Saturday, June 28, 2025

Croatia Day 21

Day 21: Epilogue

Dave and Molly flew off in the middle of the night, leaving the last 3 couples to bid farewell to Mario.  He was truly exceptional.  Always with a smile on his face and  heartfelt concern for his charges.  We will miss him.



A few final thoughts about Croatia.  
1.  Very friendly people.  people here seem genuinely friendly from the hotel managers to the maids to the waiters.  We did not come across anyone who was not kind and helpful.
2.  CLEAN. Croatia was an exceptionally clean country. No graffitti (can't be said about Slovenia), no litter, and immaculate bathrooms (every on of them that we tested including por-o-potties).
3.  Extremely scenic. 
4.  Gorgeous weather.  We had 21 straight days of perfect weather.
5.  If you are planning a trip here, I would certainly recommend utilizing the services of Ivana Bosancic
Private Tours Croatia Ltd.
Croatia Phone: +385 21 510 800
Mobile: +385 91 604 3197
She planned a wonderful trip for us based on our requests, was very accessible, and extremely responsive to some last minute changes that we asked for.  Her guides were exceptional and our driver, Mario, a real pleasure to spend 2 week with.
6.  If you want to sail, charter a monohull.  Catamarans don't sail well.  They do have their place.  Our cat allowed for 4 couples with private heads, critical for us older folks.  Event though we did bnot get much sailing in, our floating hotel was very comfortable and allowed us a great time on the water.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Croatia Day 20

Day 20: Ljubljana City Tour and Lake Bled 

Last day.  We met our guide, Tine, at the hotel this morning at 9.  We had a long day ahead of us.  First a tour of Ljubljana, then a trip to Lake Bled and Bled Castle.


Franciscan Church



Ljubljana University

"Jewish Street"

Jewish Street



Old Town

Graffitti everywhere




Clock Tower

Funicular to Ljubljana Castle

Ljubljana Castle

Ljubljana Castle Tower


View from Ljubljana Castle Tower

View of Ljubljana Castle Courtyard



Ljubljana Castle Tower


Ljubljana Castle Cells



Ljubljana Castle Cells

Death Mural

Funicular


We then departed Ljubljana for the nearby (1 1/2 hour drive) resort area of Bled.  Lake Bled is situated amidst the Julian Alps about 40 miles north of Ljubljana. It was a favorite summer hangout for the communist elite of Yugoslavia, and Marshal Tito had a beautiful home (with a private restaurant) here.





The traditional transportation to Bled Island is a wooden boat known as a pletna. The word pletna is a borrowing from Bavarian German Plätten "flat-bottomed" boat
'. Most historians date the first boats to AD 1590.

Similar in shape to Italian gondolas, a pletna seats 20 passengers. Modern boats are still made by hand and are recognizable by their colorful awnings. 





Pletna oarsman employ the stehruder (standing rowing) technique to propel and navigate boats across the lake using two oars. The role of the oarsman dates back to 1740, when Maria Theresa of Austria granted 22 local families exclusive rights to ferry religious pilgrims across Lake Bled to worship on Bled Island. The profession is still restricted. Many modern oarsmen descend directly from the original 22 families.





Bled Island