Other hidden treasures

Six days in Croatia is just not long enough to fully explore all their hidden treasures.  I believe I mentioned there were 50 islands that had inhabitants on them.  We visited just 3 of them on a sailing excursion which was fun and relaxing.

All the islands have got Greek names, stemming back to when the Greeks had control in this area - Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud.  They all had their unique features like this quaint, old church

and all three had beautiful beaches that we had a dip in.  

There are many different sailing excursions that you can go on to explore the Croatian islands like this cool looking pirate ship

but we were just on a catamaran which did the job nicely!

Overall, a great day out in the sunshine but our Mlini beach was just as good as the other ones.

so that was why we spent a bit of time there over the 6 days soaking up the rays!

On one of the other days we had an early start with the tour bus picking us up to get through the border to Montenegro nice and early.  Apparently, cars can sit there for up to 10 hours just to get through two check points, one for Croatia, one for Montenegro.  The two countries still don't like each other on a political level!

We were through quickly and were not disappointed with what we found in this small, mountainous country, of just over 600 000 people.

Lots of little villages scattered around the Bay of Kotor.  The area is referred to as a fiord but it is actually a ria - submerged river canyon formed by rising sea levels.

One of our stops was in Perast, where we jumped on a boat out to the islet called 'Lady of the Rocks' that has a very cool story...

Legend has it that sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary on a rock protruding from the sea and taking it as a sign, began laying rocks on this same spot after every successful voyage so that a church could be built on top of the rocks.  A few centuries later there is now a beautiful church there.

There is beautiful artwork inside with the actual picture the main feature on the altar.

And to this day, the locals still throw rocks around the island on the 22nd July each year to keep the tradition going, and the island afloat!

Travelling further around the 'fiord', is the medieval town of Kotor that like other towns around this area, has a defensive wall

and lots of quirky alleys and streets to wander around.  We found a Cat Museum.  Our curiosity got the better of us so had a nosey.  We didn't stay long! 

The highlight of the day, and the main reason we went to Kotor, was to catch up with Rosie's son, Kieran and his girlfriend, Lara.  We had a lovely catch up over lunch where we were able to share travel stories and they were pleased to meet me, the swede!

The end of a wonderful week in Hvratska, I think we will definitely be making a trip back here again!

Croatia - Dubrovnik

FYI Croatia is the English name for Hrvatska in the native tongue. 

If you aren't a fan of Game of Thrones (GOT), I am sorry that you have missed out on watching a great series and sorry that you don't get what I have to describe in today's blog which will mention GOT a lot after visiting the extremely old, medieval and intriguing city of Dubrovnik.

We stayed in a village outside of the Dubrovnik area called Mlini where we had a gorgeous view from the balcony,

and a beach to swim at.

It was easy to either get the water taxi or bus into the old town to go exploring.  On the water, as you approach the old town, you can't help but get excited to find out what stories and history are hiding behind those walls.

Before it became too hot, we climbed the steps up to the wall and began the nearly 2km journey around them.

The walls were built between 13th and 17th centuries and consist of ramparts, towers, fortresses and bastions designed to protect the Old Town of Dubrovnik.  The views from various parts were fabulous, and made for ideal settings in various scenes of GOT.

Starting with the outdoor parts for King's Landing because of its authentic setting and historical charm.  

Here are some examples...

Fort Lovrijenac was used to depict the Red Keep, the Lannister family's stronghold.

The door where Gendry escapes 

Jesuit Stairs for Cersei's 'walk of shame' scene.

And the wharf in Blackwater Bay which is in a few scenes, here I am re-enacting Daenerys' wharf scene when she first lands in King's Landing.  

There are many more but that is enough for now.

When we visited these spots, our guide was also filling us in on some actual real life history of Dubrovnik, which actually has some similar themes to GOT's plots before, during and after the Balkan war.  Ivan, the guide, was 11 years old during the war and if we had time, we would have heard a few more hair-raising stories about his life in the early 90s. 

Now, they are happy to have some stability but in schools they don't mention the war.  Good thing or bad thing, they are still working that out.  Pre war there were 5000 living within the walls, now there are only 500 who are busy catering for the 3 million tourists they have per year.  Along with the history, there are 45 churches to visit, like St Mary's Cathedral

and here I am visiting St Francis in an old monastery. 

or you could have a go at one of the many water activities, like kayaking.  We would have if had another day here.

Or sailing around the many islands which will be mentioned in the next blog.  Until then, dovidenja (goodbye) to this wonderful place.  

Croatia - Split

Croatia, a country in Central and Southeast Europe on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.  What a beautiful country with its 1 244 islands, islets, and reefs.  78 of them are considered islands, 50 of them are habited with permanent residents.  

We arrived in Split, the largest city in Dalmatia, with just over 200 000 inhabitants.

We knew very little about the country so booked in a walking tour of the Old Town which gave us a great insight into the local way of life and its history, which is a very troubled one.  For the older readers, you will know of the country, Yugoslavia, had a big war in the early 90s - long story short, there are now 7 countries that have been created from that conflict - Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Slovenia.

According to the guide, everyone has had enough of turmoil and change, and just want things to stay as they are for awhile.  So onto Split, a great coastal city with so much history.  Looks quite modern on the outside but once you go off the Riva (main waterfront) there is a maze of little alleys and squares to explore.

A huge amount of water activities to keep people busy with its gorgeous beaches and port.

It began as an ancient Greek settlement but it truly became a city when the Roman Emporer Diocletian built his retirement palace around 305AD.  

Over the centuries, the city has been ruled by numerous nationalities but in 1992, finally independent.  It definitely has a Roman flavour to it.  

So much that the Roman Soldiers thought I might have been an enemy but Rosie went into battle for me!

During the tour we were lucky to be entertained by some tradition Dalmatian singing

An imposing statue of Grgur Ninski, a 10th century Croatian bishop, stands at the entrance to the Diocletian's Palace.  He fought for the right to use old Croatian in church services instead of Latin.

The palace was also used as a filming location for Game of Thrones scenes such as the palace's cellars and underground areas for Daenerys's dragon keep, and narrow streets for the setting of the slave rebellion.

After the tour we found the Game of Thrones museum, had a nosey and look at me, getting to sit on the Iron Throne!

As an introduction to Croatia, the city of Split did well.  What medieval adventures will we get up to in our next stop? Better get a move on - Winter is coming!!

London - bare with...

As much as we enjoyed trekking around the UK in a car, we were pleased to park it up and not have to deal with the traffic caused by the Underground staff going on strike in London.  What bad timing by us to strike a strike!  Like the Secondary School teachers, they are not happy with their pay nor their working conditions.

Our options for getting around - walk, bus and bike.  I wanted to go on the bicycle but Rosie and Grant were having none of that when they didn't know where they were going!

Hop on, Hop Off bus it was so we could cover most of the London attractions in the few days we were there.  We didn't even scratch the surface but gave it a good nudge!

Hyde Park - lots to look at here but Princess Diana's memorial fountain was closed for cleaning! 

It was in this park that I had my first encounter with a squirrel.  Grant wanted to see if the squirrel wanted to think I was a big nut but fortunately he didn't like the look of my cute face and ran off.

Trafalgar Square – dates back to the 1200s, and commemorates the famous victory of Admiral Viscount Nelson (on top of column) over Napoleon at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805.  At the base are 4 bronze lions depicting his naval victories.

China Town – quick look around here which included a yummy Chinese buffet meal

before going to a

West End Show – if you want to have a good laugh, Book of Mormon is the show to go to at the Prince of Wales Theatre. We had a smile on our faces the whole show but is an adults only show, not appropriate for youngsters!

Buckingham Palace – quick nosey at the outside of it, no royal members in sight

but had good timing to watch a bit of the ‘Changing of the Guard’.

I must say the memorial to Queen Victoria is quite imposing.  She definitely was quite a character!

Tower Bridge –  not to be confused with London Bridge that is not falling down, falling down

but is another most impressive looking bridge over the River Thames and it is mindboggling how it can split in half to let big boats go through.

 I loved it when our bus drove over it.

Tower of London – the history and stories that come out of this place are so interesting.

 From traitors to lost princes, to tortured prisoners, to the courageous soldiers, kings and knights,

who fought many battles over the years, to the unfortunate ones who had their heads taken off…  The Beafeater guide has many to tell.

The poppies on display are to commemorate 80 years of the end of WWII.

Paddington Station – this was our closest station.  I had to get my photo taken with the famous bear and low and behold, I found Harold the Giraffe hanging out with him.  It was so good to see a familiar face from NZ, so we shared our travel stories so far.

And that tis the end of the London blog, so pleased I got to visit this busy, multi-cultural city that has so much history.