2019-05-15 Boat Trip to Cres and Krk

Some of us took a boat trip to the islands of Cres and Krk.  Refreshments were provided throughout the day.  Entertainment was provided by an opera singer accompanying himself on an accordion.  The trip was a little choppy but everyone was fine.  Moving around was a challenge.

 

Our first stop was the village of Beli on the island of Cres.  Cres is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and, despite being quite a large island, only has a population of 3,079 inhabitants.  We docked in the marina below Beli.  The less athletically challenged of us took a shuttle up to the village located on a 130m high hill whereas the rest of the party walked up.

The second stop was the island of Krk.  Krk is the same size as the island of Cres but has a larger population of 19,383 inhabitants.  We had a walk along the promenade and then had a coffee.

We then returned to the hotel for a farewell dinner and to pack.

2019-05-14 Exploring Lovran

Lovran is a village and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia.  As I said in a previous entry Lovran is where our hotel is located.  It is situated in eastern Istria, on the western coast of the Kvarner Bay with a population of 4,101 in the municipality and 3,336 in the village itself.  Its name derives from Laurel, as shown in the coat of arms.  Lovran is not far from Opatija which we visited earlier in our stay.

Today I took a stroll into the town and took the following pictures.

There is a local coastal promenade that stretches from Volosko to Lovran.  Officially named the Franz Joseph I Promenade, it is still best known as the Lungomare.  Dating back to the heyday of Opatija as a health and tourist resort at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Lungomare was built in parts. The northern part, from Volosko to Opatija, was completed in 1889, the same year that Opatija was officially declared a climatic health resort. The southern part, connecting Opatija to Lovran, was finished in 1911.

I returned to the hotel along the Lungomare which was a very enjoyable walk.  The waves were lashing against the rocks and I wished I could add sound to this blog.  At least I could take photos.

2019-05-13 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Today we had an 11 hour trip to Ljubljana which is the capital city of Slovenia.

Slovenia's capital and largest city is one of Europe's greenest and most liveable capitals; it was the European Commission's Green Capital of Europe in 2016.  Car traffic is restricted in the centre, leaving the leafy banks of the emerald-green Ljubljanica River, which flows through the city's heart, free for pedestrians and cyclists.

The symbol of the city is the Ljubljana Dragon. It is depicted on the top of the tower of Ljubljana Castle in the Ljubljana coat of arms and on the Ljubljanica-crossing Dragon Bridge.  It symbolises power, courage, and greatness.

As usual some photos follow.

Ljubljana Castle is a medieval castle with Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architectural elements, located on the summit of Castle  Hill, which dominates the city centre.  We took a funicular connecting the city centre up to the castle which was an opportunity for more photos.

The Julian Alps, photographed below, are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from north‑eastern Italy to Slovenia.  We were told that these were the end of the Alps we all know.

2019-05-12 Free Day

Finally I had a chance to catch up on my blogs and write a few postcards.

I also went down to the indoor swimming pool and was surprised to find it was a seawater pool.  It was too cold to use the outdoor pool.

2019-05-11 Pitvice Lakes National Park

We had a beautiful view of the coast on our drive to the Plitvice Lakes National Park.  Sadly I wasn’t seated on the coach where I could take any decent pictures.

Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest national park in the Republic of Croatia.  The park is situated in the mountainous region of Croatia, between the Mala Kapela mountain range in the west and northwest and the Lička Plješivica mountain range to the southeast.

The Plitvice Lakes were internationally recognised on 26 October 1979 with their inclusion onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.  In 1997, the boundaries of the national park were expanded and today it covers an area just under 300 km².

It was lovely walking through the woods taking pictures of the park.  A sample of my pictures follows:

This was a strenuous trip taking 11½ hours.  Most of us were exhausted when we returned to the hotel.