Once most visitors enter Dubrovnik through the Pile Gate for the first time, they immediately find themselves astounded and looking onto an unusually wide, white polished stone street. Considering the size of the other streets and alleys in Old Town Dubrovnik, this grand street looks like an afterthought. And in fact, it is. The street …
Category Archives: Blog posts
Spots Just Outside Split
Old Town Split is perhaps one of the most beautiful, charming Medieval towns we have seen. It seems to shine and shimmer. Its regal Diocletian palace is beyond compare and the narrow streets and alleys between old stone houses with their windows decorated with boxes overflowing with flowers make one say, ahhhh. They are picture-perfect. …
Split, Dalmatia, Croatia
In 600 AD, this place rocked. At the time Split became the capital of Dalmatia, it was wealthy and one of the most important cities on the Adriatic. While it has gone through some ups and downs in the past 2,000 years, it clearly rocks today . . . at least as far as tourism …
Istria
Just a few months ago, places with exotic-sounding names like Zagreb, Rovinj, and Istria never crossed my mind but fortunately, we are getting to know them well. Most people visit Dubrovnik. We will close our Croatian visit there and look forward to seeing what we hear is one of the most beautiful cities on earth, …
Joyful Visit
One of the most enjoyable times in our travels is when we have a visit with one or both of our daughters or with Tessa. And, of course, with our friends we have met along the way. The last four days have been so happy for us! Cody met us in Zagreb, late on a …
Zagreb, Oh, Zagreb
Croatia seems to be among the top European countries to visit. Australians, fellow Europeans, and busloads of Asian folk come here. Many USA tourists are here now too. Why? It is gorgeous . . . and Stan and I haven’t even set eyes on the coastline which is said to be some of the most …
Slovenia
Some trips from place to place are easy, some are a bear! Although our travel plans fell into place nearly perfectly, the day was very long. Two days ago, we arrived in our new apartment exhausted and hungry at about midnight after having made a 2-hour train ride from Brasov to Bucharest, another train to the …
Romanian Countrysides
I wish we had more time here. Ten whole days allowed only a glimpse of this young but old country. What I will miss most is seeing more villages and the countryside that rolls in all corners of Romania. In the 12th century, the King of Hungary invited Germans to settle and defend the Transylvanian …
Romania’s Elegant Peles Castle
No, there was no King Pele. It is not Pele’s Castle; it is Peles Castle. The royal castle was built during Romania’s golden age when the country was rich in oil, minerals, agriculture, and newly opened international trade that developed when Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Wealth was accumulated. King Carol I, the …
Transylvania’s Bran Castle
When in Romania a visit to Transylvania, the country’s most iconic region, is obligatory; non-negotiable. Some come to this place for the scenic lush green valley and nearby colorful farm fields. Some seek the awesome majesty of the great line of rugged Carpathian Mountains, and many seek the ski slopes of Transylvania in winter. But Romania’s …