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

[pkondz]

have a nice leisurely European breakfast

Mmmmm… that breakfast looks so good

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Slovenia looks beautiful and that menu will indeed "feed the beast" if the food is even half as good as it looks.
You will definitely appreciate some down time in the springs after all the travelling time.
Your trip is fast approaching. I'm sure you're getting excited!

 

[Steppesister]

That does look cool!

I know! I'm such a sucker for architectural design in photography.

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

I'll bet!! Those are so pretty!

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

For reals and now with all the latest developments I'm looking forward to that!

Sounds positively delightful after your last few drives

Exactly! I think there are going to be 2 or 3 very, very long drives on this trip, but loads of ground to cover.

That certainly looks like it will do the job

The original European "gut-busters". LOL!

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

I'm almost definitely going to move this TR over to my blog site. I'll send the link so you can follow along there.

 

[Steppesister]

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

I really think I will! Now just hoping my dumb knee holds out.

 

[Steppesister]

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

I do too, and I love that this trip has a bit of a lot of things- nature, architecture, history, art, food, and a few fun surprises along the way.

 

[Steppesister]

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.

I sure will!! Thanks for the offer for sure! Any specific suggestions for a day in Ljubljana?

 

[Steppesister]

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

I've not watched that, but I'm going to have to take a peek now!

 

[Steppesister]

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

I'm sure it'll be so amazing to really dig in deep and see it in so much more detail than I will.

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 agree. I do wish I could spend a bit more time in Split and at least visit Dubrovnik, but it's just not in the cards this time. That's the beauty of travel though. You can always go back to places you've loved most.

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.

I know, I KNOW!!! Wish there was more time. But I'm calling this "A Taste of the Balkans". Perhaps someday I'll head back to the places I loved most and do a deeper dive. I think both places will get a little love with some quick photos and that'll have to suffice for this time.

 

[Steppesister]

Mmmmm… that breakfast looks so good

It sure does!!! Plan is to load up at brekkie and snack until dinner.

 

[Steppesister]

Slovenia looks beautiful and that menu will indeed "feed the beast" if the food is even half as good as it looks.
You will definitely appreciate some down time in the springs after all the travelling time.
Your trip is fast approaching. I'm sure you're getting excited!

Right?! Holy smokes! Won't need a meal mid-day and cake and coffee will have to do.

Ahhh, hot soaks.... the temps are looking rather crappy, so I'll have to soak and warm up with coffee!

I'm definitely looking so much forward to this well-earned trip!

 

[Steppesister]

G is for: Gorgeous View with a Great Cake
***None of the photos are mine***​

With a morning to kill in Ljubljana and a “short” 5-hour drive from there to Salzburg this day promises to be a perfectly one.

A couple of the sites I am particularly looking forward to before the day's drive are the Dragon Bridge:

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St. Nicholas Cathedral:

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And the Ljubljana Castle:

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But I truly think the real highlight of this day will be this incredible lake called Lake Bled.

Tucked in the Slovenian Alps, this little gem has this super charming little island replete with a little chapel on it. I simply can’t wait to take some photos like this:

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I might be even more looking forward to this “protected dish of origin”- The Bled Cream Cake. Yes, Marie, thanks for letting me.

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3 hours down the road, the next stop is this charming little village, Hallstatt. An alpine lake in the Austrian Alps, this too offers some nice-looking views and a perfect stop an hour and a half from the private AirBnb I have set up in a little village just on the outskirts of Salzburg proper.

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Lots of great things to see ahead of me!

 

[zanzibar138]

With a morning to kill in Ljubljana and a “short” 5-hour drive from there to Salzburg this day promises to be a perfectly one.

Yay, getting to the real crossover with my trip now! It's exciting to see some of the same stuff I've looked at for us

But I truly think the real highlight of this day will be this incredible lake called Lake Bled.

Not gonna lie... when we were looking at alternatives for Salzburg, I did consider staying closer to the Slovenian border and crossing over for a day trip to this area. It looks stunning.

The Bled Cream Cake.

Oh yes, definitely a must-do!

3 hours down the road, the next stop is this charming little village, Hallstatt.

I'll be interested to compare our experiences in Hallstatt. I assume you've done your research already, but if you haven't, I would strongly recommend looking up parking information - sounds like it's something that would be better to be prepared for in case you have trouble finding a space. I can definitely see the appeal of having a car though to check out some of the lookout points etc along the way. We will be limited to what we can access via public transport.

 

[Einstein509]

Lake Bled is great, but very touristy and it gets crowded. If you drive a little way further, you get to Lake Bovinj which is a hidden gem. Not touristy, same water and sights, minus the island in the center with the church.

There are no motor boats allowed on either lake, so on Lake Bled, you pay a guy in a wooden boat to row you over to the island. It's a nice ride there and back.

 

[Wood Nymph]

You have some beautiful stops planned The Airbnb should be wonderful.

 

[pkondz]

That's cool!

Stunning

Beautiful

 

[missjackiemcg]

I've not watched that, but I'm going to have to take a peek now!

It's absolute trash, LOL, but sometimes you need a good binge of something awful!

 

[Steppesister]

Yay, getting to the real crossover with my trip now! It's exciting to see some of the same stuff I've looked at for us

Not gonna lie... when we were looking at alternatives for Salzburg, I did consider staying closer to the Slovenian border and crossing over for a day trip to this area. It looks stunning.

Doesn't it?! I think scenery-wise, this will be the loveliest part of the trip!

I'll be interested to compare our experiences in Hallstatt. I assume you've done your research already, but if you haven't, I would strongly recommend looking up parking information - sounds like it's something that would be better to be prepared for in case you have trouble finding a space. I can definitely see the appeal of having a car though to check out some of the lookout points etc along the way. We will be limited to what we can access via public transport.

I'll have to take a look at that! EEK! Yes, that whole route is full of scenic overlooks and views, so def looking forward to that!

 

[Steppesister]

Lake Bled is great, but very touristy and it gets crowded. If you drive a little way further, you get to Lake Bovinj which is a hidden gem. Not touristy, same water and sights, minus the island in the center with the church.

There are no motor boats allowed on either lake, so on Lake Bled, you pay a guy in a wooden boat to row you over to the island. It's a nice ride there and back.

That looks like it may add quite a bit of drive time to the day? I think I'm gonna be in a bit of a hurry to get into Salzburg so I can see a bit of that for the short, less-than-24-hours I'll be there.

 

[Steppesister]

You have some beautiful stops planned The Airbnb should be wonderful.

I can hardly believe I'm leaving tomorrow!! Wahooty!!!

 

[Steppesister]

That's cool!

And that's only one of a few!