And so it continues....

Our dinner for Lynley was delicious...the man in charge decided what we should eat...it was a neighbourhood street restaurant & was full of locals coming & going...anyway, we were to have a small entree...there were two huge platters of shaved ham, two huge pizza breads with olive oil on them, a big platter of tempura veges & zucchini flowers & 2 platters of sliced rockmelon & the biggest figs I've ever seen...plus a big bowl of buffalo mozzarella!!  & that was only the entree...our main course was a platter of mixed meats which turned out to be grilled meats...very deliscious...plus fried potato chunks & 2 big bowls of salad...the salad was particularly appreciated as we haven't had much in the way of veg on this trip.
Checked out of our rather unusual apartment...(the showers were contrary) & it seemed that someone lived there & had only moved out for us to move in....& headed for the airport....rather sad as our trip was pretty much over.  Ron & Di have been left at Dubai airport as they have booked straight through.  We are at our hotel in Dubai but can't check in for a couple more hours yet. Love to all

A final blog from Rome

This is a hot & dirty city...now back a step or 2...
we were quite sad to have to leave Ljubljana...it is such a clean & pretty city...in fact the whole country is gorgeous...we will definitely go back there..our bus trip to trieste left at 6.25am   & took a bit over 2 hours....what a change to be in Trieste...a hot & smelly & grubby place....the Italians just dont have it !!!  We had checked the previou evening on the internet where the Hertz depot was in relation to the bus depot & it looked a long way around the harbour...so we had decided to catch a taxi....the young lady driving it radioed to her base with the address & then started to laugh as she held up her hand to us & said "just a little trip"...it was around the corner from the bus station!!!  We only had to pay the flagfall as the meter didnt change in the time it took us to drive there...we felt like dills but she saw the funny side & we all had a good laugh!!
Our drive south was uneventful except I missed one of the turnoffs from the A1 & we had to go about an extra 120kms out of our way...oh well, we saw lots more of the countryside.....
Found a neat little hotel & had dinner in yet another hilltop village...very very steep streets...but a fantastic Tuscan meal in a fantastic little street restaurant.
The drive next morning into Rome....we found a DFO & had a visit in ther...there were some good bargains & the shops were very different to the ones at home...John got a shirt & some shoes...I didnt bother...they didnt have much in the clothing line for my size anyway.
We were a  bit tense about driving in to Rome again as we didnt have any maps...but the fantastic Barkers came through again...we can find our way in most places!!!..we drove strsight to the Hertz place (we had collected our original car from there).  After much finger gripping in the taxi ride, we made it to our apartment to catch up with the Bennetts & Vintons...sooo good to see them all again...& we all headed out for a drink, dinner & a catch up...there was lots of talking & laughing...drinking & dining...got back about midnight....yesterday we walked about a hundred kms around Rome...saw Spanish steps minus the flowers, Trevi Fountain which was even more fantastic than I had remembered...absolutely gorgeous.  John was going to plank on the edge of the fountain & we were deafened by the whistles of the police as he was told to get off...youre not even allowd to sit on the edge!!!  saw a few other monuments then the other 4 went off to do a tour of the Colisseum...we went for a walk to the river then headed back for a siesta. 
Went out for a proper dinner for Lynleys birthday last night...now just have to get organised for the trip out tnight

have to go now...run out of time  love to all

Ljubljana

Isn´t Ljubljana a fantastic name??  It sounds like something from a fairytale...anyway, we went off to Lake Bled today....gorgeous...as I read somewhere it looks like it was designed to go onto a postcard.
Our day started out a little precariously as we had a massive thunderstorm during the night & woke to constant rain...we were in 2 minds whether to go or not but decided to risk it.  It was also quite chilly & wasn´t going to get any higher than 21 deg...so we were excited to be able to put on jeans for a change...plus raincoats!!
The bus trip was about 1,5 hrs...& all the way we were looking at mountains with lots of cloud cover.  Because of the weather, lots of the tours which would normally have been there were cancelled..lucky us.  We decided to walk the 6 kms around the lake & also wanted to go on a pletna...a boat across to the island...which we did part way around.....this island has no permanent inhabitants but a gorgeous Church of the Assumption.  There are 99 steps up to the church.  I wanted to ring the Wishing Bell inside the church which I was able to do...our boat man said it was so nice that no-one was ringing the bell so far today as they get very tired of hearing it going all day in the summer!!!!!
After our walk was completed, we were starving as we´d only had a coffee & shared a danish for brekky...barely anything was open even to eat but we found a little place selling "hamburgers"...delicious...& killed those hunger pangs in time for us to get the bus back to town.  We are having a quiet time for a while as we aren´t hungry yet but will head back into town for some dinner later.
Exploring Ljubljana is on the plans for tomorrow.   By the way, we are making the most of the free internet & computers in this hostel..
love to all

Rovinj...a little more

Had our day in Rovinj...what a lovely church we visited ...the Basilica of St Euphemia....apparently her stone sarcophagus floated to shore in Rovinj in 304 & the only person able to pull it ashore & up to the church was a small boy!! Sheś been there ever since. There is a statue of her on the top of the spire & it revolves in the wind as it is set on a base of metal ball bearings...so itś sort of like a wind vane.  We could see her from our apartment. Anyway had a good day wandering around...headed home for lunch of local Istrian ham, cheese, olives & bread..then it was time for a siesta. Found a lovely little bar with seats right on  the waters edge for pre dinner drinks & sat there for a couple of hours before looking for dinner.  This morning, we had organised to leave at 7,00am & they were there to check us out right on time.  A 3 hour drive back to Zagreb & we returned opur car in time for the train to Ljubljana.
Wasn´t that an interesting ride...only 2hrs 45min...but 45 mins of that was spent sitting at the station across the border in Slovenia...they turned the train off so there was NO aircon & the doors were shut!!  We watched guards walk along beside the train extending mirrors underneath...then they came on board & checked every spot someone could possibly hide...even opening roof panels & shining torches inside.  Then we had the Policija come through to check our passports...our names & birthdates were relayed via a small mike...but then it got interesting as the 2 guys in front of us were Iranian...the guy took their passports away off the train...one of them was doing stuff on his laptop & it was all in Arabic which made the Policija raise his eyebrows...so then we sat & waited...the Customs came through twice asking if we had anything to declare & the Iranian guys were getting tense about their missing passports!!  Eventually, the boss Policija came on & wanted them to write down their address in Iran, the passports were returned & away we went.
We were most impressed with the countryside, very Austrian looking & sparkling clean...no rubbish aywhere.
Tonight in Ljubljana, we have stumbled across a local wine & food festival....plus there is a Summer festival of music & we sat & listened to that for a while...quite funny to listen to Frank Sinatra songs sung in Slovenian!!  We have tasted many wines & cheeses & local ham tonight...then John found a stall selling the local goulash which has 3 different meats in it...I found chicken!!   It was quite spicy (paprika) but very tasty. An ice cream & a walk back to our hostel & we are ready for bed. 
Going to Lake Bled tomorrow so will maybe have some more photos for you.   Love to all

Now for some photos....

In the fort above Hvar town..our yacht was moored amongst the islands behind us

Dinner in a fish restaurant in Stari Grad..sitting in the outside courtyard

In the Peristile..Diocletian Palace..Split...having drinks on the steps & watching a couple of weddings

Our rental car...not really...just a relic from the communist days

St Marks Church in Upper town, Zagreb..note the gaslights which are lit every evening at dusk by hand...there are over 200 of them

The Interceptor...Croatian Highway Patrol...we were told to watch out for these on the motorway!!!

One of the Arcades in Miragoj cemetery & looking through to the other arcade

The outer walls of Miragoj...this is only in one direction from the main gate

Strossmayer Promenade...still early in the evening...note the "chandelier" hanging in the trees

The view directly opposite our apartment in Rovinj

Rovinj from across the harbour

Having a coldie in Motovun

A view from Motovun

Istria Peninsula

Well, we have revised our opinion of Rovinj...the smell has mostly gone....the weather yesterday was once again blu skies & hot...about 30 deg...which is what we have been having most of the time we¨ve been away...got a bit of a tan going which won¨t last long once we get back to that chilly weather.
Yesterday went for a drive to Pula to see the 6th largest remaining Colosseum in Europe...very interesting but considering the size of the place, it was damn hard to find!!!  Did the audio tour...now we dont have to go back to the one in Rome (which hasnt changed much in the last 32 years that we could see) ...& one per trip is enough, we feel. Pula itself is not very appealing & we couldnt wait to get out...drove down a side road to a place called Fašana...absolutely gorgeous & really quiet...lovely little rocky beach with very clear water...we wished we had our togs with us.  Leaving there we were going to return to Rovinj but decided to continue on to Motovun...a hilltop fortified village...quite old & very pretty...the views were to die for...all across the valleys over the vineyards & olive groves....had a drink in the shade of a chestnut tree on the very top in a piazza.  Walked around the walls for our views...almost did ,360 deg.
Everywhere we have gone, there have been groups of schoolkids & teachers....doing end of year trips to all the interesting things nearby...typical kids..really noisy & the teenagers are smartasses just like at home!!
We drove back vis Poreć outskirts & on to Funtana (which is known for a dialect peculiar only to that town), around the Lim Fjord & back to Rovinj...it was a long day of touring around but we are having today to look really thoroughly around Rovinj .
Tomorrow, we return our car to Zagreb & catch the train to Ljubljana.  Love to all

Zagreb...& on to Rovinj

What a fantastic place Zagreb was...we fell totally in love with it...it has such a nice feel, the people are very friendly & very willing to help in any way.  We did our hop on hop off bus tour...at least one of the trips anyway...it started to rain in the afternoon & so we didn,t get to do the trip around the outside of town.  We had already walked most of the streets but it was good to have the commentary to fill us in on what we had seen.  We got off at the 2nd last stop to have our lunch at the Miragoj cemetery (I hope that,s how it,s spelled)...it is the most beautifully laid out place...you,ll have to see if you can google it Mum...it,s well worth the look.  We could have spent hours there.  Later that afternoon after our next trip had been cancelled, we walked up to Strossmayer Promenade in the Old Town... we had taken the funicular up there the previous evening, but were too weary to hang around there for too long...they have music in the summer evenings.  The funicular is the shortest in the world at only 33 metres & takes 55 seconds to complete the trip!!!  Anyway, we had a good look around the old town that night & then got ourselves settled into a good spot for the music...we had a great time & enjoyed 2 bottles of particularly delicious white wine.  The place was absolutely buzzing...& on a week night too...there were kids & adults everywhere...it all had a very Bohemian feel about it.  Also in the Old Town, we visited St Marks church...the roof tiles are all glazed & are laid out in the coats of arms of  Croatia & the city of Zagreb...beautiful.  Plus visited the Museum of Naive Art which John really loved...and the Museum of Broken Relationships...most interesting & we had a few laughs in there. John has a feeling it has been mentioned by Dominique in the past..though it hasnt travelled to Australia as yet.

Picked up our car next morning to drive to Rovinj...it was a 3 hour trip which we did on the motorway...got to our apartment & we were very disappointed as the first thing that struck us as we came through the door from the street was the putrid stench of rubbish...there was a bin behind the door...plus the fruit & veg markets were just across the street ...almost stomach churning.....luckily the smell has gone today!!!!

A quick walk around town then some dinner & an ice cream  we were in bed by 10,00pm.  This town is very pretty but so very very touristy...there are souvenir stalls & stands selling everything you can imagine...in rows along the streets.  The place is absolutely overrun by GERMANS...to the extent that we are greeted in German everywhere we go...& lots of the signs are in Croatian & German.

More later as this machine is beginning to play up & I¨m going to get a bit tense if this doesnt publish.  Love to all

Its the next morning & obviously this didnt publish...thank god I saved this!!

More back in Split

If there are mistakes in this it is because we are in the darkest internet cafe & lots of the letters on the keyboard are worn off...plus I don´t have my glasses!!
Anyway, was going to put up lots of photos last time but got hassled out of the internet place....youĺl get why in a minute...
There was a whole different feel to Split when we got back there...turned out they were working up fro their first Gay Parade...there were police everywhere....we were told there would be 200 in the parade but over 400 police so we would be safe...the drama is that Croatia is a Catholic country & they dont acknowledge gays...but as they are working towards joining the EU they have to accept them....hence the big police presence...we hung around for a while...the was tear gas let off...police in full riot gear...water cannons & helicopters buzzing around...we got out of the way after that...
Now back to the internet cafe...she wanted to go & watch the parade & I was holding her up!!!!
John & I had a lovely couple of days in Split after saying goodbye to the other 4 ( which was quite sad after all that time together).  Our little house is over 400 yrs old & really tiny..but right in the middle of Diocletian Palace.  Ywsterday we went for a day trip to Krka National Park...gorgeous...water everywhere & boardwalks so nothing is damaged.  It was a drive of 1.5 hrs there & back.
Today we have had a 6.5 hr train trip to Zagreb...this country is so mountainous & rocky...hard to tell how they make a living...or else it is very heavily wooded.
So far we like it here...the tourist office staff are beyond helpful & cant do enough for us...unlike Split where they volunteer absolutely nothing.  We are off to find some dinner soon then for a wander up to the old town to listen to some street music...running for a couple of months over summer.  Tomorrow is the hop on hop off bus & cathedral visit....plus organise our car for the drive to Rovinj.
Had a bit of a let down when we arrived at our Hotel Jagerhorn...while they had our booking & wew were in their system, they did not have a room for us...so we had to hike back in another direction to the hotel they sent us to...a little cheaper but not quite as nice!!  Oh well, only here for 2 nights.
No USB here so will have to wait for more photos...love to all

Photos

Rodger in the shirt & cap we presented to him on our first day

Captain Johnny

In Komiza

Trying my hand at sailing

Blue cave

Our yact..Jonathan Livingstone..

The journey continues....Hvar

Our trip towards Hvar was a bit rough & was the day John was a little uncomfy & I did the roll around the wheel & bashed my head. Still quite sore to touch but otherwise I am good...the sea was quite rough with winds more than 32 knots..not sure just now...
As Hvar is very noisy & touristy, we stayed on Palmazhana about a 15 min water taxi trip away...even that was really crowded because of the weather.  Took the taxi across & walked to the fort at the top of town..over 200 steps...did the photo thing & headed down for a reviving drink & some dinner.
Wed we headed towards Stari Grad with a stop in a little cove for a swim in the Adriatic...bloody cold ..but the water is so clear & blue...not azure like at home.  We did lots of sailing that day & it was great flying along in the wind.  We loved Stari Grad..as I have said before...Johnny has found a property to develop right on the waterfront...great potential for yachties!!!  Our 2nd night in Stari Grad, John & the others went for a tour inland on motor scooters....said it was beautiful...lots of lavender fields & vineyards & olive trees...plus a sign to a nudist camp..but they held back on visiting that!!.
Yesterday, being Lynleyś birthday, we cruised around looking for quiet places to pull in a have a swim...& ended the day in a cove about 1,5hours from Split as we had to be back in the marina by 8,00am today.  We had decorated the boat for Lynley with streamers, birthday banner, balloons, & plastic blow up birthday cake...we all had a great day...which ended with us eating everything that was left in the way of food for dinner..plus the last little bit of alcohol.
It was quite a letdown to have to hand back our boat this morning & to say goodbye to our friends.  We can still feel the ground moving beneath us...& it is worse in the shower when you close your eyes to wash your hair!!!  But I´m sure we´ll be landlubbers again soon.  Love to all...

Split...again...

Well, we made it back...& as Simon says, we could definitely have the sailing bug....even though I´m not very athletic about the clambering about that is required.  We have had a fantastic, fantastic time. Will give you all a bit of a recap...we had a few dramas collecting the yacht as the previous hirers had left it in such a bad condition that 2 of the mattresses had to be sent away to be cleaned...so there were a couple of ˝make do˝ mattresses put in.  We spent that first night in the marina as it was 8pm by the time they checked us in.  Next morning we headed out towards Vis...an island a fair distance out...& spent the night in a town called Komiza...very very cute...got talking to an American lady who had organised a big family reunion in one of the restaurants there as the family had originally come from there...she was so excited to share it with us all...the reunion was just winding up.  The whole town had a really lovely feel about it....& we had dinner that night in Pizzeria Charly...(Charlie Chaplin everywhere)...headed off next morning about 10.00ish (this became pretty much the norm).  As I have mentioned, we went out to Bisevo to see the Blue Cave...all loved it & we happened to be there at the right time for the angle of the sun!!  That night we had around the other side of Vis in Vis Town...not as cute but still lovely....had a rather expensive but absolutely delicious dinner there...only Croatian products & methods of cooking are used.....mmmmm!  Three of us had Pasticcada (??) which is beef marinated for 3 days then slow cooked & served with gnocchi...they all raved about it...the other 3 of us had a fish called Gurnard...roasted whole & served over roasted veg....bloody delicious.  Also 2 very nice wines were imbibed...no beer or soft drink on the menu, only Croatian wines...& Yes Budgens, we had your wine ...& it was as good as you said.

Back in Stari Grad again

Loved it here so much we came back for another night. Went to Zlatni Rat yesterday but didn't bother stopping as it was quite cool & blowy plus there were lots of tourists there. It was very commercial lpoking & unappealing. And no it was not nudist...at least what we could see. We have spotted lots of naked germans at different times though. We did lots of sailing though which was fantastic. We are celebrating Lynley's birthday today as well as feeling a little sad that this stage of our holiday is almost over. We hand back our boat at 8am tomorrow. Hopefully will get some photos up when back in Split love to all

Stari Grad...

A quick update. Nointernet cafe here...just free wifi so on myagic phone again. We are having a fantastic time on the yacht. Only one scaryish day as we had some really rough weT
weather. John had to lie down as he got a woozy. I had a Tina moment when I went to have a go at steering & fell down & bashed my head. Got a beaut bruise but am otherwise fine. Gave everyone a bit of a shock though!!! It is a shame I can't put any photos up as these islands are just gorgeous. All but me went to the blue cave on Bisevo... Apparently beautiful but a bit tricky for me to climb into a bouncing dinghy. This place is stunning just like a painting and almost like it was built from kids blocks...very hard to describe. Today we are going to Zlatni Rat at Bol for a swim. We've all had lots of sun but not too much sunburn. More later...

Split photos...



Afternoon nibbles in our courtyard



Port office under renovation..notice the 2 men on the roof replacing the tiles...NO safety gear

The tower I climbed..in Diocletians Palace..only the top half..went right to the round bit on top

View from the top..across to the marina we will leave from tomorrow

Tina at the top

Split...on a sunny day...

Hi All, Another beautiful day in Split...what a really lovely town. Started today with brekky on the Riva...the promenade along the waterfront of town. Then John & the others went off on a 2 hour Segway tour...I was a little hesitant but my trip-over yesterday was the deciding factor...couldn´t face the thought of maybe falling over again...instead I had a lovely time sitting watching the boats & people go by...the morning was so clear, it was almost like a postcard!!  John had a great time on the Segway...& they feel famous as lots of other tourists were taking their photos...personally I think it was because they stood out in their bright orange hi-vis vests!!   Wandered into Diocletians Palace to the Luxor cafe...(Budgens will remember this area as where they have the cushions on the steps)...to have a deliscious iced coffee...then decided to climb the bell tower....another NOT for you Georgina...179 very steep & deep steps....half inside a narrow stone tower & the remainder in the open...with only a single railing stopping us from falling to our deaths...plus these steps were metal & you could see through them as you climbed...much cheek clenching!!!  While we were up there, the bells started ringing...thank goodness we were above them!!,,,there were 9 bells all... ringing together!!!
Decided on a lunch in a cool little courtyard...I had grilled chicken with potato salad...so yummy you couldnt describe it...& John had sardines which had been caught just this morning...we got the waiter to demonstrate how to eat them.  In the middle of lunch, it started raining...we got wet...& the waiter laughed as he said to us "You said no sun" & waved towards the sky.  So of course, after we moved, we had to wait for the rain to stop so there were coffees had.  John & I have had a wander around on our own & the others are having a snooze....will be my turn shortly.

Some more photos.....

St Peters Basilica by night

Three wise monkeys...watching a girl walk past

Split

Orvieto...cant remember the name of this

Dinner/nibbles on the terrace in Orvieto

Jasmine everywhere

John near Rio Maggiore, Assisi

Half our gorgeous bathroom on the ferry

 

Ancona to Split...via ferry

What an ugly town Ancona is.....though we probably only saw the industrial part of it at the port.  Anyway, checked in & got our tickets at the frrry office & our cabin was away from the others who had adjoining cabins.  They were really excited with theirs...big rooms with a lounge suite, bed & ensuite in the corner.  They came to meet us & saw what we had!!! They were almost convinced we had an upgrade.....we had 3 rooms...bedroom, lounge room with leather lounge & an armchair as well as a flat screen tv (which didnt work), plus the hugest ensuite you have ever seen....along with a huge spa bath in it....the whole thing was tiled in mosaic tiles in shades of blue from the floor to the ceiling.....& absolutely stunk!!!   Smelled like old cabbage to me...but was probably the marine toilet!!!  A few drinks & a ham sandwich later & we were ready for bed.  Slept like a log...we arived in Split at 7,30am...had a coffee & were met by Ivana who took us to our accommodation, which is about a 5 min walk from the centre of everything.  John & i have had a day wandering about by ourselves...in the process of which I managed to trip over & land on my knees then did a belly flop & slid along the ground!!  Not my finest hour. Washing has been done & we are almost ready for a vino & some nibbles.  Have booked our train for Zagreb for 13 June.  Stay safe...more soon..hopefully before we go off on the yacht...

Some photos....

A view of Orvieto towering above our B&B...very impressive







The lawn in front of the Church of St Francis...very well looked after & much photographed

John & I on the top deck of the ferry as we were about 30 mins out from Split

The famous chewing gum fence...there were a few new donations still in their original bright colours!!

There were several of these special areas on our ferry to Split

Assisi

Got to a computer so back to the larger font, Mum & Dad!!  Assisi....what can I say...a bit of a disappointment....so very very touristy....souvenir shops everywhere, even in the underground car park...so didnt end up buying anything there except for a gelato and a cake.  We went to the Church of St Francis...very impressive...went down the stairs to his tomb under the 2 churches which are built on top of each other...quite awesome when you consider the amount of weight bearing down on you from above!!  John was impressed!!  Lots of uphill to get there...then we decided to walk to the Rio Maggiore...Lucas castle with the chewing gum fence...we saw it!!!  Yuk, yuk...had told the others about it too...we had been unsure where the fence was & the ladies in the tourist office had no idea...apparently....but what a fantastic view...after we walked the 137 steps winding up the tower...which came after the 162 steps up from the town followed by a fairly steep walk up the road past the chewy fence!!!  We now have very tight calf muscles!!!  & can all feel them today!!  By the way Lucas, we didnt get to the tower you spoke of..ran out of time as we had to get on the road to Ancona...maybe next time!! (or not!)