Lozavac, Croatia – Nov 2017

Parked safely outside today’s destination which is a small restaurant near Lozavac in Croatia. I should have reached this place within 3 hours or so of leaving the island of Krk but circumstances worked against me and the journey took more than 9 hours. It seems I was caught out by a White Bora that is headlining this evening’s news on Croatian TV because of it’s sudden severity.

I’ve been lucky with the weather so far but that changed last night with strong winds and torrential rain seeming to target the Van immediately after I settled down for the evening. I must have been woken 3 or 4 times during the night with rain hammering on the roof (I mentioned in an earlier blog that such heavy rain is going to take some getting used to). Anyway with a full 48 hours of unsettled weather being forecast I determined over breakfast to head further south. With hindsight, I would have been better waiting another day.

The winds were very strong as I drove back across the Krk Bridge to mainland Croatia and you’ll see from the photos below why I had to keep my speed below 25 mph. The Van was exposed to the wind and blown all over the place.

The Krk Bridge (not my photos)

The weather deteriorated throughout the day and twice I was forced to leave the motorway because of roadblocks. I wouldn’t ordinarily mind that kind of inconvenience but, as was also mentioned previously, Croatia doesn’t  use detour signs. You are simply directed off the motorway, compelled to pay the toll and left to your own devices thereafter. It is so frustrating.

Weather deteriorating; it is only a matter of time before the motorway is closed (but twice several miles apart and why oh why do they not identify an alternative route?!?)

Unfortunately the alternative routes I chose took me up and over some rather intimidating mountain roads. It became colder as I climbed; the wind increased; the blizzards thickened and the situation worsened (the roads seeming to become narrower and the bends sharper and the drops steeper). You’ll forgive me for not taking any photographs. I stopped just the once to take a photo and was quite literally blown off my feet.

I’d like to say it was soon over but it wasn’t. It took forever and, to make matters worse, there was hardly anybody else on the road. Not surprising really; it is a Sunday with a poor weather forecast and with the police closing roads left, right and centre. Mad dogs and Englishmen… etc.

Enough of that. All is now well and although the strong winds persisted throughout the journey to Lozavac, the really bad weather ceased once I was back down in the valley. Check out the following photo looking back – a different world.

Still a silly hill to have to cross in such conditions

So, what is the Bora? The Bora is typically a dry and very gusty wind that originates in the northeast and travels down the Adriatic (particularly the eastern coast and especially during the period November to March). The White Bora is characterised by clouds and thick snow up on the summits and cold clear weather and good visibility in the lee of the (coastal) mountains – that explains why the weather is so settled this side of the hills I crossed. The Black Bora is characterised by low clouds and reduced visibility but it is less gusty and is accompanied by more rain and snow. The White Bora bodes well for me tomorrow given that I intend hill walking in this the lee side of the mountain range. Here’s hoping…

Croatian news:   Tell me about it…

Punat, Croatia – Nov 2017

Found the Van – the less said about that, the better.

The walk to Punat was straight forward and didn’t take that long but I should have taken the bike. There was just the one hill as I left Krk, not a particularly steep one at that, and with the bike I could have done the journey in half the time. As it was there didn’t appear to be any bus service operating in Punat and I had to walk back too.

There was just the one interesting feature on the way over; a small church (perhaps the smallest I have ever seen) dating back to the 13th century. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to report except the route between Krk and Punat is made for cycling. There is no pavement but there is a two lane cycle path which goes the whole way.

  

The mini-church en route to Punat and the cycle path

Punat wasn’t particularly special  although it has a massive boat yard and marina and I noticed three dive centres (and I saw two in Krk yesterday). All five dive centres are closed for winter but I think I could have been tempted. It seems there are a number of wrecks in the area (some from WW1) and certainly I am seeing a great many more fish in the harbours than was the case in Slovenia and Italy earlier this month. I’ll make enquiries about the diving as I move further south. My diving gear is in the back of the Van just waiting to be used.

 

 

 

Krk, Croatia – Nov 2017

Arrived at Krk late afternoon yesterday. Parked up at the Bor Camping Site and went for an exploratory walk and then a few beers before it got dark.

Krk has a small but pretty harbour and the sea looked calm despite  a weather forecast suggesting that there will be a day or two of unsettled weather before the sunshine returns.

Krk harbour /marina

Walked from the harbour into Krk Old Town. First impressions are that the lanes in these old towns get narrower the further south I go. I suspect this is deliberate and something to do with limiting the amount of direct sunlight that the streets get? No matter, as dusk approached and the street lights came on, the lanes became increasingly quaint. It just needed snow and it would be fabulous Christmas card material. Not much chance of snow here just yet with the thermometer hitting 18 degrees earlier today.

The lanes in these old towns get narrower the further south I go…

With dusk, the lanes become increasingly quaint…

As time went on I headed for a small bar on the harbour that I noticed on the way in. More of a beer place than wine. Shame, the beer here is not great and I am really getting into drinking the local wines…

Tiny little bar by the harbour

I didn’t eat anything and I had a skinful of beer and I then set off back through the Old Town to find the Van. Silly move; not sure if it was the alcohol or the dark or whatever (it was probably a combination of all three) but those quaint little lanes became a dark labyrinth that confused the hell out of me and, let’s just say, it was some considerable time before I got back to the Van. In fact, and I wasn’t going to admit this, I ended up booking into a hotel overnight. Just don’t tell Dave Hoyle – he’ll never trust me to get him off a mountain ever again!

… the little lanes became a dark labyrinth

In hindsight I only needed to walk downhill to escape the Old Town but you know what it is like …

It’s an 8 km walk to the neighbouring town of Punat in the morning.

Umag, Novigrad & Lovrecica, Croatia – Nov 2017

Left Izola yesterday morning and was in Croatia in about 30 minutes. First time I have seen any border presence (other than when the Swiss police simply waved me through from France) with police on both the Slovenian and Croatian side of the border wanting to check passports.

My first stop in Croatia was Umag for a quick walk around and a spot of breakfast (pleasant). The second scheduled stop was at Novigrad for a longer walk around and lunch (more pleasant) but in between I stumbled upon Lovrecica (most pleasant).

I was swearing at the time (very rare during the course of this tour) because the road from Umag to Novigrad  was blocked for roadworks. No warning, no detour signs, nobody to explain what is going on; just barriers blocking my route. And of course in such situations the sat-nav really doesn’t help;  continually urging me to follow the same road despite having it explained in no uncertain manner that the route is closed. Enough to drive anyone to distraction. Well, I turned off the road to consult a map and found myself in Lovrecica. Within moments, I was chilled and properly focused to resume my journey.

Umag (breakfast)

Novigrad (lunch)

Lovrecica – that house alongside the harbour in front of the church is up for sale. Needs a bit of work but I would be sorely tempted if Lovrecica had a few more amenities – the village is just a bit too small

Was going to spend the next day or two in Porec (just further down the coast) but I think I will leave that for the return journey and head for Krk now. No particular reason. I saw it on the map and, as the Irish would say, I fancied the Krk (although they spell it craic).

Koper, Slovenia – Nov 2017

Today is as much about deciding where to go next as anything (do I go deeper into Slovenia or cross the border into Croatia?) but I started the day off by walking down to Izola and then on, along the coast road, to Koper. Koper is some 9 to 10 km from where the Van is parked at the Belvedere and I figured I would be there for when the bars open. Decisions like this are best made over a glass of wine or a beer.

The coast road from Izola to Koper is no longer open to motor vehicles. It has been set aside for the use of cyclists and pedestrians only (a lane each) and they have even opened a new public toilet and showers along the road for road users. It was an easy walk but if I had known that the road never once deviates from the shore line (there is absolutely no ascent/descent) I would have been tempted to cycle there and back. Having said that, the bus service down here is frequent, regular and very, very cheap and I took the bus back.

The route, pedestrians on the left and cyclists on the right, with toilet and shower facilities – there’s considerate

Koper is a working port and a much bigger place than Izola, Piran or Portoroz  but the old part of the city with its old buildings and narrow lanes (it’s a real rabbit warren) has much character and a great many drinking houses. I found one, the Lord Byron, that does Guinness. If you wonder why I chose Guinness instead of a local wine (this was my third time of drinking Guinness since commencing the tour) it is because in France, Austria and now Slovenia they serve it far better than it is served back in the UK – they serve it at a temperature such that you can taste it and not ice bloody cold.

Talking of cold, as I passed through Izola there were two blokes taking a dip in the sea – Australians. It had to be didn’t it.

Yes, I’ve made my mind up. It’s Croatia next.

Izola, Slovenia (and Orange Wine) – Nov 2017

Dober dan. That’s Slovenian for good day and wasn’t it just!

Today was about taking it easy and after an easy walk down by the cliffs to Izola and checking out the local sights (my first impressions were correct – Izola is very much an old fishing town with shades of Venice) I made my way to the Manzioli Wine Bar on Manzioli Square (if a courtyard no more than 25 metres square can be termed a town square). Manzioli was recommended to me yesterday by a local as the place to go to try out the local wines.

Azola is very much about fishing but its marina is also home to countless yachts; owned I dare say by relatively rich Italians who cross the border in droves to take advantage of the Slovenian casinos (which are everywhere, even at motorway service stations)

The town is made up of narrow lanes; not the picture post card lanes of Pinar but more lived in lanes of shops, wine bars, the odd local art gallery and, most especially, drying washing

The Manzioli Wine Bar is special. Except for a couple of locals sitting drinking morning coffee outside the entrance, the bar was very quiet when I arrived and the chap running it, Peter, was able to spend some considerable time explaining the local wines to me. I take back all that I said yesterday about the wines of this region. Certainly, many of the local white wines are different but that is because they are “orange wines”. Orange wines can take some getting used to but with the right frame of mind and the right food they are seriously good. I am sure there is more to it than this but Peter explained that orange wines are created by making white wines as you would normally make a red wine and, vice versa, red wines are made as you would ordinarily make a white wine. He went into more detail (about how the skins are left to macerate with the pips, grape skin, etc) but that was many glasses, sorry hours, ago and I cannot remember it all.  It will suffice to say that Manzioli make their wines using the Malvasia grape (although I also tried some that were made with the Pinot Grigio) and jolly nice they were too. I couldn’t trust myself to carry any back up the hill to the Van but I’ll return tomorrow to buy some.

The Manzioli Wine Bar, operated by the Zaro family

Refosk Red
Peter in selling mode

The wine and my lunch: Local Prosciutto Ham and Olives (with the family’s home made olive oil) and Montasio Cheese from just outside Trieste all served with more of the family’s wine, this time their Refosk Red.

Peter made me smile with his comment that the Zaro Olive Oil served with lunch is not necessarily the best in the area (not surprising given that this region is noted for it’s olive oil) but it is home made with olives from their own trees and the alternative would have been to cut the trees down.

The route back to the Van. I’m sure the path was straighter than that on the way in… almost dusk already.

Not sure how much longer I will be staying in this area but so glad I found it (especially Izola) and, believe me, you have not heard the last of orange wine. I’m quoting Peter now but if nothing else it is a more natural wine than most in that additives, including yeast, are rarely used in the production process. Last word with regards to orange wine, if you try it and don’t like it, don’t give up on it. In Piran I was unsure. Here in Izola I am hooked.

Piran, Slovenia – Nov 2017

Result! I spoke to a young Slovenian couple yesterday after they asked me to take a photo of them together and they suggested that I should visit Piran if ever I returned to Slovenia. Well that settled it. When I awoke this morning I set off for Piran. Good decision!

I should have reached Piran within an hour of leaving Trieste (despite having to stop and buy another vignette to continue using the Slovenian motorways) but, as has happened so often on this tour, I was sidetracked. Just outside of a place called Izola, about 8 km from Piran, I stopped to check out the Belvedere Hotel which had a sign outside advertising their new camping facility. As camping sites go it is 5 star, which is perhaps not surprising given that the Belvedere is itself a newly opened 4 star hotel. When they offered me a prime site (take a look at the photo below) at just 6 euros a night and with the promise I could use some of the hotel facilities I simply had to accept and I subsequently took my lunch at a small bar down on the marina in Izola.

I liked what I saw of Izola and will return tomorrow to explore further but first impressions were favourable. It seemed to me to be a small working fishing port that looked a little like Venice (that will be down to some of the architecture).

That’s the view (of Izola) from where the Van is parked

In the afternoon I pulled the push bike out of the Van with a view to cycling the 8 km to Piran. One bloody big hill later I took the bike back to the Van and started walking to Piran. Bicycles are hard work in such a hilly country.

It would have taken me less than 2 hours to walk to Piran but I wasn’t comfortable walking along the main road this close to Italy (the Italian drivers in Trieste did that to me) and I found a much safer, albeit considerably longer, coastal route.

The views forwards and backwards were pleasant. With good eyes and a little imagination you can just make out Trieste in the (very) far distance of the second photo. 

View’s inland weren’t bad either. I even found a PADI Dive Centre (closed for winter) and/but seeing that prompted me to test the water temperature – too cold for me.

Piran is sensational. It is less than 50 km from Trieste by car but a million miles away in terms of content and atmosphere. As with Izola, some of the architecture reminds me of Venice but there’s not the hustle and bustle of Venice. It is a place to eat and drink and do little else but watch the world go round. The local wine takes some getting used to. They mix (I will not use the word blend) about 5 different grape varieties and create the driest wine I have ever tasted and it doesn’t really appeal. On the other hand, the local food is seriously good. Piran is famous throughout Slovenia for fish and especially its Sea Bass caked in local salt. That’s all I’m going to say about the food until I complete my trip advisor report (Will?).

Here’s a few photos of Piran:-

You follow the headland round and suddenly you are confronted with your first sight of the town, the Bell Tower of St George’s Parish Church. You are then presented with a choice of narrow alleys to follow but keep going up and you find St George’s

The church doesn’t look that imposing from the outside but inside…

Follow the narrow lanes down and you will reach the main square with it’s statue of that famous violinist Giorgio Tartini(?)

Views from the harbour walls are impressive. I nearly forgot the castle and town walls at the top of the hill

I’m told there’s another coastal walk somewhere in that direction going to Portoroz, another more modern but equally interesting town. Maybe the day after tomorrow…

Okay, just one more comment about food that I think best reflects Piran attitudes. The McDonald’s Restaurant that was opened here had to close in less than a year because no one was interested. Now that’s what I call music!

Trieste, The City – Nov 2017

It is another warm, sunny day in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region of Italy and I elected to stay for another 24 hours.

This morning I managed another early start and walked the 6 km to the city centre (it was all downhill) and then spent a few hours taking in the more obvious sites. Trieste is totally different to what I expected. Except for the crazy Italian driving style that seems to require speeding down narrow streets with one hand clenched fist-like out of the window and the other glued to the car horn  (don’t ask me how they steer – judging by the scratches down the sides of most cars I suspect it is bit like the luge in the Winter Olympics) Trieste doesn’t seem all that Italian. The buildings, monuments and abundance of coffee shops are more reminiscent of a “Vienna by the Sea”; which is not so implausible given that for a long time Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (that’ll be the Hapsburgs again).

My route into Trieste brought me in by the Grand Canal which is not a canal in the conventional sense but a small waterway which allowed cargo ships easier access into the city in days of yore. It is pretty notwithstanding the renovations currently taking place and it enabled me to quickly find my bearings.

The Grand Canal together with a statue of James Joyce (Irish author & poet who lived in Trieste for a while and amongst other things wrote Ulysses – never read it myself but I do recall one of his quotes “Ireland sober is Ireland stiff”)

From the Canal, it is a very short walk down to the Molo Audace which is a large stone paved promenade (a bit like a flat pier without an arcade or amusements) which stretches 300 metres out to sea such that the locals and people like me can get a good view back towards the city. Unfortunately, I reached the far end of the Molo just as the sun came over the rooftops and, while the views were tremendous, my photos weren’t. From the Molo it is only a hundred metres or so to the Piazza dell’ Unita Italia which is, I read, “the largest square situated next to the sea in Europe”. Whatever, it is impressive with it’s six white palaces that now serve a considerably more mundane function.

I’m beginning to sound too much like a tour guide so, I will desist and leave you with a few photos but, I should tell you before I go that I have purchased a bus ticket (1.25 euros) to get me back to the Van. I couldn’t hack going up that bloody hill again so soon after yesterday.

One view from the Molo before the sun almost took my eyes out

A couple of the palaces on the Piazza dell Unita d’Italia (the first is now the Town Hall). Both photos include the Fountain of the Four Continents – There were only four recognised continents at the time the fountain was crafted (about 1800)

Some photos of the Cathedral of Saint Giusto (Saint Justus); this is up by the Garden of Remembrance and despite it’s city centre location it was very quiet and peaceful up there (and look at the weather). The dome above the main altar is stunning.

(a) Monument in the Garden of Remembrance & (b) remains of the Roman Amphitheatre built at the behest of the Emperor Traiano.

One place I didn’t get to see despite it being just 2 km from where the Van has been parked the last days is the Grotta Gigante but after the Postojnska Caves in Slovenia, no matter. There was also of course the town of Prosecco but I don’t think that is the place where Prosecco comes from. The Prosecco Hills are much further west.

Trieste, Italy (Castelo Miramare) – Nov 2017

A relatively early start saw me complete the eight mile hike to Castelo di Miramare by 10am, at least an hour before the first tourist coach disgorged it’s hordes. I had the castle and grounds almost to myself and what a nice place too.

Completed in 1860 by the Archduke Maximilian of Hapsburg (younger brother to Franz Joseph mentioned in my Vienna blog) as a love nest for himsef and his young bride, Charlotte of Belgium, this very pretty castle (I’m not altogether convinced the word ‘castle’ suits this type of building – it’s more of a palace) sits right on the coast almost equidistant from Trieste and Prosecco. It’s 22 hectares of subtropical trees, sculptures and fountains almost match those at Versailles.

The castle is pretty but rumour has it, it is cursed – it is said that anyone who lives there will die a premature violent death in a foreign land. That is certainly true of the Archduke Maximilian. Within a relatively short period of leaving the castle to accept the throne of Mexico (as Emperor Maximilian I), he was overthrown and executed by the Juaristas at the age of just 34. Subsequently, the Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo after visiting the castle and; the Duke Amadeo d’Aosta (who lived there after the Hapsburgs gave up the property) died a prisoner of the English in Kenya during WW2 and; the German General Friedrich Rainer who lived in the castle during WW2 was shot dead by partisans. I am sceptical of such things but the American General stationed there after WW2 thought differently because he chose to live in a tent in the castle grounds. As for Maximilian’s young wife, Charlotte, her husband’s execution brought on a complete emotional collapse and she was consequently certified insane and lived out the rest of her days first in Miramare and then back in Belgium. Bit of a sad place perhaps but you would not think that to look at it.

Once I reached the coast road (it was a seriously steep trek down from the Van) the walk to Miramare was along a fine promenade that stretches all the way from Trieste to Miramare and beyond.

The promenade stretching back to Trieste…and on to Miramare. That’s the castle at the promontory in the background

As I passed through Barcola on the way to Miramare, fishing boats were landing their catch and selling them to locals out for an early morning walk 

That’s a pretty castle. More of a palace than a castle, really.

… and pretty gardens too (even in winter).

It was getting warm on the way back and I chose to walk under the trees which protect much of the promenade and, of course, going back up those steep hills to the Van I just had to stop at a local restaurant for a glass of wine or four…

Well, there’s no driving today (or tomorrow at this rate).

I secured the last table in this small family owned restaurant

By the way, in case you didn’t see my Facebook Post last night, yesterday’s dinner at my local bar was seriously good.

The fish starter on the left was complementary. The pizza I had intended as a main course was changed for the lobster. The red wine was 1 Euro per glass.

Postojnska, Slovenia – Nov 2017

Spent an hour in the hotel pool and jacuzzi in Bled and then, after a cooked breakfast during which I decided to head for Italy next (I fancy a pizza by the sea), I checked out of the hotel and set a course for Trieste albeit via the Postojnska Caves. The total journey time to Trieste is only about 1.5 hours from Bled and the Caves are very much en route.

The Postojnska Jama as it is known in Slovenia is a 100,000 year old cave system that has been carved out by the Pivka River and which currently comprise 25km of underground caverns, halls and passages (more are being discovered every year).  They are without a doubt one of the most incredible natural wonders I have ever seen.

Over a period of about 1.5 hours an English speaking tour guide took me and others through some 5 km of the caves (that was about 3 km on a mini-train and 2 km walking) which included the “Great Mountain Cavern”, the Russian Bridge which led to the “Hall of Beautiful Caves” (i.e. the Spaghetti, White and Red Caves), the “Winter Hall” (which includes the Snow White Stalagmite) and the Planina Cave (where the Pivka surfaces before going back underground and emerging elsewhere in Slovenia as the Unica River). There was also a “Concert Hall” (which is somewhere in or between the Winter Hall and the Plancina Cave – Had I bought a programme, I could have told you precisely where it sits) which is used for various musical performances and can house 10,000+ people. Enough words…

The entrance to the caves and a typical path through the system

Not pleased with the above photo but I include it because it provides an indication as to the size of some of the caves

Stalactites hang down from the ceiling

Stalactites can take various forms including the spaghetti type at the top of the above left hand photo or the curtain type on the right

Stalagmites rise from the ground. The one in the right hand photo is known as Snow White

The photo on the left includes stalacmites and stalagtites. When they meet as in the right hand photo they form sometimes giant pillars but it doesn’t happen overnight. The ‘Mites and ‘Tites grow at the rate of about a millimetre every 10 years.

The cave system is home to 100+ species, one of the largest (at 25 to 30 cms) and most bizarre being the Olm or proteus anguinus, otherwise known as the “Human Fish”. It is anaemic in appearance with no eyes (but enhanced hearing) and a different number of toes (back and front). I suppose there could be humans like that but not too many. On average, they live for between 60 and 70 years but have been known to last 100+ years. What is remarkable is that they can go 10 years without eating (by slowing down their metabolic rate).

Heading on to Trieste now but that was a good 1.5 hours even if it did cost 25 euros.

ps It’s not my photo, but that is a proteus.