Ljubljana and Lake Bled Slovenia

Sept 20: It was so nice to see this city during the day! It was hard to get a feeling of this place last night since it was dark. Ljubljana is very quaint, clean, and non-touristy. We walked to the out skirts of the city to Joze Plecnik’s (Famous Architect) House. It was cool, because this house was decorated exactly as it was the day he died. He had so many projects (models) in his house. He built the library and the triple bridge here in Ljubljana (along with many other sights). We passed the city gardens on the way back to the hotel that supplies the daily market in the city center.

We spent the afternoon at the castle and market. We hiked up to the top of the hill to check out the castle area, but it is currently used for receptions etc. We found many buckeyes (buckeye trees) up on this hill. GO BUCKS! The castle wasn’t very impressive, but it provided a good view of the city. We shopped a bit at the market once we hiked back down the hill. We had dinner at a “Mexican” restaurant, but it wasn’t quite Mexican enough for us. I think we will wait till we get back to California for good Mexican food.

Sept 21: Since Ljubljana took us only one day we decided to take a day trip to Lake Bled. This was quite an amazing place! The lake prohibits motorized boats which helps keep the deep blue color of the water. There are these cool row boats called “pletna” boats that Eric and I took to the little island in the center of the lake. A local said that Slovenia has only one island, and it is in lake Bled (this is funny because Croatia has so many islands off the coast). We had cappuccino in the afternoon before heading to the Vintgar Gorge just outside of the town. We had to take a bus for 15 minutes, and then we walked for another 15 minutes to reach the Gorge. We paid 3 euro to hike the Gorge and it was every bit worth the money! The views were spectacular, and the water was energetically rushing through the small space given. This has been one of our favorite place to hike! There was a wooden path running across and along this gorge. We hiked back into Lake Bled to try its world renown cream cake called kremna rezina. Yummmy! Then it was time to return to Ljubljana to catch our night train later in the evening. First was had dinner at a really great restaurant called Gostilna As Lounge. Eric had a huge sea bass served whole on his plate! It is a good thing that he learned how to fillet his fish earlier in Croatia! It was quickly time to get our train to Munich. Our train was an hour late (sucked) and when it arrived our wagon was not there? We saw another couple who were looking for our same wagon! We finally asked the train worker and he said that our wagon was coming shortly. They do a lot of attaching and detaching train wagons on these night trains, because when we got to Munich our train was 5 times longer than when we boarded!

Split and Hvar Croatia

Sept 16: We woke up early, and Viktor had coffee and grappa (yuck) ready for us in the morning. Grappa is a strong wine liquor… not something we are used to in the morning! Then we caught the city bus to the long distance bus station. We got on our bus (with no bathroom) as I was wondering how I was going to make it 4 hours with out peeing! Our bus had an exhaust leek that made for a noisy ride! Anyway, I later found out that the bus stopped every 1 to 2 hours for small breaks (yea!). We needed these because the bus sucked! Eric was a little hung over and a little sick. Dylan gave him some antacid that helped. Then the bus started getting really hot and crowded! It sucked and I don’t think we would recommend taking a long distance bus again! We were so happy, and sweaty, when we arrived in Split! Our apartment was nice and was decorated like a boat with ropes as the railing along the stairways. The apartment was small, but three levels high and located just outside of the Old Town. We were ready for something real to eat after the bus ride so we found a place to eat that was recommended both by our book as well as the lady who booked our apartment. It was a bare bones place but a cool mostly locals place and the food was good and predictable…when you ordered chicken that’s exactly what you got and not a whole lot more. After dinner Leslie and I took it pretty easy, Leslie took a nap and I sat in the massage chair (a nice addition to our apartment) and Dylan went for a quick walk around the Old Town. After reconvening Dylan guided us to a cool café area near Old Town where we enjoyed a couple of cappuccinos (he tried to order a double but just got two) and Les and I had Oranginas. I’m not totally sure but we probably got gelato on the way home too.

Sept 17: Recharged today we were ready to check out this city that was built around Diocletian’s 4th century palace (He was a Roman Emperor). We headed out for a walking tour around Old Town where we rubbed the toe of Bishop Gregory of Nin (statue) for good luck; saw several of the original 13 black sphinxes that Diocletian had originally brought here from Egypt. Peristyle Square was the centerpiece of the palace where residents would often meet and discuss matters of the times. We shopped our way through the end of the walking tour in the recently (during the past century) rediscovered basement of the palace. We bought a ticket to tour the cellars, and an area that was used for sewage during the middle ages. Later in the evening we all went out to dinner at our favorite Split restaurant (the only one we ate at the whole time we were there)… it’s called Buffet Fife and it was right around the corner from our apartment. Dylan’s treat… even better…. What a nice guy!

Sept 18: We caught a high-speed catamaran ride to one of the islands off the coast of Split this morning, called Hvar. We checked out Hvar town and some castle ruins on top of the hill. The hike to the ruins was well worth the view! We could see many of the islands off the coast, but it was a very windy day so we didn’t stay too long. We had to catch a bus to the other side of the island (town called Stari Grad) to catch our ferry home. Our ferry ride home was very nice with amazing views! We met a man out on the back of the ship (where we were sitting drinking our beers) from Ireland. He owns a boat and cottage there in Hvar and was returning back home. He recommended that we go to Lake Bled while we are in Slovenia. He was bringing his boat from Ireland to Hvar Island and regrets not stopping there for a few nights. The boys talked about racing and we were back to Split before we knew it.

Once again we had dinner at Buffet Fife, where I had the best calamari I have ever had! The seafood was so fresh, and the price was right, so it wasn’t worth going anywhere else! We hung out a little while but turned in early since E and I had to get up early to catch a 7:30 am train to Zagreb then on to Slovenia.

Sept 19: Today was such an early day! We said our goodbyes to Dylan, and walked to the train station where our train waited. Our train was very short containing only about 3-4 wagons. We had first class ticket reservations that included a coffee and sandwich. The train ride was very beautiful. We passed some rivers that were a brilliant aquamarine blue! This color is from the calcium carbonate (a mineral deposit from the limestone) and causes such high calcium deposits ever changing the landscape (especially around water falls). We arrived in Zagreb on time, but we had a 4-hour layover. We took this opportunity to walk around Zagreb (the capital of Croatia). The city was very nice, clean and quaint. We were happy that we had the opportunity to check this place out for a few hours. Later this evening we arrived into Ljubljana pretty late. So we walked to our hotel to get some shuteye.

Dubrovnik Croatia

Sept 12: We had a great breakfast in the morning in the dinning room of the Ferry. We ate as we watched the Croatian islands pass by through the windows. It was really cool, but extremely early. Maybe the drugs hadn’t worn off yet? We arrived at 7 am and the man renting us our apartment, Viktor, met us at the dock. He bought us bus tickets and invited us in for some coffee. Once again we couldn’t get the apartment until later in the day so he showed us around the city and told us to return around noon. We walked all around and took many pictures. It was so beautiful and the weather was so nice! The water was extremely clear and blue. We went back at noon and made ourselves at home in the studio apartment. We had a kitchen and bathroom… it was very nice. We took a nice little nap before going out again. We went to dinner at this restaurant that Viktor recommended early for fresh seafood. Dylan had squid, Eric had Cuttlefish Risotto, and I had fresh shrimps. There were many stray cats running around trying to get any scraps that they could. We sat outside right in the old marina surrounded by such amazing scenery. We walked around through the old city, and outside the giant walls of the city after dinner. The whole city of Dubrovnik is enclosed within the old walls!

Sept 13: It was so nice to wake us refreshed and rested. We went to the beach today for some sunbathing and swimming. The water was a bit cold, but felt good after getting in and used to it. You could see the bottom the water was so clear. Everyday there was a cruise ship docked off the coast in the bay between Dubrovnik and Lokrum (island just off the coast). We stopped by the grocery store for some sandwich stuff on the way back to the apartment.

After lunch we went out to explore the city from its walls. We bought tickets to walk the walls of the city in the evening as the sun set. With the infinite number of picturesque scenes it took us a while to get round the whole city. Every step brought a new view of our stunning surroundings. We have so many pictures! We climbed up the tower (with the best views of the city) to the highest point of the protective wall. It was said that this same wall helped protect the people of Dubrovnik in the 1991 bombing of the city by the army of Yugoslavia. There are posters as you enter or exit the city marking each location where bombs hit the city! It was covered in these dots! It is hard to imagine because it was not so long ago and the city looked as it does today while it was bombed. All the people here remember these times vividly, but not many will talk about it. The only remnants of the bombing are the new orange roofs of the old town, which were much more worn in the past.

At dinner, we all split a huge seafood platter. It included shark, squid, fish, zucchini, potatoes, and muscles. Our waiter was a very nice young man. His parents own and run the restaurant and he and his brother help. He told us some cool bars that we should check out. Eric and Dylan went out for a drink around midnight, but I was too tired to join them. They took some cool pictures of the city at night after most the tourist had gone to bed.

Sept 14: We decided to catch the little ferry to the island just off the coast called Lokrum. It is a natural preserve with some old fort (and monastery) remains. We got off the boat and started hiking up a path through the woods until we came out onto the cliffs and water below. The rock was very sharp and jagged but there were some very nice jumping spots! So Dylan jumped after making sure the water was deep enough. After Dylan jumped a few times, Eric and I decided to jump as well! It was so fun, but we had to keep our shoes on because getting out was a little tricky and included a little rock climbing. Check out our pictures! I smacked the crap out of my arms on my last jump so I was done for the day! After drying off and getting ready to leave, Dylan found another jump. This jump was quite a bit higher than the last so we let him do this one alone. Once he had jumped, actually on his way down in the water he opened his arms and popped his shoulder out! This was the same shoulder he had had surgery on a while back. It pooped back in before he got out of the water, but that was the end of cliff jumping for all of us!

We hiked up to the top of the island where a fort once stood. We met some guys from San Francisco who were traveling through Italy, Croatia and to Montenegro! We hiked back down and around the island to the boat dock. There was a little restaurant/café where we grabbed some lunch before heading back to Dubrovnik.

Later in the evening we had dinner at a pasta place! The guys had lasagna and I had pesto pasta! It was good, but a bit heavy. Then we went out to a Latino disco club, and after to a club located on the beach called “East West”. It wasn’t very crowded anywhere, so we went back home for the night!

Sept 15: Dylan went on a tour to Montenegro for the day. Eric and I slept in… we are not used to going out at night anymore! Once we got up and ready we went to the bus station to get our bus tickets to Split for the next day. After we returned we went to the beach for the afternoon. We laid out and went swimming again! It was very nice to relax and do nothing for a day.

After Dylan got back we went to get pitas for dinner! The pitas were the closest thing we have had to good old Californian food. We sat down next to some English guys that had been drinking all day! We started drinking with them. One of the guys was a bit arrogant and annoying spewing political criticism of America. His friends were very embarrassed but we all got along and kept drinking. All the while the same guy was getting more drunk and chanting football (this is soccer for us) songs. I taught him an OSU football chant, and he added to it (it was really funny). Then he taught me some chants for the Newcastle team (where they were from). We left since we had to catch the bus in the morning but it was a good night all in all!

Formula 1 and Italy

Sept 5: Today we packed because we were leaving for Milan tonight on an overnight train. Gerd took us to the Wutha train station after he got off of work (so nice). The train ride was pretty good, but we got into Milan very early the next day.

Sept 6: Today we woke up in Milan around 7:30 am and got off the train. We then found our hotel, but this took us a little while. Of course we got off the bus a few stops too early, but no harm done, just a little more walking before we got to the hotel. We grabbed some cappuccino and croissants across the street at the bar. The owner of the bar was so very nice and was glad to hear that we were from the USA and California. Then we went on a walk and did a little shopping (a must in Milan) because Dylan was not due in untill the afternoon. He had to take about 5 flights to get from Santa Barbara to Milan. He bought his ticket with points late and had to take what was left. When Dylan arrived we took a walk to the Duomo (large church in the city center) and the Galleria. We had dinner at a little bar (good lasagna) just down the street from the church.

Sept 7: Formula One starts today in Monza! We caught a train in the morning to the racetrack. Monza is located just north of the city of Milan. Once we got to the track we found out we had to pick up our tickets at another location about 4 km away! After a little more walking, we picked up our three-day passes and entered the racetrack. The cars were so loud and fast! We walked around all day to see the many different twists and curves of the racetrack. We saw a few cars lose control and spin off the track a few times. We sat down in the main grand stands to watch many of the formula 1 cars come out of the pits then come hauling down the straightaway.

As we were leaving the track, Eric and Dylan went out on the old circular track to take some pictures (before they were kicked off by a couple of angry Italians). The curve of the track was so steep that you couldn’t walk to the top of it. Next we watched some of the Italian Army men take off and fly away in their helicopter. We took the train back to Central Station (we thought), but instead we ended up in another train station in Milan. A worker knocked on the door of the train to tell us that we were here and that we needed to get off:-) After 15 to 20 minutes we figured out where we were and took the subway back to our hotel.

Sept 8: Today we decided to go to Lake Como (located at the base of the Alps). As we were walking from the train station to the lake, we stopped into an art store. Eric and I found a cool painting of the Eiffel Tower, which we bought later on our way home. We reached the lake and took in the scenic views. We took the funicular (a trolley that goes up the mountain) to the top of one of the mountains. It was so scary because we were stuck in this thing going up about 2,000 feet! It stopped a few times and you could feel the cable stretch and give a little bit! Anyway, I was able to enjoy the views more at the top when we got off it. We walked through a wealthy neighborhood to a good viewpoint. We grabbed some lunch in the middle of the city after our trip down from the mountain. It was a great day, with great weather!

Sept 9: The Monza Formula 1 race is today, we asked the angry Italians from a couple of days ago that kicked us off the track when we should get there to get a good place to watch since we only had general admission tickets and they said around six in the morning…well that wasn’t going to be very likely. The race didn’t start until 1pm so we were not ready to get there 7 hours early and camp out in one spot all day. Instead we lucked out and the free train from Milan for the race dropped us off right by where we wanted to watch around 11 o’clock. The Italians were right and the place was pretty packed already. People were hanging from trees, had tents set up, and some even brought their own ladders. Dylan and I went on a mission to find something that we could stand on. We found a huge log, with one end still smoldering from being on fire the night before from some squatters. Together we picked it up and made a beeline for our spot, with the burning end leading the way we were able to easily part the crowd and set up our perfect location. The crowd was buzzing with energy and drunks for that matter, as Ferrari flags were flying proudly throughout the nearby stands. Unfortunately one of the Ferraris was quickly out of the race and the other didn’t challenge which quieted the crowd down for most of the race. Mercedes McClaren driver Fernando Alonso won the race. Dylan and I had a great time and Leslie survived another whole day of racing. After the race we joined the massive crowd at the train station and headed back to Milan and back to our hotel where we tried to waste as much time as possible before we had to catch our overnight train to Milan that night. Fortunately our hotel let us leave our bags there and take showers that night so we weren’t filthy for the train. We’re off to Bari!

Sept 10: Once again we woke up early on the train when we arrived in Bari. We grabbed some cappuccinos and croissants for breakfast (this was a common theme during our trip). We caught a taxi to our bed and breakfast about 2 km away. We had a really hard time, as well as our driver, finding this place! Finally the taxi driver called the hotel and then he took some unnamed road into a sports complex where our B&B was located. Whew… we thanked and tipped the taxi driver then went to check in. None of the people spoke English, but we gathered that we couldn’t check in till later. So we went back into the city to do some site seeing around old town.

We discovered that this city was a little rough after dark but safe enough during the day. Our book said not to walk through the tight streets of old town at night because you will come out with empty pockets! It was really cool in the old town because the streets were so narrow only disturbed by a scooter now and then. Looking down the alleyways we saw old ladies cleaning vegetables. We stopped into a little store, and the lady offered us samples of these bread rings (crackers). Eric and I bought some wine and bread rings to snack on (some plain and some with peppers). We had lunch and did some more shopping (Eric and Dylan found some t-shirts). Then we headed back to the hotel. Later in the evening we set out to find the nearest restaurant (our place was not in a touristy area) in the drizzle. We had to ask a few people but we finally found the restaurant. The food and service was great but it was a bit pricey since it was the only restaurant around!

Sept 11: We leave for Croatia later this evening on an overnight Ferry! I think we are all ready to get there, but first we had a whole day to spend in Bari. So we checked out as late a possible, and headed to the train station to store our bags for the day. We walked around for a while then stopped at a café for lunch. We had a great lunch and met an American man traveling to Greece named Jon. He was a businessman turned writer and was looking for a peaceful getaway in order to write undisturbed. He was having some problems with his new Mac and Eric was able to help a little. It was nice to talk to someone who spoke good English. After lunch we left to old town again to see the old castle remains. Once again we ran into Jon and spoke some more about our trip and his past professions. He was leaving earlier since the Ferry to Greece was about 16 hours while ours was only 9 hours.

Later this evening we grabbed our bags and some dinner at McDonalds (I think this was the first time we had fast food during our whole trip). Then we walked to the Ferry Dock (around old town… not through). We met two Australians who were traveling around the world. We picked up our tickets for the boat, but the Australians had some troubles getting their tickets and had to buy two more! Anyway we took a shuttle bus to our Ferry that dumped us off right in front of the boat with out directions. We all stood there for a minute and then Eric, Dylan and I just started walking onto the ramp where the cars were driving onto the boat. It was really funny, and seemed a bit dangerous with all the busses, trucks, cars and passengers. The boat looked safe and I think we were all a little relieved because we didn’t know what to expect!

We got our key to our room, because we had reserved a room with beds and a sink. Our room was down stairs below the cars. It was a bit creaky but not too bad. We left our bags in the room and went to the deck for a few drinks at the bar. We said goodbye to Bari as we set sail on our boat with drinks in our hand. It was late and rainy outside so we went down to our rooms and went to bed (with the help of some Dramamine and sleeping pills). We all woke up around 3 am, maybe because it was a little rough and the boat was a little loud? But we took some more Dramamine as a precaution and went back to bed till morning.