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Slovenia Jun 7 - 10
Slovenia is a small country (slightly smaller than New Jersey) with a limited coastline (~25 miles, depending on your source), all on the Gulf of Trieste. But the scenery is gorgeous; the interior looks like its border country, Austria, Alps included.
Matthew, a former Shell colleague of Lee, invited us to visit. This Australian left his successful career behind to enjoy a less hectic life running a micro-brewery. Wife Tanya, whose father is Slovenian, began a new career teaching school, and they and their three children are loving it.
Piran is a pretty coastal town where we wanted to anchor. However, the winds were strong so we docked in Izola at a nice marina and took a bus to visit Piran where you can see Venice across the Sea. Lynn and Don left us and Matthew and Tanya came for dinner on The Prize, recorded above.
The next day Matthew took us to the wine country where we had the most unique wine-tasting experience; check out the pictures. Then we had a lovely barbeque at his home and a walk through the forest. |
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Slovenia 2 Jun 11 - 13
We continued sightseeing with Matthew, starting with a stop for a picture of Izola, shown above, where The Prize was berthed. After a few traffic jams on their nice motorways, we arrived at Bled, a beautiful setting on a Lake with a castle and an island with a church in the middle. You can understand why Tito had a summer residence there which is now a hotel.
Then we went to the capital, Ljublijana, a lively city rich in history and architecture. This is also where Matthew sells his beer to pubs. Of course, we visited a couple of them before going to his home to spend the night. The next day we all went to school, visiting Tanya’s place of work and saying goodbye to their great kids: Clare, Max, and Chris.
On the way to Matthew’s Human Fish Brewery (named for the national fish of Slovenia), we stopped for coffee and decadent donuts with a gorgeous view. The Brewery is in a small town near the Austrian border and the drive was gorgeous. He gave us a personal tour with fabulous spit pork and embroidered shirts. The trip was topped off with another beautiful drive and stops at large stores for us to stock up. We decided that Slovenia needs a marketing manager. |
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Croatia 4 Jun 13 - 17
Back to Croatia where our first stop was Rovinj, a picturesque town popular with tourists and a beautiful coastal path. Then we made another stop in Pula to anchor for the night. They also have a good fuel dock, so Lee and Richard filled the boat while Sher and Johanne went sight-seeing. (It takes a long time to fill The Prize.) Pula is very rich in history, having been the administrative center of Istria during Roman times. They have a castle (not much to look at, but the views from the tower are great) and lots of ruins, including a huge coliseum that is still used today. Otherwise the city needs lots of work.
The next port was Punat on Krk Island, a wonderful spot to anchor, swim, and sleep; it was a wonderful stop. On the way to Rab, a school of six dolphins joined us to race and jump along the side and swim under the bow. Richard got some great shots, including the one above.
Rab (named ‘Happy’ by the Romans), on Rab Island, is a pretty, well-maintained ancient city that was delightful to visit. It was a great spot to anchor, including music from the hillside restaurant. Alas, singing until 2 AM rather spoiled it. |