Have you noticed the Tumblr pictures and links on this page?  Click on the date link to see our pictures.

At least that’s what I’m calling it for now.  Bryon is posting daily on his blog.

Lots of Buddhas today at the temple of Wat Pho.  We started our gate 1 tour today with 39 people in it.  That just seems like a huge number.  I’m beginning to see the pluses and minuses with taking a tour.  On the plus side you don’t have to think or worry too much about what to do or how to get places.  The air conditioned bus is nice when it’s hot and muggy outside.  The hotels are nicer than I would choose.  On the downside you don’t see as much and get less cultural immersion.

After our brief stopover in Zagreb, we caught to train to Ljubljana and from there a bus to Lake Bled (thanks Rick Steves for the accurate transit instructions, but timetables or links to them would have been helpful).

Lake Bled is an incredibly picturesque lake complete with Church on an island in the middle of the lake and a castle on a cliff right over the lake.  It really looks like something out of a fairytale.

Lake Bled

Lake Bled Castle on Cliff

After trudging from the bus stop to our B&B, we decided to do the 6 km stroll around the lake..  According to the owner of the B&B the walk should only take 1.5 hours at a slow pace, but for some reason it took us >2 hours.  I guess that means we walk ever slower than slow…

It was a very scenic walk, but basically with the same scenery all the way around.  The only real difference being that you could see the Church in the middle of the lake from all different angles.  Nevertheless it was on an easy paved trail (though our feet were killing us by the end).

After finishing the walk we went back to the room to clean off and intended to go out for dinner but instead just fell asleep.

The following day we decided to take it easy instead of taking the bus tour of the Julian Alps.  We decided against the Alps since we were kind of disappointed when we saw the Swiss Alps (it basically just looked like a lot of dirt).

Instead, we walked up to the Castle on the cliff.  It wasn’t that interesting inside but the view was pretty great.

View from the castle

After touring the castle we went back down to the lake and rented a row boat.  Due to a crew competition that was taking place that afternoon we were only allowed the have the boat for 1 hour.  Bryon volunteered to do the rowing so we set off.

Bryon rowing the boat

After about 20 minutes of rowing we decided to head back to ensure we made it back on time.  Unfortunately we found out that it was much harder to row back (against the wind) than to row out.  Due to a valiant attempt on Bryon’s part we were able to make it back and return the boat even a few minutes early!

Then we stopped by a cafe and tried the famed Lake Bled Cream Cake.  It was all right.

Cream Cake

After going back to the room and cleaning off we had dinner at Restaurant Mayer in a local B&B which Rick Steves had recommended.  It was the best meal we’d had thus far and pretty reasonably priced too!  I ordered the asparagus risotto and Bryon had the Deer goulash.  Deer tastes surprisingly like beef.

After dinner we went back to the room and prepared for our next day’s departure back to Ljubljana.

Plitvice Lakes is the most famous national park in Croatia, and for good reason. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  Even while flooded with tourists (mostly European) and tour groups, it is a breathtaking experience.

Getting there, however, was not as fun.  We woke up early for our 8:30 bus ride to the park (4.5 hours).  Bus seems to be the preferred mode of transit in Croatia.  It is affordable and relatively easy to do.  Just make sure to look up the schedules while doing your planning, and go to the bathroom before leaving and at any rest stops.

Bryon sleeping during the long bus ride to Plitvice

We arrived at Plitvice around 1 and checked into Hotel Bellevue.  If you are not driving then definitely stay at one of the 3 hotels in the park (Hotels Bellevue, Plitvice, or Jezero) since they are close to the bus station and very handy for visiting the park.

After a short rest we headed out to hike the park.  Per Rick’s suggestion, we started with the lower lakes.  The most stunning scenery is here, but it was completely full of tour groups so there was a lot of waiting and jockeying for position.  The water is the most incredible blue color I’ve ever seen.

Plitvice Lakes lower lake

Fish in the lakes

After the lower lake route, we took the ferry to the upper lake.  It was a lovely, peaceful ride.  By the time we got to the upper lakes there were many fewer people around so it was a much more serene experience.  As a result, we decided to take the ferry back to the lower lakes and see it again with fewer people around.  It was a different experience.

Plitvice Lakes Upper lake

After our hike we went back to the hotel to clean off and rest a bit.  We had a nice dinner at Hotel Plitvice, picked up our packed lunch (they will pack a lunch for you if you leave to early to have breakfast), and went to bed early so we could catch our 6:45 bus to Zagreb.

For our last day in Split we had a rare free day to do whatever we want (no, every day is NOT a free day when you’re on a Rick Steves tour, even if it is self-directed).  Our helpful sobe owner Frane suggested we check out Brac island for some fun island time.

We bought our ferry tickets to Supetar (on Brac island) and hopped on one of those giant ubiquitous Jadrolinja ferries.

It was a pleasant 1 hour ride to Supetar.  However, once we got there it was not at all the beautiful island paradise I was expecting.  It was kind of dirty and noisy (at least by the ferry terminal).  Consequently, we decided to hop on a bus to Bol, which was a city I’d read about on the other side of the island.  It was another 1 hour bus ride to get there (ugh!).  But once we got to Bol, it was everything Supetar wasn’t, with a wide pedestrian boardwalk right next to the beautiful sea.  There were cafes a plenty lining the boardwalk.  And at the end, there was zlatni rat, which I’d read was a beautiful beach.

Zlatni rat rules

Zlatni Rat pebbel beach

It was pretty nice, but not worth going all the way to Croatia to visit.  It was a pebble beach, which was different for me.  Next time I’d probably go to Hvar town instead.

After our relaxing day on Bol, we returned to our room in Split (1 hour bus ride + 1 hour ferry) to prepare for the busy days ahead exploring Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Hopefully you’ve seen or can see Bryon’s posts here now.  I’ve been recovering from jet lag and general exhaustion so I apologize for the lack of posts so far.

After a marathon 2 day research/booking session I booked our flight out from SFO to Dubrovnik on 5/6 for a flight on the very next day, 5/7!  I also managed to book 50% of our hotels as well as all of our other flights.  I was pretty pleased with myself.

But maybe I really shouldn’t have been so pleased with myself.  Turns out, a 40 minute connection isn’t nearly enough time to transfer in Frankfurt (Franport, as they call it).  The lady at the United desk told us that you need at least 1.5 hours.  I think the United computer program needs some work since it suggested the itinerary!  Anyway, as Bryon mentioned, she was able to get us on a direct flight to Dubrovnik so it worked out (though we arrived several hours later and even more sleep deprived.  side note: if you can find 4 chairs together, the terminal chairs at Frankfurt make for a decent nap even though they don’t look that comfortable).  The descent into Dubrovnik is breathtaking, and I think makes this flight worth the effort.  It’s in fact the most beautiful descent I have ever seen.  We were fortunate to be sitting on the left side with all of the spectacular views (YMMV).  I would have taken a picture like the passenger in front of me, but I generally follow the no electronics rules.

After we arrived at our sobe (room), we collapsed from exhaustion until the following morning.

In the morning, we took the bus to try to get to Ploce Gate (Rick Steves’ suggested starting point for walking around the wall).  Dubrovnik is a small Medieval town surrounded by a castle wall.  According to Wikipedia, “It is a testament to the resilience of the ancient walls that more buildings in the old town were not destroyed during the bombardment (during the 1991 Siege of Dubrovnik); the ancient walls in fact were more effective at resisting modern weaponry than contemporary structures in the city’s periphery”.

We also took a cable car up Mt Srd to get a better view

Dubrovnik’s Walls from the cable car

View from Mt. Srd

All in all, it was  a fun day, with the Wall walk being the most memorable experience.  There were 5 cruise ships in town that day (that I counted) so there were a lot of people in Dubrovnik.

Today, we took an early morning bus to Split.  It was a long 4 hour journey.  There were times where it was almost frightening since it involves a lot of driving on 2 lane undivided winding cliff roads, but the views were great.  It’s still the best way to get from Dubrovnik to Split IMHO and costs about $15.

After arriving in Split and resting for a few hours we decided to head out and check out Diocletian’s palace.  This was a really interesting experience and very different from other Roman ruins I’ve seen because the Old Town of Split is actually built into the ruins itself.  This means there is an interesting mix of Roman ruins, medieval buildings, and modern architecture all mixed together.

Roman column inside a bank

Merged Medieval and Roman wall

Walking along the Riva (the main promenade) feels like walking along any boardwalk with it’s modern walkways and assortment of restaurants and shops along the side.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to take a ferry to the nearby island of Bruc to check out more pristine adriatic seashore.

Thank you everyone for your support during the difficult time after my grandmother’s passing.  It was a tough time for my family, but I’m glad we were all there to support each other.  I absolutely made the correct decision in postponing my trip.

After a 3 week visit home (in the OC), I’m ready to get back to trip planning mode.  I’ll post an update on the trip as soon as I figure out when and where we’re going.  I’ve also been requested to write a post on how to pack for such a long trip.  I hope you find the posts useful and follow along!

Valerie

As I find myself typing this from my hometown of Fountain Valley, CA, I realize how quickly life can change. A week ago, I was frantically packing for the first leg of my grand voyage. However, on Monday, May 13, just one day before I was scheduled to leave, my father called me with sad news that my grandmother had passed away. My grandmother has always been a central point of our extended family. Our family would often get together to celebrate special occasions. She’s always been a prominent figure in my life and it’s difficult for me to accept that she’s no longer with us. Consequently, I have postponed my trip in order to spend time with my family during this difficult period. However, this experience has not discouraged me from continuing with my dream; rather it has reinforced the knowledge that even at 85 years, life is short and that it is important to take all the opportunities you are given to make the most of it. Hopefully, you will follow along when we begin our journey even though it will be slightly delayed from our original plan. Best wishes.