Monthly Archives: September 2013

Zagreb, Croatia

We got up early to catch our train to Zagreb. It was still raining, but we made it without getting soaked. In Zagreb it was overcast and that damp chill that comes with rainy weather. We checked into the hotel and headed to the center of town and the tourist info office. There are many museums and beautiful buildings in Zagreb. It was getting to be 5:00pm and most museums would be closing. We were also chilly because the air conditioning was on in the train. Where was the air conditioning when it was 100 degrees? We rested in our room until we went out for dinner. As we were walking by one of the hotels there were race cars parked outside. The only thing we could read is that it is some kind if “challenge”. The white car has Dubai Police written on it. See pics.

We continued looking for a restaurant when it started to rain. We went into the first restaurant we saw and it turned out to be great. We had Croatian beer for Gary because today is his birthday. We both had Strukli soup. Strukli is a kind of lasagna made with puff pastry and cottage cheese and for the soup a piece is put in a broth and heated. Marsha had green risotto and I had chicken breast with sautéed vegetables.

It was raining when we left the restaurant so we hope it rains overnight and clears up in the morning. We have decided to do museums tomorrow just in case it is raining.

Ljubljana

Today we toured Ljubljana. We took the free tour and it was great. It was
2 1/2 hours long. The free tours we took in every city were really good. They give us a very personal perspective of the city.

After the tour we took the funicular up to the castle. Of course we had to walk up stairs to go to the top of the tower to get a panoramic view of the city. See pics.

After the castle we decided to take our afternoon break. It was chilly and cloudy so we had soup – spinach (Marsha) and mushroom (Barbara). We walked around town got a little while and it started to drizzle so we went back to the hotel. I took a pic of the pizza oven at the hotel which Is typical of this area.

We stayed in our room knitting – we bought yarn for scarfs a few towns or countries back because we knew we would be going to colder climates. Then we went downstairs for dinner Marsha had marinated baked red peppers and baked beans and I had a dish similar to yesterday. Then we had a sampler platter of desserts – baklava, chocolate mousse, panna cotta with sour cherry sauce. We definitely have eaten our way thru Slovenia.

Tomorrow we go to Croatia. I should also mention almost everyone speaks English here and the TV has American programs in English with Slovenian subtitles. At least on the rainy days we could understand the TV.

Ljubljana/Lake Bled

We woke up to thunder lightning and pouring rain. We slept in because of the weather then took a city bus to change hotels. We decided to go to Lake Bled even though it was raining. The bus ride takes a little over an hour and goes thru the small towns. Lake Bled is beautiful. It is hard to tell from the pics because of the rain. There is a boat that goes to the island and a bike trail around the lake. There a also many outdoor activities in the area. It looks like a fun place to come to.

We heard thunder and saw really dark skies so we went into a hotel restaurant on the lake. Little did we know they are famous for their cream cake. So of course we had some.

We then returned to our hotel. The one we are at now has a restaurant so we decided to eat here. The waiter brought us fresh baked bread that looks like pita but is soft. Marsha had an appetizer of sweet red peppers stuffed with cheese. Mine is rolled meat ( this is everywhere here) and is served with a sweet red pepper and onion. Marsha had a pizza and because we are so close to Italy they have wood fired brick ovens.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

We got on an Austrian train at 12:30am. Austrian trains are the best! The conductor knew we were coming and was standing at the door to our train car. He helped us get our luggage on board, directed us to our compartment, told us to knock (since there was already a woman in there) and that he would come by shortly for our tickets. When he came we asked him if he was going to wake us so we wouldn’t miss out stop (it would be at 4:30am). His answer: “but if course”. Then he asked what we wanted for breakfast. He woke us up 15 min before our stop and brought us coffee and juice- what we had asked for for breakfast. The train also had water and a small bottle if wine for each of us as a welcoming gift. Now that is service! We had a 2 hour wait for the next train, but all went well and we arrived in Ljubljana at 8:30am. We have hotel reservations for tomorrow, but not tonight so we found a hotel and checked in for 1 day.
We headed to the town center – see pic of castle and dragon bridge and the tourist info office.

At the tourist info office we found there was a folk festival with traditional costumes in a town called Kamnik about an hour away by bus. Naturally we found out how to get there and went. What fun. Local crafts and foods plus Kamnik is very scenic. The locals told us to stay for the parade because it showcases the local costumes. There was also traditional dances on the stage. We stayed for the parade and all of Slovenia must have been in it. It lasted almost an hour and had bands, horse drawn carriages and costumes of all kinds. See pics

After the parade we returned to Ljubljana for dinner. We only had 2 or 3 hours of sleep last night and we are tired. We had pumpkin oil served with Slovenian bread – very good. Marsha had pumpkin soup and a salad and I had Slovenian kielbasa with “sour turnip hot pot. I never thought I would say turnips were better than sausage, but the hot pot was scrumptious.

It is late again. It seems that is all I ever say. We haven ‘t decided what we’ll do tomorrow – we thought sleep might help us make better decisions.
Almost forgot – the European Men’s Basketball Championship is being held in Ljubljana right now.

Padua/Verona -Day 5

Today we went to Verona. The first pic is of a city gate taken as we were walking toward the arena ( top tourist site). Then we went into the arena, which is still used for concerts today. I think it was built by the Romans around the same time as the Coliseum, but is still mostly intact.

We then went to Juliet’s Balcony – see pic. Also Verona was having a classic car show so of course I had to take pictures of a Corvette and a Mercedes. I have lots more pics on my camera

As usual we walked all around Verona and decided to have a late lunch/early dinner. Marsha took this picture of me when she saw the name of the restaurant. It isn’t clear, so I took a pic of the name only. We both had pasta
(1 penne and one spaghetti) with pesto, pine nuts and parmigiana cheese. I also had Parma ham wrapped around a breadstick. We walked back to the train station to return to Padua. It is now 9pm and we are in the lobby of our hotel waiting for an overnight train that leaves at midnight. We have to change trains at 4am to get to ljubljana, Slovenia. Will let you know how the trip goes.