15th October – Italy and France

Leaving Croatia, sunshine and shorts behind, we headed into Italy via one night in Stanzarano where it rained and was very windy, and next day made our way up to Lake Garda for a couple of nights. The peninsular of Sirmione was what we wanted to see after our friends visited there a couple of weeks before us. The bus dropped us half way up the peninsular and we entered the old town via the arched fortification in the walls adjoining Scaliger Castle, with it’s crenelated and turreted walls.

The day was pleasantly sunny and we enjoyed a day walking around the quaint, narrow cobbled streets, large open squares and out to the lake. We also followed an AdLab around the town leading us to a tiny and beautiful church, a house covered with bougainvillea, then right to the top point where we looked at the remains of a Roman Villa.

The planned stop in the south of Italy didn’t happen, we paused overnight near Nice in France and next morning we headed to Avignon for 3 nights. Heavy rain had been forecast and I didn’t want to be driving so we were just going to sit it out, but after heavy overnight rain, the skies began to clear by mid-morning and we headed out on foot to see the sights. The fantastic French architecture was lovely to see with tall buildings of 6 or 7 storeys high, ornate gables and roof details, large open squares with trees, fountains and seating.

As usual we followed a few AdLabs, one took us on an artistic trail around the city, there was a museum trail, prominent buildings to be found like the fabulous Papal Palace, the cathedral and churches.

We also did several Earth Caches where you visit a location and study some aspect of geology, eg fossils, limestone formations, etc, we learned a lot and now notice so much more around us as we walk around. There were some beautiful places in the old part of the town and we retraced our steps many times, during our short stay we walked 17.5 miles around Avignon!

Onwards to Lyon where another great French city awaited our exploration. The day started off quite nice while we admired the ‘Flower Tree’s sculpture, but the grey sky soon returned, however it was dry. The city is divided up by the Rivers Rhone and Saône with the old town area on the far side of the River Saône and two dedicated pedestrian bridges. With many streets still looking much as they had done years ago it was lovely to walk around and imagine things in years gone by with horses and transport without engines.

We took the funicular railway running inside the hill, up to the Basilica with it’s white walls, 4 decorated towers and arches with intricate carvings and a bell tower topped with a gold statue. Inside the Basilica was even more elaborate with wonderful mosaic panels on the walls and floor, some nice stained glass and a carved marble pulpit.

Outside there were views of the city spread out below and it was good to be able to pick out the buildings we had visited.

The city also has 2 Roman Amphitheatres within an easy walk of the Basilica where we enjoyed finding out about some of their features via another AdLab. We had done so much walking again and it was great to catch the bus back to our campsite for a rest.

With only a few days left we divided the distance into three to split the mileage and then picked places to stay. Langres is described as a commune with Medieval and classical heritage and is apparently one of the most beautiful in France. It is a really interesting fortified town set high on a hill with 3.5 km of ramparts, many towers and gates and tremendous views into the far distance.

Continung north we visited one of the  Champagne areas east of Reims and stayed in a ‘parking area’ at the premises. It was another grey day, (you can tell we’re going north), and during a gap in the rain showers we set off to have our tasting with the lovely French owners. Conversation was difficult with neither of us speaking French and their lack of English, so Google Translate came in handy to ask pertinent questions and compliment their produce. Indeed it really was good so we bought 6 bottles at a very reasonable price and he even delivered it to us so we didn’t have to carry it.

Last stop before Calais was a camper park at Aire sur la Lys on the edge of a canal with moorhens, great crested grebes and a few mallard to watch. The endless rain I had driven through for 3 hours finally disappeared and the sun came out in time for our walk around. There were a few interesting buildings, predictably including a large church, a tourist office housed in a beautiful Renaissance style building dating around 1600, originally built as a guard house on the edge of the Grand Place. Also a large and town hall in a neo-classical style with decorative columns, balustrade and nice carvings. A quick walk around the local park completed our visit before heading back to relax and watch the wildlife on the canal and enjoy a beer of course.

Since leaving home on 3rd September, we have visited 8 countries, had 54 nights away and travelled 3,557 miles. There have been many special moments including seeing our friends in Germany for the first time since November 2019. The wonderful Lipizzan horses were a treat especially for me with their incredible dressage skills. All the coastal areas in Croatia are amazing with crystal clear sea that I couldn’t resist swimming in. There were so many beautiful towns, building and squares with streets of polished stone, but it is also is such a green and forested country which was a real surprise. Other highlights were the wonderful National Parks with the waterfalls and turquoise lakes, truly awesome!

10th October – Croatia Finale

Krka National Park is situated only around 10 from the coast and is named after the River Krka. It covers 42 square miles and the main attractions are a series of waterfalls. A pathway from the main entrance leads you to it’s biggest waterfall, Skradinski Buk, which falls over 147 feet to the river below and is made up  of 17 separate cascades. It was very impressive and very noisy when we were there, and I can’t believe how powerful it will be after a winter of rain and snow.

A boardwalk takes you around the main viewing points through woodland and wetland at the river margins, all with different plants and plenty of lizards. At one time there were several watermills but now some of the old buildings have been repurposed for museums, shops and cafes.

We took a boat ride further upriver and stopped at the island of Visovac where Franciscan monks settled in 1445 and is still a monastery today. The church was pretty and the situation very picturesque, but I couldn’t imagine living in such a tiny scrap of land in the middle of a river for years on end!

The trip continued on through changing scenery including massive rocky sides with various caves and holes creating shadows and details that reflected in the water.  

We then arrived at the other famous waterfall Roski Slap which is a series of 12 waterfalls, the largest being 72 feet in height and nearly 197 feet wide. Other walks were available from here so we did anther short circuit before heading back to our boat for the return journey to Skradinski Buk.

After our overnight stop in Skradin at a campsite, we headed off back to the coast for two nights in Zadar at the luxurious Falkensteiner Campsite. From there it was an easy bus ride into the old town of Zadar passing by the many boats moored up in various marinas.  We had decided to make our first excursion into the old town in the evening in order to hear the Sea Organ and see solar powered lights show called The Greeting of the Sun, both of which have made Zadar famous.

Now declared a UNESCO site, the old town dates back to the 9^th century BC although most of the oldest parts relate to the Roman occupation in the 1^st century.   We followed a geocaching adventure lab that took us to St Donatus’ church and a monstery, along with the remains of the Roman forum.

We a found the Fosa harbour and then walked the Riva along the seafront the get to where the Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun are situated.  The Sea Organ consists of 35 pipes of various sizes over a 230 feet stretch of sea situated below the lowest tide level that produce music depending on the levels of the  sea energy.  As boats passed by the bow waves created changed the tone and intensity of the sounds played. The Greeting of the Sun is 300 multi-layered glass solar panels in a 72 feet diameter circle that collects energy from the sun in the day and then releases it at night by electrically lighting the display.

The following day we walked over the 48 feet long city pedestrian bridge, entered the old town through one of it’s gates and walked onto Narodni Trg (People’s Square).  We looked at the old town in daylight visiting various churches and cathedrals while doing a little more geocaching.

From Zadar we headed inland to Plitvice Lakes National Park, probably the most famous of the Croatian national parks.  The park covers an area of 114 square miles, situated between the Mala Kapela and Licka Pljesivica mountain ranges.  It is primarily covered in forest vegetation with some grassland, however it’s main attraction are the lakes, and they only cover 1% of it’s total area.  There are 16 named lakes, 12 upper and 4 lower that all flow into each other over a series of waterfalls. This is a noticeboard image of the area.

The park have provided a range of ways to visit the park, based on walking trails, electric boats and a land train. We chose route C which involved 5 miles of walking on stone trails and boardwalks, with a boat ride and a return from the uppermost lakes via the land train. The visit started with a walk down to Veliki Slap the highest of the falls at 285 feet, this is only one of 90 waterfalls within the park.

As we walked and followed our marked trail, we marvelled at the emerald green and turquoise water in the lakes and at the sight of the many waterfalls that we walked among, in many places the water rushed beneath your feet under the boardwalks.

This really was a fitting finale to our visit to Croatia, one with many memories and wonderful sights. The old towns are full of character and the countryside is so green, full of trees that stretch into the distance, and great roads for getting around the country. Many reasons to plan a return trip at some point!

Next we travel onward into Italy ……

3rd October – Islands and Culture

Driving over the two sections of the bridge from mainland Croatia to Krk Island was exciting. It’s 4,692 feet long and is made of reinforced concrete, the longer section is the 3rd largest in the world to be constructed in this way. Krk is just over 156 square miles with a population of around 20,000 so it’s not too large and we settled in a campsite set back from the town with a 15 minute walk to the centre. The picturesque marina fronted the town with numerous boats of different sizes floating on turquoise clear sea reflecting all the colours into the water.

The old town was compact with a walled centre having cobbled streets, 12^th century Frankopan Castle, and a Romanesque cathedral. We learned about these, plus a statue of a ‘washer woman’ in the market place where women used to bring their washing and a red granite flagpole from the AdLab App as we followed a trail around the town.

We took a bus to Baska in the south where there are 16th century Venetian houses with exceedingly narrow, stone streets connected by steps and alleyways. Later on, walking along the coast we went looking for a cave. It was over a fence, a walk along a short pathway just back for the edge of the sea with rocks below, and once inside it had a window to the sea, we felt really adventurous!

On a boat trip for a whole day we visited the island of Rab with it’s four church towers very visible from the boat. We had had walk around the old centre before doing our own thing, a spot of caching. We found the most beautiful stone walkway around some coast to look at some incredible rock formations and fossils, then up through a woodland and back for a beer.

On the much larger island of Pag we were shown the town of Lun at it’s northern tip. The guide showed us the ancient natural olive grove which means the trees reach a much greater age, the oldest being 1,600 years old. The trees were twisted and had thick trunks, many with multiple trunks and it was lovely to walk under their shade on the dusty track. A swim from the back of the boat soon refreshed me ready for the return boat ride.

Driving onwards and heading south we stopped at Senj, a very colorful small town fronted by a wide promenade and a few sculptures. Way above the town was the fort standing on the highest point with views in all directions. It had been extensively renovated to preserve the heritage, with two floors for a museum area, and winding stone staircase to the top. The ground floor was used as a restaurant and seemed very popular.

We planned to make the most of the wonderful weather and drove over 180 miles down to Split to see this iconic town. The old town was originally the Diocletian’s Palace from Roman times, some parts of which remain and the rest over time has developed into a maze of alleyways and houses containing 220 buildings and 3,000 people.

Split lived up to the hype for us with it’s magnificent old inner town, polished stone streets some so narrow that occasionally I could touch both walls. There are still four intact town gates, named after metals.  At the golden gate stands the statue of Grgur Ninski, a bishop from the 10^th century, tourists have polished his left big toe to a shine as rubbing this is said to bring good luck. Local volunteers usually dress up as legionaries during summer for visitors to have photos taken with them.  The cathedral of St Domnius is in the center of the old town still surrounded by 24 ancient columns, and has a later added Romanesque bell tower dating from the 16^th century. There is also an old town clock from 15 the or 16^th century that has a lovely small bell tower on top.  One thing that was quite strange was looking through old Roman walls and seeing modern cruise ships docked nearby.

Next stopping point not far up the coast was Trogir, which is perhaps the nicest place we spent time exploring with lots of interest. After crossing the bridge onto the island, the marina frontage welcomed visitors with the promise of food and drinks. At the end of the promenade is the 15th century historic castle and fortress, Kula Kamerlengo. It was just an empty shell so we didn’t go inside but on the outer walls there were small stalactites growing on the walls and limescale deposits where water drips from the stone decoration around the top of the tower.

Trogir’s centrepiece is St Lawrence’s cathedral with it’s terracotta pointed roof on the tower. It is considered one of Croatia’s finest architectural works. The huge carved stone entrance had been renovated to preserve the intricate details. Inside everything looked well maintained, the pulpit on marble columns, main altar and large, multiple pipe organ was positioned above the main entrance door. We went up the 47 metre high tower for views over the town, but only Chris went to the top!

The main town was compact, colourful and easy to navigate with plenty of interest, great food and we enjoyed having time to relax there.

19th September – The Istrian Peninsular

We arrived at the north of the Istria peninsula and headed for Umag. The old town with it’s pretty narrow streets opened onto a square with the usual bar’s and shops, the stone paving was slippery underfoot due to a rain shower and the sky wasn’t brilliant for photos, but we had a great look around.  There was a large clock tower standing separately from the church, a town hall with flags outside, and a small museum which was free to look around at the old photos but we couldn’t understand anything. Jutting out into the sea was a long pier providing shelter to the harbour area, we were nearly blown off the top but made it back to safety in time for the sun coming out and a swift retake of our photos!

We did lots of walking around the area outside the town up lanes and fields to the north coast covering 12 miles one day.  We saw boats suspended on poles to keep them out of the water, it looked quite odd but saved them from being broken up in stormy weather. Further down the coast we found the Sipar Archaeological site and ruins of an old Ironage settlement with later Roman influences. Now it is just a ruin with access at low tide giving good view of the coastline. People have built many pillars of balanced stones which looked good perched on the old walls.

Travelling inland to Groznjan and afterwards to Motovun, we looked around these spectacular, unspoilt , hilltop towns with narrow stone streets polished smooth by the passage of people and carts. The streets are so narrow, many cannot be accessed by today’s vehicles so thankfully remain as they used to be years ago. The narrow streets ensure the houses remain shaded all day and therefore cool which made walking around very pleasant.

Groznjan is particularly known as an artists town and there were many shops selling original paintings, glass creations, pottery and sculptures. Many shops also sell local olive oil, wines, gins, brandy and truffle products with lovely tempting displays.

Porec is back on the coast and a colourful old town with lots of historic buildings. We used the AdLab app to guide us around the interesting sites including stone towers, town squares, a café with architectural arches preserved in the walls along with ancient tombstones and a building called The Romanesque House with a wooden gallery surrounding the top floor.

We visited the wonderful Basilica which was used by Christians after the year 313 when they were granted freedom to worship and it was opened as a public church. In the 6^th century it was nearly destroyed and rebuilt with three naves also restoring the atrium and bishop’s palace. The bell tower was a later edition built in 1520 with 4 huge bells and a tremendous views from the top. Inside were numerous mosaic floors that have been preserved in places and many panels showing the different patterns and colours. In some of the rooms of the Basilica were displays of the bishops robes with beautiful embroidery and colours.

We used the tourist ‘noddy train’ to take us further along the coast so we could walk back, part along the walkway and some up into pine woodland to find ‘the reading room’ set out with hammocks and seating in the shade. We found mushrooms, hooded crows and some jays as well a butterflies and flowers along the way.

The campsite at Vrsar has to be my favourite with an incredible sea view and beach where we swam and at night the sunset was spectacular. The small town had the tall stone houses, an open square, a nice church and a statue to Casanova who spent a few days here when he was a poor priest.

On a short drive away is Rovinj reportedly a town not to be missed for it’s quaint streets and lovely architecture, it didn’t disappoint either. The polished stone roads set off the buildings to each side, which were lovely and cool. We followed 2 AdLabs around the town and and up to the highest point for views and a beautiful limestone cathedral, we really enjoyed getting the most from such a pretty place.

At the southern tip of Istria is Pula, it’s the biggest city and supports a thriving harbour with boat building, fishing, a large market, there is also an airport, plenty of busses and lots to see. Like the whole area it is beautiful, but the most amazing architecture was centuries old. The biggest and most impressive was the stunning amphitheatre or Pula Arena, constructed between 27BC  and AD68, it is the world’s 6^th largest surviving Roman arenas.

The huge Arch of Sergii was built to commemorate the Sergii family who were  a powerful family of the era, it was built around 29-27 BC and is in remarkable condition right inside the city. Next to it another interesting building, oddly painted bright yellow, where the famous James Joyce taught English for two years. We sat at the James Joyce bar next to it and admired both constructions over early evening drinks one evening.

The Temple of Augustus is very well preserved with a decorative freeze and many stone columns, it was dedicated to the first Roman empire Augustus and was probably completed before his death in AD14. The building on it’s right is the Communal Palace or town hall and still has the same function today. It was built on the remains of a Roman temple which is still visible and is one of the few preserved old town structures dating from 1295.

Pula was an important naval port and has many forts and fortifications, underground tunnels, batteries and trenches. We visited 5 of the main sites using another AdLab to guide us around. The Pula Citadel was built by the Venetians on a hill and used for defense of the city. As a follow on at the start of the first World Was a series of tunnels was built under the hill the at linked the fortress to the town. There are 4 tunnels  and a central hub that together would hold approximately 50,000 people. They are eerie and cold with some old photographs showing the area as it used to be, I was pleased to get out, back into the sunshine.

The last stop in Istria was a campsite near to Opatija. We had visited this town on a cruise years ago when it was raining. Now it was sunny so we walked along the coast to see it with fresh eyes. We found the two statues we remembered, especially the Maiden with the Seagull, and a real seagull landed on her head, perfect! The Croatian Walk of Fame has granite stars for famous Croatians and we enjoyed learning about the granite used for these plaques. I was pleased to find Goran Ivanisevic had a star! The scenery was so pretty with beautiful buildings, the boats and the pine trees, plus sunshine and blue sky, a much nicer day than on our previous visit.