Lake Bled

With apologies for taking a month after the trip before sitting down to write this blog...

The next morning was well, shall we say, foggy. So foggy, in fact, that I could barely see the railway station across the street from my hotel window. Add to that the fact that it was Monday and the museums were still closed, we decided it was time to leave Zagreb for our next destination, Bled. So we got in the car, stopped at the border so I could get a stamp on my passport, angered a Croatian customs guy by driving too fast, and a little bit over two hours later were checking in into our hotel in Bled. My room was tiny and for the first time during the trip it was a twin, instead of a double bed. That was ok, though, because the view from my balcony looked like this:

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After dropping of the bags we convened in the hotel lobby and set off to explore Bled.

Bled is a resort town and very picturesque. It has an ancient history, but became really popular as a tourist in the 1800s when the Austro-Hungarian empire brought the railroad to it. Tito also made it one of his homes, the place he used to bring visitors to when he wanted to impress them with the beauty of the town. It is dominated by a lake with a small island in the middle of it, barely big enough for the church that they thoughtfully placed there. There is also a castle on the top of a mountain looking straight down upon the lake. Picturesque doesn't begin to describe it.

The lake was, of course, our first destination. A short walk from the hotel (and downhill to boot) found us at the lakeside, enjoying a pleasant walk along wooded paths, just enjoying the view. The island and its church were beckoning us, so we went to look for one of the pletna boats that my guide said would take us to the island. No motor boats are allowed on the lake, and the pletna boats with their double oars are the way to go. Apparently they are hand-built, and have been built the same way for generation. Very picturesque, they look like this:

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A fifteen minute or so ride got us to the island, where we were told we had half an hour to wander around before another boat would take us back. And wander around we did, enjoying the view from different parts of the wooded path around the island, and then up the steps towards the church. Didn't go inside as the church was closed, but  the little cafe right by it was open and we took advantage of that, enjoying a warm cup of coffee. Our half hour visit over, we got back on the boat which conveniently enough docked in front of a restaurant just in time for lunch. 

After lunch we split. Erich and Ingrid went back to the hotel to rest, while I decided it was time for a walk around the lake. It is about five kilometers wide, which in my case meant a three hour pleasant stroll, with many stops to enjoy the view and take pictures. The camera battery finally died, officially 

We reconvened late afternoon at the hotel to drive up the mountain to visit the castle. A short drive, a steep uphill walk and an entrance fee found us at the castle's courtyard, looking down at the lake while the sun set behind the mountains: a spectacular view in any direction we chose to look. 

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The castle had a museum telling the history of the region and was actually quite good. It covered geology, geography and the history of the people who lived there. They also had life-sized mannequins with clothes and tools from different times. One of them reminded me a lot of Asterix:

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Back down we went in search of food, but were too tired to explore much so ended up eating at the same place where we had lunch earlier in the day. After that it was an unfortunately, uphill walk back to the hotel for a good night's rest.

Next morning was our last day on the road. We were tired and vacationed-out, but had one more place to visit in the Lake Bled area before heading back home: Vintgar Gorge. The guidebook said it was worth visiting and the guide book never lies. So we drove north for about five minutes, parked the car and went for a walk. The book did not lie, the place was incredible! We walked for close to two hours along the river, crossing over it on wooden bridges several times, and by the time it was over we were tired, cold, damp and very, very happy! Words can't do justice to what we saw: clear water teeming with fish, rapids, waterfalls, towering cliffs, every twist in the path presented something else for us to look at. Truth be told, words can't do it justice, so here are a few pictures that hopefully describe what it was like much better than I possibly could:

Back in the car, it was time to go home. With a stop in Klagenfurt for some pie and a view of the lake, we found ourselves back in Vienna four hours later, tired, happy, glad to be back. I had four days of vacation left, with nothing to do but a load of laundry and relax.

Hum and Zagreb

Sunday morning started as usual: hearty breakfast and then off to our next destination, this time Zagreb, Croatia's capital. It would have been a three to four hour drive to get there, but we had a stop to make, the town of Hum. Hum bills itself as "the smallest town in the world," with a population of about 16 people. They admit there are smaller places, but they claim that they are the smallest one with a church, a post office, a school and a town hall.

Getting to Hum was interesting. We trusted the GPS to get us there, and get us there it did. It first put us on a freeway for about an hour or so, after which it led us to a two-lane highway. Not content with that, it soon had us driving through twisty one-lane roads up the mountainside, and then took us through back roads that we were convinced were a dead end. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we were back in a two-lane road and a little bit uphill we found Hum, paid the entrance fee and parked the car.

Before going into the walled town proper, we decided to explore the church and the cemetery outside the town, only to find the church locked. No problem, the parking lot attendant told us, just get the church keys from the nice folk at the restaurant and explore it to your heart's content. So we got the key, walked through a cemetery whose graves seemed to belong to one of three families, unlocked the door and got a good look at a small church with some frescoes that could use some restoring, but were interesting to look at anyway.

After the church we went back to the restaurant to return the key and took the opportunity to have some espresso and enjoy a local delicacy, cheese with truffles. Together with some bread they made up a light, tasty lunch break for us.

Then we were off to explore the town. Not much to report there, other than it was picturesque, with uneven cobbled streets and old, old buildings where people still lived. At the entrance to the town they had some carvings with Glagolitic writing, invented by some monks in the 11th century and used in Croatia until the beginning of the 20th century.We ended the tour of the town at the souvenir shop, where a very nice saleslady let us taste different flavored olive oils and informed me that Brazilian television had been there the year before to do a special on Hum and that they had actually interviewed her. Erich and Ingrid bought some olive oil, I bought a couple of necklaces with Glagolitic letters for the girls and off we went to Zagreb.

We arrived in Zagreb on a mid-Sunday afternoon, planning on spending that afternoon visiting a couple of museums and exploring the old town. Much to our surprise, we found out that in Zagreb museums are closed on Sunday afternoon and Monday. We were nothing but flexible, immediately gave up on our museum plans and decided instead to explore the town. By now you should know that this means we opened Rick Steve's guide, found the page for the Zagreb walking tour, and off we went in search of the first landmark.

We started at Jelacic Square in the "lower town" which, were told, was once farms. Hard to believe, since what we saw looked as modern as a modern city can look: neon lights everywhere, cars going in every direction, outside cafes, trams and buses going in every direction and people everywhere. I read somewhere that 1/6 of Croatians live in Zagreb and it seemed they were all at Jelacic Square. So we did what every world-wise jet setter should do in these conditions: found a cafe, ordered something to drink and settled down for an hour or so of people watching.

Where there is a lower town there has to be an upper town, and Zagreb actually has two: Gradek and Kaptol. Luckily, it also has a funicular, so getting up was relatively easy. Getting out of the funicular I congratulated myself on expertly avoiding any climbing, just to find myself facing the Burglar Tower, one of the town's original watchtowers. Alex's Travel Laws were still in effect so Erich and I paid the entrance fee and climbed the steps to the top where we found a spectacular view and a very nervous Alex, since the viewing platform was narrow and the railing seemed flimsy. I took lots of pictures, so that I could actually enjoy the view safely once I was back down.

After the tower we started exploring the old town. Wandering always downhill we saw St. Catherine's church, the Croatian Parliament, St. Mark's church, Croatia's oldest pharmacy and the Stone Gate. This is the only surviving town gate, turned into a chapel and apparently the place were Croatians go to ask God for favors, given the number of people I saw praying there. It must work too, since one of the walls was covered in engraved plaques thanking God for blessings received.


Turns out there actually was an open museum, the Museum of Broken Relationships. With a name like that, how could I not visit it? Their premise is simple: people from all over the world send them items associated with a failed relationship, along with a letter talking about it. The museum displays them in rooms associated with different themes: one room for wedding paraphernalia, one room dedicated to sex toys and stories about how unreasonable sexual requests caused the end of the relationship, one room with broken things and how they were flung against the wall in rage at the end of the relationship. All in all a surprisingly interesting collection and a good way to while away a couple of hours.

We ended the walk at the cathedral, a towering, impressive church with spires that seemed to reach all the way to heaven. The bells were tolling, though, and people were coming to mass, so we only had a quick look inside. As the locals settled down for the service, we settled down at a bar on Tkalciceva, enjoying drinks and the dusk. We ended the night with a nice dinner, made hotel reservations for our next destination and settled in for a good night's sleep.

Down the Istrian Coast

The next two days were dedicated to exploring the towns along the Istrian Coast. We woke up in Piran and planned to end the first day in Pula, with stops along the way at Poreč and Rovinj, all towns with Roman history, eventually conquered by the Venetians and bravely resisting the Turks.

Since we woke up in Piran, it seemed like a natural place to start. Unfortunately the church with the obligatory tower was on top of the hill, as well as the citadel wall, so up we went, meandering through narrow winding streets until we found ourselves on the church grounds. The view was spectacular, on one side looking over the town and the other straight down into the Adriatic Sea, with its clear green water. The church and the tower were closed, though, so we could not get a good look inside. On the good side, this freed us from the obligatory tower climb.

There was more climbing to be done after we left the church, though, as the citadel walls protecting Piran from the invading Turks were further uphill. So up we went and found ourselves walking by the parapets, marveling at the structures and imagining what it must have been like to defend that place. There were a few turrets and, according to the Alex rules of vacation, I was required to climb them. One of them had binoculars on top, with which we were able to explore the town's rooftops. Not much to report there, other than it seemed common practice to use metal platforms to create little terraces. I guess it is a good way to get some sun when you don't have the luxury of a yard.

Back down the hill we went, and after fortifying ourselves with some coffee, got in the car and started on our trek to Porec. The Slovenian border agents were nice enough to stamp my passport when we left the country, but the Croatians merely looked at our passport and handed it back. No luggage inspection, so down small side roads we drove, following the Milka signs to Poreč.

Poreč was our first Croatian stop and, in a continent where medieval towns abound, went one step further and is actually over 2000 years old. Settled by the Romans, it maintains many of the characteristics from that time: narrow, two-story stone houses (albeit with satellite dishes now) and straight streets. The main attraction is the Euphrasian Basilica, which contains some mosaic work from the 6th century. What made it interesting to me, though, was that the basilica burnt down several times, each time to be rebuilt on top of the ruins of the old one and you could see this throughout the structure wherever there was a whole in the wall.

After visiting the basilica and wandering through the city we were back in the car for our next destination, Rovinj. Now, Rovinj is as picturesque as can be, with an old town with narrow, windy streets, a basilica at the top of the hill with a view of the town and an atmosphere that is, if nothing else, atmospheric! We decided to follow my travel guide's self-guided walk around town and hit all the interesting spots in about an hour or so. In a place where everything looks old, I kind of liked the monument to the Partisan victory over the Nazis in WWII: very square, very austere and very much what I imagine Communist art from the 50s to look like.

Rovinj is a summer destination, where people come not for sight-seeing, but to enjoy the beach. Like most beach destinations it had something I like, ice cream! Elaborate, huge ice cream creations with multi-flavored scoops, fruit, syrup and enough whipped cream to drown the ice cream in. We couldn't let that pass, of course, and spent some time sitting by the harbor, enjoying the view and gorging ourselves.

And eventually we made it to Pula. Now, Pula does Roman as if the Romans were still there: a still mostly intact Coliseum, arches and fortifications to make anyone happy. But, most important to me, it had our hotel, a relic from the communist era that looked exactly like I expected it to look: wide halls without any decorations, dark rooms, and a sense of faded grandeur substituted with austere efficiency. Apparently it was a major destination during the Hapsburg era and even Tito used it when he went to Pula!

Our first adventure there was trying to find dinner. We headed in the direction of the old town and wandered all over the place, finding cafes and bars but finding no restaurants. We were thinking of giving up when we ran into a nice Italian restaurant and had a very nice pizza. Fed and content we retired to our hotel rooms to get some sleep before facing the next day.

So, what does one do in Pula once one is fed and has had a good night's sleep? Well, leave it of course! We got in our car and drove north to Fazana, in order to catch the boat to Brijuni. We arrived about one hour  early so spent some time exploring Fazana, which takes all of five minutes. I did see something I hadn't seen before, though, a Roman house transformed into a very small church. For some reason, whenever I see places like this I think of Asterix, since it was through those books that I learned what Roman architecture from that time was like.

Eventually we found our way back on the pier, got on the boat and fifteen minutes later were docking at the island. Brijuni was Tito's summer residence, assuming summer goes from April to September, since Tito spent about six months of the year there. There he ran the country, received foreign dignitaries, visited local school children and in his spare time did some gardening. We were met at the pier by a guide who was supposed to lead us through our exploration of the island. Again, there was a notable absence of English-speaking guides and I found myself with the German tour group.

So, what is there to see in Brijuni? There is a museum to Tito, still very much loved in this country (the man, not the museum), with pictures of him with several dignitaries and celebrities such as Indira Ghandi, Muammar Gaddafi and Sophia Loren. There are the laboratories of Dr. Robert Koch, Nobel Prize winner and one of the fathers of microbiology. There is a zoo populated mostly with animals Tito received as gifts from visitors including, among many other species, zebras, ostriches and Croatia's one and only elephant (interestingly, there is also a taxidermy exhibit with all the animals that did not survive). There are also the ruins of a Roman villa and the wold's second oldest olive tree, a mere 1600 years old sapling.

The early afternoon found us back in Pula, finally ready to explore the town. We headed to our first destination, a remarkably well-preserved amphitheater that was in use until the 6th century. Wandering about it was fun, and I found myself several times sitting, looking around and imagining what it must have been like when it was in use. The place is currently used for concerts, though they recently banned rock concerts as apparently the vibration caused by the loud music was damaging the structure.

After the amphitheater we opened our travel guide and followed Rick Steve's recommended walking tour of old Pula, wandering down narrow, winding streets and finding between the Roman ruins and medieval buildings, all the restaurants we could not find the night before.  It took a little detour from the assigned path, but we eventually found, hidden by a parking lot, a Roman mosaic floor telling the story of Dirce, uncovered during World war II and a very old Byzantine church, the Basilica of St. Mary Formosa.

We ended the tour at the city's central square, drinking beer with a view of the old Roman forum and Pula's City Hall. It was Saturday afternoon, and we got to see a procession of wedding parties going to the city hall to get married. And come they did, in all shapes and sizes. There was the very pregnant bride with her very "uncomfortable in a suit" groom, another slightly pregnant bride with a very proud father, and the very small party with a groom, two witnesses and what I imagine was a mail-order bride. We had a good time observing them all, sharing in their joy and a sunny afternoon.

Eventually we made our way back to the hotel, where we had dinner and took advantage of internet access to make  our reservations for our next destination, Zagreb. Then it was off to bed for a good night's sleep and after a hearty breakfast the next morning, we got in the car and said goodbye to Istria.