kras Bonbonniere!  

Magnificent dark chocolate!









At the Mirko Virius Gallery, we liked the Naive Art paintings by Miroslav Pintar. (http://www.hd-naiva.hr ). We visited the Archeology museum (excellent, with a 4-6 century loom exhibit), the Museum of Broken Relationships (pop culture), and the Joan Miro Exhibit at the Zagreb Art Pavilion (not particularly impressed).

The Assumption Cathedral was originally built in 13-18th century in Gothic style and is being renovated to replace the original limestone (dissolving under acid rain) with Italian marble. It was severely damaged by earthquake in 1880. Inside we viewed the tomb of Cardinal Stephanac, soon to become a saint.

For that evening Edo arranged choice seats for us at the Zagreb National Theatre for a performance of Ana Karenjina Ballet, a terrific performance in a beautiful theatre.

Back into the Countryside of Croatia

We left Zagreb for the small village of Zagorje, in the hinterlands of northwest Croatia.

Lunch in local restaurant Gresna Gorica overlooked the 1400s castle. We were greeted with cornbread dipped in salt, and honey brandy. We had lovely chicken noodle soup and salad, followed by a platter of sausage, chicken, veal, beef, and mashed potatoes.

We continued to Kumrovec, birthplace of Josep Broz, born in 1892 and nicknamed Tito, the seventh of twelve children. He was drafted into the army, was a prisoner of war in Russia and later becoming Marshal and then President for Life of Yugoslavia.

We explored the small town of Samobar and hiked on forested hills to the 13th century fortress ruins. Our reward was the coffee cream cake, “kremsnita”, in the town square.

On returning to Zagreb from our countryside day trip, we attended the Zagreb Filharmonia held in beautiful Vatroslava Lininskog, directed by dirigent Dmitrig Kitajenko for a wonderful symphony. There were 31 violins, other string instruments, wind and percussion. Thrilling!

Next day we departed Zagreb to Plitvicka Jezera National Park, UNESCO World Heritage

site, the largest and oldest (1949) of Croatia's eight national parks. Plitvicka Park with it's 16 lakes and over 100 waterfalls is the second most visited site in Croatia, after Dubrovnik.

Click on the short video below for a sample of the magnificent beauty of this site.

To see more pictures of this Croatian treasure, follow this link. http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en

Istrian Peninsula

We stayed for two nights in Lovran, an idyllic Kvarner seaside town, famous for lush vegetation, chestnuts, cherries, asparagus and the marunada. It is an old town from 12^th century, formerly named Lauriana, after the local laurel, and greatly influenced with Austria-Hungarian architecture. We could have spent more time in this delightful town to see more of the Austrian style buildings dating from 1900. Lovran is now known as “The Pearl of the Adriatic Riviera”.

We hosted a “happy hour” on the balcony of our hotel room, and later strolled together to the Bistro in the town square of Lovran, where the highlight of the dinner was vegetable pasta with minced truffles. We adored “Kremitza” with dark chocolate sauce (similar to clotted cream).

The next day, traveling up the switchback road, we enjoyed views of the islands of Cres and Krk surrounded by a calm Adriatic sea. Excellent roads and a five kilometre tunnel under Ucka Mountain and lake brought us to the “hinterland” of the Istrian Peninsula with it's spectacular landscapes. 



 We learned that the lush forest is home of their famous mushrooms and truffles.

The Teran Malvasia vineyards surround the town of Motovun.


A local legend tells of giants who built the town with Istria's longest staircase (1052 steps) which we walked up to the old walled city. 





We were expected on the patio of the shop/restaurant for wine tasting, truffle lessons and samples of white and black truffles. We were intrigued to hear about the botany of truffles, their commercial value, preparation, and tastiness.

Peter and I bought jars of truffles in olive oil and of minced truffles to share with friends back home. There was also a bottle of medica (honey grappa with mistletoe).

We stopped for a “learning and discovery” session, a reenactment with truffle dog, Nera, finding truffles on the hillside near oak trees.

She found the "planted" truffles!

Afterward, we visited Hum, a town of 17, enclosed in walls dating from 1102 with a bell tower built in 1552. We learned of Hum Glagolitic writing from the Middle Ages and tried writing our names in Glagolitic. 

We visited shops and sampled brandy, liquors and, of course, grappa.







In the medieval church at Hum there are amazing frescos peeling from the ancient damp walls. 

No funds for preservation.







We had a lovely tour of Croatia and certainly recommend it. For more on Croatia visit: http://croatia.hr .

Our next post, will be Adventures in Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia, Overseas Adventure Travel Tour “Cross-roads of the Adriatic”. Part II:

We hope that you enjoy it.

Catherine and Peter, now aboard S/V “Charlotte D” in the Southern Caribbean (www.svcharlotted.blogspot.com )

“All roads lead to Rome. Take a new one everyday!”