From Croatia to Slovenia

Hello dear reader!

Following Dubrovnik we took a bus north to Split, second largest city in Croatia. The city is centered around the ancient Roman palace of the emperor Diocletian, who ruled Rome from AD 284 to 305, and had the palace built for him as a retirement home. The foundations are the best preserved (pictured below), as everything above ground has been lived in over the centuries.

We scaled Splits bell tower (see picture) to get a better view of the expanse beyond the old town walls. It felt like a pretty dodgy climb, particularly going up as you could see between the stairs with each step. Surviving the experience, more cathedrals and museums awaited us…

We found that Split has a different vibe to Dubrovnik, less picture perfect and more lived in. That said, it is not without its charm or share of impressive sights. The shots below show dinner for two (under ten dollars), with a view of Splits main promenade behind. The tallest building on the right hand side of the two pictures is the aforementioned bell tower.

Same same…but different…

On our second day in Split we did a day trip via car ferry to Hvar island. Lonely Planet describes Hvar as Croatias most luxurious island. Our first port of call was the fort overlooking Hvar town, with the view pictured below.

After exploring in the midday heat we had a very nice seafood lunch on a terrace overlooking the water, complete with lemon flavored beer. Another stroll around the island revealed hordes of sunbathers spread out on the rocky coast in front of uber luxury hotels.

From Split we made our way into Slovenia to the north. This involved a train to Zagreb, capital of Croatia, and a second connecting train to Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. The first leg was seven hours. The three hour wait in Zagreb then turned into a six hour wait due to delays. Utilizing our rescue pastilles, we remained in a state of zen calm before ultimately arriving in Ljubljana around midnight. The joys of travel…

Our accommodation in Ljubljana is a backpackers joint (as opposed to the private accommodation we have thus far been using). Our first stay in a dorm room (admittedly with only four beds total) was much more pleasant for us than our fellow backpackers as we scaled bunk beds in the dark!

This morning we made our way up to Ljubljanski grad, the castle perched on a hill above Slovenias capital. On a clear day you can see one third of Slovenia from where Lesley is standing (see picture). The views were awesome, as was the history which we learned about on a guided tour. The area of the present castle is thought to have been settled continuously since 1200 BC. It has been variously used, as poor folk accommodation (in the 20th century), a prison, a fortress, and even a military hospital during Napoleons occupation.

The streets of Ljubljana are very pretty, particularly in the oldest part of town. Despite being a capital city (population approx 260,000), the place has the feel more of a large contented country town. Needless to say, we find the vibe very agreeable. There is a huge number of picaresque restaurants and cafes along the Ljubljanica River, and the willow trees remind Tim of Mudgee (see picture).

We also took a walk to Tivoli, a huge park very close to the old town. A pleasant surprise was an exhibition along the main thoroughfare consisting of US and Slovenian themed National Geographic photography. So nice!

The rest of the afternoon is probably best summed up with the picture below. The kindle is getting a workout. You can see Ljubljanski grad on top of the hill in the background.

Tomorrow we plan a day trip to Škocjan Caves, then we leave Ljubljana the following day and head west for our trekking through the Julian Alps.  We will be sure to update you again on our triumphant return.

TL