A Stop For Lunch Between Zadar and Split: Historic Sibenik

There’s a lot of potential places to stop off and have a nose around between Zadar and Split if you take the coastal drive. We have traveled a lot the last few weeks, so we wanted just one town where we could fill our bellies before landing into our next Airbnb near Split. We decided on the charming, historic town of Sibenik. There’s the usual old Croatian town church, bell tower, cathedral and lovely narrow medieval streets inside a towering town wall.

When we arrive into a Slovenian or Croatian town we have never been to before and have absolutely no idea where the good restaurants are, we google “Cheap Eats Insert Town Name Here.” Travel advisor pops up with its ten best cheap eats in that city. This technique has yet to let us down. Today it was Restaurant More in Sibenik and it was great! We met the owner and she made us feel like family.

As we left the town, we came across something really unusual and special. Just on the outskirts of the town, there is a mossy green fountain. It had what we thought were statues of little turtles….and all of a sudden one of the turtles moved! The kids were enthralled.

And then one of the hairiest driving moments of the trip happened. The GPS sent us down one of the narrowest streets I have ever seen. There was maybe a centimeter on either side of the car! I exaggerate not!! And it was a two-way street!!! I have no photos as we were sweating bricks and trying not to poop our pants! It felt something like this except with an SUV….

mini

Wyatt was a champ and got us out of there. It was a half hour before we were breathing normally again! Next up- Split!

Zadar: Croatia’s Sunset City.

Zadar is the shortest portion of our trip as we are only staying for one night. I squeezed it in as an afterthought when I was planning the trip….and I’m SO glad I did! Zadar is a small, compact, super cool and interesting city. It oozes history and a lot of character. You get into the city via a bridge through an arch in the town walls. The first pic is a view of the bridge from our sweet Airbnb balcony.

We started in the center of Zadar with its Forum. Yes- there is an ancient Roman Forum in downtown Zadar surrounded by the circular St. Donatus’ Church, the Benedictine St. Mary’s Church, and the ancient basilica St. Anastasia’s Cathedral. They sure like their saints in Zadar.

I had been denied access inside St. Mary’s because my shorts were too short (!?!) so it only made sense to visit the Pillar of Shame next.

There is a gorgeous promenade that trails all the way around the city peninsula and makes for a stunning stroll.

As we strolled along the promenade we ambled upon Nikola Basic’s award winning art installation, The Sea Organ. The large marble steps leading into the ocean have been cut to create an organ that makes beautiful, haunting sounds as the sea laps into it. My video really does not do the sound justice.

Right next to The Sea Organ is Basic’s second art piece, Greeting to the Sun. As the title evokes, this piece of work really comes alive at sunset. More on that later!

As we had reached the tip of the peninsula, we turned around and started meandering towards the other side of the town. On our way we came across more churches, a park full of historic looking heads and, of course, a playground.

My favorite part of Zadar was at the other end of the city. Five Wells Square has a cool vibe that invites you to slow down and take in all the cool views.

The Square leads to a funky little park that contains an outdoor bar and lounge with music that the kids (and Wyatt) did the robot dance to.

But the real magic of Zadar lies in the evening time. Unless it’s our weekly Friday night pizza-dance party at friends’ houses, we are religious about bed time for our kids. Zadar was the exception to the rule. Sunset was at 8.13pm that evening, and we took the two littles back down to Greeting to the Sun as an extra special treat. As this is Zadar’s main attraction, it was thronged with people. Wyatt told the kids the lights would only turn on if they jumped on the installation. We watched the sun seep down on the horizon as our kids chased around like maniacs with the hundreds of other kids that had arrived on a bus. It was an awesome evening!

Next up- Split!

Plitvice Lakes National Park: Paradise On Earth

If you want to see a real life Garden of Eden, Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia is where it’s at. This massive park is made up of sixteen lakes flowing in to one another in spectacular fashion via limestone waterfalls. The place is breathtaking.

We had done our research and had read that this park was VERY busy…. like heaving with people busy most of the year round. The tips were to get there after 2pm or first thing in the morning when it opened. Because of that we took our time coming from Zagreb, filled our bellies with a big lunch, and arrived at Entrance One around two thirty, just as many of the big tour groups were leaving.

Don’t get me wrong. It was still busy! But not heaving. About an hour into the hike it really started to drop off and we could get the pictures we wanted without having to line up to take them. There are two main entrances to the park (three entrances total) and you have to buy tickets to get in. They ain’t cheap either! We decided on the two day tickets to make the most of our time there.

There are eight hiking trails total, each varying in length. We settled on Hike B on that first afternoon, which explores the lower lakes. First up, it takes you right by the Big Fall, Veliki Slap.

After about an hour meandering through the trail, a stunning boat ride across Lake Kozjak greeted us.

The sign says Hike B takes 3 to 4 hours. We managed it in about 3 with our two rockstars. It’s not a hard one walking wise but you really need to keep an eye on the little ones as most of it is not fenced in!

The Money Shot: we totally cheated to get it!

On the entrance ticket stub there’s this phenomenal picture of the lakes. We really really wanted to get it. But it was now nearing the kid’s bedtime and after driving two plus hours from Zagreb and hauling a four and six year old on a three hour hike….it just didn’t seem feasible. And then I came across a blog post that said not only could you hike up to it….but you could also take a sneaky drive up to it….if you plugged Veliki Slap into your GPS. Duh! No brainer right there. And the shots we got were unreal.

On Day 2 of our Plitvice Lakes adventure, we hit the park at 7.30am for opening. The aim of the day was to attempt Hike H which the sign says is 5-6 hours and takes you around most of the park. We had a bag full of food and the four and six year old pumped up! The very first thing you do is take a bus all the way up to the highest of the upper lakes and slowly hike your way down. It felt like we had the park to ourselves (we were on the very first bus up there) and the views, sights and sounds yet again were unbelievable.

KJ caught a bug and Ro spotted a pair of snails kissing!

Wyatt is a huge Washington State University nerd…..so don’t mind the commentary in this:

Thanks for everything Plitvice Lakes National Park. It’s been unreal! Next up- Zadar!

Zagreb: The Croatian Capital With A Lower Town, An Upper Town And A Lot Of Bells!

Zagreb is not initially what I would call a ‘pretty’ city, like Ljubljana was. It is what Wyatt calls a ‘city- city’. The more time I spend here, the more I appreciate and enjoy its charming character, rich history, and outdoor cafe scene. Here are some of the things we enjoyed while in Zagreb.

Kaptol

There are two upper towns in Zagreb, and they actually had beef with each other back in the day. The Kaptol area has a beautiful cathedral which, just like Barcelona, is under constant construction. Other enticing features include a glistening Holy Mary fountain, which the kids called The Goldy, and some gorgeous gold-roofed buildings.

Gradec

The ‘other’ Zagreb upper town, Gradec, is lined with cobblestone streets. One of the main attractions is Saint Mark’s Church. The outstanding feature of the church is its roof which has the medieval Croatian coat of arms on it. Today there were some stern looking guards outside who, when peppered with questions from my curious two, refused to speak. And all of a sudden they embarked on a little march for themselves.

At noon everyday, a cannon is shot out of the tower in Gradec. Even though we knew it was coming, it still scared the life out of us. We caught a video of it.

There’s some impressive views of Zagreb from up here.

And Zagreb has it’s own mini lock gate with more fab views overlooking the city.

The kids even found their favorite street artist in the area up here.

A tiny funicular links lower town to upper town. We were cruel though and made the kids walk up!

And right by the city wall we stumbled upon a little shrine tunnel to the Blessed Mary. We had no idea we were coming up on it, and were shushed vigorously as we entered.

Lower Town.

A mix of swanky hotels, outdoor cafe streets and some lovely parks and quirky statues make up Lower Town.

Tkalciceva Street

This delightful street was one of my favorite parts of Zagreb. I haven’t a clue how to pronounce the name! It is lined with restaurants and the vibe is very hip. This is where Zagrebians come to eat during the day and party at night.

There is a store on this street called Here Lie Dragons, AKA The Nerd Store and the kids (and I) loved it!

…and they had The Hound’s helmet. Eeeeek!

Museums
Zagreb is full of museums, with some very quirky ones including The Museum of Broken Relationships, The Torture Museum and the 80s Museum.

We settled on The Museum of Illusions to bring the kids to and I’m so glad we did. This is a tiny two-storey museum crammed with some awesome stuff.

Don’t stare at this one too long…….

Dolac Market

Zagreb has a daily farmers market and it’s pretty big. Stalls upon red stalls offer almost everything. Of course, the kids were fascinated with the toy stalls.

Jelacic Square

This is at the heart of Zagreb and connects the two upper towns and lower town. The statues of Cont Josip Jelacic overlooks the square with his sword permanently taking aim at his audience.

…..and then yesterday evening the kids met The Pigeon Man of Jelacic Square and this happened:

I tend to think of pigeons of rats of the sky so there was a lot of hand scrubbing when we got home. Ro was so enthralled with the experience that her new spirit animal is now the bloomin pigeon.

We also came across soldiers marching in a very serious manner as we left the square. It was a little eerie if I’m being honest!

The Free Little Blue Train

The little blue train leaves from the square and takes you on a figure 8 fifteen minute journey around the lower city. As KJ is a big ‘Choo Choo’ fan, this was a highlight.

Street Food

We were pleasantly surprised with the food of Zagreb. There is a thriving restaurant scene here. Two mentions in particular.

No pictures of this one, but Kelly’s Grill had the best burgers either Wyatt or I had ever tasted. High praise indeed.

Heritage is a Croatian hole in the wall cafe with incredible authentic light bites. Soooo good!

May The Fourth

Because we happened to be in a Zagreb park on May the Fourth, we came across an awesome Starwars event and snapped some pics for the kids.

And finally…the bells! They are everywhere! All the time!!!

One more day to soak in Zagreb and then, next up- Plitvice Lakes National Park.

A Stop Along The Way From Rovinj to Zagreb: Opatija.

We took the three-hour drive from the coastal Rovinj to the central Croatian capital city of Zagreb yesterday. As we had some time to kill between check out at one Airbnb and check in at the next one, we needed somewhere along the way to have a stroll around and feed the kids our picnic lunch. Opatija, Croatia’s oldest tourist destination, was along the way so we climbed down off the mountaintop and meandered down, down, down into the little town.

Not a ton to do here if I’m being honest, but it was an ideal way to kill an hour and fill our bellies along the car ride. It’s got that old school glitzy tourist feel with a promenade and a frequently visited statue of a Maiden and the Seagull. The day we visited it was pretty overcast. I’ll bet the views are amazing on a clear day, especially on the 12km seaside promenade walk from Opatija to Lovran.

We are now enjoyoing time in Zagreb. We watched a cannon shoot out of a building yesterday! More to come!

Mini Venice and Mini Rome in Croatia: Rovinj and Pula

Nothing like starting your Croatian leg of the journey with a trip to the hospital in the middle of the night because your four-year-old falls out of bed and gashes his head really badly on the side of the nightstand. That is why KJ looks like this in some of the pics:

All’s well that ends well though! We stayed in Rovinj the last couple of days and took in Croatia’s Istrian towns of Rovinj and Pula. The Airbnb we are staying at is pretty sweet from the kids’ points of view with both a swimming pool and a trampoline in the backyard. They are in heaven!

Rovinj: Mini Venice.

Rovinj is a picturesque, Croatian, Istrian town that is built right onto the sea in the same manner as Venice. There is what we are coming to realize as the typical Istrian town church, a charming port, and a lovely clock tower.

Yes, Rovinj is a beautiful little Istrian town….but if I’m being honest it has not captured my heart to the same extent as Slovenia’s Piran!

Amarin Beach

The beaches of Croatia’s Istrian North coast are not typically sandy. They are the beautiful rocky cove types with gorgeous views of the sparkling Adriatic Sea. Last night we took the daily, obligatory ice cream trip to Amarin Beach and watched the sun dunk lazily into the sea.

Pula: Mini Rome

This morning’s outing involved a quick 30-minute drive from Rovinj down to historic Pula. This Croatian city is spilling over with a breathtaking amphitheater, interesting temples, a forbidding fortress and some beautiful arches.

And we happened upon the fact that Pula has an Irish flare! A 22 year old James Joyce eloped from Irleand with his then girlfriend (and future wife) and spent some time teaching English in Pula.

Monkodonja

Our final leg in this part of the country was a mini hike at Monkodonja. Monkodonja is a Bronje Age hillfort ruin. Today was overcast, but I bet on a sunny day the view goes for miles.

Tomorrow we head for the Croatian capital city of Zagreb to see what wonders it has to offer.

The Gorgeous, Slovenian, Istrian Coastline.

As an adult, there really aren’t a whole lot of ‘good’ surprises in life.

You get an unexpected speeding ticket in the mail- Surprise!

You get a phone call from your daughter’s school saying she has a high temp and you need to come pick her up- Surprise!

You’re late for work and you find out your car has a flat tire- Surprise!

Wyatt and I did not find out the sex of either of our kids ahead of the births as we figured it would be one of the last ‘good’ surprises in life! Well, Slovenia! As we wrap up this portion of the trip on the Slovenian coastline, I would just like to say, you have been the best type of surprise!

Here are some of the gorgeous Istrian towns we visited on the Slovenian coastline.

Piran

This little village has my heart! Our Airbnb was a five-minute stroll from this glorious place and the views on the way down were stunning.

Picturesque, charming Piran has narrow, gothic streets, a beautiful church and bell tower, glorious views of the Mediterranean, and, as Venice is only 96km away, has a real Venetian feel. This is where the locals come to vacation.

We went to Trip Advisor’s number one place to eat for Piran called Fritolin pri Cantini. It’s a little hole in the wall with the most delicious fish dishes. It did not disappoint!

Portoroz.

This is a commercial, Slovenian, coastal, holiday town five minutes from Piran. Tons of restaurants on the boardwalk with music spilling out of them, a city beach and people everywhere!

Koper

This little town has a mix of modern, Venetian and Gothic. Intertwining narrow streets wind towards Slovenia’s largest cathedral. The kids had a blast playing chase in the large square.

Dada decided he also wanted to join in on the game of chase on the streets Koper.

Izola

The final gorgeous Slovenian coastal gem we strolled through was Izola. This old fishing village had its own lovely charm and the sparkling Adriatic Sea added the perfect backdrop to our day.

Tomorrow we drop back our rental car and hop on a bus to continue the adventure across the border in Croatia.

Hvala Slovenia for everything! You started our trip with such a bang!! If Croatia is half as phenomenal as you’ve been, we will be on the pig’s back!

The Postojna Cave Experience and Predjama Castle (A Slovenian Castle In A Cave!)

When I asked my four-year-old what his favorite part of the day was, he replied, “I got to see Batman’s cave!” Today, to break up the drive from Ljubljana to Piran, we first stopped at Postojna Caves and then at Predjama Castle.

Postojna Cave is Slovenia’s largest (discovered) cave, and while it is for sure a tourist trap, it was still a pretty jaw-dropping experience. Before you ever go into the cave, there is a little (kind of lame) exhibition where you view the weird, eel- Gollum-like ‘human fish’…. a fish that does not eat the first eleven years of its life and can live for over a hundred years.

When I heard there was a butterfly exhibit, my spidey senses went on high alert! Thankfully they were dead! (For those of you that don’t know, I am inexplicably, slightly terrified of butterflies.)

The actual cave experience takes an hour and a half. It’s COLD down there, so even though it was a 25 degree Celsius day, we bundled up in long pants and coats. No flash is allowed so my photos really do not do justice to this massive cave. The best part of the experience for me was the ten minute, Indiana Jones type train ride down into the cave. Wyatt got a video of some of the train ride. On the way back up, the kids got to ride at the front.

Once down there, our guide Greggor toured us around the almost 2 km tourist part of the cave. Stalactites and limestone columns that have taken millions of years to form tower around you.

Ummmmm……and then we got stuck behind an elderly, slow-moving couple in one of the longer narrow passages and got completely separated from our group……and thought we might be setting up camp in the cave!

I am writing this blog from our apartment in Piran, so obviously we found our way out!

After the awesome Potojna Cave experience, we drove 10km up the road and were greeted by Predjama Castle, the largest cave castle in the world.

The castle juts 123 meters into the sky off the cliff face. They give you an audio pack in your language of choice when you first enter. If the four and six-year-old had not been keeping me busy, I would have learned a lot.

After a fantastic day discovering the caves and castles of the Karst region of Slovenia, we made our way to our Airbnb in the coastal town of Piran. We were not disappointed. Here is the current view from our apartment balcony.

Ahhhhhh! Time for a glass of vino while I soak all of this up!

Ljubljana: The City of Bridges, Dragons and Medievel Charm.

We have spent the last three days exploring Slovenia’s lovely capital city, Ljubljana. As an Irish person living in Seattle, my name (Niamh) is usually the source of an eyebrow raise when I first meet a new person. It was kind of nice to be on the other side of the coin when we got here: our first task was to figure out the pronunciation of the city we had landed in. Lyou- blee- anna! (*I think!). Try saying that five times out loud, fast! Here are some of the highlights of our Ljubljana trip:

Take It To The Bridge!

The Ljubljanica River runs through the city, and one of it’s most impressive features is the many bridges connecting one side of the city to the other. Downtown is fully pedestrianized and it’s really easy to stroll leisurely the short distance from one beautiful bridge to the other.

There’s The Dragon Bridge with four dragons perched on either end…

…..and lover’s bridge, reminiscent of the lock bridge in Paris. It’s also known as Butcher’s Bridge……

(Ro took her first family photo and didn’t do a bad job at all:)

……and The Triple Bridge. This is three bridges side by side designed by the genius architect Joze Plecnik. He is hailed as somewhat of a Slovenian hero, being credited for designing a lot of Vienna, Belgrade and Prague. His masterpiece is Ljubljana.

My favorite is Cobbler’s Bridge, another Plecnik masterpiece. During the Middle Ages 16 shoemakers worked and lived on the bridge. Now there is a sole cobbler occupying a building in the vicinity.

After exploring the many bridges of this Medieval city, it was time for ice cream in Preseren Square. The ice creams were devoured quickly, as there was a man in the square with a giant bubble device and the kids were dying to get in on the action.

Cool little outdoor cafes litter the streets adding a modern vibe to this ancient European city.

The Outdoor Market.

Central Market is Ljubljana’s large outdoor market. It has close to a hundred stalls and sells everything from fresh fruit and veg, to clothes, to art. Wyatt and the kids tried some of the fried cheese at one of the multiple food trucks. It was so- so.

A Scenic Boat Trip

After exploring from above, it seemed like a no brainer to take a boat ride and see the city from below on the river. It did not disappoint and was a lovely way to spend a morning.

The Ljubljana Castle.

Castles, castles everywhere! You can see Ljubljana Castle perched atop the city no matter where you are in downtown Ljubljana. It watches you with a protective eye. We took the funicular up and soaked in the views from the top.

Actually the best thing about this castle was completely unexpected! There is a museum of puppetry tucked away in a corner of the castle which is very creepy (from an adult point of view) and interactive….and the kids LOVED it!!

There is also a Slovenian Museum of history which I learned a ton from. I had no idea that Slovenia gained its independence from Yugoslavia through a referendum in 1991, followed by a ten day war. As that was only 27 years ago, there are many people here that lived through Slovenia going from a socialist country to a democracratic one.

Metelkova.

Ok…..this one was kind of weird if I’m being honest. Metelkova City was formerly the Slovenian army barracks headquarters of the Yugoslav National Army. After the 1991 declaration of independence in Slovenia, a bunch of artistic squatters took it over and now Metelkova is an autonomous part of the city. A cool concept, but going there with the four and six year old did not feel the most comfortable. There was some amazing art and graffiti in this cultural center though, and I’m glad we took a few minutes to quietly and quickly pass through.

Tivoli Park.

This one was by far the kid’s favorite. This is a huge park with a bunch of hiking trails, fish ponds, a swimming pool, a bowling alley and of course, a playground!

But the absolute highlight of Tivoli Park was the tiny theme park called Lumpi where no helmets, and no strapping in was needed for either the race cars or the bubble ball. It was awesome!

Art and Grafitti

This city has a lot of artistic vision. You turn down an alleyway and come face to face with a cool statue or wall of colorful graffiti. It works, especially on the overlay of the rich history of this city.

Thanks for everything Ljubljana. It’s been a real treat! Tomorrow we are taking in a castle in a cave!!

Lake Bohinj and the Triglav National Park, Slovenia: A Feast for the Eyes!

I didn’t think anything could beat yesterday’s outing to Bled. I was wrong! This country amazes me more and more! Slovenia is the hidden gem of Europe and I fall in love with it a little harder everyday. (It’s only Day 3- ha!) Today we packed up the car and took the 30 minute drive from Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj. We had read that this is where the locals come to play, and now we know why. Even the drive from one lake to the other was gorgeous. Sleepy villages, each one with a tall church steeple, greeted us every now and again. Lake Bohinj is in Slovenia’s only National Park, Triglav National Park. First stop was Ribcev Laz.

Ribcev Laz

Ribcev Laz is a charming small town on the east bank of Lake Bohinj. It is home to the most photographed church in Slovenia, Church of St John the Baptist. The church was closed today, so we made do with soaking in the phenomenal views of the Julian Alps and Lake Bohinj, and feeding the fish in the crystal clear water.

The obligatory daily ice cream run is becoming something of a habit!

We could see a boat coming lazily down the lake toward us and docking at the tiny dock. A quick investigation told us that it was the scenic boat trip of Lake Bohinj and since it was leaving in ten minutes, we decided to hop on. Good decision! As it was low season, we had the entire boat to ourselves. Our beautiful, blonde, Slovenian tour guide Lucy told us all about the 60 year old, German, electric boat, gave us a history about the lake and imparted tips on what else to see in the area. (She also told us some of the forests in the area are in danger after becoming infested with a type of wood eating beetle.)

Mount Vogel

Mount Vogel is a ski resort 1353 above sea level. Lucy had told us the views of Lake Bohinj from the top are amazing, so we took a slightly terrifying trip up the gondala. We had a little Nickleback blasting out of the speakers on the way up! Because why not! And yes- the view from the lodge was breathtaking. It was also a lovely place to sit down and relax for a minute.

The photos just don’t do the view the justice it deserves so I’m including a video.

And when you hear a song you like in the gondala lobby, why not have a dance with your dad?

Savica Slap

Savica Slap is a cascading waterfall hanging over a limestone cliff. There are 550 bloomin steps up to this waterfall. I thought the four and six year old did a slap up job (pardon the pun!) getting to the top…..and then getting all the way back down to the bottom. No easy feat for little four year old legs. The intense rapids welcome you at the bottom of the hike and the roaring of the waterfall gets more intense as you trek your way towards the top.