Category Archives: Travels
Hiking in Gros Morne
We get ready for the 4:30 hour drive across central Newfoundland to Bonne Bay in Gros Morne. Thelma sends us with our coffee mugs filled and homemade muffins for the ride. About halfway there, we see cars stopped on the road….There is a moose crossing the highway very calmly, first one!
We arrive at the Bonne Bay Inn and are pleasantly surprised by the location as it is perched on the side of the road overlooking the bay and just steps from Woody Point and the discovery centre. Perfect spots to spend a few nights in the area.
We immediately set out to hike the Tablelands trail. The trail is fairly easy but on rocks small and big so watch your step. Halfway up, we come upon lots of snow and must find the less soft area so as to not sink in. The landscape is very unique, with its yellow rocks as far as the eyes can see. A good hike to stretch our legs and of course make snow angels 👼
We are back at the Inn for dinner and are treated to a minke whale swimming in the bay right in front of us! The Inn has a lovely lounge for the guests, a dining room and a bar. The first place where we stay with so much common area to relax on comfy chairs, and bonus, a laundry room accessible to their guests free of charge….we love it!
The next day we set out mid morning for our main hike of the area: Green Gardens Trail. It begins as we climb in tablelands rocks for a few kilometres, but quickly takes us down to the valley on a steep descent through beautiful forest. We then climb back up to the cliffs where we reach the stairs to the beach. We decide to continue on for 1.5km but the remaining of the trail is closed. We pass by beautiful lookouts and landscape as well as some local sheep quietly grazing up at the top.
Ready for the hike back, preparing ourselves for the big ascent.What comes down must come up as they say!! A roughly 12 km hike in 3:30 hours. We feel very accomplished and were rewarded with beautiful views!
Back at the Inn for a shower and we then make our way by foot to Woody Point where we visit the Galliott studio and cafe that we read about in the Globe and Mail and have lunch at the local pub. Great music and a LP carpet…all is breaded as usual but we are starving!
We spend the rest of the afternoon reading our books and relaxing at the Inn, topping the evening with a light dinner in the dining room with a view, where we now spot a pair of harp seal swimming about accompanied by very persistent seagulls!
The next morning we leave for Rocky Harbour for one night as it will reduce our drive up north by an hour and we have the Cruise at the Western Brook Pond.
We stop on the way to the Southeast Brook falls short trail. A beautiful hike in the forest opens up to a cascading falls and we are treated to a rainbow overlooking the far section of the falls. Gorgeous nature again!!
At the Western Brook Pond, we have a 3 km hike that takes us to the harbour. What fabulous vista at this famous landlocked fjord with very entertaining and informative guides on the boat. Chuck is sitting beside a lady from Vancouver who feels the need to talk constantly…imagine Chuck 😂
Lots of beautiful waterfalls, cliffs and formation in the rocks with their own name, like this one: “the tin man”.
This 2-hour cruise is awesome! Back to find the Bambury Hillside chalet where we learn that the whole town will have water shut off tomorrow morning for repairs….we plan to leave early!
But first tonight we will dine at the Black Spruce restaurant in nearby Norris Point, another recommandation from the Globe and Mail.
We go to the Gros Morne Cabins stores to get snacks for the game tonight and we are impressed by those colourful cabins right on the water. This is where we should have stayed!!
Over at the Black Spruce, the dining room has a expansive view overlooking Bonne Bay and we are pleasantly surprised by the originality of the menu and the excellent flavours of our meal. A very tasteful roasted cauliflower soup with a Parmesan crisp to start followed by a squid ink fettuccine with lobster and saffron cream. Chuck opts for the scrumptious beef tenderloin with creamy sea truffle mash potatoes.
All and all, one of the best meal we have had on the island. Well worth the drive! I get very pretty blue mussel shells earrings at the downstairs stores. Youpi!
Back at our chalet to watch the very disappointing Raptors game 2 😭. Leaving Gros Morne in the morning.
Twillingate and Iceberg Alley
The drive to Twillingate from Trinity is a good 3h30 parle along the coast, some ponds and thick forest. Our first stop is the Beothuk interpretation centre. The kilometre and half trail to the remnants of the indigenous village is punctuated with interpretive signs detailing the life of the Beothuk in the area more than 100 years ago.
We come upon the beautiful statue of Shanamdithit, the last known Beothuk, sculpted by local artist Gerald Squires. This was the impetus for the creation of this centre following excavation by archeologists in 1981. She was very detailed and striking.
Once at the end of the trail we lookout on some indentations, revealing the location of housing from that time, as well as Boyd’s cove. As we look up, we see a large bird with huge wind span….a juvenile eagle lands at the top of a nearby tree! What a sight!!
Back at the interpretive centre, we learn more about the way of life of the Beothuk as well as their extinction with the death in 1829 of Shanawdithit.
Onwards to Twillingate as we have an iceberg boat cruise with the “iceberg man” in the afternoon.
We arrive at Iceberg Alley Inn and meet our lovely, chatty host Thelma. We are also greeted by their friendly golden retriever…I get my fix!
After checking into a large, well appointed room, she directs us to Canvas Cove bistro for lunch. Excellent mussels and soup. Off we go to the cruise, all bundled up with multiple layers, hats and mittens, and thank god we have those!
The sun is shining and the winds are strong and cold. We are safely sitting on the front of the boat where Iceberg Man takes us to smaller “bergs” to explain the origin of the notch which are from the iceberg flipping in the water and that the ones we will see today, would have left Greenland 3-5 years ago!
We then approach a larger one and we circle multiple times to take pictures from all the different angles that are stunningly different.
He brings up to another site where we can see an iceberg that has split up the day before.
We then start cruising up to the coast to a cove where a third iceberg is located. A cold and windy 25 minutes, Chuck makes his way to the back for shelter but I choose to stay at the front to take the magnificent views.
Back to the original iceberg where the sun is now lower and reflect beautifully on the iceberg and the water. We are told that we are lucky this year, as last year there was only one iceberg all season and it only stayed for a week.
We opt to go to nearby Annie’s for dinner where the fare is ordinary. Back home for an early night as we must be off at 6AM the next morning to catch the ferry to Fogo Island.
Thelma prepares us a nice bagged breakfast with yummy baked oatmeal and off we go for the one hour trip to the ferry to make sure we will make it in the 8:30 crossing as it is the dangerous good trip so less spots. Thelma is on top of this!
Once a across we drive to Fogo island Inn for our tour of the Inn and our lunch. There really isn’t much to do so we sit in the library to wait as we are early.
The Inn is underwhelming for all the press and write ups. I find the structure not very appealing but the tour gives us a nice perspective on the vision of the founder,……she made her money in fibre optics in Toronto and chose to return home and invest her $42MM in her social entreprise dream. Everything is sourced on the island as much as possible as well as with the environment in mind. They seem very proud of their locally designed wall paper but I much prefer the quilts and the needlepoint bench cushions.
Over at the dining hall, we are impressed with the rope chandelier and the views are truly magnificent. Lunch is lovely with all ingredients organic and from farm to table as much as possible. I am surprised that there are no vegetarian option on the main but the salad bar is excellent!
We leave quickly to catch the 2PM ferry to avoid waiting for the 4:30 one and make it!
On the causeway, we pass the sea ice and notice a seal sunbathing.
Back in the lovely commons room at the inns. There are more quotes on those walls than anywhere I have seen!
I take the opportunity to phone mom and take care of some work issues which Chuck attempts a nap prior to our lobster dinner. Thelma sends us to Samsone for dinner where their live lobster pool will assure us of a “lobster fresh as a daisy”.
The 15 minute drive is well worth it. The staff is very friendly and the view is awesome. I pick my lobster and and am transported back immediately to my youth having lobster with my mom. It all comes back very easily and Chuck and I share a delicious local lobster.
Chuck leftover “squid rings” are fed to the local seagull who rules their patio. She is certainly well fed!
Back to our room to watch the Raptors win game 1 of the NBA finals…woohoo!!
Trinity and the Bonavista Peninsula: cliffs, vistas and icebergs!
On day 3, we left St-John’s early, direction Trinity, in the Bonavista peninsula. A quaint little town on the water with several local attractions.
We checked in at the Artisan Inn and immediately made our way the Two Whales restaurant which we found from an ,article in the Globe and Mail. Excellent vegetarian fare and great atmosphere!!
Then on to the highlight of the Discovery trail section: the Sherwink Trail.
What a beauty!!
As we climbed up high to the top of the peninsula, walking along the cliffs, we marvelled at the chiseled rocks along the cliffs and the numerous sea stacks emerging from the sea.
I must say it was one of the most spectacular trail I have hiked and understand absolutely why it is rated as one of the top 35 trails in North America and Europe.
at the bottom of the trail, we arrive at a rocky beach. Of course Chuck does a great skip rock throw which can not be reproduced for the camera 🙂
We then drive to the lighthouse that we could see from the trail.
It is hard for pictures to render the magnificence of the views and the incredible sounds of the sea crashing against the rocks!! The trail skirted the cliffs much closer than comfortable for Chuck and the hike was fairly stiff but the views at the top were well worth the effort!
Back to our Inn for happy hour at the beautiful lounge upstairs from the dining room where I discover the local seaweed gin and tonic with iceberg ice!! Off for dinner at the marina for more cod.
On day 4, we woke early and left for Bonavista with a stop in Elliston and it was well worth it. First we spent time learning about the sealing way of life and the great tragedy of 1914…what a tough life…
Onward to Puffin island where we walked up to the edge of the hills to be within a stone throw of the island and witnessing puffin nesting and flying…beautiful sighting.
Along the way, we spotted multiples root collars, very hobbit-like…it is the capital of the world for root cellars after all!!
But the cherry on the cake on Sunday awaited us….we continued our trip to Spillar’s Cove and Cable John Cove. After a short walk from the end of the paved road, the vista opens up to an amazing sight!! Cliffs, iceberg, caves and more…I had to sit and take it in. Absolutely beautiful!!
Next stop is the dungeon, a sea cave with a collapsed roof, very neat again…. and a good hike on a road full of potholes 🙂
We then make it to the Cape Shore Trail along the sea to the John Cabot statue to commemorate his discovery of the continent as well as the large Bonavista lighthouse which today is honking constantly for fog.
We come back to Trinity just in time to visit the black smith and the cooperage house. The blacksmith is on duty working and spends time with us to discuss his trade. Very interesting.
Back home for happy hour where we meet a lovely couple from Vancouver and enjoy a nice dinner at the Inn where we meet a very knowledgeable amateur whale photographer from England. A few spots added to our bucket list!
2 nights in St-John’s with an “s”
We begin our 2 weeks trip to Newfoundland with our landing in St-John’s landing mid afternoon. After picking up our rental car from Avis we make our way easily to our first home here, The Murray Premises Boutique Hotel.
We are pleasantly surprised with convenient free parking right in front of the hotel and a quaint reception area.
We decide to begin our hiking right away and head for the long path along the water up to signal point. Absolutely beautiful views of the city as we hike up and several stretches where Chuck finds it much too close to the edge 😂
We are also excited to see our first of many icebergs!
Our Fitbit indicates that we covered 12km that day and 18,000 steps!!
After visiting at the top a bit, we head back down via the city on a steep decline which turns out to be much harder on my knee!!
Back in the city, we head to Trapper John’s for the screeched in ceremony. We are greeted John who was a very colourful fellow with lots of stories.
We discover that this involves 4 things. We must eat something from Newfoundland which turns out to be bologna or what is known as a Newfoundland steak. We must have a shot of screech rum. Which is Jamaican rhum bottled here in Newfoundland. We must repeat a local saying about old friend being the support for our sailing forward, very lovely. Then we must kiss the king of Newfoundland which of course is a frozen cod. We perform all these steps to John’s multiple stories and receive our certificate making us honorary Newfoundlanders!
We then head to a local pub on George St for some cod and local music.
On Sunday we head south to Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America and hike part of the eastern coast trail toward Maddox Cove.
We are treated to beautiful cliffs and more icebergs. The scenery is reminiscing of the northern Scotland we visited a few years ago. Very windy coast!
Our stop for lunch is at the Murray Landscaper Grounds cafe (farm to fork) as featured in an article in the Globe and Mail that we had read. Excellent vegan food in a nice, bright and airy dining room.
We then drive up to Stiles Coves to hike up to the beautiful cliffs and waterfall.
Well worth the drive/hike. A little bit down the road we stop at the end of the Pouch Cove trail in Flatrock to take a look at the flat rocks, the waterfall in Big River and the stunning waves crashing on those rocks. Loved it!!
We then make a stop at the Quidi Vidi brewery for a few sampler of the local beer, one of which made with iceberg water, before heading back home.
Our Fitbit today says 14 km, 20,500 steps.
Well earned dinner at Exile, the restaurant part of the Jag hotel owned by the cousin of one of Chuck’s friend. What an awesome decor and atmosphere with multiple posters of music legends.
Slovenia
Omg We decided to leave Istria early and spend a night in Ljubljana. On our way we stop at the Postojna caves and the Prejnama Castle. What a treat!!
First the caves. We had no idea of the magnitude of these. They are huuuge!! And so ovez caves. Just spectacular. 
Then on to the nearby Prejnama castle built in the 1200s right out of c a rock for protection. Fascinating history and visit inside. Damp and dark castle but so ingenious!!
We then make our way to the capital Ljubjiana. What a quaint and lovely town of 320,000 people. We are told that close to a million people come into the town everyday.
Lovely hosts and staff in our hotel!! We visit the local castle which hosts an exhibition on the history of Slovenia. Chuck is enthralled and finally gets his questions answered!
The climb up to the bell tower is fantastic with a red staircase! View at the top is spectacular.
The next day we are off to Lake Bled stopping first at the Vintgat gorge. A local networks of small waterfalls with a very neat passeway built along the side of the rocks.
At Lake Bled, our hotel is waterfront facing the beautiful lake. What a treat!! We walk the 6km trail around the beautiful scenic lake and climb the hill to the castle located atop the rock cliff. Ouf!! But what a view again!!
The next day we are off toe Lake Bohinj and take a walk around that lake as well. Much quieter little town and beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. Reminiscent of back home!! Back to the hotel we finally treat ourselves to our first ice cream. Those cones vendors are everywhere and everyone seems to be eating one!! Yum!!
Back to Zagreb the next day we sit at a patio in the heart of the city and marvel at how busy the place is as everyone seem to be taking advantage of a beautiful Saturday!!
we checked into the Royal airport hotel for our final night, 5 minutes from the airport. Great big rooms and good restaurant and free breakfast included. We fly back home on Sunday at 10:15. Another epic trip!!
Istria, Croatia
This was our first rainy day with strong wind. Good timing since it was mainly a driving day. We took the most winding and narrow road driving up to our airbandb in Oprtalj from the coast. We arrive to an almost abandoned town with one taverna that is closed and one restaurant only opened till 7PM and a small market opened till 3PM. Thankfully we are there at 2:45 and can purchase a few items to make dinner.
The house itself is the best example of an old house renovation I have seen but is lacking in a lot of small amenities and fairly dark as all the windows open to a wall nearby. The house was found on airbandb and is called Case Sterna. It is recommended NOT to book.
We take a nice lunch at the restaurant overlooking a beautiful valley of olive groves and vines of grapes as well as the nearby famous Panzerana biking and hiking trail.
We arrived at Prodan Tartufi and are impressed right away by the installation, the pretty gardens and the warm welcome by Vishna our host.
This was an absolutely awesome experience in all respect. The wonderful 4 cuddly and energetic dogs made me miss my pups and added to the experience. They love to be handled and pet and were running around like crazy.
We walked in the wood while our host described their lives, how truffles grow, are traded and her family’s 3 generations tradition. We (the dogs) find 2 white truffles and 1 black! We are treated to an exquisite lunch including truffle salami, butter, cheese, pate and eggs. It is all so flavourful and fragrant…I am now addicted to the smell of white truffle!!!
We learned that black truffles can be cultivated by infecting the roots of some trees but white ones are still a mistery. White truffles can only be found in Croatia and Italy whereas black ones are not found in many places around the world including Oregon and New Zealand. Truffles grow from animal eating some and pooing near the roots of trees who lend themselves to growth such as beech, ashes and walnut trees. The selling fee of white truffles can range from 2500 to 4000 euros a kilo!
In the afternoon we drive to 2 nearby medieval towns, the town of Motovun and Grosjnam. The latter has been taken over by artists and we stroll the cobble street while shopping. Both towns are built on a hilltop and are surrounded by a medieval walls and are mostly pedestrians. I buy a neat ring and we decide to have a meal there since our town will not be offering much in terms of food.
Both town are on the same favours biking and hiking trail and we meet several people going on it. We see the trail outside the walls of Grosnam and the view is breathtaking and can understand the attraction.
We decide to leave a day early from there as our airband is very disappointing and we keep getting power outage. Upon the recommandation of a couple from India we met at the truffle hunt who had been travelling from Austria and then Slovenia and now Croatia, we decide to go spend a day in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital.
Sibenik
We leave Dubrovnik early for Sibenik as we plan on making a few stops.
Our first stop is in the town of Ston. What a great decision!
We are amazed with the wall complex built in 1313 to protect their salt factory. We are told that at the time 1 kg of salt was worth the same as 1kg of gold!! We visit the small factory and see the ingenuity to harvest that salt with the same process as years gone by. Very little automation. They use evaporation….It can be harvested 3 times a year and takes 10 days each time.
We hike the walls surrounding the city but will not have time to walk the more than one hour to the next town. The walls are very narrow and steep! What a feat!! Hard to believe their are holding a marathon tomorrow on the walls. Yikes!
We have a meal at Bakus on the recommandation of our host in Dubrovnik. The town of Ston is renowned for its crustaceans fishing.
A beautiful meal of oysters, marinated anchovies and salted sardines. Chuck finally gets his sardines!! All fresh, local and very good. We get a starter of fish pate. Love it!
Great view of the bay and all the traps for mussels, oysters etc..
The walls from the road leaving the area.
Our next planned stop was the town of Split but after driving to the main area of the city along the beach and seeing the invasion of cruise boats, tourists and commercialism, we decide to not even stop and keep driving. What a difference from Ston!
We arrive at our Hotel Bellevue, very well located on the water besides the old town and after dropping our bags, go for a walk in the old town to check it out a bit before our reservation at the 1 Michelin star restaurant Pelligrini.
Located right besides the Basicilica in the old town, the service at that restaurant is absolutely next level. Waiters coordinate depositing your dishes so that everyone at the table gets it at the same time! The sommelier is very friendly and knowledgeable and our waiter tells us a bit about the history of the restaurant and the town.
This restaurant was opened, is owned and operated by the chef and is only opened for 11 years. Most of the staff are in their 20s. 
Flavours are well matched and the food is inventive but what will stay with us is the number of personnel on the floor constantly looking after their guests and their attention to details. Whenever a guest goes to the washroom, one of the staff will come re-fold the napkin on the table, one of them even using only a spoon!
The next day we decide to forgo the boat ride and drive ourselves to Krka which is very close. We first go to the main area nearest the bottom of the national park and again are overwhelmed by the number of buses and tourists. Although the falls are beautiful, The 2 km trail to see the main waterfalls is packed and we move at a very slow pace.
After a chat with one of the staff at the information desk, we decide to get in our car and drive the 45 minutes in the hills to the top of the park where the biggest waterfall are as well as some archeological site of Roman ruins.
We arrive to nearly no-one there and follow the signs to where Emperor Frantz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth had come to see the falls.
Upon continuing down we come to a belvédère where we have a great view of the falls.
We noticed some other trails further to the left and decide to go explore.
The trail is exceptionally steep and made entirely of gravel which can be slippery. But we continue on. Thoughts of having to climb it back start creeping in!!
We arrive at the end where the path simply stops at a cliff with a view to the side of the fall.
We begin the climb back at a good pace. Our hiking legs are now kicking in but we are completely out of breath at the top and have to sit for a moment! The heat of more than 30C does not help!
We then drive the very short distance to Burnum and the site of the recently discovered 1st century Roman legion training centre and barracks. It was built under emperor Augusta to quell a coup by one of his general.
Back home exhausted, sweaty and just in time for our 2 hours guided walking tour of Sibenik.
We meet Dario at the fortress of Baronne way above the city, driven there by our friendly driver ( thank god)…his knowledge of the area is spectacular as is the view from there. We have a particularly privileged view of the St-John castle that is currently under re-construction. Both of the castles were built in the 16th century under the Venetian regime to prepare for the ottoman attacks.
We can also see the whole city, the coast as well as the third castle, St-Michael which was the first one built.
That is where the king of Croatia wrote from in 1066 confirming the existence of Sibenik back to that year.
We are then driven back to the centre of city for a hugely informative walk around the city, Dario pointing out some of the 27 churches of the cities and their different architectural type.
We begin with the fortress of St-Michael where Brian Ferry just held an outdoor concert, and where some of the outdoor walls were used for the Games of Throne background scenes.
Again the view to the river Krka is beautiful. It is the river that separate Croatia in 2.
We see the bridge where the Serbs located their tanks to bomb the city in the 90s war.
We are treated to a visit to the Basilica of St-James where we are told it was the first time the “montage” technique was used to built the coupole, similar to LEGO, the structure is assembled ahead of time and then numbered to be re-assembled up at the top. It took 150 years to build this basilica using men and horse power to hoist stones weighing several tonnes.
We get behind the scene views because our guide’s wife is the conductor of the choir here.
The stairs to upstairs are built to enable the light to filter down below.
First time ordinary people were depicted in a basilica.
We finish with the monastery where one of the 3 most important libraries is located, holding some of the most ancient books of Croatia’s history as well as the only functioning organ built in the 1700s.
Along the way, Dario points out how much the medieval people loved their cats and dogs, building into their walls drinking receptacles. 😀
As well as a medieval water cistern used to hold 27,000 litres that is now turned into a cafe-bar. Interestingly, the restaurant we went to last night is built on its roof!
We finish a perfect day where my Iphone health app tells me we climbed 67 floors, with the town’s specialty: mussels. We learned also today that mussels love a mixture of fresh and salt water which they find in the mouth of the Krka river in the bay of Sibenik!!
Time for bed!!
Dubrovnik/Montenegro: day 4-5-6
We arrive in Dubrovnik after a 5 1/2hour drive with a few stops. Several sections are maximum 60km and we followed large trucks often.
Because we made last minute changes, our airbandb was not available for the first night so we had booked a hotel room. We found our hotel for the first night without problems but we arrived and they were out of parking spots despite the fact that we had called and reserve a spot. Drag!!! They had to drive it 30 minutes walk away so we decided to trust them and leave the key 😬……figured we would have no car, no bags and no room when we got back from our day trip! But all good! Phew!
It is exceptionally well located, almost across from the entrance to the old city. We decide to go walk the walls today and see what the food is like. Of course more steps to get to the entrance of the walls where we climb more steps but the view is excellent!!
After we were done, we end up at the cliff bar, very easy to get confused in the many alleyways of the old town, not easy to find but fun to have a drink there and watch the youngsters jump off the cliff into the sea. 😬
There are so many kayaks making their way to the Lokrum island!
Of course we come across some of the Game of Throne set. This is the stairs where Cersie and chuck begin their walk of shame! So cool!
We have dinner at one of the restaurant and enjoy the best fish pâté ever!! Flashback to France where people light up a cigarettes on the patio right besides other people eating. This is everywhere 😭😭
The Main Street in the old city is jam packed at the night!!
The next day is our day trip to Montenegro, we are ready at our nearby stop waiting for the bus at 6:10…but the pick up is at 7:10. Chuck misread his watch!!🤦♀️buuurrp! 🍷
We visit 3 cities and begin by crossing both borders. Not sure why but at that border we have to show our passport at the Croatian border to exit as well as the Montenegro border to enter. 🤔
First stop is Pevast where the only artificial island of the Adriatic is located. We take a boat across to visit the small church and look at the scenery.
The view on the way is really beautiful.
We leave for Kotor, where we discover that the city and its residents have adopted cats… not a dog, a rat or a mouse to be seen!! There was a Black Plague a long time ago and they brought in cats to get rid of the rats and they stayed. They are everywhere!
17 churches in this tiny villages, 14 of which are catholic despite the fact that most of the population is orthodox…we’ll leave that one alone!!
The only church that was not affected at all by the earthquake of the 1970s
This is a wall city as well and the walls extend all the way up a mountain behind the town with a church on the way. We are told that we do not have time to climb all the way but have time to go to the old church. What a hike!! Steep and hot.
We are happy to be there and sample the beautiful view. This is the bay of Kotor which is named one of the 25 most beautiful bays in the world!! We are surprised by the mountainous horizon.
Back on the bus we now make our way to Budva where we have lunch by the sea. Mainly a small city along the sea. We had a lunch at the restaurant recommended by the tour guide and had very excellent mussels served in a fantastic bowl. We also dip our feet in the Adriatic for the first time. Mainly rocky beaches here but water is nice if a little cool. And FAR too many Speedo’s, thot we we were in Quebec for a moment!
After a 2 hours stop at the border we are finally back in Dubrovnik and move to our airbandb. If you take this tour, plan to be back a few hours later than expected. Tour guide and driver were excellent!
Our first day at the apartment, we wake up to a beautiful view of Dubrovnik and the sea from our balcony. Spectacular! Added bonus, it is a 10 minutes walk to the old town. The owner helps us park the car and tells us to forget it. He is right!
On the advice of our excellent airbandb host, we discovered a small beach very close, used mostly by locals. No signs to point to it anywhere. We had to climb down 277 steps to reach it and of course 277 steps to go back home!!
Absolutely gorgeous, with water so clear and salty! You can basically float with very little efforts. Very refreshing!!
In the afternoon we take the 5 minutes ferry to Lokrum island. We hike to “the rocks” which are reminiscent of Peggy’s Cove except not round rocks. Really neat….nearby is the dead pool.
We then decide to hike up to the church. Very steep ascent but fantastic view!
Tonight is the night we have reservation at the 1 Michelin star restaurant 360. I am not feeling well but it can not be missed. The view is beautiful, staff extra attentive and the menu is creative and interesting.
We are treated to “amuse-bouche” followed by our first course of mackerel for chuck and the chef’s signature dish of carrot for me. For our main, Chuck has ordered a dish of pigeon with foie gras and I choose the turbot with clams.
We try a nice Cabernet from Istria with a label like Chuck wants for his wine. Where you can’t read what is on it! Martine threw up, but not from the food! 😛
All is excellent!! The manager stops by for a chat where he tells us that the head chef Mario Cucic is Croatian and started with them in 2007, growing with the restaurant and traveling to work at Michelin restaurant elsewhere in the world during the 6 months when the restaurant is closed. The restaurant is owned by the town but with the high taxes, they barely make it profitable despite the fact that it is always fully booked. We are told that Croatian here all have to take English from the beginning of school and a third language in grade 4. Smart!
Dubrovnik was beautiful, a city built on a cliff basically, where walking to places really means hiking. Gorgeous sceneries and beautiful water.
Just a week prior to leaving we decided to change our plans to leave a day early from Zagreb to have an extra day in Dubrovnik and go to Montenegro. Best decision!
Croatia: day 2 and 3: Plitvike Lakes
Day 2 and 3: Sept 17-18, 2018
We arrive midday in Plitvike Lakes, a famous national parc and check in our villa. We drive back to have lunch towards a small town but come across the Baca Caves and decide that we should explore them. We have lunch at a nearby local restaurant…vegetarian options are few and far between here but we make do…Chuck really likes the local beer 🙂
Back at the cave, we are joined by a group of Germans and some Brits. The guide takes us up to the higher cave opened to the public. Temperature inside the caves is always 9C no matter the season and humidity 100%. Two types of bats live in the cave and we spot some right away shortly after entering.
She explains that archeologists have found mementoes proving life in the medieval times as well as animal remains from 20,000 years ago…yes no typo, back in the ice age. They have unearthed the squeleton of a cave bear that would have been more than 3 metres high and weighing over 700 tonnes. Bigger than the grizzlies and the polar bears. The have also found cave lions and a cousins to rhinoceros in those caves.
The scenery is spectacular and she turns the lights off at some point to show what complete darkness actually means….the perfect representation of pitch dark….
Chuck and i LOVE our helmets! Especially since I hit my head….
Back at the villa for a dinner onsite and off to bed for the big hiking day tomorrow.
The next day begins earlyish at 8:30 and we get to the park ready to board bus at 9:30AM. We decide tp start with the lower lakes loop per the recommandation of Ivy at the villa. We are swamped by large groups of tourist, mostly from Asia….it is a selfy party!!!
This park is mainly about the waterfall and the turquoise water. The lower lakes do not disappoint although we find a striking ressemblance to lakes in the Ontario and Quebec cottage country.
At the end of the hike, we get to the boat pick up that will bring us back to mid point.
We then begin the hike up the hill and the highlight of the day…what I called the ’circular waterfalls’. For many minutes, we walk and are able to see this combination of falls from several different angles.
We continue upwards to the top and after a short break, we decide to forgo the bus ride down and instead, we walk back to the bottom. All in all, my app is indicating 18,000 steps, 12 km and most importantly, 47 floors!!! That is some elevation. Feet and knee survive very well which is great!
We make it back to the hotel for a well deserved shower and beer. A great day.
I feel that the recommandation we found online to take a 2-day pass for the park is completely unnecessary. A brisk walk for 4-5 hours will do the trick. Glad we chose to only stay one day.
Off to the coast tomorrow…can’t wait!
Croatia: day 1 – Zagreb
Day 1: Zagreb: September 16th. 2018
Landed in Zagreb 7:30 after an overnight flight. Managed to get 1 to 2 hours sleep only. I bought a local SIM card for my phone for 80 kunas ($16) with unlimited internet for 7days. Why can’t we get that back home?!? Can’t beat that for navigating!!
Got our small Skoda rental car and drove to the centre of Zagreb and left the car in a parking garage to walk around the lower and upper town. From the garage we decided to walk up to the upper town in the hope to cut through.
We ended up near the famous museum of broken relationships and decided to take a look. Some funny, sarcastic, tragic stories all connected to one artifact on display. There was even one from Toronto with a stuffed loon as the artifact. Stories from all over the world.
We came to the church of Saint-Marc which is a historic building.
A little further up the road, we discovered the stairs to the lower town giving us a very clear indication of the elevation….packed!!
We came across lovely markets and some traditional singers along the way and finally had a caffe and croissant for breakfast on an outdoor patio.
Our airbandb was located right in the centre between the lower and upper so great location. Lots of stairs reminiscing of Edinburg.
We then decided to go on a historic war walking tour of the city which lasted almost 3 hours and was excellent. The majority of that tour was in the lower town. The 26 year old guide referred a lot of the history back to the story of his family which helped connect the events to the impact on every day life. We walked through great small alleyways where cafes were hidden at each turn.
Highlights included walking through the tunnels that were built to serve as bomb shelters for passerby during both WW2 and the recent war-1990-1995. Hidden from the sky, entrances to the tunnel are located in peoplés backyards. They were built under the natural hills and elevation of the town as the upper town is actually that….up the hill, therefore impossible to detect from the air. We are told that every house had a basement serving as a bomb shelter, stocked with necessities and mattress to survive while they were being bombed.
He gave us a very objective description of the role of Croatia during the WWII (aligned with the Nazis, those tunnels were restricted to Jews, Gipsies and Serbs) we are told that the Serbs had to wear a large embroidered S on their clothes to identify them similar to the Star of David for thé Jews. He explained the period under Tito and how the Yugoslavians were able to travel to the west AND the east countries as Tito navigated quite successfully the diplomatic relations with both sides. They still to this day have free health care and free university. We discussed the impact of the economic downturn following the death of Tito in 1980 which led to the political debacle which lead to the atrocious war of the 1990s
This tour is provided by the local tourist information centre located right at the edge of the main square. They meet at 11am at the statue and is 130 kuna per person. So well worth it.
After going back to the parking garage to grab our things, and walk back to the airbandb. I realized that I left my phone with the Croatian SIM card on the roof of the car. Back at the parking garage, we are told that someone found it and left their phone number to give it back. We begin starting calling her with no success. A nice Serbian server at a local bar across the street helped us place the call properly but still no answer. We gave him our email after his shift as he was trying to reach her for us. We walked to a main square in the lower town and had a meal. Lots of pizzas and burgers on all the menus!! I ordered a Gin martini which ended up being sweet martini and Rossi mixed with a shot of gin. He had no idea what a martini is!!!
We finally received a call back from the lady who found my phone and she drove back to us to return it. She would not accept money, just « some positive vibrations ». Great introduction to the kind Croatian people.
We walked to a bar where they played NFL games and as luck would have it, a group of Minnesotans on a tour walked in to watch the Minnesota game with Chuck. What are the chances.
And then on the TV next to the football, a handball game comes on…Youpi!
A day well spent, and early to bed, we leave tomorrow.
Martine's food and places 