The ABC's of Adventuring Across the Balkans! G is for: Gorgeous View with a Great Cake (4/21)

[Steppesister]

All of the architecture looks absolutely stunning! I look forward to the TR to follow and reading all the factual tidbits I know you'll share. Plus, your photography will no doubt capture some amazing nuances.

I sure hope so!!! It's always kinda fun to compare the BFP to what actually transpires.

 

[Steppesister]

D is for: A Day in Belgrade and a Long, Long Drive
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The plan is for a leisurely morning with a good, and well-deserved “sleep in”. I imagine the breakfast will be amazing as most European breakfasts are. I suppose if full advantage of the included morning meals is used, a much lighter lunch, or none at all, will save a bit of cash. Then again, 3:00 cake and coffee is kind of a thing there. Sooo…I definitely wouldn’t rule out a little tasty treat.

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The walking map that’s been put together says it’ll take 3.5 hours to do but you all know as well as I do that it’ll very likely take a little longer as no touring of the planned stops are built in. I’m thinking if the walk takes from 12:00-6:00 it’ll still leave loads of time for a nice dinner and a good night’s sleep.

But what are those stops, you might be asking! Here is a small sample of a few places on the docket:

St. Petka’s Chapel:

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The historic Gypsy/Boheme District of Skadarlija. This just looks so cool and I imagine there were some very interesting hushed conversations had in the little cafes tucked away in the alleys here:

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I’m a sucker for Botanical Gardens so will make time to see this Urban Oasis of Jevremovac Botanical Garden:

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And while not born in Serbia (he lived in Croatia), he was Serbian by heritage. So, it makes sense to spend a little time learning more about him at his museum- time permitting!

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There are a couple more large churches in the plan but let’s move on to what is planned for the next day!

In short, a long, long drive through, what looks like, incredibly beautiful mountainous country. Just look at these scenes?!

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My guess is that, while it appears very picturesque, the drive may be somewhat tedious with lots of curvy roads, that honestly may make me somewhat nervous to drive on. It says almost 8 hours, but I imagine it may take more.

And once I arrive in Kotor, I may never want to leave. Having come from more “Continental” feeling places, I’ll find myself in a decidedly more “Mediterranean/Adriatic” vibe. Tucked up in a long inlet off the Adriatic Sea, and almost directly across from Bari where I spent a few days a few years ago, is the village of Kotor, Montenegro. Instead of heavy meat stews and root veggies, I imagine finding some tasty seafood dishes to enjoy!

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There are several hikes up the steep inlet walls to various forts and chapels, and I hope my knee is in good enough shape to visit one. We’ll see… This is one of the few places I’ll spend 2 nights since it’ll have taken so long to get there.

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Just under 6 weeks left now! Getting closer…..!!!

 

[pkondz]

Plans looking good. My DSis has been to Kotor and really enjoyed it.

 

[Wood Nymph]

And once I arrive in Kotor, I may never want to leave.

It all looks amazing!

 

[zanzibar138]

3:00 cake and coffee is kind of a thing there.

As well it should be.

The walking map that’s been put together says it’ll take 3.5 hours to do but you all know as well as I do that it’ll very likely take a little longer as no touring of the planned stops are built in.

Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with a good variety of sites and activities.

My guess is that, while it appears very picturesque, the drive may be somewhat tedious with lots of curvy roads, that honestly may make me somewhat nervous to drive on.

It says almost 8 hours, but I imagine it may take more.

Yikes, that IS a long drive!

Tucked up in a long inlet off the Adriatic Sea, and almost directly across from Bari where I spent a few days a few years ago, is the village of Kotor, Montenegro.

It does look beautiful. Hopefully you can manage a few of the hikes.

This is one of the few places I’ll spend 2 nights since it’ll have taken so long to get there.

Good to hear!

Just under 6 weeks left now!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Your plans are sounding wonderful and yes you definitely need to have coffee and cake for lunch. Sure the best thing about a big breakfast is that it leaves just a wee smidgen of space for cake later in the afternoon and it saves you some pennies on lunch win-win.
What’s not to love

 

[Steppesister]

Plans looking good. My DSis has been to Kotor and really enjoyed it.

I think it'll be one of the prettier in terms of landscape that I'll see.

 

[Steppesister]

It all looks amazing!

So far, so good. We'll see how close it all gets to plan.

 

[Steppesister]

As well it should be.

Mmm, pastries!!!

Yikes, that IS a long drive!

I'm definitely looking forward to the scenery. But the road and drive itself, not so much.

It does look beautiful. Hopefully you can manage a few of the hikes.

Well see. My knee seems to have gotten worse, not better, since my injection.

 

[Steppesister]

Your plans are sounding wonderful and yes you definitely need to have coffee and cake for lunch. Sure the best thing about a big breakfast is that it leaves just a wee smidgen of space for cake later in the afternoon and it saves you some pennies on lunch win-win.
What’s not to love

My thoughts exactly! Definitely NOT my normal routine on any given day here, but on vacation? You bet!

 

[Steppesister]

E is for: Even Longer Drive!- Kotor, Montenegro to Zagreb via Bosnia-Herzegovina
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Keeping these little PTR chapters short and sweet.

If a 10-hour drive wasn’t quite long enough, a 12-hour one is planned for 2 days later. This time, I’ll leave from Kotor, Montenegro and start with what promises to be a gorgeous drive up the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. The land borders are super funky here and I’ll briefly pass through Bosnia-Herzegovina where I plan to visit a pretty popular stop at Stari Most, or Old Bridge just a wee bit inland.

(What a bizarre little spigot of land!)​

Stari Most:

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From there, the plan is to head back to the coastline after this dip inland and see scenery like this:

(photo credit: Adventures in Good Company)

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I’ve heard the town of Split is absolutely wonderful, so I might make a brief stop there.

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Croatia seems to be the Land of Waterfalls and crystal blue lakes. Along the drive there are 2 Waterfall Stops planned...

One at Stradinski Buk Waterfall:

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And another at the more popular Plitvice Lakes National Park:

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If I’ve left at 5:00AM, as planned, I’ll still get in on the late side as both of those stops will be about an hour. In hindsight, if I’d had an extra day, it’d be good to have had 2 days to do this, but time is short and days are limited.

Since the arrival will be so late, I plan to sleep in the next morning before touring around Zagreb!!

 

[pkondz]

Long day, but it sounds like you're gonna see a lot!

 

[Einstein509]

Plitvice is gorgeous. That usually takes at least half a day if not all day.

And you're missing Dubrovnik for Mostar?

One thing about this drive is it's mostly on two lane roads. Traffic can get backed up and there are a lot of curves and switchbacks. Those prone to car sickness might not do well.

 

[Steppesister]

Plitvice is gorgeous. That usually takes at least half a day if not all day.

And you're missing Dubrovnik for Mostar?

One thing about this drive is it's mostly on two lane roads. Traffic can get backed up and there are a lot of curves and switchbacks. Those prone to car sickness might not do well.

Sigh…. Yes. Sadly, but but this point in the trip I’ll have seen a lot of the other cities and not a lot of “nature”. There just isn’t enough time and I imagine I’ll be doing “the other half” of this trip at some point. I know it’s a highlight but I have loads of Bosnian patients who incessantly ask if I’m going to their homeland. Now I can be Ho eat and say I’ve visited. So… Dubrovnik another time.

Luckily, I’m not prone to car sickness really and I’m planning to take Benadryl along with me if I need it. I also have some Zofran I can pack for a worst case scenario.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Croatia seems to be the Land of Waterfalls and crystal blue lakes. Along the drive there are 2 Waterfall Stops planned...

This would be where I would want to go. I love nature things.

 

[Einstein509]

Sigh…. Yes. Sadly, but but this point in the trip I’ll have seen a lot of the other cities and not a lot of “nature”. There just isn’t enough time and I imagine I’ll be doing “the other half” of this trip at some point. I know it’s a highlight but I have loads of Bosnian patients who incessantly ask if I’m going to their homeland. Now I can be Ho eat and say I’ve visited. So… Dubrovnik another time.

Luckily, I’m not prone to car sickness really and I’m planning to take Benadryl along with me if I need it. I also have some Zofran I can pack for a worst case scenario.

BTW, we lived in the Balkan region a couple of years to include Belgrade and Slovenia. Traveled around the region as well, so if you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Another day full of gorgeous! No personal experience, but from my extensive watching of Below Deck on Bravo, Split is a beautiful place!

 

[zanzibar138]

If a 10-hour drive wasn’t quite long enough, a 12-hour one is planned for 2 days later.

My parents are taking like a week and a half to do this drive!

Croatia seems to be the Land of Waterfalls and crystal blue lakes.

Hubby and I were watching one of those 'highlights of Croatia' videos on youtube since my parents are going, and about 10 of the 12 'highlights' were different cities. And as beautiful as the cities look, they definitely have a bit of a sameness about them. The last thing I would do is go all the way to Croatia and just drive from city to city. I would choose one city and spend the rest of my time in the gorgeous nature! My parents are taking a similar approach, spending a bit of time in Dubrovnik upon arrival and then mostly staying outside of the main cities.

I’ll still get in on the late side as both of those stops will be about an hour.

Only an hour at Plitvice??? The other waterfall looks lovely too, but with such limited time, I would definitely consider ditching that one to spend more time at Plitvice.

 

[Steppesister]

F is for: Forward From Zagreb to Ljubljana with a Frolic in a Hot Spring​

Having had a hellacious drive the day before, I’m hoping to sleep in a bit and have a nice leisurely European breakfast and a stroll around Old Town Zagreb before hitting the road again.

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Zagreb looks like a nice city with lots of historical sites to enjoy as well as loads of yummy street foods, and cosmopolitan vibe.

The city has a really cool historical tunnel system that seems like it might afford some fun photography time with. On my walking map, I’ve got a few of the entrances marked out to explore.

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There is also a 13th century tower that looks like it might be fun to climb for a nice view over the city:

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St. Mark’s Square is famous for its church with this fantastic tiled roof. It’s definitely a stand out and not-to-be-missed place in Zagreb!

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All told, I imagine the short morning walk in the Old City will take about 2 hours- intentionally, because there is a stop between Zagreb and Ljubljana that I’m looking forward to:

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Klevevz Castle and Hot Springs....

Not only is there a castle but also a few lite bites kiosks where I can grab a lunch for a little au naturel picnic after a hot springs soak. Ahhh, pura vida!

The total drive time between Zagreb and Ljubljana is only 2.5 hours, so I’m hoping to get into Slovenia’s capitol city well before dinner.

While all of the Balkan cities have a wide variety of international foods, I’m not going there for Asian or Mexican. I want the meat-heavy gut busters the Balkans are known for and I think I’ve found just the place here:

https://figovec.si/en/

Feed the beast!!

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Only 2 more free weekends to post on the PTR, and then it’s GO TIME!!

 

[zanzibar138]

The city has a really cool historical tunnel system that seems like it might afford some fun photography time with.

That does look cool!

St. Mark’s Square is famous for its church with this fantastic tiled roof.

I'm looking forward to seeing the similar mosaic-tile roofed cathedral in Vienna

Not only is there a castle but also a few lite bites kiosks where I can grab a lunch for a little au naturel picnic after a hot springs soak.

You will definitely be due for a little R&R by then!

The total drive time between Zagreb and Ljubljana is only 2.5 hours

Sounds positively delightful after your last few drives

I want the meat-heavy gut busters the Balkans are known for

That certainly looks like it will do the job

Only 2 more free weekends to post on the PTR, and then it’s GO TIME!!

Coming up so quick! Looking forward to the TR - hopefully you'll be able to get to enough of it before September that I can get some pointers