Our Intrepid tour basically ended after our farewell dinner, but we still had to take the bus back, go partying, then go to bed, wake up and have breakfast before it was official. I eventually checked out and went to my new and improved hotel and was able to check in early. Nice!

Then, I went on another, more extensive walk around Ljubljana, starting with Tivoli Park wherein there’s a great contemporary history museum, which included a special exhibit about medical practices. Lots of WW2 stuff, Yugoslavian times, and lifestyle changes depicted therein…

This batch is the rest of my stroll around Tivoli Park. Some controlled nature and various statuary, including Eleanor Roosevelt there at the very end…

Leaving the park, I continued my stroll around town…

More random Ljubljana, including Freud U., a record store, public art, locks of love, etc. And this batch includes the famous Dragon Bridge…!

More buildings, sculpture, and people…

At some point I heard explosions which proved to be fireworks. Could it be some protest? A violent demonstration? No! It was the Green Dragon football club fans showing their love & hate. Speaking of love, both penis boy and pink man were popular. This batch ends with the rockers at the footy show, etc…

OK, that’s it. I’m in the airport heading home, and plan not to be eating breakfast, or much of anything else, for a while. So, here’s my last one at the Ljubljana City Hotel. And, I’m throwing in a castle map and a couple pix provided by my fellow travelers. Bon appetite & bon voyage…

Let’s hope that’s true…?

The next day we took another bus to Bled, a town on a lake of the same name in the Julian Alps of the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia. Charming and scenic, it is no wonder that Bled is perhaps Slovenia’s most popular tourist destination. And we went for it all: a walk around the lake, a hike up to the castle (including all the sites & museums), and a boat ride to the island. Let’s go…

The hike around the lake provided perspective on the pristine scenery. Note the fisherman above and the houses below. Before circumnavigating, Red (AKA Richard from Australia) & I turned off to hike up to the castle. But before that we checked out Slovenia’s Olympians! And some flowers…

From below, the castle is majestic. From above (at the castle), so is the lake and the surrounding landscape. (Good for hiking, the cloudy day did not give up views of the mountains.) There are a variety of museum exhibits, in addition to the castle and it’s amenities. Lots to see, take your time…

Red & I eventually made it down, completed our circumnavigation of the lake, then too the boat ride out to the island where a wedding was in full swing. Check out our boatsman…

Having done all three of our optional activities, it was time for our farewell dinner – really good. We bussed back to Ljubljana, then Red, indefatigable party animal that he is (at 71!) invited everyone to an outstanding rockabilly/psychobilly gig at the Nostalgija Vintage Cafe with the group Eight Bomb. It was swingin’…!

Let’s take one full day at a time…

The train ride through the mountains of Slovenia to the capital city of Ljubljana was beautiful. We traveled alongside the Sava River, even going through Novo Mesto, Melania Trump‘s hometown! We arrived, dropped off our luggage at a funky, yet well-located, hotel, and set off on yet another orientation walk…

Ljubljana may be the coolest town so far, or at least since Budapest. This batch starts with a cool sculpture in a narrow street – a kooky fountain that drains into a bronze gutter of skulls for the length of the street. Then there were two interesting courtyards, one featuring a variety of artworks, etc…

More frolicking amongst the art & architecture of Ljubljana, including a walk with my Singaporean roommate Boon, and a cocktail with my Aussie friend Karen…

Here’s our group led by Robert heading up to the castle which sits majestically on a hill surrounded by the river and the town. Check it out…

Up in the castle, one room was dedicated to the interesting art of one artists. Check it out too…

Perhaps we will discover more of Ljubljana soon…?

After one night in the hinterlands, we headed to the capital of Croatia – Zagreb. Our tour leader Robert’s hometown, he gave us a lot of info on the van, and then in our orientation walk, having dropped our stuff at the hotel. Zagreb was hit by an earthquake in 2020 and is still rebuilding. Here are some highlights…

Robert took us through the more noteworthy parts of town, we had a snack, then were on our own to explore. (BTW, the four similar pix above are a weather station in the park.) Below, the scaffolding on the Zagreb Cathedral has been there for awhile, but has its own charm. Market shots and some Catholic news outside a church…

Random images among Zagreb’s highlights…

From glass ceilings to street stage performances, more random Zagreb…

Only one night in Zagreb before getting on a train to Ljubljana Slovenia. This last batch is a last walk about before hopping on the train…

Next stop: Slovenia

After exploring the coast of Croatia for well over a week, this tour moved inland to explore the Plitvice Lakes National Park – a magical place in the mountains.

The Plitvice Lakes is like a waterfall park – hundreds of them, large and small, weaving together a series of crystal blue lakes. The tourism is done quite well, with miles of wooden boardwalks & stairs, an efficient bus/tram situation, and a cool ferry boat set up that’s only slightly overwhelmed by the many tourists. I could’ve spent more time, hitting all the trails in a meandering forest bath, but we had promises to keep. Nonetheless, it was an enchanting place with photo opportunities everywhere, yet, as always, being there was the true gift. Let me try to give you a glimpse with these pix…

More Plitvice Lakes…

And more Plitvice Lakes, this batch including the boat ride between waterfall extravaganzas…

Yet more Plitvice Lakes…with snake & flowers…

After spending most of the day in this most wonderful way, we went to a small NGO (name?) that sold handicrafts, including the famous “willy warmer” made from scratchy wool. We were treated to folksy Croatian comdey routine done by a local lady, whilst we sampled rakije, meats & cheese, and too much bread. This batch ends with the very meaty dinner at our guesthouse in the hinterlands…

Rather than squeeze Zagreb in here (two one night stays), let’s give the Croatian capital its own post. See you there…

After a nice breakfast, a return to the green market, a last stroll through Split, we took the bus to Zadar, including a couple of taxi rides. We checked into our funky hostel, right in the middle of the old town. Near the end of this batch you can see Robert, our new tour leader, a Roman aqueduct from the bus, and our hostel room…

Robert took us on an orientation walk through Zadar‘s old town, easily navigable on a small peninsula with nice promenades on both sides. The Sea Organ and the Greeting of the Sun are two interesting public art installations there…

After our orientation walk, I returned to two places Robert had pointed out – the Muro, a bar with a great view, and the adjacent Ancient Glass Museum. See through this…

This batch includes the walk back, a great dinner, more of the Greeting of the Sun, and a sunset…

The next day we headed out to visit a Benedictine nunnery (nuns, there were none!). Really, it was to sample their wares. On the way we stopped to see a tank from the 1991 war with Serbia. And, given this position on a hill overlooking a plain, there were remnants of other cultures and other conflicts…

At the Benedictine nunnery, we first toured the farm fields, then settled in to sample their wines and rakija, with some biscuits, bread, and cheese. They also sold jams, and face cream, and flower art, but the tastings were the main act, causing most of us to have to take a long nap back at the hotel…

After that long nap, Boon & I set off to climb the adjacent tower, go back to the Muro, and explore Zadar some more before dinner. This batch is just of the bell tower…

This batch is of some interesting sites along the way, including a few characters, the Muro, and the Kapetanova Kula, another tower which featured a cultural art exhibit of Croatian sayings (see the printout for English translations) on the bottom level, and several paintings on the way up to the top…

We caught up with some of the rest of our group for a nice dinner, then a stroll into the sunset. Got a lil’ kooky with the pano feature on the bell tower on my way back to the hotel…

This last batch features just some of the pix that my fellow travelers have taken and posted on our Whatsapp group, then show up in my photo stream…

Where will we go tomorrow…?

My second Intrepid tour in the Balkans is divided into two parts, and except for my fellow travelers from the first half, every one else finished their one week Croatian tour, and I’m about to meet a new group for the last bit.

The beginning of this ending began with another early boat ride – one particularly choppy and filled with the sound of seasickness – to the second largest city in Croatia: Split. We gave our luggage to a taxi, had a spot of lunch, and then had a guide for a walking tour of the old town…

I knew that Diocletian had divided the Roman Empire into two halves which now constitute the Catholic Church (western empire) and the various Orthodox Churches (Greek, Russian, etc. in the eastern [Byzantine] empire) Popes v. Patriarchs? But that was not his plan. He was the last pagan emperor, the end of Roman Mythology as a state religion. After him comes Constantine, making Christianity official, and turning Diocletian’s temples into cathedrals. The other thing that’s unique about Diocletian is that he too retired after an uncommonly long rule – rare for one in a job where almost everyone else is out to kill you. His palace, the seed from which Split has grown, was for Diocletian’s retirement. (Gotta build me a palace!)

More of our tour around Split…

This batch focuses on local art and local fish…

More views around Split, including a one euro visit to a very small church…

This batch starts out with a picture of our tour leader Tamara from Ljubljana, after she left us for her next gig. And, the roof pool I never used, the laundrette I found, and wanderings thereabouts…

For our free day between tours, after resting up, I explored the five sites in the middle of Diocletian’s palace. This batch is mostly of the treasury…

This batch includes the rest of the sites in my combo ticket. The bell tower (thus the views), the cathedral, the crypt, and the baptistry – all converted to Christianity after their original construction in honor of Roman Gods!

More ambling around Split, including a walk up to a viewpoint and beyond to yet another old church (yet half the age of Diocletian’s palace…!

Got a haircut, ate some Croatian food, took a couple of Uber rides, and watched the Eurovision finals with folks in the lobby/restaurant at our “Art Hotel” – these remains of the day…

Up and off to our next destination – Zadar!

After two nights on Koncula, we left early for Hvar – both the island and the town. It was a long walk from the port (dock?) to our apartment, after which we took a brief tour of the old town. We then hopped on another boat and went out to the Pakleni Islands, visible across this little bit of the waters of the Adriatic.

After cruising around some of the several of the Pakleni Islands, we docked, then walked across one to a beach area where we made group base camp for the day. I’m not great at just laying in the sun, but I tried (but mostly in the shade), and went for a long swim. Eventually, we wandered back to the docks and took the same boat back to Hvar…

The next day, I took it easy in the morning, did some study and research while my roommate Boon went for another long walk. I eventually got out and hiked up to the fortress. Check it out…

More of the Hvar Fortress…

Next, I wandered through the Hvar Old Town, taking a long walk on a very nice bike/hike path (a serpentine cement boardwalk) along the coast to the west…

Eventually, I made it back to near our apartment (not a hotel this time), caught another great sunset, and hit the sack.

We’re on the move again tomorrow…

Gotta Split!

Twelve of us and our tour leader, Tamara, squeezed into a maxivan and left Dubrovnik and drove to the town of Ston, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac Peninsula, for a quick visit (because we had a boat to catch) to the walls and castle still be renovated…

We caught our ferry to Korcula Island which has a charming ancient village covering a small peninsula…

Easily explorable, we climbed the steps of the bell tower for a view of the town, then climbed one of defensive towers for the view and the cocktails…

We all have separate apartments around the town. Here are two fellow travelers, Jo & Jason, on their balcony. Our first night we had a wine tasting dinner outside of town and a splendid sunset…

The next day we went to Mljet Island, and even an island in an island – Sveta Maija, which features an old monastery – as there are a couple of lakes on Mljet. Yup, we went there…!

Not only that, but we went for a long bike ride and a short swim before heading back to Koncula…

Here’s another batch of pix shot by my fellow travelers – the new Croatia crew…

This last batch features the lovely seaside restaurant row on the island, and a lovely sunset…

The island hopping continues…

After saying goodbye to my first tour group at breakfast (except for two – Boon & Karen – who were continuing with me), I set out to explore part of Dubrovnik that was not the Old Town. First, I went to the Red Museum to learn about life in Croatia under Tito with the influence of the Soviet Union…

Behind the Red Museum, I discovered a ceramic art studio, then went on a walk, never finding the motor scooter or bicycle rental shops that claimed to exist. In addition to randomness, this batch includes breakfast & dinner, etc…

My new tour group was to explore the Dubrovnik old town as I had done, so I set off on my own again to find some new vistas…

Since it was included in the Dubrovnik city pass (used for the bus, the walls, and various museums), I went to the Modern Art Museum, on the other side of the old town…

Next, I hit the small Archaeological Museum next to the city gate…

Eventually, I found my way to the boat to Lokrum, an interesting island next to Dubrovnik. In addition to a Benedictine Monastery, Botanical Garden, and interesting rock formations, there are lots of peacocks…!

Springtime on Lokrum…!

Here’s more of the ruins and the peacocks, including a walk up to the highest point on the island that features an interesting defensive tower complete with indoor plumbing…

More views of Dubrovnik from Lokrum, the splendid smaller reservoir, peacock splendor up close, and views from the boat back to town…

As I write this, we’re about to head out for our next destination, and I’ll have to go read the itinerary to remind myself what & where that is…?

Let’s go!