Lake Bled to Hvar, Croatia: Mountains to Sea

Yesterday was really busy and a day of contrasts. We started our day in the Julian Alps and ended on an overnight ferry to the island paradise that is Hvar Croatia.

In the morning we went up to the castle in Bled and took in the spectacular views. We also went in the museums and walked around the castle. Next we hiked the river gorge, which was beautiful and so dramatic. The temperature must have ranged at least 20 degrees. We have some great pictures. Next we went to the Brown Bear for a desert that Slovenia is famous for. I can see why! We drove out to Lake Bohinj and enjoyed the scenery of mountains and waterfalls. After collecting some supplies for the road we headed south.

We drove through the beautiful Alpine scenery of Slovenia. Gradually the temperature warmed and the terrain became more mediteranean. We arrived in Rijeka, Croatia just before 7:00. We borded our ferry and found our berth. It was tiny but comfortable. We had a tiny bathroom with a ship's head (shower, toilet and sink all in one tiny space). But hey, it worked. It was a beautiful evening, gorgeous scenery to watch. This morning as we were preparing to disembark, I went to use the loo one more time. As I stepped out, I caught the shower knob and drenched myself. Skip and Luke really enjoyed that!

We arrived in Hvar about 8:15, After a scary bus ride, we found our apartment, changed into our swimsuits, and hit the beach. We are having a vacation from our travels. Today was all about laying in the shade, swimming and napping!

I'm getting over a cold and a couple of days rest should be good.

Greetings from Lake Bled, Slovenia

We picked the right day to leave Salzburg. There was a steady, heavy rain this morning. Apparently, yesterday was the first dry day in a week, so we lucked out.

I forgot to mention in my blog yesterday, about the ring tail monkeys at the zoo. We were walking along when we saw ring tail monkeys down a road that said "do not enter" (in German, of course). So we stopped to watch them. There were 15 to 20 of them, including a mom with her baby on here back. Pretty soon, they all came walking up to us. They just looked at us, I think they wanted food, and then hopped on a fence and kept going. We weren't sure if they were free roaming monkeys or escapees.

This morning we took the train from Salzburg to Lake Bled in Slovenia. It was a , very nice train, as opposed to Czech trains. We traveled through the Austria Alps. It was so picturesque. We saw castles, waterfalls, ruins, small Bavarian Villages and of course, beautiful mountains!

We arrived at Lake Bled just before 2:00. We immediately went out to explore. The lake here is the most unreal shade of blue. I think it has something to do with the minerals in the water. We rented a rowboat, and Skip (bless him), rowed us out to the island in the lake. There is a very ornate Baroque church there with a "wishing bell". Ring the bell 3 times and you get your wish. I rang it about 15 times, Luke twice. But Skip was just right, so I guess he gets his wish! We also walked all the way around the lake, about 3.5 miles. The weather is warm and overcast, perfect for sightseeing.

We will explore the area some more tomorrow, before driving to Rijeka, Croatia to take the night ferry to the Croatian Island of Hvar.

Long Day in Salzburg

We hit the streets about 9:00, and got back in about 9:00. Whew! We bought the Salzburg pass and really got our money's worth,

We started out at the fortress. After taking the funicular up the rock wall, we walked all over, taking in the various museums and spectacular views. Next we went to the cathedral, which is very ornate and full of artwork. From there we went to the cemetery and catacombs. Salzburg is built out of a huge rock wall on one side. The fortress is atop and the catacombs are carved into it. There are various other buildings that appear to sprout from the rock wall. This all looks out on the Danube.

After lunch we took the bus out to Hellbrunn. There is a castle, gardens and a zoo. In the garden we took a tour of the tricky fountains. Apparently, this place was built by Arch Bishop Marcus Spitticus about 400 years ago. He had a real sense of humour and liked to entertain. There are all kinds of trick fountains to squirt his guests when it amused him to do so. He also had built all kinds of moving puppet exhibits. All of this operated by water pressure from natural springs and mechanical pumps. I have to believe that Walt Disney visited here at some time. We toured the state rooms and the zoo.

The next place we went was Grodig, where we took a tram about a mile up a mountain. Unfortunately, the fog had settled at the top by the time we got there. The views were spectacular going up and down.

I slept on the bus back to Saltzburg. After a nice dinner and more wandering, we finally returned to our hotel.

Austrians are cheerful, friendly people and Saltzburg is beautiful and culturally rich. If you had endless money, you could go on a real shopping spree here. Since we don't have endless money it is time to move on. We have enjoyed our time here, but tomorrow we go to Slovenia.

Update: Salzburg IS beautiful!

We went out this evening to get dinner and walked to the old part of Salzburg. There was a huge street party going on. As we are not much for partying, we kept walking, over the bridge, into older Salzburg. Wow! Happy surprise, this is a beautiful city. We walked along the old cobbled streets and eventually stumbled into a lovely courtyard. We sat down at an Italian restaurant, not expecting much. Another happy surprise, the food was fabulous! Skip and I shared an anti-pasta plate with delicious veggies and seafood. Luke had lasagna, I had minestrone and Skip and I shared a small pizza. It was all fresh and so good!

Afterward, we walked along the Danube and through a nice park. There were so many people out enjoying the nice weather. People here are friendly and happy. We kept stumbling upon one beautiful sight after another. We are looking forward to getting out and about tomorrow!

When I got up this a.m., Luke called me to the tv set to tell me they were talking about Michael Jackson, but didn't know what they were saying. I figured the usual financial or comeback stuff. Turns out he's dead. Another piece of my childhood gone.

It was another gorgeous day in Czesky Krumlov. We did some more exploring in the morning. After a nice lunch, we took a shuttle to Salzburg. We started out on a narrow two lane road, driving along the river and through the woods. Soon the scenery gave way to gentle rolling hills of the southern Czech Republic. About an hour into the drive, we crossed into Austria and the road immediately got better. The hills became bigger hills, the foothills of the Alps. It is very beautiful, With lakes and quaint villages. Then we arrived in Salzburg. I think tomorrow we are going in search of it's beauty. So far, it's just a big city. 

The people here are very different! Very friendly and pleasant, and good hair!

Tonight we will go find some dinner and relax. Tomorrow we plan a long day seeing the sights, and finding the beauty this city is so famous for.

Prague to Czesky Krumlov

We started yesterday 24/6 in Prague and ended in Czesky Krumlov.

In the morning we walked over the Charles Bridge and went to St. Vitus. Interesting, gaudy and a nice stained glass window by Mucha. Hungry for more Mucha, we went to the Mucha museum. It's very small and sweet. I think I understand Mucha better for having been here. His works are so enchanting and so is the Czech Republic.

Then we met Ian for lunch. After lunch we checked out of our hotel (very nice!), and went to the train station for another tearful (on my part) parting from Ian. He is now flying home.

We arrived in Czesky Krumlov after a 4 hour train ride with a bunch of obnoxious Czech teens. It seems obnoxious teens are common around the world. Prague is beautiful, but Czesky Krumlov is a living fairy tale. It is so beautiful and much calmer than the city. We ate at a great traditional restaurant, our best meal so far. Our accommodations are amazing. We are staying in a huge, old apartment. Luke has his own room, which he is thankful for. No snoring!

This morning we walked up to the castle and walked all over the gardens. It is lovely, and there are so many birds singing. There seem to be more birds here, than in other places I've been. Even Prague enjoys a constant bird concert. After a lousy lunch, we rented a raft and went down the Vltava River. Gorgeous, and more bird song! At the end of our float, we went over a pretty big rapid. People were yelling at us in Czech, and we thought we were about to meet certain death. Over we went, I flopped backward on the floor of the raft, and that was it! It was silly. We got out of the raft at Zlata Koruna. We walked around the town, and then sat and had a beer while we waited for our ride. We met a nice family from Bellingham and chatted with them until our ride arrived. As we drove back to town, a huge thunder storm came up. Skip and I got soaked running to the internet cafe. There were literally rivers running in the streets! Then the power went out. It came back on shortly, and here I am blogging.

Walking on cobbled streets is hard. My feet and legs are tired. It will be a miracle if Ian doesn't have permanent damage to his feet. You need good shoes here, which we all have, but it is still hard.

The Czechs smoke like chimneys. I think it is the national past time. We have all noticed that there are young people, old people and older people here. There is no such thing as fab and fifty. Teens have really nice skin, not much acne, but adults all look very dehydrated. Smoking and beer, I think.

My other observation about Czechs, bad hair! I mean really, really bad hair! More split ends per capita than any place on earth. I don't think anyone gets a professional cut or color. Pink and orange hair are the thing. And big splotches of color! I have never in my life seen worse hair. Even men's haircuts look like they were done by a blind person in the dark. Skip and Luke agree. It is very strange, as it appears to be the norm. I could set up shop here, and either be very successful or a complete failure. Maybe they like bad hair?! I would like to get some pictures, but I don't want to be obvious about it. If I can, I will post when I get home. All this bad hair is in direct contrast to the utter beauty of this place, both nature and man-made.

The cafe is closing soon. Until another day, ttfn!

Long day in Prague

It has been a very long, busy day in Prague. Skip, Ian and I went to the Jewish quarter while Luke slept in. It is a very interesting place, rich in history. We went to the old/new synagogue, spanish synagogue, Pinkas synagogue and Jewish cemetery. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and got Luke and went to lunch.

After lunch we walked over the Charles Bridge and up to Prague castle. Along the way we saw the old house signs that predate house numbers, and are peculiar to Prague (I think).We wanted to go to St. Vitus Cathedral but there was a line wrapped around the building, and by then it was pouring rain. We went to a small cafe to rest and get dry, and when we came out the sun was coming out. We walked back to St Vitus, but there was still a line and 45 minutes to closing, so we will go back in the morning. We continued to walk around the castle grounds and saw spectacular views of the city. We made our way down the hill a back to the Jewish quarter and took Luke in some of the places. We then walked over to the Astronomical clock tower and Wenceslas Square. 

I think Prague must be one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe. There seems to be beautiful things around every corner, Every time I look up, there is something surprising and lovely to see. We will not be able to see a fraction of what there is here, in our too brief stay. After 3 months of living here, Ian hasn't seen everything, although he has seen and done a lot and knows his way around.

Tomorrow afternoon we will take the train to Czesky Krumlov, and probably have to say goodbye to Ian, as he heads back home. 

For tonight, Ian is taking us to a good Czech restaurant, but first, a much needed a rest!

Happy Reunion

We arrived safely in Prague, and Ian was waiting for us at our hotel. I was surprised and cried tears of joy!

It was a bumpy flight out of Seattle, but I must of fallen asleep at some point, because Luke and Skip both claim they climbed over me!  The flight to Prague started bumpy, and the airbus we were on groaned and creaked a lot. It was nerve wracking!

The Czech Republic is very beautiful from the air. It looks like a quilt in varying shades of soft green, with the occasional red tile roof interruption.  Prague seems to be the only city of any size. We are looking forward to exploring tomorrow.

For now, I'm stupid tired, but enjoying a visit with Ian.

leaving tonight

My children will be so proud, their momma is blogging! Or maybe they'll just be embarassed.

We leave tonight on British Airways flight 48. We arrive in London at 11:50 a.m. local time, and then take a 2:55 p.m. flight to Prague. We arrive in Prague at 5:55 local time, where (hopefully) we will be met by someone from our hotel to drive us there.

"We" refers to me, Jean, and Skip and Luke. At this point it looks like Ian will be meeting us in Prague, before he flies to Paris for his trip back home. I will be so happy to see him! It has been a long separation.

And now, I must get ready for this big adventure!