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.

The last two days have shown us that heaven on earth exists. Tomorrow we see what the Slovenian city of Ljubljana has to offer.

Lake Bled, Slovenia….(AKA the most beautiful place on earth!)

I added Slovenia to our itinerary as an afterthought. If we were going to Croatia, sure why not take in a little of Slovenia as well? Shame on me! Shame. On. Me!! Slovenia is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. And its only Day Two!

We started our morning with a little trek up to the castle. There’s more than a little climb involved, and once at the top we debated paying the 24 euro to actually go in. So glad we did! The views of Lake Bled from the castle are phenomenal. There was also a little museum that the kids had fun wandering around in.

Lake Bled has a walking/ bike trail all the way around it, so we took a stroll around some of the lake in the afternoon. Again, the views of the lake bowled us over. Candy for the eyes!

We may have to bring swimsuits tomorrow and use this slide to catapult into the lake!

Wyatt mentioned more than once how clean everything is- the streets, the air, the buildings!

You’ve probably already spotted in the photos, there’s an island with a church living in the middle of the lake. Church bells drift melodically from the island on a regular basis. We decided to take a traditional Pletna boat out to see the tranquil baroque style church up close and personal. It’s basically one poor guy rowing 15 of our lazy arses a couple of kilometers out to the island.

We got dropped off for forty minutes and visited the church, and had the kids ring the wishing bell inside the church. (Now we know why we are constantly hearing church bells at Lake Bled!)

Just like the custard tarts in Lisbon, Slovenia has it’s own dessert speciality: the cream cake! We took a trip to the site of the apparent origination of the cream cake: The Hotel Park Terrace. Our waiter told us they make 30 million cream cakes a year, enough to make a cream cake road from Lake Bled to Rome! While KJ has found a new favorite sweet, the rest of us thought it was so- so. Too much cream for my liking.

And who would have guessed how the evening would end? With my kids finding a Slovenian playground right by our place! Surprise! Surprise! We are off to Lake Bohinj tomorrow, which is supposed to be even more spectacular than Bled. Not sure how that will be possible!

Adventures From A Real Irish Castle.

Ballincollig Castle is not your wait in a line, fully restored, pay admission to enter type of castle. It is a small, authentic, Norman fortification whose ruins sit watchful over the Maglin Valley in Cork. Even getting to the castle is an adventure, especially on a wet day in April. There are no signposts to this castle. You earn your way through mucky fields and winding laneways. A rusty bike, some Irish bunnies in said fields and animal footprints were spotted on the expedition to the castle. (I think a dog made the footprints. My kids surmised about a giant Easter Bunny.)

It’s windy up there on the best of days and today the castle was a cacophony of strange howls and eerie banshee-like shrieks, invoking the spirits of the past.

The castle was constructed in the 13th century and is a reminder of a different time in Ireland when Knights and Lords representing an invading country ruled the land. History has not been kind to this little castle and it is now nestled in to the grey sky in a state of disrepair, where teenagers come on the weekends to sneak a tin of beer and escape the glare of their parents.

A true, authentic Irish castle if ever there was one!

Will We Go For A Cuppa?

It wasn’t until I left Ireland that I recognized just how Irish the institution of ‘having a cuppa’ is.

Visiting a relative’s house? “Will you have a cuppa?”

Sitting around with the family after dinner? “Who wants a cuppa?”

Meeting friends in town? “Will we grab a cuppa?”

Sitting down over a hot cup of tea (black tea, preferably Lyons or Barrys- none of this fancy schmancy fruit or green tea stuff!) or coffee and having a chinwag is ingrained in an Irish person’s core. It is the first question you will be asked upon entering an Irish person’s house. Whether the conversation is about the excitement of the front page headlines of The Irish Times or the mundane of the grey weather, it will inevitably happen over a cuppa.

One of my favorite things about my annual trips home is the mornings my mom and I spend grabbing a cuppa at one of the local cafes. I heard recently that Ballincollig has close to 15 cafes, such is our penchant for the old cuppa! Over the last three weeks, mom and I did our darndest to partake in a Tour De Ballincollig Cafes! Here are some of the lovely establishments we visited.

Starbucks

Ah, lads! You know Ballincollig has made it when a Starbucks sets up shop. It’s in a beautiful building in the middle of Ballincollig Square. Not much to say about this one- if you’ve been to one Starbucks, you’ve pretty much been to them all.

Puccino’s

This one is upstairs from Easons in Ballincollig Shopping Center. Apart from the fact that the stairs make strollers hard to navigate, it’s pretty kid-friendly. There’s a small play table for little ones and coloring for the bigger ones. The food is decent and the views over Ballincollig Square are lovely.

Nosh and Coffee

Another one of Ballincollig Shopping Center’s many cafes. There are some lovely paninis at this cafe, and if the downstairs is too busy you can always truck upstairs for some peace and quiet.

Bite Size

One of Ballincollig’s newer cafes, the sweets here are really delicious. We happened to pop in after my Lisbon trip, and sitting right at the front of the counter was a plate of Pastel de Natas. Get In Ma Belly! We found out one of their bakers is Portuguese and was trying out this recipe for the first time.

Good for the Soul

This cafe has only opened in the last few weeks. It is the hipster cafe of Ballincollig. Even the menus are cool. Old hardback Beano and He-Man comics from the eighties enshrine the food choices. The poached egg and salmon brekkie was goooood! I felt very millennial getting the takeout avocado toast for my sister (which really was delish!)

The Plaza

This one is probably my favorite for our morning cuppa. It’s not fancy and is one of the oldest cafes- restaurants on the list. Mom and I have been coming here for years. In the summer we sit outside and let the kids run around the large, wide- open square by the cinema while we sip our tea. It was still a little cold for that this year. The kids’ scones were fresh out of the oven and I ordered my usual half Irish fry. The kids regaled the owner Mary with tales of their Irish vacation and ended up with lollipops for their troubles.

The Ballincollig Farmer’s Market

Every Wednesday, a little farmer’s market sets up in the square outside the Shopping Center. There is a lovely atmosphere and a plethora of places to grab a bite from. The Wednesday morning we went, a lady with a guitar serenaded us while we grabbed our cuppa.

The Chapel Gate Cafe

When you grab your cuppa at this cafe, you support BALANCE, an organization in Ballincollig that supports people with special needs. The staff are friendly, the food is fresh and it’s very kid friendly.

My Mom’s Kitchen Table

You just can’t beat this one!

A Stroll by the River Lee

My four year old turns to me this morning, “Even Mom…..even….it’s a very dirty day.” Yes KJ! It’s a grey, drizzly, dirty, soft, Irish type of a day in Cork. Do we

A. Sit on the couch and watch telly or

B. Take a stroll by the River Lee and see where the morning takes us?

Yep. We decided to pull on the hats and coats and take a gander into Fitzgerald’s Park.

Daly’s Bridge, locally known as The Shakey Bridge, is a suspension bridge spanning the River Lee and links Sunday’s Well to Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork. It was windy this morning so the kiddos really got to feel the shake!

The highlight of the morning was a fab trip to Fitzgerald’s Park. Have I mentioned my kids LOVE playgrounds??? And Fitzgerald’s Park has an awesome one!