Split

As we drive down the Dalmatian Coast it is remarkable how many islands are in the Adriatic Sea.  The water here is so clear and there does not appear to be polluted.  I can hardly wait to swim in the  salt water.  The bus trip was long but the views were beautiful.

Our stop in Split allowed us to see the Diocletian Palace which was built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian where season four of the Game of Thrones was being filmed.  This palace was built above the water so the structure in the basement area is identical to what was on the second floor.  During the middle ages people took over the palace and concerted the palace into private apartments so the second floor is no longer like it was during the Roman period. The streets are narrow with smooth limestone blocks.  Easy to walk on when dry but slippery when wet.

At Split we stayed in the Hotel President.  Then off the next day to start island hopping.

Plitvice Lakes National Park

On our way to the lakes we came across the area where the Serb/Croatian fighting took place during the 1990's.  When Croatia claimed independence this created a chain of events where both groups became persecuted.  You could still see houses that had been attacked and destroyed during this time.  Serb's are starting to return to this area to reclaim their land but the process is very slow.  We stopped at an outdoor museum for a look at the types of vehicles that were used during the war.

The lakes area a wonderful natural area that have developed over time because of the calcium deposits.  This summer has be very wet so amount of water all over Croatia is very high.  The hotel we stayed in was built during the communism time period so was very basic but the location in the national park was perfect.

The steps are created by the build up of calcium carbonate on the moss like vegetation. 

Istria and the Kvarner Gulf in Croatia

Opatija is a beautiful resort town with a lovely waterfront that has a cement beach area and a nice swimming area in the Kvarner Gulf.  This area is popular area for Austrians and people in the Baltic countries.   All along the waterfront there is a cobblestone walkway which is 12 Km long.  A great area to stroll and many people walk their dogs.  It is easy to access the water all along the walk either for fishing, boating or swimming.  There are several small rock beaches with washroom facilities and areas for children to play. 



Night picture along walkway in Volostco.

On our second night in Opatija we decided to make the 30 minute walk to the town of Volostco which is a small fishing village.  The walk along the cobblestone walkway is very pleasant and well lite at night.  We chose to eat in a small restaurant that served fresh fish.  We ordered the grilled fish platter for two and had a great meal.  The fresh fish was Gill Fish and Sea Wolf.  The seafood was scampi in the shell with claws, mussels with barnacles, and four small calamari which were excellent.

 

Roman Amphitheatre early first century A.D.

Istria is a peninsula the north east side of Croatia towards the Adriatic Sea.  This area has been influenced by the Venetians and many people speak Italian and Croatian.  As each group had control of the Istria area.

Pula is the largest city in Istria and a major port city.  The Romans helped to develop this area and there is an excellent roman amphitheatre still standing.  From Pula we drove north to  Rovinj.  This was our first Old World town.  This town was part of the Republic of Venice for five centuries.  On a clear day you can even see Venice from the church's bell tower.  This area is popular with Austrians as the Habsburgs also controlled this area for a period of time.  Tito who was "president for life"  after the second world war  spent time in this area when he controlled Yugoslavia.  Porec (poh-RETCH) is the tourist capital of the world.  The beaches have beautiful crystal clear blue water.

Old Town in Rovini

 

 

Zagreb Croatia

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia.  In the center of town you will find the main square called Jelacic from here you can easily get to the upper town and a few historically significant sights.  To see this area you can explore on your own with a guide book or take a guided walking tour.  We have been here twice on escorted tour.  Each time we saw the same key highlights but approached from different directions.

The short funicular ride is a great way to get up the hill and then most of the walking is down hill.  The funicular costs 4 Kn or you can walk the stairs on the right hand side.  You disembark funicular at the base of the Lotrscak Tower and .  The city was built on two hills and consisted of two settlements the Gradec and Kaptol with the Medvescak stream between them.  The bridge was the separation between the two areas and there were often altercations on the bridge that ended with bloody noses.  The bridge became know as the bloody bridge from the bloody nose after the altercations.

St Mark's Church has a colourful tile roof with the arms of Croatia in tile.  If you are visiting on a Sunday the changing of the guard happens at noon.  Be sure that you are in the square 10 minutes before the horses ride up the hill from the stone gate.

The stone gate is the last remaining gate from the walled settlement around St Mark's Church.  The gate houses a picture of Madonna and child that survived the town fire.  Many people pray in this area.

Walking through the stone gate and over the bloody bridge you will come to the Dolac Market.  You can't miss this area because of the red umbrellas that help to protect the outdoor market.  Don't forget to go into the indoor market located below the outdoor market.

From the market you can visit the tallest church in Croatia, Cathedral of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This catholic church is a wonderful example of neo-Gothic architecture.

On Sunday you can visit the antique market which we would call a flee market.  There are interesting items for sale surrounded by small café tables.  If you are looking for a peaceful place to visit go to the botanical garden, which is free.  There are many different plants housed in this area that it is a wonderful retreat in a busy city.

Getting to Croatia

After an eight hour flight from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to London, England we booked in for the night at the Sheraton  Skyline by Heathrow Airport.  The cost is reasonable but don't expect the hotel to provide transportation.  None of the hotels are allowed to provide this service.  There is a low cost bus service, taxi and if you are more adventuresome the local public bus transportation is also available.  Here is a  link to the Heathrow Airport website.

http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/buses-and-coaches/hotel-buses

We arrived at Terminal 2 and purchased our return bus ticket from the Tourist Information booth. Before leaving the terminal we accessed the free internet on the I pads to make sure that we had our seats booked on the British Airlines flight the next morning.  If you check your next flight you can often get the seats that you want.  To catch the hotel bus make sure you know the bus number for your hotel and the platform that you will need to wait.

After checking into the hotel get outside and go for a walk in the daylight.  This will help you to get  your body accustom to the time change.  This is also a good time to decide on where you will eat that evening.  There is not much around the hotels.  There are townhouses and a few local restaurants if you walk a fairly long way from the hotel.  Check out the restaurants in the hotels and decide what you want to eat.  The Sheraton has an East Indian restaurant that was excellent.  The dishes are easily shared and there is enough rice in one serving for two people.  The Cobra beer was also a great idea to help cool the heat of the curry.

The Sheraton has free wireless service or you can access the terminals in the lobby.  The pool is in the hotels courtyard and covered.  This is a lovely area and there is a lounge located around the pool which is open for drinks at 4 pm daily.

The last thing to do before retiring is determine what time to catch the bus to return to the airport.  Make sure you know which terminal you need to go to for your next flight.  Because we often have a difficult time getting up when we have changed time zones we asked for a wake up call at 5:30 am.  To our shock they did not call the room but someone was knocking on our door to wake us up.  So we truly got knocked up in the morning.  Not sure how long they were knocking on the door before Bill realized that we need to get up.

We were departing from terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.  Check in is easy but your baggage tag is printed by an agent after you have check in at the automated terminal.  Once through security there are several restaurants on the main floor as well as choices on one level down in the flight hall.  Just be aware that you must watch the flight departure board to determine what gate and when you need to be at the gate.  Once at the gate we had to take a bus to the plane.  Be sure you are at the gate before it closes or you may not catch the bus.  For our flight the gate actually closed 30 minutes before the departure time.

The flight to Zagreb, Croatia on British Airlines was great.  They had enough time to feed us a light breakfast before landing after two hours.  The time change from London is one hour ahead.

The airport at Zagreb is very small.  It reminded me of the airports in Canada during the 70's.  Not very big and limited services.  You can access the airport bus for about 30 Kn  to the bus terminal downtown which is about 30 minutes away depending on traffic..  There is no luggage storage at the airport but there is luggage storage at the bus station.

At the time of writing this blog Croatia is officially part of the European Union as of July 1, 2013.  They currently use their own currency called the Kuna.  As of 2014 they have not decided if they are going to use the Euro.

Kananaskis Country in Alberta Canada

Kananaskis is a provincial park west of Calgary before you reach Canmore or Banff. 

This is a wonderful area that is less congested than the national park and allows for wonderful opportunities for wildlife sightings.  Over the last forty years I have always enjoyed time in this area.  I have stayed at the Youth Hostel, in the hotels, camped in a tent and watched a meteorite shower that happens in early August. 

The hiking trails are numerous in the different areas and provide opportunities to see beautiful vistas and hidden lakes.  There are several trails for disabled individuals as well and accommodation designed for wheel chair accessibility.

I have had the opportunity to fish in the park before it was well established and caught rainbow trout.  This is a great place to watch a variety of birds in their natural habitat. 

We have stayed at the lodge and spent many Christmas or New Years  celebrating with family.  These experiences provide countless memories and the lodge goes all out to make the experience exceptional.

If you like to ski the cross country skiing is awesome with numerous tracked trails.  Downhill skiing at the Nikiski Ski Hill is also a great experience for all abilities.  The drive from Calgary allows Kananaskis to be an easy day trip.
.

The golf course was another wonderful opportunity to enjoy the scenery and put your skills to the test.  Unfortunately with the devastating flooding in 2013 the two course were closed.  Currently I do not know if they will ever be repaired. 

You can see the mud still on the golf course from the club house.  The beautiful white sand is not very white any more.

Even with the devastation from the flood in 2013 there are still wounderful opportunities to enjoy this area with the family.

If you are looking for a new place to visit in Alberta consider Kananaskis and Peter Lougheed Provincial Parks.  I know that I will return to the area often.

Destination Wedding

What a great opportunity to travel with our extended family to a warm destination.  If you have ever wondered what this might be like keep reading.  I believe that the best way to approach this type of trip is to remember that the Bride and Groom are the focus and you should be putting their wants first.  Everyone who attends the destination wedding has one thing in common, they know either the bride and/or groom and want to celebrate their wedding.


Our experience started with people flying from different locations and arriving at Dreams Puerto Vallarta.  The first activity planned was a bonfire on the beach the evening before the wedding.  This was a great way to meet everyone after spending the first day at the resort.  Try to have the wedding early during your stay to ensure that everyone is still health and not too sunburned.



The bonfire on the beach was an excellent way to meet people.  We roasted marshmallows.  Don't forget to have someone document the activity with pictures.  Unfortunately the waves came in  too high and washed hot coals on to the sand.  This happened twice during the two hour bonfire and the groom ended up burning the sole of his foot.

The wedding was being held at 5 PM on the beach.  It was still very hot so be prepared to be out in the sun during the ceremony.  The bride provided paper fans, an excellent idea, this helped while we waited in the sunny for the ceremony to start.  Remember to select clothing that will help you to remain cool.  Pictures are difficult to take when you are facing the sun but an ocean backdrop is amazing. 

The best time to take pictures is the hour prior to sunset so plan to have pictures taken during that time.  If you provide appetizers and cocktails during that time for the guests you won't have to worry about your guests. 
The photographer needs to take their time so that your pictures will be amazing and you will be able to remember all aspects of the wedding in the future.

The wedding planner at the resort will help you make the wedding a special day for everyone.  During the wedding they will help to solve any concerns so that the bride and groom can enjoy themselves.

What a fantastic time everyone had at this wedding.  You could have time alone or join in with a group so the week was also a great holiday.  If you can afford a destination wedding it is a wonderful experience.  We were very fortunate to have 60 people attend the wedding.

Congratulations Michelle and Greg!