Slovenia and Croatia

November 6-14

(dara) Jim & I met his parents in Vienna on Saturday, November 6. We decided to rent a car and drive through Slovenia and Croatia. What beautiful country! Slovenia has some amazing views! There are lots of rolling hills, snow-capped mountains (the Julian Alps), glacier lakes and teal-colored water running down the mountains into rocky river beds.

We went to Lake Bled, which is one of our favorite spots. It is a deep blue lake nestled in the mountains. There is a small island with a monastry on it, and the castle sits up on a cliff overlooking the lake. Quite peaceful and magical - really! One of those perfect places to let time slip away!

Another great location in Slovenia was Piran, a small town on the Adriatic Sea. There were fabulous narrow, stone walkways that winded through the town. The water was an amazing blue! And although it was on the cooler side, there was someone swimming in the water. Surprisingly though, the water was warmer than the air.

Croatia is a beautiful country too! There are over 1,000 islands off the coast, and the drive from Split to Dubrovnik is awe-inspiring. I would imagine the drive is similar to the Pacific Coast highway, except Croatia's view is of the islands, off in the distance. The mountains fall away into the Adriatic Sea, and the water are all shades of blue.

Dubrovnik is definitely worth a mention. "Enchanting" is how Jim's mom described it. She is right too! It is a walled-in castle city on the Adriatic Sea. The only one that exists today. It is a completely funtioning city with stores, restaurants, banks, etc. One of my favorite characteristics of the town is the red-tiled roofs, and how they look with the outer wall and the backdrop of the Adriatic Sea. Quite lovely!

There are plenty of fabulous views! Croatia just finished a major road from Rijeka to Split. The drive is all scenery, and the rocky hillside goes on for miles. There are a couple of fabulous lakes too. My favorite part is how the country is still untouched. You can drive for miles, and there are not any roadside towns built up yet. That is really what I love --- lots of fabulous scenery and no fast food restaurants off to the side of the road.

If you would like to see more on either country, check out any of the two upcoming two movies.

Movie #1
Heidi was being filmed on the major pass of the Julian Alps in Slovenia. We actually had to cross the border into Italy to continue on our route to the coast of Slovenia.

Movie #2
The BBC was filming Casanova while we were in Dubrovnik.