Oct 11, 2017 - Split

We arrived in Split on a beautiful day, sunshine 20C with 0% chance of rain in the forecast and that is exactly what we got. We took a tour away from Split which took us to the famous Blue Lake, which this year ran dry because of hot, dry spring and summer. Apparently no rain from May 19 through to end of September with temperatures around 35C to 38C throughout that period. So this year no one swam in the Blue Lake but rather used the bottom for soccer matches between rival teams, the last of which drew 2,000 fans. Pretty neat given that...

Oct 10, 2017 - Korcula, Croatia

Today was the day we both anticipated and dreaded at the same time. A cycling wine tasting tour. First of all Korcula is an island in the Adriatic Sea with very few flat areas. Our guide, John said that there were only two hills to climb and the rest was fairly level. I gues he was correct, the first hill took 30 minutes to climb, the second 45 minutes. At least that's what it felt like although the grades were sometimes greater than other times. The fun part were the long downhills. I have got to say though that I forgot how much my butt...

Oct 8, 2017 - Dubrovnik

Spent the day in the Old City of Dubrovnik. It lived up to everything we had read or heard. Beautiful City. We walked the wall around the old city, about 2 km and took about two hours. Lots of people and lots of photo ops. After leaving the wall we wandered the streets of the old city. Eventually making our way outside the wall. We wondered some of this streets and came across an area where people were sunbathing. October 8 and people are still sunbathing here. Amazing. Try that at home. Had lunch and a lovely red wine "Plavca" in a...

Sep 29, 2017 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

I arrived at the Dubrovnik bus station at about noon or so. I made the mistake of not grasping just how far my apartment was from anything. This turned out to be both a blessing and a burden. I should have lugged my bag with me to a market near the bus station to get some groceries but instead, I got right on the local bus per my hosts directions because it happened to be leaving in a few minutes. I told the driver my stop and he yelled it out about 10 minutes later up the coast north of Dubrovnik. I got off and was literally standing on...

Sep 23, 2017 - Split Croatia

On the road. After an early rise and because it would have been a very long walk, or two local buses to the bus station, we had two mini vans that got us there without fuss. Except for getting luggage up those entry stairs. Lots of rugged hills. Occassional towns. Indications of remains of stone fences and small stone houses on the rocky hills. Where there were river flood plains, lots of intensive planting. Houses on the slopes, every inch of the flat areas used. Border...check out the map of croatia and its neighbour Bosnia...

Sep 21, 2017 - Around and above the city rest of group in tonight

These are photos of my wandering and investigating neighbourhood on my first day. And two different bus rides around the city. The photos of derelict buildings are tge remains of the 'partition' wars with the breaking up of yugoslavia. Some are kept as reminders of the heroics. Others are private and have to be rebuilt to fit the history of the house. Soon if they havent been done, govt will reclaim and compensate somewhat.

Sep 20, 2017 - Day 1 on my own orienteering myself

Impressions. People laid back friendly, And very helpful. We were supposed to have 40 min wait before shuttle bus departed airport for the city. It was 80 mins. About the time we were supposed to leave a second bus came in. Driver parked and proceeded to have a smoke and chat with our driver. The female ticket seller came out and joined them. Then another plane arrived. So we waited for that lot. In the end the bus was overfull and a young japanese girl was given a cushion to sit on the steps and was told it was the best seat on the bus. ...

Sep 11, 2017 - Plitvicka Lakes National Park

Yesterday we left Split on the A1 to drive to Jezera, Croatia and Plitvica Lakes National Park. Sun broke through the clouds as we drove through jagged limestone mountains...and tunnels. One tunnel was over 5kms long. We turned off A1 at Plonca and followed a valley north through villages. We turned into the nearby village of Mukerje and found a place to stay. Last night it started to rain...and rain. This morning it added thunder and lightning to its repertoire. Well the ducks loved it! And there were few people on the trails. And it is...

Sep 11, 2017 - If there is a drought somewhere send us for sure it will rain!

The server at breakfast told us it is unusual to have rain 3 days in a row in Split; Hurricane "Santher" changes all of that! 400km drive to Zagreb, the capital and largest city in Croatia. Heavy rain and wind most of the drive. It is the site of headquarters for the largest companies, scientific institutions and media. Most important hub of transportation for Croatia. After we checked into the hotel we headed out for a little snack before our walking tour. Found a bakery and shared a rich and delicious piec of dark chocolate cake and a...

Sep 10, 2017 - A Croatian Birthday for Heather

Heather started out the day with a 5 mile run! Road trip to the north to Split. A very warm day but a lovely wind off the ocean. Our first stop was our hotel. Up the steps from the street, only 6 rooms. We are lucky that we are on the first floor so we don't have to carry our luggage up another level. We have the smallest room with the biggest TV! For some reason our suitcases are getting harder to close and heavier and we have not added anything to them! We walked down to the city center located on the bay. Promenade is filled with ice...

Sep 9, 2017 - Split, Dalmatia, Croatia

From Makarska, it was a short 75 k to Split. It should have taken no more than 11/2 hours but traffic was heavy and we had lots of time to admire the countryside. It had rained through the night and 'tablecloth' clouds obscured mountaintops. Huge grey rocky spines descended from on high into the ocean. In placesrecent fires had burned all brush, low bushes and trees. There were many little villages and towns spared. In the Adriatic we could see one long island. We could see 2 towns on it. Around the corner from Split, we encountered stop...

Sep 9, 2017 - The Patron Saint of Dubrovnik is the Saint for Speech Therapists

Pouring rain when we went down for breakfast. Branko was waiting for us with the umbrellas to go to Old Town for a walking tour. 3 cruise ships are in port so that means not only a lot of people, but a lot of people with umbrellas! Within a few minutes of meeting our guide, Sandra, and starting the tour the rain stopped. Evidence has been found to support that Dubrovnik has been around since 1st century BC. As early as the 10th century it was an important trade and political center of the eastern Adriatic. By the end of the 13th century the...